Have we done the right thing

Lisa_Spiller

This morning I came downstairs after my husband had walked the dogs and Jinny & Scrappy were sat on the sofa i opened the conservatory door to let them out but just before scraps got to the door Jinny pounced on him (this has happened before but not for a while its almost like she feels she is the boss of scrappy and if he is getting a bit excited she has to sort him out) my husband managed to get her off him thankfully with just a mouth full of fur from scrapps but he took himself off to the dining room under the table so just before we were about to leave for work she pounced on him again. Again thankfully he wasnt hurt just shaken up (as am I my hands are shaking typing this) so we had to split them up for today so scraps is downstairs in the house with some paper down and Jinny is in the conservatory and garden. My husbands says it will be fine we will go home take them out for a walk and by the time we get back from our walk they will be ok. I am worried have we done the right thing

blossomsuz

How long have they lived together?


I too have two dogs and the female can sometimes bully the male but it is generally over something (food,toy etc).


She is kept separated from him as she is in a puppy pen and he has the run of the dining room, that way they can see, hear,smell each other but not get to each other or start a ruckas. Only when we are not home thought, when we are around to supervise they are always together and it is very rare they have a scrap.


I am hoping with training and her growing up she will grow out of it BUT it us no great hardship her being in the pen anyway as she is a chewer and always eats the males beds!

Lisa_Spiller

About four years now. It has happened before scraps is scared of the hoover and the lawn mower so we keep the separate when we use those or otherwise when she can see him becoming scared or too excited she will pounce the few times it has happened before we have been home and everything has gone on as normal. But because we have had to separate them today I am worried that it might escalate the problem

krlyr

I think it's wise to keep them separate for now. I would recommend getting a behaviourist to come in and assess them in your home and create an action plan to work on this. I think it's worth getting professional help in to nip it in the bud - it will be far easier to deal with a small scrap than to fix a soured relationship should you try to address the issue by yourselves.
http://www.apbc.org.uk will list local behaviourists who use fair, modern methods

meritaten

Well, in the olden days in multidog households, the aggressor was usually just put outside and let it be known they were 'in disgrace'. but that was before dog behaviourists and psychologists of course.