I found a really excellent method which fixed this quickly. I just give house guests (esp males) a few pieces of chicken and have them freely give it to the pups when they meet them. They LOVE house guests now.
Aggression to another female.
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Most of the time, things are pretty calm. However, my dh was letting the girls out this morning and he tried to pick up Lady and she growled at him. She was probably on alert from being in such close proximity to Raven though. I wasn't here, so I didn't see it.
Also, this morning Lady vomited in the kitchen. There is a small, maybe 2 foot wide space between the table and the wall. That's where she was when she did it. Anyway, Raven ran over there and shoved her out of the way to lap it up. yuck Anyway, Lady just walked off and didn't even raise the hair on her back. I thought it was a fight for sure. I'm pretty optimistic. Lady is playing more and flipping out less, although we are of course still very careful.
This morning I heard all this barking and this HUGE commotion outside. I just knew they were tearing each other up so I ran outside. Nope, a stray cat came inside the fence and they were chasing it out.
Ok, one more thing I'm confused about. After the cat incident, Lady dug up a rawhide that she had buried. She went to sit down with it and Raven was acting a bit interested. Lady sat the rawhide on the ground and started growling. I didn't say anything. Raven just sat down and didn't bother her at all. Then, Lady just walked away from the darn thing and let Raven have it. I can't figure that one out at all.
That one's easy. Lady was saying "it's mine unless I SAY you can have it." Typical dominance thing, putting Raven in her place once again.
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Of course! That makes perfect sense. Thanks.
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Also, I'm not sure what the "sssstttt" is suposed to do. (Don't have cable; don't watch CM) Is it a correction? Correcting a dog from growling can backfire.
I'm not sure how CM is using it but many people use it as a distraction, to break a dog's focus off of another dog. Once the dog's focus is broken it will start to relax and then you can praise it for ignoring the other dog.
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I'm not sure how CM is using it but many people use it as a distraction, to break a dog's focus off of another dog. Once the dog's focus is broken it will start to relax and then you can praise it for ignoring the other dog.
I think that's right. I didn't know how to explain it. It's not like yelling or anything like that. It kind of gently diverts their attention I guess?
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I'm not sure how CM is using it but many people use it as a distraction, to break a dog's focus off of another dog. Once the dog's focus is broken it will start to relax and then you can praise it for ignoring the other dog.
He initially pairs it with a jerk on the dog's neck…and then later, all he needs to do is "ssstt" and has the dog's attention.
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I tend to like Victoria Stilwell over CM if we are referring to TV trainers. She dealt with several examples of dog-dog aggression on her show and was able to ease tensions between the dogs. No neck jerks. However, I believe in most but if not all of the more severe cases when the dogs occupied the same home, she cautioned the owners not to leave the two unsupervised.
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Agh, I just wrote this long paragraph about Lady and Raven and then my computer froze and I lost it. How frustrating. Anyway, the whole point was I've been working with them a lot and I think Lady is getting better. I have some pictures of them playing to share. They actually played tug-of-war with this toy! They both had a hold on it, Lady laid down on her back and Raven pulled her a few feet. It was SO funny. Of course they stopped when I tried to sneak in the house to get the camera.
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I tend to like Victoria Stilwell over CM if we are referring to TV trainers. She dealt with several examples of dog-dog aggression on her show and was able to ease tensions between the dogs. No neck jerks. However, I believe in most but if not all of the more severe cases when the dogs occupied the same home, she cautioned the owners not to leave the two unsupervised.
I agree….I like her a lot too!
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Ugh, never mind. They got in another fight last night just as I was letting my guard down. I'm going to have to find a new home for Lady. If she keeps picking fights, Raven is going to seriously hurt her.
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If Lady has been there longest, why is she the one that is going to be rehomed? You brought Raven into her home, upset her routine, and put her in a situation that she is uncomfortable.
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I think it might be a mistake to assume that Lady is picking the fights. Lady was there first, correct? And Raven was brought in recently? Raven could very well be testing Lady attempting to gain status in the pack. And Lady is simply reacting to the threat…ya know...kinda the 'one who swings second, is always the one that gets caught' syndrome.
Is there a reason that you would place Lady, instead of Raven? Of course, that is your choice. If it were my household, I would most likely place one (or keep them separate) as I hate living with that kind of stress and tension, of what will set off the next fight. And at our house, seniority has its privledges. If you do feel like Lady needs to be the one to go, please contact BRAT, they will help you find a forever home for her.
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Great minds think alike, Lisa
We were posting at the same time! -
Because Raven is a better fit for our family than Lady is.
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Ugh, never mind. They got in another fight last night just as I was letting my guard down. I'm going to have to find a new home for Lady. If she keeps picking fights, Raven is going to seriously hurt her.
Why would Lady be the one to go? She was there first, correct? And since you are not "privy" to dog language… how do you know that it is Lady that picks the fights?
In my house, last in, first goes... if it becames necessary... and I have had times that I had to place one of mine due to fighting and not getting along with another bitch in the house. It was the youngest that was placed...
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Because Raven is a better fit for our family than Lady is.
Well I hope that you contact BRAT for her placement. I think it is a shame that you are giving up on the one that has been there the longest….
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I knew you guys wouldn't agree with me; and I'm sorry for that. I checked out the BRAT website, and it looks like like they want $100 to place her? Is that right? I would definately prefer to have her go to someone who can appreciate the Basenji breed. She would be a wonderful dog in a one-dog home. She's potty trained, doesn't chew things up, doesn't wreck the yard, etc. You just can't crate her; she'll ruin a crate; even a metal one.
As far as who's picking the fights … Lady will growl when Raven is walking by and then just jump her and it goes from there.
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Oh, I also wanted to mention the other reason why I feel Lady is the one at fault (in the fights) is because in her previous home she fought with ALL of the other dogs, but the other dogs didn't fight with each other.
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I looked at the form on the BRAT website. I believe she is purebred, but I don't have any documentation of that. I need to get her immunizations dates from my vet before I can fill it out. If it won't cost me much money, I don't mind placing her through BRAT. I could give a small donation.
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It sure as heck should not cost you to have BRAT place her.
They will bring in a fee when placing her anyways.
You can also contact one of the several BCOA breeders in TX that do rescue.
She sounds like a dog that needs to be in an only dog home.
Just the info from her previous home suggested that.
I am shocked that you would have considered adding another dog knowing that she already was dog-agressive.
The thing with Lady is that you have NO idea what her homelife has always been. People that place dogs up for re-homing never tell all the story.
Lots of times it makes them look bad and they just want the dog in another home.
Don't bother flaming me as I have done more than enough rescue to know that this is true.
Sounds like Lady would love a home with a family with someone home all day to dote on her and allow her to be a princess.
Best of luck with her. -
Well, at first we thought the fighting at the previous home was because of the other dogs because there was only conflict with our small dog for about 2 days. But, now I'm thinking she has no problem with him because he's small, male and neutered and an incredibly submissive dog. Now, I think she is a mildly aggressive dog who wants to be the alpha dog. I think you are 100% right that she needs to be an only dog with people who can allow her to be the princess she thinks she is. I'll fill out that BRAT form as best I can and we'll see what happens from there.
