My wife and i have always had two dogs.

About three years ago, our female GSD passed away and the younger one, even though he lived his whole life with her, would not allow another puppy in the house.  When we brought one home, his aggression was so bad that we ended up taking the GSD puppy back to the breeder.

Last week, we were offered another GSD puppy and we couldnt refuse.  The older one is almost 12 now and has been neutered since the first time we tried so we figured we could try again.  We introduced them in a neutral area behind our house and immediately he began lunging at her and i'm certain if given the chance, he would have taken her head off.  We walked them a while and for the last few days, she has been in our finished basement and he has been upstairs.  We will bring him down a couple of times a day just so that he sees her in the hopes that he'll get used to her but it doesnt seem like there is much progress.

This is the third time we have introduced a new dog to one already in the home.  This is the only time we have ever had this issue and it is quite frustrating

Any tips or ideas?

It is very frustrating when an older dog won't give out the "puppy pass". It can also be quite dangerous.

The best thing to do is to walk them together (two handlers) every chance you get, let them get used to each other smells, etc. Reward good behavior profusely, such as legit butt and nose sniffs, and discipline the older one for aggression towards the younger one, much the same as you would do for unwanted prey drive towards say a family cat. But under NO circumstances should you ever allow a situation where you can't protect the younger dog. Keep both on leads when together, and don't let the little guy torture the big guy.

You can also try forced togetherness. Put the older dog and the puppy on the couch with you and force proximity and calmness. That has worked surprisingly well for us in the past. Did I say this is a typical problem for Akitas?

Patience is indicated, but if things don't calm down in a reasonable period of time, or if things are getting dangerous, a muzzle should be considered for the older dog. Use a wire basket muzzle that allows the older dog to drink and accept training treats through the muzzle.

Best of luck with this, and BE CAREFUL.

Thanks for the reply.  We have been trying the walks but its been in the upper 90's here and the little girl gets worn out easy.  

We've been trying to get them together with both on leads in our basement but our older dog just doesnt seem to want any of it.  

We'll give it some more time and then we may try the muzzle

Thanks again!

Did some person tell you that snipping his nuts would make him more 'friendly'?

Best advice I can offer is to treat your older dog like it IS the alpha dog at all times and treat the puppy like it is at the very BOTTOM of the pole. Older dog should always get the better meal (and be fed first), Older dog should always be the FIRST one out the door (or let back inside), Older dog should always get the praise first when possible, etc.

You want to always reinforce the same pack order that they would have if you were not around to interfere. If you give too much attention to the pup around the older dog that is likely to make him want to kick the new dogs ass even moreso that now.

Also suggest a pinch collar, proper lead and muzzle for the older dog until things are much more settled down. Never can be too safe and you want a way to be able to give a 'correction' if needed.

Wish you the very best of luck here.