Posted: 12/28/2009 11:24:05 AM EDT
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Hello,
after seeing all the dog pics posted here figured might as well throw this out there: I have two dogs, both are males, both are a high-strung working dog breed. They are approx. 1 year apart in age, and share a common mother but obviously from different litters. The older one's (about 2 years old) personality can be characterized as highly intelligent, energetic, aloof, but willfull, and requiring a firm hand. He also came first, had him for a year without the other. The other dog (about 9 mo old), has a personality characterized as sweet, gentle, obedient, and far less energetic. He is also disabled (previous owner did not take him to vet after a broken elbow, we have done our best to repair it but it will never totalty heal properly). Dog #2 required a lot of care initially due to his injury, some loss of attention to dog#1 resulted at first. We had a baby about two months after we got dog #2, so obviously all attention is going to baby now and dogs are getting minimum compared to their previous lifestyle. They are walked and played with as much as possible but it is impossible to meet the amount needed for the breed at this time due to the baby and the time of year. Problem: They are fighting alot. Around me, the fights are brief and little more than macho posturing. Around my wife, who dog #1 does not fear or regard as a master, the fights are physical and last longer, scaring the crap out of her. They are not big dogs so breaking them up is not particularly dangerous or difficult, but it is very stressful and we do not want them fighting around the baby. More often than not, the bigger old dog is instigating the fight with the smaller dog, often over food, attention, or when the baby is nearby. He does not always win as the little dog can defend himself rather vigorously despite his injury and I am convinced that they have not established who is the dominant dog as of yet. I have a fair amount of patience and have figured out ways to avoid fights (separating when feeding, giving treats, separate play/walk times giving one dog all the attention at the given time). Dog #1 knows to generally avoid starting shit in front of me but will try to sneak it in when he can. I also remove myself from sight (i.e. not giving the fight any desired attention). Obviously with a new baby around, who will be crawling before you know it, we can't have our house resemble Michael Vicks. Any advice or similar experiences? |
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Neutered? that would help. sounds like the older one is the aggressive one? Get the book by the dog whisperer dude, Caesar something. That is his niche.
Straight up, Easiest way is to find a new home for one of them. With this pair you definitely need to run a tighter ship, that is why I only have one dog in the house, so I can spoil and break all the obedience rules. |
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Quoted:
Neutered? that would help. sounds like the older one is the aggressive one? Get the book by the dog whisperer dude, Caesar something. That is his niche. Straight up, Easiest way is to find a new home for one of them. With this pair you definitely need to run a tighter ship, that is why I only have one dog in the house, so I can spoil and break all the obedience rules. Ah yes forgot to mention this. Older dog is neutered, smaller dog is not. We plan on getting him neutered as soon as time allows but he does not appear to show any aggression or even horniness. Wife is leaning towards getting rid of Dog #1 and keeping gentle Dog #2, but we are not going to agree on that and I am not going to get rid of either. I do my best to run a tight ship and have the respect of both dogs, but they are dogs and right now the baby is getting every ounce of our energy and attention, though it is easing up some. |
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Sounds like they are still sorting out the order. With a small kid in the house, this is not good. Instantaneous negative stimulus / correction issued to both animals simultaneously is probably going to be the shortest route on something like this. Since there is a small child involved, time is of the essence. I would go with electronic collars used in conjunction with strong verbal reprimand "NO" issued at the same time. If you cannot meet the mental and physical exercise threshold required by the breed, look to a rescue organization to find a new owner who can. |
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Quoted:
Sounds like they are still sorting out the order. With a small kid in the house, this is not good. Instantaneous negative stimulus / correction issued to both animals simultaneously is probably going to be the shortest route on something like this. Since there is a small child involved, time is of the essence. I would go with electronic collars used in conjunction with strong verbal reprimand "NO" issued at the same time. Looking into the shock collar, would like to avoid if possible but may be only option at this point. If you cannot meet the mental and physical exercise threshold required by the breed, look to a rescue organization to find a new owner who can. Would like to avoid this at all costs. I can typically meet the dog's needs, ibut t is difficult at the moment as we are in the middle of winter and have an infant, but should be able to do by the spring. |