oes & shih tzu
We have a oes called Meg (18 months - we got her at 3 months) & a shih tzu called Flick (15 months - we got her at six weeks). Since about day one of them meeting they have a tendency to fight all of the time! I dont mean just little fights big time fights!! Flick had to go to the vets in dec cos Meg had lifted her up by her head and her eye was popping out. Meg also lifts her up by her tail and bites her back at every opportunity! Flick does retaliate by jumping up on Megs back and dangling on her ears!! I have recorded their play in action as its had to believe two different sizes playing like that! Flick also has a mad period where she runs round really fast and Meg runs into her and knocks her flying, this in turn goes into a full scale fight. Meg also entices Flick away from humans, so they can have a good scrap! I feed them separately and they sleep separately so they both have time away from each other but I am hoping that someone might be able to help me to stop them fighting continually. |
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| Hi,
We recently had a similiar problem with our Bam-Bam (OES) and a vistor (small black cocker spaniel). I came to the conclusion these two just did not like each other and nothing I could do would change it. I was so happy to return the little cocker to their original owners. I think out of all the breeds, the OES seems to be totally happy being an only dog and the center of its human packs world............Good Luck |
| Goodness, what a challenge you have.
From my reading, and some amount of experience, dog-dog aggression is a tough situation to work with. I have fostered a sheepie that was very aggressive to my two passive sheepies, to the point of bloodshed. Since she was a foster awaiting a suitable home for placement, there wasn't a lot of time to work on her "issues". My recommendation was that she be an "only dog" and that has proven to be a correct assessment. She was VERY sweet with people and in fact, submissive with people, but very aggressive with dogs. I currently have a visiting OES, who is also dog-dog aggressive, but not with dogs he knows. He's mostly fine with my two, a few minor squabbles over resources (food, bones, who is closest to mom) but he is so bad with strange dogs, he's been banned from our playgroup. I understand he was attacked by a strange GSD before he came into the rescue program. His behavior is probably fear-based, but outside of keeping him leashed in a "sit stay" when a strange dog is present, I don't have confidence that his behavior can be permanently altered, although it's possible that a behaviorist might recommend medication. You might want to check out the books by Dr. Nicholas Dodman who is an animal behaviorist at Tufts Univ. vet school. They are probably at your local library, bookstore, or online. If you live in New England, you might consider an office visit with him, or if you live in another part of the country, send me a note with you address and I can try to find a vet school with a behaviorist near you. Good luck, this must be a heartbreaking and nerve wracking situation. |
| Fritzi,
My sister lives in Peru and has a 1 year old Snauzer. She wants to send him up this Christmass to stay with me until spring, when she moves back to the states. I have a an almost two year old male sheepy that has shown no aggression toward other dogs, but acts funny around feeding time, guarding, eating a bit then running around, then eating other bit. I free feed him twice a day because he is such a finicky eater. Do you think this will cause problems? Should I force him to eat at regular interval for a preset duration or should I wait and see if this causes a problem when the other dog arrives? |
| Gosh, I guess you won't really know until the dogs meet each other. In my limited experience with Schnauzers, they've been fairly resource possessive. Hmm, I think I'd start preparing your dog now, and your sister might want to do the same. Have him sit/stay while you prepeare his food and put his dish down while he is still in the stay position. Make him wait a few seconds until you "release" him from the stay to eat.
When I've had an "only dog" they have sometimes been finicky and have left food in their bowl and come back to it later. With multiple dogs, all of them chow down immediately, because whatever is left in their bowl is lost to the other dogs. Your boy will probably figure this out quickly. In case you don't already know this, you might want to introduce your dog to your sister's dog for the first time, in a neutral place. A park, a neighbor's yard, or somewhere where neither dog has any territorial stakes. That way, they can get to know each other for a little while before they get to the house and have to figure out who's in charge. The picture of your dog is just adorable! Good luck. |
| Thanks for the info - I did not think of having them meet on neutral ground initially.
Max just gets more adorably each day. I love this breed. |
10-1 the OES wins  |
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