What can we do with 1 of our dogs that is becoming vicious?

Question

My fiance got her a few years ago, in addition to the dog I already had. We have added 2 more dogs to the fam, but Jeanine (border collie mix) is becoming vicious. She has put my basset/beagle in the hospital twice-because Maggie was going near her toys. $400 in er visits.

We decided to split them up until we can figure out what to do. Jeanine has been at my mom's house for a few weeks, but today she tried to kill her Rat Terrier (Jimmy).. so it couldn't be a "female thing" between the dogs.

Obedience training wouldn't help this! I don't know what would.

She aggresive around other dogs when they're near her treats, toys, food and under the bed (her hiding spot).

We've had all these dogs since they were pups, ages 5, 3.5, 2 and 2.

Maggie was the first, which means she's the last to leave. Jeanine would have to be the 1 to re-home if we have to.

Answer 1

Aggression has all kinds of different causes but it could be the result of stress from the addition of more dogs. As dogs become mature, they lose their tolerance for other dogs and no longer wish to play with just any old dog as puppies do.

If she and your first dog had a good relationship going the additional dogs may have disrupted the whole thing and she feels she needs to fight over things in order to keep her status in the house.

If she wanted to kill the Terrier, she most likely would have gone for the stomach which is a soft and vulnerable area. Most quarrels between dogs do not get to that point but they do sound terrible.

You can probably rehabilitate her but with the other dogs it may be more than you can handle and she has shown bad bite inhibition if she has sent your other dog in for stitches 2 times out of 2 fights.

There are medications and behavior modification that do work. If she is not human aggressive, she might do well in a one-pet household where she doesn't have to fight for anything, can calm down and get some behavior modification.

If she is hiding under the bed, she sounds fearful.

Answer 2

If Jeanine has been fine with the other dogs and has suddenly become vicious, she may have a medical problem and I would suggest taking her to the vet. Border collies are high energy dogs and require lots of exercise, if Jeanine's exercise needs are not being met this could also lead her to be destructive out of boredom or pent-up energy. The aggression over toys could be a dominance issue or a female issue if Jeanine is not spayed. I have heard of cases of female dogs becoming protecting of toys and treating them like puppies. If Jeanine is spayed, I'd recommending showing her she is not top dog. This can be done in many small ways such as letting the others dogs eat first, Jeanine needs to wait her turn to eat, and can be asked to sit before she is fed. Also by walking out the door before her when taking her out, be the pack leader.

Answer 3

Again, a lot of misinformation. Please find someone in your area that is a knowledgeable trainer and/or behaviorist to help assess you problem. No one on the internet will be able to and reading a book or looking at some silly DVD isn't going to help and certainly not some dominance maneuver by you as you are likely to cause more conflict and get yourself injured in the process - the dog does sound fearful - confused and fearful but again, there is no way for anyone to properly assess that via the internet.

You have somehow made a decision that obedience won't help and yet it sounds as if that is something that you definately need in the situation so it is somewhat silly to ask for help while deciding on not accepting that as a potential answer. She DOES need to be obedient and to have someone own her that knows how to properly train her so that she doesn't exhibit undesirable behaviors, like she is doing. If you cannot train and handle her properly then by all means find her a home that can or put her down but don't pass her on without being very honest about her behavioral issues or you will be setting the new owners up for a potentially serious situation. She has already gotten away with attacking and seriously injuring other dogs so she has learned she can and that won't stop unless she learns differently and feels more confident and less confused about her situation. Good luck.

Answer 4

This may sound really stupid to you but it really works but this is what u honestly do. Buy your Border Collie Mix a nuzzle to fit over her mouth so she can not bite.(separating the two dogs will only make the problem worse. walk the basset/beagle mix in the same area as your collie mix with the nuzzle on at all times, give yourbasset mix a doggy treat in front of the collie mix do not give the collie mix a treat, if the collie mix jumps or lunges at the little dog you need to pull back on her chain and and in a stern voice tell it NO! keep doing this for about a week, then hopefully the collie mix will notice that if she participates in a good way that she will be rewarded, also if she trys to strike out at the little dog with her nuzzle on then slightly roll her over on her side and tell her no and hold her there for a few minutes and let her know that you have the power not her to change things,she has to get use to sharing her space with a new arrival after being the only lady of the house, she feels like someone has invaded her space and area and keeping them apart is the worst thing you can do, she will never learn to let the other dog become a part of the family,Hope this helps-and good-luck.

Answer 5

You could try getting her to submit to the other dog. Give the dog her toys and make Jeanine let Maggie have them. If she tries anything, correct her by flip her on her back until she calms down (whichever of you is stronger should do this). Make sure you're not scared, anxious or anything else. You have to be calm and confident in what you're doing. Let Jeanine know you mean business and she has to listen to you. Try reading "Ceaser's Way." My aunt had the same prolem with her Border Collie mix when she brought home her German Shepherd puppy. Now the puppy is bigger than her and she has to tell the GSD to leave the Border alone, but he just wants to play.

Answer 6

It seems as if Jeanine is extremely dominant and protective over her toys, but is not naturally aggressive towards other dogs(do you know the reason for Jimmy's attack?) Unless you no longer intend to keep Jeanine, do not house them separately; Try and work things out first. First off, if there is an overly protective dog in the household, the other more submissive dogs will usually learn(after a few snaps or even bites), to leave the dominant dog alone when he/she is playing/hiding/eating. Do your dogs bug Jeanine when she is in her 'zone'? If the other dogs are the ones enticing the problem, the problem is much easier to work with. Simply teach your other dogs to leave her alone. Teach them a command such as "leave her alone" or "into your crates/beds". If your dog is protective over her things, train your other dogs to avoid confrontation with Jeanine for the short time. And, when there are times when the dogs are left around with no human supervision, separate them into different rooms/crates until you feel you can safely leave them in the house at the same time. Even here, you may want to remove toys and other objects that Jeanine may be protective over.

