Rescued dog attacking one of my other dogs

[ccit]

You don't say how many times this dog has attacked the other but it sounds like it has happened on a number of occasions. If this is a regular occurrence then you have a problem because it is unlikely to improve but could get worse.

 

You mentioned not being able to discern what the trigger factor is. This, and the fact that only one dog is being singled out makes me think that the rescue dog, for one reason or another dislikes your existing pet.

 

The stress that you and your dogs are under will probably make things worse so you need to try to minimise this. I think you should take steps to separate the dogs, always keeping them in a separate room or take it in turns to crate one of them.

 

From what you say, you are not ready to give up on your rescue dog but remember that it can be the kindest thing to do for the dog itself, the others and yourself. Living in an atmosphere of friction is not nice. Some dogs are much happier and more settled living without other pets in the house.

 

BTW please be very careful when you try to stop the fight. In the heat of the moment, the dog can lash out at the person who is intervening and you could get badly bitten.

Edited February 7, 2017 by ccit

[Littlepink]

ccit, all you have said is spot on and I have indeed been accidentally bitten twice . The attacks are becoming less frequent but obviously one attack is too many .i totally agree that he maybe better elsewhere too . It took such a lot of effort and cost to get him here and most of the time he's calm and happy that I feel I need to give it a bit more time . Thanks for your reply !:-)

[Guest]

The only thing i could add to ccit post is maybe a muzzle. The cage type not the cloth ones. This way they can still interact without the danger of damage to you or your otherdogs.

[1fish2fish56]

Just a couple of thoughts. Perhaps you could separate them with a child or dog safety gate to give your older dog a break. Also we were advised when re-homing our 2nd Labrador to always let the newer dog into the house first to avoid territory fights. This seemed against my natural instincts but apparently by treating the aggressor as the dominant dog i.e feeding him first, stroking him first etc you are essentially supporting the natural order of the pack and there is less stress and aggression all around.

[Daid]

Remove the dog that causes the problem as soon as as it starts trouble and leave it in a separate room for a few minutes before bringing it back in. Do this every time and the dog will begin to understand that it cannot behave that way. Don't get hung up on dominance and pack order, your dog will learn right from wrong if you're prepared to teach it.

[Littlepink]

Hi , just an update of the issue . I got a dog training collar as a last resort . Told the aggressive dog " no " whenever he stared or raised his lip to my other dog . Second "no" and pressed the control button ( only used vibration setting ) and everything is peaceful in our household now . Well worth a try for anyone else needing help

[Daid]

Hi , just an update of the issue . I got a dog training collar as a last resort . Told the aggressive dog " no " whenever he stared or raised his lip to my other dog . Second "no" and pressed the control button ( only used vibration setting ) and everything is peaceful in our household now . Well worth a try for anyone else needing help ��

 

So you've opted to punish bad behaviour rather than reinforce good.

[ccit]

The use of such a device has helped you deal with the issue but at a cost to the dog. It still has the problem that initiated the behaviour so now the poor animal has two problems because it is being punished for the first one.