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| Dog Letters |
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Amber, after living her whole life (5years) with my other dachshunds in my home has suddenly started attacking my most submissive short hair. I have 4 females. Amber is the only one spayed. The others have pups on ocassion (I am not a "breeder", but I do have litters once in a while.) Iris, the victim, turns tummy up immediately. Amber always goes for her neck. then, Precious, my 6 year old, goes for her leg and JJ (1) will head for her stomach. It is awful and I know Iris will get killed. I don't want to find another home for Amber, as she is so sweet and loving with this exception. I keep them separated, but this is no guarantee. I have a large fenced in yard, but nothing helps.
Dear Tanya,
I’ll post your letter and see if anyone has a suggestion.
The behavior you describe sounds typical of multiple dogs establishing a pecking order in the pack but that order was probably established years ago. Once it is established there is no further need for aggression until a junior dog wants to move up and the senior dog needs to reassert their dominance. This doesn’t sound like a pack realignment problem.
The word in your letter that catches my attention is “suddenly”. That makes me think that the aggressive behavior is being caused by some recent change but nothing specific comes to mind. Could Amber have a serious medical problem? Does Iris have some new behavior that provokes Amber? Dogs have a highly sensitive sense of smell. Does Iris have a medical problem or is she doing something that causes her to smell different?
I hope you can solve the problem. You mention finding a new home for Amber but, until you know the cause of the aggressive behavior, you might make the problem worse and Amber might hurt someone. If nothing else works you might consider finding a new home for Iris, preferably one with no other dogs, and see if the remaining dogs can get along peacefully without her. That might make you sad but this isn’t about you.
Good luck,
Roscoe |
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Dear Roscoe,
I have a 7 year old female Basset Hound (spayed) who is the sweetest, most loving and devoted companion I have ever had. She was only 1 year old when I became disabled and I believe that this may have a lot to due with the overprotective nature that she displays towards me. She just flat out doesn't like any men other than my older brother! I am currently dating a gentleman who likes dogs very much, but he has yet to actually meet my dog up close. She is in the laundry room when he visits (which is her usual place when I am gone or have company, so she doesn't hold this against him personally). But, whenever we laugh or she sees him pass by the laundry room on his way to the rest room she whines, growls a bit and barks at him. She is quiet the rest of the time he is here. I am hesitant to bring her out for a face to face meeting as she is very stocky and strong and I am easily put off balance because of my disability. I am unsure of how to introduce them face to face.
Does she feel threatened because she is not used to having a male figure around that takes up her "Momma's" time and is used to my exclusive attention..............I am home 90% of the time and she follows me from room to room and hangs on to my every word and sleeps on my bed. I'm in my mid-30's, live alone, have no children and have never been married.............so yes, of course she is a bit spoiled, but does mind basic commands and have good behavior in other areas. However, she has always suffered major seperation anxiety...........though that is now under almost complete control......down to minor anxiety.
Since I live alone and have some handicaps I do appreciate her protective nature for safety reasons, but want her to be welcoming to my guests and others that I indicate to her that are okay and will not harm us.
I am unsure of how to proceed. I hope you have some advice for us.
Thank you,
Lin S
California
Dear Lin,
I think I can help you with your problem, but first some background about dogs. Please bear with me if you have already heard this.
All dogs are pack animals. The leader of the pack is the Alpha dog. You and your dog and your older brother are a pack. It sounds like the position of Alpha in your pack might be up for grabs.
Humans tend to think that because they are the more intelligent species they are always the Alpha. That is not true. Being the Alpha is not a title, it is a position that is earned. Most humans don’t earn the position and then can’t figure out why their dogs are so unruly. Between dogs, the position is usually earned through strength and aggressiveness. Between dogs and humans it is more a battle for authority and control.
You can be the Alpha in your pack regardless of your physical limitations if you are willing to be firm and take charge and your dog will be happier for it.
By the way, my idea for handling the situation should work for both new boyfriends and new dogs. To your dog, they all count the same. And, changing the order of the pack will not change her instinct to protect you when she senses you are in real danger.
Your dog may react more strongly toward men than women because of their scent. Male human scent is similar to male dog scent so it is likely to trigger a fearful reaction. You dog has apparently bonded with your older brother so the fear reaction does not occur.
When you bring another human, or dog, into your home then you are disrupting the pack. Your dog is not only fearful but she has not given permission for you to do that.
What I think you need to do is a fairly simple process to define a new set of pack relationships. The way to do this is to first disassociate your dog with the current pack relationship, then establish yourself as the Alpha, and then allow you dog to choose to accept the new arrangement. You will need the help of your older brother, since your dog trusts him, to handle her through this process.
You should try to follow this procedure pretty closely. Read through it completely before you try it.
1. Sit in a place that is large enough for two people that is close to your front door.
2. Have your brother bring in your dog on a leash and have her sit across the room where she can clearly see you and the front door. Do not acknowledge your dog or look toward her. NO EYE CONTACT. Do not proceed until she can accept that she cannot join you. This might take several minutes.
