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1 year olds started fighting

season

Well-Known Member
These things don't just happen out of nowhere. Dogs are always giving us signs. Just because a dog follows commands doesn't mean they see you as a leader. It just means they are doing what they need to do in order to get what they want.


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season

Well-Known Member
I'm also glad I'm getting permission to reply or not to reply to ppl's comments. Like that matters. It's also great they have to let me know they won't reply. Like that matters either. The best thing to do is if you don't like my advice don't make any comments about it. Simply ignore it. That's the powerful approach. Even complaining about my advice or saying "don't listen to Season" already means you allowed me to make an impact. Just get over me and ignore please. I'm not worth your time.


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cayeesmom

Well-Known Member
These things don't just happen out of nowhere. Dogs are always giving us signs. Just because a dog follows commands doesn't mean they see you as a leader. It just means they are doing what they need to do in order to get what they want.

No it doesn't come out of nowhere, it comes from becoming mature and hormones kicking in. It is like saying your human kids should not "change" when they become teenagers, unless you are a "bad" parent who is not the leader and don't have them under control, Some change more then others, different personality!
 

season

Well-Known Member
Those things don't happen when you have a pack that is under your control. Yes, dogs mature etc, but when you live in a home with one dog or multiple dogs and that home has rules, boundaries, limitations and consequences those things might "happen" but they don't continue to happen. You don't need to hire a "professional" to tell u that. Dogs, like kids, will continue to push boundaries/rules as long as they are allowed to. Dogs, like kids, that live with structure and discipline don't because they know where they stand and they know there are believable consequences if they don't.
A dog will love you but that doesn't mean they will respect you. Using the "mature" word doesn't work. If a puppy was raised properly they won't be acting up when they "mature."


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HeatherA

Well-Known Member
i don't always agree with Season and most of the time choose to keep my mouth shut BUT this time Season is almost right but also sorry to say season i think you have no idea of a multiple dog home based on your last comment of

" A dog will love you but that doesn't mean they will respect you. Using the "mature" word doesn't work. If a puppy was raised properly they won't be acting up when they "mature."


Season i have a pack of one male and 3 females and in the last 3 months my females have hit maturity and have been trying very hard to one up each other and take the alpha role, sad for them I asserted myself and they now momma is Alpha and that crap don't fly and it ended, and i can damn sure guarantee you I have raised them properly from pups til now and they still tried it. some dogs just have the leader in their blood and its up to us to break it yes but to say they were raised wrong is a crock of crap...
 

Dreadz

Well-Known Member
@Ivesy if you can get a behaviourist in then do. One or two sessions with a pro could be all you need, they may spot something that isn't apparent to others through the course of dialogue over the net or even face to face without the dogs being present and then give you the tools to fix the issues. Also, don't listen to people who make out that you shouldn't need to seek professional advice, in your situation it's the sensible thing to do.
Don't leave them together unsupervised and in the meantime until you can enlist the help of a pro it may help to take every opportunity to reinforce your pack leadership. NILIF training may help, Google it and if you need anything else you know where I am


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season

Well-Known Member
i don't always agree with Season and most of the time choose to keep my mouth shut BUT this time Season is almost right but also sorry to say season i think you have no idea of a multiple dog home based on your last comment of

" A dog will love you but that doesn't mean they will respect you. Using the "mature" word doesn't work. If a puppy was raised properly they won't be acting up when they "mature."


Season i have a pack of one male and 3 females and in the last 3 months my females have hit maturity and have been trying very hard to one up each other and take the alpha role, sad for them I asserted myself and they now momma is Alpha and that crap don't fly and it ended, and i can damn sure guarantee you I have raised them properly from pups til now and they still tried it. some dogs just have the leader in their blood and its up to us to break it yes but to say they were raised wrong is a crock of crap...

Of course they may "try it", but they won't continue to try when strong leadership puts a stop to it. I've also had multiple dogs. Male and female. Like I've already said, they will push boundaries and continue to push them as long as they are allowed to.
Getting rid of the dog is a quick fix. Raising a dog isn't a quick fix. And yes, love isn't enough.


