being aggressive
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| Hi Worried Mom,
No need to worry and I'm 100% sure of the reason why Paige snapped and it's not aggressive behavior at all...quite different. Now imagine for a moment your hubby brought home some lovely lady he met, and brought her into your home. Would you just take it with ease or would you be upset? It's the same thing that happened with Paige. She's peeved and is making sure this new dog knows she's the boss as it's her house. No matter how sweet a disposition your dog has, it becomes entirely different when they see them on home territory. Your Paige is asserting she is dominant over that other dog as she was the pre-existing dog in the household. She would behave entirely different if it were a tiny pup as her code of law (yes dogs do have one they live by) would prevent her from harming a little tyke but they WILL dicipline. That again is different from aggression. The pup would normally view her as the Alpha (dominant one ) in the house hold naturally as she would be older. Even if this dog were her former playmate and they love one another - the home territory is worth her getting upset. It may have been preferable to have them meet on neutral territory before the introduction. You didn't mention if they knew each other previously or not so I'm just mentioning different scenerios. Every single animal in the animal kingdom will exhibit a different behavior if they are defending their home. Even when I introduced my baby bunny to a baby guinea pig..I did it on neutral territory - once I saw they were fine - they were placed together in the same cage which had been thoroughly washed so the bunny wouldn't associate it with her smell and previous home. If the dog that is staying with you is Female ...then that's a bit harder as she may be trying to assert her dominance over your Paige. If it's a boy, Paige will normally be his boss but he may be giving her signs that he's not and your missing the the signs...she's putting him in his place. This is perfectly normal. If you see a showing of teeth and it may escalate to that if he tries to assert dominance over her - seperate them. Lastly...continue to give her lots of love and reassure her she's still number 1 with you. Don't feed them in the same room as food, toys and her favorite person are usually a trigger with dogs. Most of us unintentionally give the new dog in the household more attention ( I know you're looking after it but same thing) and the previous dog feels left out and jealous. Lastly...take them on neutral territory...a park...walk...ect...let them have fun away from home. I guarantee ...the more fun and exhausted they become you'll have more peace in the house. Good Luck! Marianne and the boys |
| Hi Again,
Sorry just reread your post and realized the other dog is no longer an issue but she still may be a bit upset. Growling at you ...she is asserting she is dominant over you. You need to establish that you are the Alpha (boss) in the house. Even handfeeding her for aprox 1 wk..one morsel at a time will re-establish your the boss and you decide when she eats. You could offer to do a trade with her if she's chewing on something you don't want her to ( Although this info is given to more those with rescues whom may be a bit hesitant to just pull the dog away from the object) It teaches them what you don't want them to do but also provides an alternative. Everyone on here is so helpful I'm sure others with join in with methods they found effective. Oh last thing...her age...could be she's hitting her teens. Yikes!!! They are just like uprights in that regard..."You're not the boss of me!" My Merlin was the sweetest boy until he hit that period and took a lot of work ..now at 22 months - he's slowly turning back into the sweet boy he once was. Marianne and the boys |
| Marianne and boys,
Thanks so much for your response, I feel much better! Toby, the other dog is a male and he'd stayed once before and she didn't act that way. But I have a better understanding now, so thanks! Next time Toby visits I'll make sure Paige knows she's still number one... As for snapping at me when she's chewing something she shouldn't be, I'll try the food thing so she knows whose boss! Thanks again! Melissa |
| Marianne, you wrote: Quote: If the dog that is staying with you is Female ...then that's a bit harder as she may be trying to assert her dominance over your Paige. If it's a boy, Paige will normally be his boss but he may be giving her signs that he's not and your missing the the signs...she's putting him in his place. This is perfectly normal. If you see a showing of teeth and it may escalate to that if he tries to assert dominance over her - seperate them.
How would you apply this to a new 2 yr Female OES Rescue (Elle) and 9 mo. old Barney. Barney wants to play, Elle shows teeth, Barney continues, she snaps, and they go at it. I'm hoping they work things out before she draws blood. Can't keep them separated forever. |
| George,
I take it you rescued Elle? Or are you fostering? Jill |
Rescued!!!   Sent you a detailed email. |
| Oops, I'm sorry, I haven't checked my mail in a few days! I'll look now. |
| Hi George,
Congrats on your new rescue - I can't wait to hear all about it! What I mean in my above paragraph was that if the visiting dog was also female (as hers was) then two females may fight, just as two males will fight more than if it's male and female. In the dogs code of law it's also against their "code" for a male to attack a female but just like humans it happens occasionally so not always 100% rule of thumb. I don't pretend to be an expert although I've had 7 dogs and base most of my experience on them. 6 of the dogs were rescues and with each one I ended up taking them to obedience with various trainers, read a lot of books and was invited to hang out with people that do this for a living. Eventually I was placed under contract with the Humane Educational society for 3 years to provide educational pet talks to the public...so please take my advice for what it's worth and I wouldn't be insulted if others may disagree with me. When I brought Panda into my home last year...I already had two male dogs in the house and throwing another male caused quite a stir. Even after a year ...they still will have battles over who is second in command. Merlin has established himself as alpha...Panda and Blue still vie for second spot...over toys, bedding,...everything. Don't want to scare you as that scenerio was a bit different...and to be postive even tho they still continue to battle...the differences between last year and this year is a major improvement. I'm sure it won't take yours that long..you have several things going for you...the ages and sex of your two. Here's what I see happening according to "doggie kindom rules", the pre- existing dog in the household normally becomes the Alpha. That would "normally" make