3. Have your boyfriend knock on the door. Greet him with words and touching (that part is up to you, but touching is an additional danger signal to your dog that you want to raise and eliminate) and usher him back to where you were sitting. Do not acknowledge your dog through this process.
4. Talk with your boyfriend for a couple minutes and include touching or hand-holding (if that is OK. Him touching you is likely to be the hardest thing for your dog to accept.)
5. After a few minutes, greet your dog and wave to her to come over. Make eye contact the entire time. Your dog should be very clear on you controlling her movement, not your brother. Wave your hand to have her move forward, then raise your hand with your flat palm toward her to stop, and so on. Keep talking the entire time to establish that you are giving the directions and your brother is just holding the leash. Your brother should allow her to approach very slowly and stop a few feet away. Try to take as long as you can to bring her from across the room.
6. Speak to your dog and introduce her to your boyfriend, preferably while touching him. Talk to her and talk to him and so on.
7. Allow her to move to where you can touch her and him at the same time but she is far enough away to not bite him.
8. Gradually bring her closer to him until you can take his hand and place it gently on her head. You should be talking all of the time and he should pet her by moving his hand away from her face.
If, at any time, your dog growls, barks or demonstrates any aggressive behavior you should make full eye contact, stand up if you can, hold up the flat palms of your hands toward her and say “Stop it” or “No, no, no” in a loud voice. Push your hands toward her like you are pushing her away and that is the cue for your brother to pull back on the leash and go back to the starting point. If she stops growling then continue but only until she does it again. If she doesn’t stop or has to be told twice then put her back in the laundry room and try it again later or another day. If you have to wait until another day then be a little gruff and distant with her so she gets that message that you are Alpha and are not pleased.
I know this sounds harsh, and if this were a child, it might be considered abusive. But, for a dog, it is exactly the kind of leadership they are looking for. If you can stick to it then she will end up a happier and more social dog. Most dogs don’t want to be the Alpha dog but they can’t stand for the pack to be leaderless and will take the job if nobody else does. Most dogs will give up the job happily once they know you are serious. All they want to do most is to know where they stand and to please their human.
You may have to go through the process several times before it starts to sink in. You should also be careful if your boyfriend is away for a while because you might need a refresher session.
Another thing to keep in mind, you should never argue with or raise you voice to your boyfriend when your dog can hear you, or to anyone else if you can prevent it. You want her to be able to clearly distinguish between calm, gently speaking as being friendly and yelling for help to be a danger signal.
I hope this helps and wish you all the best. It sounds like you and your dog have a wonderful relationship.
Your Pal,
Roscoe |
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Dear Roscoe,
After losing our beloved dog of 14 years, we adopted a two-year old female, Tibetan Terrier. When we got her, she was very shy and quiet, but after four weeks with us, she has emerged into a loving, fun and adaptable pet. Our only problem is that she does not eat well. When we adopted her, we were told that she ate five cans of Mighty Dog, Roasted beef or chicken Dinners, daily. She weighed 30 pounds, which is about 4 or 5 pounds too much, for the breed. We have continued to feed the same food to her, but are lucky if she eats 2 to 3 cans daily, which is not enough for her. We usually feed her at 8pm, but she ignores her food until 10:30 or 11pm. please help.
Thank you,
Arleen Mordini
Dear Arleen,
First things first, what does your vet say about her health? Is she losing weight? Have they checked for things like worms or other parasites? Is she constipated? Does she have heart or kidney problems? A bowel obstruction? Does she get plenty of water to drink? Does she have regular bowel movements? Any other animals in the vicinity? Dogs have been known to eat cat droppings and other nasty things when they are hungry. That could give her worms or other problems.
Most dogs her age are a little piggy when it comes to eating and will consume much more than they need. If you dog isn’t eating then I think either she is finding something else to eat or has a health problem. Whether or not she is losing weight should be a helpful clue. If she is an outdoor dog then maybe you should keep her inside or in a kennel for a few days. An active will get really bored that way so be prepared to keep her company. If that brings her appetite back then my guess would be that she is finding something else to eat.
I looked up Mighty Dog, since I’ve never tried it, and it looks like the daily amount is about 1 can for every 5 pounds of weight. So, 5 cans per day sounds right for a dog that should weigh 25 pounds.
The time of day that you feed her seems a little late. Is that only once per day? Maybe her stomach is irritated from not eating all day.
I eat twice per day on a regular schedule. I don’t have a watch so I use the sun as a guide. I get up not long after sunrise and want to eat right away, probably about 6:30 AM. Then I eat the second time when the evening shade start to appear, probably about 6:30 PM. Maybe you should try that schedule.
Maybe she is tired of Mighty Dog. I eat dry food because it is better for my teeth and gums and has glucosimine and chondroiton to help my joints. A lot of people believe their dog won’t eat dry food but all you have to do is be firm. A dog will eat almost anything, even cloth or kleenex or paper towels, when they are hungry.
I hope your vet will be helpful if she has a health problem. Otherwise, good luck in sorting out the clues.
Your pal,
Roscoe |
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