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season

Well-Known Member
You can find everything you need to by doing some research. Plus, it's free. Go ahead and hire someone to tell you what u can easily find on your own. That's your choice. Feel free to PM me, I'd be happy to help. Won't be the first one from here that has reached out to me for help. I might not tell u what u want to hear but I will tell u what you may need to hear. It's easy to point fingers at the dogs, much harder to point fingers at ourselves.


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cayeesmom

Well-Known Member
Season, I'm getting a little confused by you, first a dog will not act out if raised right with a strong leader, and you say the OP is probably the trigger. Next you say they might try it, last post said, they will push their boundaries. But still if they act up or push their boundaries it has nothing to do with them reaching maturity when the acting up starts at/close to the "teenage" age?! I don't think the OP is just sitting there letting the dogs go at it, hence she posted asking for advice. And to say getting rid of a dog is a easy fix in this case is not fair, you do not know her or her circumstances.
 

season

Well-Known Member
Nothing to get confused about. Raise a puppy/dog with firm boundaries, rules, leadership etc then you have a dog that won't constantly try to push them. They know their place. They know what's expected of them and they don't question correction. All dogs when brought into a home will try to see what works for them. And will continue to do what works for them. Dogs that don't have that in place will live a life of stress and anxiety which translates into acting out. They have to rely on themselves to figure out how to live in a human world. It's up to us to show them. And yes, too many ppl give up because it's too hard. It's easy to love a dog. Not so much to be the leader. That's not always fun.
And for you to say/assume that the OP isn't just sitting there letting the dogs go at it isn't fair either cause you also don't know.
I just go by what I read and give my two cents. As I've told many others, simply ignore me if u don't like it. I'm free to give my advice. I'm free to offer my opinion. I'm not telling anyone to "not listen to so and so"...take it or leave it. That's on each individual. I'm not in charge of ppl's feelings. But to even comment on my advice unless you're the OP is pointless.


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teodora

Well-Known Member
Training... Obedience training, to be more specific. A LOT of training, and you can only hope for the best... I wouldn't rehome my dogs. What I would do instead is work with them, and work their ass off every single day and night till they get it!
 

DennasMom

Well-Known Member
And yes, too many ppl give up because it's too hard. It's easy to love a dog. Not so much to be the leader. That's not always fun.

...this I can relate to.
I was one of the those that "gave up". It was one of the hardest decisions we've ever made - and also one of the best.
"giving up" is sometimes the most responsible, and generous thing you can do for the dogs.

In our case, we didn't raise both dogs, The older one was ours from puppy-hood, but we adopted a 1yr-old bulldog mix that came with "issues" when our pup was ~ 5yrs old. They did ok on their meet & greets, and the rescue group never suggested he had an aggressive bone in his body. But, after a week with us, he started acting out.

So we learned the hard way by being dumped in the deep end, that to be the "leader" can be a very hard and lonely place to be. As "leader", we were not able to spoil either dog - no cuddling, no couch time, no one allowed on the bed with us - ever. If we let the submissive dog on the bed, the other one would attack out of jealousy. If we let the "bully" up for some love after being good all day, as soon as the submissive dog was in sight - he'd launch himself at him to keep him away... which just got him in trouble. So... we missed out on part of our favorite aspects of dog companionship, all so we could be "leaders". No fun.

We did use many different levels of containment to keep both dogs safe, but there were the inevitable scuffs and scrapes when all looked well... until it wasn't.

After 3 years of getting 98% of the issues resolved (the bully was down to only attacking the older dog about 1/month, normally while he was SLEEPING), we decided to rehome the "new" dog. EVERYONE was happier when the stress of trying to keep everyone coexisting peacefully was lifted.

The bully immediately took to his new family and was able to relax without another dog around.