Does Jeanine give any warning signs before her attack? Snarling, growling, tassles rising, body posture? (It's critical that the owner can quickly sense a dog's body language when dealing with aggression issues). Now if SHE is the one that is starting the fights(ex. Jeanine is chewing on a bone, a dog walks into the room, Jeanine GETS UP and strikes the dog; if the dog is close enough to Jeanine to the point where Jeanine doesn't have to get up to strike, I think that you could probably work more with the other dogs to avoid the fights), training is a alittle bit more difficult...but definately not impossible. I've worked with several possessive aggressive dogs that have learned to control their manners. I do NOT recommend a muzzle or any 'choke/pronge' collars. I recommend a halter. Also, you must teach Jeanine the command of "look at me", where once you state this command, she should look at you in the eyes. This is extremely useful when you want full attention of the dog. Remember, your dog may be an alpha within the dogs, but you should be the alpha over the entire 'pack'. If not, here lies the problem.

Work with the halter and a lead with just 1 toy and 1 other dog in the room. Stay in the room next to Jeanine and give her a toy. Call the other dog closer until Jeanine is no longer comfortable. Any signs of tenseness or 'glaring' at the other dog is inappropriate and the other dog should not be brought closer. At first, if Jeanine is tense or aggressive, tell her to look at you. Once she does, praise her vocally and/or give her a treat. Once you can fully control her to the point where the other dog(s) can be near her feet when Jeanine has her food/toys/bed, you can stop using the 'look at me' command. Now, just give her warnings. If she gets tense or growly, vocalize a firm "quit it!" or "hey!"

If you have another dominant dog besides Jeanine, I highly suggest you re-home one of the dogs seeing that it is extremely difficult to safely house two extremely dominant dogs. If Jeanine is the only dominant dog in the house, I believe things can be worked out. And if you do decide to re-home her, please take her to a no-kill shelter, rescue, or even better, interview people personally to insure that she is going to the best, forever home possible. I have seen too many innocent lives be put down at the shelters, and if the behavior is something that can be fixed(1 dog only household), there is no reason she should have to be put down.

I got my dog the day he was going to be put down for dog aggression. He was to the point where I could not walk him outdoors for more than 2 months. Now with repetitive training and reinforcement, he can calmly walk alongside other dogs. Now this doesn't mean he likes to go to the dog parks and play, but you shouldn't 'force' an unsocial dog to become social; All that matters is that they keep themselves composed when triggered with certain, aggression-prone stimulus.

I hope this helps. I feel that if you have the time and patience, Jeanine will be able to fit right in to your family again. Please work with her!!!

Answer 7

From the beginning
This animal is being traumatized !! She has gone from being the Alpha female in a limited "family" setting to one who was at least "feeling as though" her position was being threatened (with the addition of two other dogs) --- and, when she defends her "position" --- she is demoted to a situation where she is the "guest" in a home that ALREADY has an Alpha male --- in other words -- she has been removed from the very "home" that she was trying to defend and placed in a place where she is a "stranger" !!
She has gone from being the dominate female to a "guest" in an alien situation in this short time --- and people are wondering WHY she is reacting in a very hostile way !!!!

Picture yourself -- in your home -- when all of a sudden one day -- new people arrive and move in --- and, they start using your stuff as if it belongs to THEM -- and, when you say something about it ---- they all jump on YOU for it !! Then, all of a sudden -- someone comes and takes YOU to a home where you know no one at all --- and THEY start telling you how to be --- setting new rules and even getting into what little stuff you have left --- You'd be a little angry --- right ??

Get this dog to a family that is stable and has ALL of their attention to spend on HER !! If not, the only other choice you have is to have her spayed !!
Putting her DOWN for behavioral problems that circumstances have lead to --- is ludicrous !!!!!!

Answer 8

This might take a lot of time and hard work to fix, first your dog doesn't' think you are the boss, the dog thinks that she is a boss. You need to immediately start being dominant over her now....such as only feed her out of your hand little by little, then sit right next to her and take her food and give it back, praising her when she is very cool about it....same with toys....same with space...meaning if she is in your way walking down the hall...make a big deal about her moving not you....if she is laying in front of you, make her get up and move...lay her on her back and hold her there until she submits...practice these things everyday....when you are the boss..then you can start to let other dogs into your pack and you are the one that makes it okay...not the dog....quite honestly....watch the DOG Whisperer or get a good book.

Answer 9

it sounds strange that she would become vicious if she was a normal dog before that. Maybe she has a physiological issue - check on line to see what that breed of dog is like - see if anything runs in their blood, like ending up being crazy. I know my grandma found out after she bought a carien terrier that those type of dogs can just go nut-so for no reason.
She could have a tumor in her brain that is making her act differently than she use to. I would talk to the vet and get her some tests and then if they cant find anything you may have to get rid of her, maybe to a home that she would be the only anI'mal. Its a very sad situation, im sorry for you to go thru this. It never feels good to have to make that decision.

Answer 10

jealousy is the cause. If the dog has been by herself for many years, I am afraid there is not much you can do to change that. Bringing other animals in her territory was risky. The choice here is limited: give her up, or give the others dogs up for adoption. If your fiancee give her away, she would break the dog's heart and hers also. If you think about it, Jeanine was there first, so it's normal to keep her. One day, she will be at the end of her natural life and then you can adopt as many dogs as you two wish to raise. My two cents!