Severe Dog Problems....Please Help/Advise.?

Question

we have 3 English Bull Terriers.

tess, rosie, and Lily.

Tess, is a complete screwjob, bully, and exceptionally violent towards our other Dog Lily.
We cannot understand why this is, as soon as they see each other, Tess is over there trying to kill her, and of course the other dog fights back, until we are able to physically pull them apart, which has recently got worse as Tess savaged my hand, when i got in the way of them.

Weve tried many things, muzzling them {they still get to each other but just spit and drool}, pining them down next to each other, so there in contact, but unable to fight.Choke Chains.

im at my wits end, and would rather not have her put down.


please, any help is wonderful.

more detail.....

tess only started going for the younger dog, after lily had her first season.......

were at our wits end.

my sister has a rottweiler, she tried to have a go at him, and was quickly put in her place.

shes fine with humans and other dogs.......just not this other dog {lily}

theyre not spayed, but im willing to try anything, at any cost.

Answer 1

It's a dominance issue and one not uncommon among terriers. Contrary to common belief, dogs do not think in just alpha and betas. Even with a strong human alpha, there will still be a dog alpha, a dog beta etc...each dog in a dog pack has its very own position. Generally, if you have two same sex, dominant dogs about the same age (with less than 2 years between then in age), you can more or less count on trouble.

In a wild dog pack, either Tess or Lily would have left the pack. Neither of them has that opportunity now and the situation is just escalating. Never use your bare hands or go between two dogs that are seriously fighting, split them up by throwing water at them, yelling etc. The best is of course if you prevent all contact between them. As long as they can see or hear each other, they'll be provoking each other. Dogs have a very developed language and it is entirely possible for them to have an attitude ("you want some, huh? huh?") through mere looks and facial gesures.

Tess is displaying normal dominant dog behaviour and unless she is generally aggressive to other dogs, I see no need to put her down. It sounds like Lily is also a dominant dog, if she had backed down and submitted to Tess, you would most likely not have had any problems in the first place.

It is very difficult to correct dominance issues like this and the best solution is often to give one of the dogs away.

If you want to work on it. You will need to find out who the most dominant dog is and through your supreme alpha position, support her ranking as the alpha dog to stop the fighting over that position. It is vital that you pick the right dog and that you know how to work with this - any mistakes could have severe consequences. Female dogs are particularly viscious when fighting each other. Because of this I would recommend you to get in a professional dog behaviourist, who can observe the dogs, the severity of the problem, and instruct and advice you accordingly.

Answer 2

A fear based aggression like this is extremely dangerous. It's a hard decision to make, but sometimes it's the only real decision. Keeping a dog like this around is extremely dangerous. You have small children- and you state the dog has gotten off leash twice. So far, no one has died- but easily could. I love my dogs more than anything, but I will NOT let them be aggressive towards humans or other dogs. The humans always come first. If I believed (or in your case knew) that an attack was possible- a SERIOUS attack- I would have my dog euthanized. It's the only responsible thing to do. It's a tough decision- and it's hard, because I'm sure you love your dog as much as I love mine. But you have to think about what's best for your family. You know in your heart the right decision to make- don't let anyone tell you that you are a bad person for this- you aren't. You are being a responsible adult- which means making tough decisions. I commend you for making it.

Answer 3

Seems like Tess is not only trying to show dominance, but is viewing Lily as a rival. One of them will have to be given away. I know that it stinks but with a Bull Terrier becoming that vicious, you may as well keep loaded guns laying around the house! It's that serious an issue.This is NOT the type of dog to trust. Since Tess is OK around other people, and since she is the one initating the problem, it should be her that leaves. Putting her down should be the very last option. JB

Answer 4

It seems you havn't introduced them properly or something similar to that. You should not, and I repeat not even consider putting her to sleep until you have done everything possible to help her. Even then, there is other options, like placing her in a rescue organization (if it comes to that).

