dog problems

ameliarate

Can anybody give me a bit of advice please?

We have just taken in a 3 year old lurcher. He belongs to a family member who can't keep him any more. He is an extremely placid and affectionate dog.

We already have a terrier, 11 years old, who is not brilliant with other dogs TBH but we introduced them slowly and they seemed to get on well.

The problem is that occasionally the terrier will "go for" the lurcher, grabbing him at the side of the neck and it's difficult to get her off. She has not broken the skin. It seems to happen when somebody she hasn't seen him around before is or has been to the house, though sometimes it happens out of the blue for no apparent reason. Mostly we can see if she is getting a bit tense and distract her but, thought it is happening less, I would like to stop it happening at all.

Any advice gratefully received.

foxwales

This is a display of dominance by your terrier. The fact she is doing it when people are in your house or have just left indicate that she is re-asserting her position in the pack each time a potential pack member comes/goes.

If she is an independent dog and likes to do things her way and doesn't always listen, then this shows that she is assuming role of pack leader so she is asserting her dominance and leadership by doing what she wants and keeping the lesser pack members in check.

Because of her age it can be hard to break this cycle but you as owner need to establish yourself as alpha dog.

If she does anything which you are not happy with, then you need to make a loud sharp noise which will startle her and be consistent in that you do this each time. This will show your displeasure and assert yourself as alpha dog.

You need to be consistently doing this not only when she goes for your lurcher but each time she does something you don't want her to do as this will establish clear leadership.

She may still go for the lurcher as she may see herself higher in the pack than the lurcher, if she does attack the lurcher, make a sharp loud noise and then remove her completely from the area, lock her in a different room on her own for 10 minutes and ignore her cries.

As dogs are pack animals they don't like to be isolated from the pack, so this reinforces your leadership.

You have to be consistent for this to work but your body language has to be confident and assertive too as dogs are good at picking up on this.

Best of luck

ameliarate

Thank you Foxwales, I did wonder about removing her from the room following an "event" but was concerned that it might make things difficult when she was allowed back in.

threemuttleys

Your 11 year old doesnt like other dogs, and she is showing this by not being happy with the presence of the new dog. Personally I would rehome the new dog, this is not fair on either dog.

threemuttleys

foxwales wrote: »

This is a display of dominance by your terrier. The fact she is doing it when people are in your house or have just left indicate that she is re-asserting her position in the pack each time a potential pack member comes/goes.

If she is an independent dog and likes to do things her way and doesn't always listen, then this shows that she is assuming role of pack leader so she is asserting her dominance and leadership by doing what she wants and keeping the lesser pack members in check.

Because of her age it can be hard to break this cycle but you as owner need to establish yourself as alpha dog.

If she does anything which you are not happy with, then you need to make a loud sharp noise which will startle her and be consistent in that you do this each time. This will show your displeasure and assert yourself as alpha dog.

You need to be consistently doing this not only when she goes for your lurcher but each time she does something you don't want her to do as this will establish clear leadership.

She may still go for the lurcher as she may see herself higher in the pack than the lurcher, if she does attack the lurcher, make a sharp loud noise and then remove her completely from the area, lock her in a different room on her own for 10 minutes and ignore her cries.

As dogs are pack animals they don't like to be isolated from the pack, so this reinforces your leadership.

You have to be consistent for this to work but your body language has to be confident and assertive too as dogs are good at picking up on this.

Best of luck

seriously?!

ameliarate

threemuttleys wrote: »

Your 11 year old doesnt like other dogs, and she is showing this by not being happy with the presence of the new dog. Personally I would rehome the new dog, this is not fair on either dog.

.... and yet at times they get on well, certainly when out walking. You may be right and it may come to that but not until we are sure that it will not work out.

ameliarate

threemuttleys wrote: »

seriously?!

are you suggesting this is incorrect?

jumpedtheshark

Dominance theory / alpha theory was trendy for a while, but has been quite comprehensively debunked. Domesticated dogs just aren't like wolves. Google it. See, for example: http://k9domain.org/alpha_theory.aspx

You're much better off following something like the loved dog approach offered by Tamar Geller: http://www.tamargeller.com/

ameliarate

jumpedtheshark wrote: »

Dominance theory / alpha theory was trendy for a while, but has been quite comprehensively debunked. Domesticated dogs just aren't like wolves. Google it. See, for example: http://k9domain.org/alpha_theory.aspx

You're much better off following something like the loved dog approach offered by Tamar Geller: http://www.tamargeller.com/

very interesting, particularly the first link, but unfortunately it doesn't advise me how to help my dogs.

jumpedtheshark

There are some trainers on here, who may respond.

I'm *not* a trainer or at all qualified. If they were my dogs, I would attempt to teach the older dog that having the younger dog around was a very good thing - extra affection together, extra treats together, brushing sessions in the garden together, etc. So whatever your older dog views as his 'favourite things', he should get more of them for the next little while, and all of them together with the other dog. The trick is reward the behaviour you want and ignore the behaviour you don't if at all possible.

threemuttleys

ameliarate wrote: »

.... and yet at times they get on well, certainly when out walking. You may be right and it may come to that but not until we are sure that it will not work out.

Out walking there are distractions. It may be worth contacting a good behaviourist (not one that still believes in the dominance theory!)