The older dog was able to live out his remaining time (less than one year) in a stress-free home, and reverted to his happy-go-lucky great-dane-ish puppy antics. I do worry how much of his demise (cancer) could have been avoided if his immune system had not been lowered due to living in stress for 3 years. It's hard to get a good night's sleep when you expect to be attacked at any time. :(

SO... my advice:
DO seek professional advice and see if there's something you're missing.
DO try NILF and see if this is something you can work out of the system. Being two girls reaching maturity, you may be able to convince them that they have NO NEED to fight for "top bitch" honors, as that is YOUR position. They might test boundaries for a month, or 6, or 12, and then happily go back to being besties.
but... they might not.
...and/or keeping the peace might be more work than the rewards are worth...

Only you will know when enough is enough.
Good luck and stay strong!
 

season

Well-Known Member
^^^ Well said. And yes, the loving, cuddling, spoiling etc definitely feels good to us. It fulfills our needs. But those things don't necessarily feel good for the dog especially when those things are not in balance with boundaries, structure, discipline, exercise, consequences. Some of the best advice I could give to people thinking of getting a dog is to not get one. The second is don't get two at the same time. It's a recipe for disaster and irresponsible in my opinion. Sure, most people have great intentions but they aren't ready to lead. To put loving and cuddling and affection on the back burner while leadership is established.


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Ivesy

Member
Expert came today....as it happens cc is open to season. .which I didn't expect as she had her first 8 weeks ago. So I guess hormones has something 2 do with it. Me and the kids have worked our asses off all week intensively watching for things that we might have missed.....and yes the jr staff has been a little antagonist! And maybe the cc has just had a guts full whilst feeling like this. As she has always been the submissive of the two. I had done stupid things like putting them in their own room for their safety at night and no longer letting them sleep on my bedroom floor....but quickly realised that that particular room then became "their" domain and nothing was resolved. I no longer separate them. If there is a problem. ..they both get a row...im not having this crap in my home! I have removed their toys and treats and they only get something when they are in each others company and all is well. Back to basics with them. ...but tbh it seems that the problem is the jackstaff not the growling corso which is how it first appeared. The little one has always been cheeky but basically a good dog..where the cane is a fantastic well behaved dog...as admittedly I was probably more wary of her growing into a beast that I couldn't control. ... so my next step is to work on the jack some more and continue through this patch. Im not giving up without a fight lol.
Thank you everyone for your information. I'll let you know how it all turns out. ..
 

xcrazydx

Banned
Does anyone ever just let the dogs figure out their position in the pack? I've never had to do it but I know a couple people who just let the dogs have their scuffle and it was settled.
 

Ivesy

Member
My friend advised that. ..but due 2 my dogs mixd breed...I didn't want 2 take that chance 2 be honest. My cc is huge in comparison to the staff jack Russell. ...so as she was the one angry and can cause so much damage to the jack mentality of not backing down of the little one....2 episodes of blood shed was enough for me not 2 let them at it themselves. I don't know if what I did interfering was good or bad...but having 3 kids around witness to the crazy was enough for me. :(..... my brother always says leave dogs be.....but now he has his own and emotionally involved. ..he's not so keen on the idea! ;)
 

karennj

Well-Known Member
I read an article on why you should not let them work it out. I will try to find it

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angelbears

Well-Known Member
In the wild they would work it out in 1 of 3 ways. Fight to the death. The less dominant dog leaving the pack or the lessor dog accepts that it is not in control. 2 out of the 3 are not acceptable to me. I would try to step in before it gets to bad.
 

dpenning

Well-Known Member
My last EM Daisy and my male Pomeranian used to go at it fairly regularly. Once I realized how amazing Daisy was and that she did not want to kill Rascal for being a peckerhead I would let them go at it until Daisy pinned Rascal to the floor with her front paws crossed over him. Rascal would not quit so once Daisy had him pinned I could grab him without getting bit by either dog.

Edit to add this was only once Daisy grew up, so from around 8 months to 1.5 years they would fight, after that they must have come to a mutually acceptable agreement because it quit.