They need to all be trained. This helps socialize them properly as well as improve behavior and temperament problems. You can also get a private trainer whom you can talk to about a specific problem, and I'm sure they will be glad to tell you exactly what to do.

She seems dog-aggressive, which could be potentially because she was never introduced positively to other dogs. I would start all over again with them, including leashing them, taking them to a neutral territory like a park, and letting them try and accept eachother. You should give them plently of treats and reward for good behavior. If they start to fight, take out Tess and bring her to an opposite area, saying "No," and let her cool off for a minute. Try it again.

But like I said, training is the best option for you right now.

Good luck.

Answer 5

You've got unaltered dogs living in a forced pack structure and one dog wants to be alpha female. They achieve this by fighting, and anyone getting in the way will be bit (as you found out). This unfortunately makes Tess a disaster waiting to happen. She's working the pack structure the way dogs DO in the wild, and will continue to do so till she's spayed, and possibly even after that.

She's a danger to every dog around her in this condition. Other dog owners aren't going to want their dogs savaged or to respond with an attack to an attack (it makes them open to all sorts of legal liability if their dog bites another--that's one strike against them if their dog has ANY other problems after meeting your dog--a potentially lethal thing for the other person's pet given the way most city ordinances are written). Any children or cats, smaller dogs, etc. are at extreme risk as well.

You have a breed known for aggression, and a dog showing those tendancies in a long term established fashion that hasn't responded to your training. It's time to seriously consider professional training for her AND a spay job, especially if she isn't top breeding potential for the show circuit.

Answer 6

WOW
Have you ever considered placing Tess in a home with no other Pets so she can just live out her life happy and have no competition with anyone as it seems she feels as if she is the Alpha Female and anyone else is intruding on her territory and she is going to kill them any chance she gets and this negative behavior is never going to end no matter what you do
I am sorry to hear this but I have a Friend who has the same issue with her malamutes and they live a totally miserable life as the 2 males have to remain caged @ all times as they cannot be out together ot they will kill each other and so when One is out side the other has the roam of the house but they have to lock one up when the other comes in from Out side other wise they have a dog fight on there hands
It is totally miserable when they have company over so I Would really consider Placing her
Good Luck to you and Happy Holidays
Respectfully Yours
Anne

Answer 7

Put them in the crate for 15 minuets. Separate crates!! DO not acknowledge them at all!!!! don't leave them in there any longer, or any shorter then the 15. This will tell them that the behavior is NOT wanted. I did this with my dog when he was a puppy and was getting aggressive, he was broke same day (he still tests once a year and i do the same thing!) When they start Say "Crate now" in a very firm assertive voice. And leave them in there as i said previously. This will work! I have given this advice to many people, and it was worked great!! They may not be broke as quick as my dog was, as his aggression wasn't toward another animal,however i gave this advice to someone who had the same issue, and she said it's worked good with her 2 labs.

Answer 8

Are they spayed? The will reduce the tension and fighting some, but it won't eliminate it.
Training will help, but it seems like this is already reached critical level. Forcing them to be near each other is only antagonzing the problem. And they obviously are not heading your directions, which means you haven't established yourself as the leader of this pack.
If the dog has bitten you, it may be time to find her a new home where she can be a single dog.

Answer 9

Ok, you have 3 females, any of them fixed? 3 females might be too much for one house hold. You are going to have problems constantly because of females tend to always try to find out who is top alpha female in your pack of dogs. This isn't something that is going to stop.
Your best bet is to maybe find her a home with no other dogs especially no female dogs. She might be okay with another male only cause she wouldn't have another to compete with. I think this would make her happier and you less stressed about your dogs trying to kill eachother. Good luck and I hope this helps your situation.

Answer 10

i think tess needs some training at dog school! that must be horrible to watch your dogs fight each other, how sad. mind you my kids are the same with each other, as soon as they see each other they start fighting! wish i could choke chain them! good luck with your dogs!