Barney the alpha dog. I say normally as he's still a pup and Elle whom may have accepted his alpha role if he was older, is not going to be told what to do by a young whipper snapper. She's gonna let him know she's the boss!! Barney's age is also a factor..9 months. For some reason this is the age when the other dogs don't view the pup as a pup but an emerging adult dog. Previously when it was younger the other dogs would never harm a pup (also against their code of law) but will Dicipline and put a pup in it's place if it gets too rough. Much like a mom or any adult diciplining a child even it's not their own, something like that. People often misunderstand the dog with the pup role and think the adult is being mean to the little puppy especially if it starts kiayyyying..and boy they sound like their crying their little heart out. It's always recommended to allow the older dog to Dicipline and stay out of it ! They shouldn't coddle or pick up the pup .The older dog is teaching the younger one doggie social manners. Anyhow, your Barney is reaching the age when other dogs see him as an emerging adult( he's a teen!) and if they are low themselves on the doggie social status (like Elle is as she's new to the home) she may be trying to make sure that the other dog remains below her. This happens often at the dog park where suddenly dogs whom previously played well together have scrimages and will pick on the 9 month olds for the reasons above. I see this happening perhaps between Belle and Barney. If you had these two right from the start ..Elle would have normally been the Alpha as in most households it's the older female that rules. Sigh..I think husbands the world over would disagree..ha ha! I don't know about Elle's background but if she was not exposed to other dogs and I don't mean living next to them in a shelter enviroment. Rather, if she had an opportunity to grow up with them or was allowed to play freely with them. If a pup is taken to a home and since that time as a wee pup only interacted with humans they they almost become stunted in regards to doggie social manners. They don't know what to do. Panda is somewhat like this, even at the dog park with lots of other dogs. When they rough housed and played he would race over and get close as it to see what they were doing but never participate. Instead he barked and appeared agitated. It was taking him daily, that I believe finally allowed him to join in after a few weeks. He was always friendly with the other dogs..but never played with them. it took a few months for that to happen. That may be the case with Elle too. This will resolve it'self over time I am almost sure, but will not happen overnight, so be patient. She may also still be shy and insecure and not yet confident in her role in the household yet and so she needs to establish her place as Alpha. Barney couldn't care less perhaps about having that role - he just wants to play! She might be a bit slow regarding play, her role and another factor may even be any medical conditions you might not be aware of. Sometimes dogs that aren't feeling well or have something wrong will ward off the other dogs with a showing of teeth. Blue who is 15 and Merlin are the best of friends and have a routine daily which they rough house first thing in the morning and after dinner. Once in a while Blue will show teeth to Merlin which is unusual as Merlin is the boss but Blue is telling him he doesn't feel like playing. The rules aren't always 100% either as in my household Blue at 15 was the pre-existing older dog, when Merlin came to live with us as a pup of only 8 wks. However, My previous OES Shaggy was the Alpha at that time. With her death, Merlin whom was now a bit older took on the role as sadly Blue relenquished it to him with no battle at all. He may have if he had been younger. I am saying that as Merlin was a bossy teen when he took over...yikes it's like allowing your teen to run the house. Merlin was far too young really to be Alpha and of course Panda too did not vie for that role. I sometimes suspect that with Blues passing and not the two against one in the house, and with Panda feeling more secure he may eventually challenge Merlin for the Alpha role as he is the older dog at four. (Merlin is 22 months). So that's it regarding alpha dogs but above all YOU must be the Alpha over them. I let my boys know it's not acceptable to fight but yet at the same time I don't interfere if it's teeth shown as they are communicating their displeasure over what the other one is doing. I still have lots of dog fights between Blue and Panda and even at 5 ft tall can grab each by the collar and haul them off to seperate corners and not once will any attempt to bite me..that would be an absolute NO NO in their world as they view me as Alpha. Taking them out seperately for the first while may be a suggestion. What often happens with a rescue or another dog brought into the home is the upright has established a bond with the previous dog...giving them lots of one on one time but not have the opportunity to do that with the new one. Often the new dog is thrown into the family dynamics and always has the other dog there and doesn't establish the bond with the human in the household. The other dog may get jealous too if you are patting and playing with the other dog in front of them. lots of work but I ended up having to take Panda out seperately at first to establish that bond. Saying that, and I hope I'm not confusing you ..is usually the Alpha dog is taken out first...then upright returns and it's now the dogs of lower status that go out seperately. That's where you're going to have to use your own judgement. Please also realize that most of what I'm saying is in general terms as you can see firsthand what is going on. Just watch them and see the interactions previous to the showing of teeth and battles. Is she telling him to back off and he is like an annoying younger brother and not respecting her wish? Is she just cantankerous or perhaps may not know or mistake his signs of play for trying to be her boss? Lastly I would advise you to feed them in seperate corners of the kitchen or whereever you feed them...even another room. The Alpha dog usually gets fed first..you can establish whom you see as Alpha that way. Good Luck and tell us more about Elle! Marianne and the boys |
| I felt the same way about bogey, he's still a handful, but things have gotten better in just a little over 2 weeks, lol im not saying all is peaches and cream yet.... but it has gotten better, Bogey isnt after Tuc nearly as much as he was in the beginning, and Tuc has decided that he is going to keep bogey in line lol, Tuc hates when bogey jumps on people and will pull him down and bark at him, HUGE difference from a week ago, so just hang in there, take a deep breath
jst2cute(didnt realize i wasnt logged in)  |
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