15 October, 2009

Doggy Mayhem Continues!


Abbey

Ok! I still haven't sorted out this doggy mayhem and not sure how all this will end by here are the three main characters. Above is Abbey she is the middle child and sister of Sarabie. Abbey goes with the flow and does not cause any friction or dramas, she like her belly rubbed and like to play with balls and she always seems to comfort or protect anybody or anything that is under threat. Abbey is a Maltese cross terrier.
Jatzie
This is Jatzie,a pure Maltese, the oldest of the three and has been the boss. She is always marking her territory when outside and barks at visitors when they come. She is protective of everybody and feels it is her duty to know what is going on all the time. She barks and gets aggressive when visitors come and we usually lock her up when they do come.

Sarabie
This is Sarabie, sister of Abbey and a Maltese cross terrier, probably more terrier than Maltese. I suppose you could say she is my dog because she is always with me around the home and in the garden. Sarabie was the one who got her tail caught in the door and is the one fighting with Jatzie. Sarabie is all passive when Jatzie is around then Jatzie growls and if together (which is impossible now) they will fight, aggressively.



This is what I have just bought, 2 muzzles as I don't know what to do with them beside keep them separated. They both had their muzzles on yesterday because I was doing some obedience training with them and they both were at each other for about 5mins. In a fight they have no intentions of stopping until they are pulled apart, even then when I pulled Sarabie away from Jatzie, Jatzie made a flying leap (about 2ft) off the ground to have one more go at Sarabie. I then separated them into different rooms, thank goodness they had these muzzles on otherwise there would have been blood.
Well, If anyone has any advice I would gladly listen, I have even been on The Dog Whispers web site to see if he has any advice. I'm sure it is a pack issue here and there is a imbalance, the dogs are unsettled and our happy home is not so happy in the doggy department at the moment, even the cats run to high ground. So if you can help with any advice I would greatly appreciate it.
Sue




3 comments:

Wendy said...

Sorry, I have no advice to offer. I'm sure you'll all be fine. Love your doggie pics. They really are sweet!

belinda said...

Drat,

When girl dogs fight girls you have a big problem on your hands.

Honestly all the inter bitch aggression situations I have heard about have ended only when one of them is re homed or shuffles to rainbow bridge.

This problem is actually quite a serious one, you have a very real chance one of them will kill the other if that muzzle slips or gives way. If it was my home I wouldn't be looking for internet advise I would be looking for a board certified vet behaviourist that specialises in dogs.

In a pack situation what is happening is that one of your girls is attempting to drive the other from the pack. As they are living in a non natural pack situation, ie the girl that the aggression is directed at doesn't have the option to leave the pack the tension will simply mount until they no longer have contact with each other, one way or another.

Between girls these situations almost always require that the two dogs involved lead separate lives. That can be achieved in two ways of course rehome (with a very clear explanation that this girl is not to be living with other girls), or only ever have one out at a time and have two doors closed between them. This second one of course still has a very real risk that one of the girls is going to get loose at some point and back up her opinion with teeth.

I wish I could give you better news but I really think this is a situation where you need serious professional help, and that doesn't mean an obedience trainer.

Kind Regards
Belinda

white_lilly said...

Thank you Wendy for your support.

Thank you Belinda for your advice, Iknow I have a big problem on my hands and I have been trying all avenues to find a solution. My next step is for professional advice, living in a relative small town has its limits so I might have to go further a field for help.
Thank you again and I will be posting any successes :)

Farewell "Buddy Surprise"

Farewell "Buddy Surprise"