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need advice. new dog attacking old dog.


greysfan

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I have a 16 year old dog and I just adopted this dog almost 2 weeks ago. for some reason he just started attacking my seinor dog. out of nowhere he'll lung at him and hurt him. my old dog doesnt defend himself at all. does anyone know why this may be happening? I have another small dog and he leaves her alone. why would he do this??? I dont wanna give him away but I cant have him hurting my old dog. please help

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I would separate them immediately. You should use a baby gate and shouldbe crate training the new dog, and everyone else for that matter. And don't "give the dog away." Dogs just end up bouncing around. Did you properly introduce the new dogs slowly and gradually? Is the new dog neutered? You really can't just toss the dogs together and hope it works out. I would contact the rescue you adopted the dog from to get some advice. Sometimes things like this pass with a little common sense on the human end but sometimes they do not. My friend had two very old dogs that were declining and she had younger dogs that started to attack them even though they lived harmoniously for years. Also, I would consult a trainer to evaluate the dog, but it could also be just the stress of a new place. If he is leaving the other dog alone, it is possible he is not a mean, aggressive dog. He could just be really stressed.

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he's not stressed, he's been here almost two weeks and is in heaven. super happy and playful and spoiled. He was fine with my old dog until today. I tried to discipline him but he just went back and attacked 30 min later. I can try and crate him but I am gone long hours at work a couple of days a week. what if he has to potty or eat????

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abit... is right (IMO). it takes time.....especially for an old dog in your family and a new dog to get acquainted.

 

my biggest thing i want to point out it that its the two males that are conflicting...not the female apparently. that happens...

 

 

two males against each other and add a female in the mix. catastrophe i hope it works out for you though. i love dogs so much and, if i could, would have 6 puppies in my house at all times lol,

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he's not stressed, he's been here almost two weeks and is in heaven. super happy and playful and spoiled. He was fine with my old dog until today. I tried to discipline him but he just went back and attacked 30 min later. I can try and crate him but I am gone long hours at work a couple of days a week. what if he has to potty or eat????

 

long hours...

 

ok. i can cope with this.

 

i have adog that has canine equivalent of IBS. that is most difficult for crate training. i have another canine that is a beta and no health problems so far. the first would poop in his own crates because i honestly dont think he could help it. it took us a year and a half to find an OK food for him and allow him semi-freedom. the little girl ( has a tolerant tummy. she is SOOO beta that she doesnt EVER want to disappoint or make us mad. works out for us anywho. she, wont poo in our house no matter what. honestly. she finds a way to ;et us know, or if we are not home she waits.

 

my inevitable point is....

most dogs, will not poo in their own "home" and "bed." i dont think you have much to worry about in that sense.

 

(wow long story couldve been way shorter....lol)

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abit... is right (IMO). it takes time.....especially for an old dog in your family and a new dog to get acquainted.

 

my biggest thing i want to point out it that its the two males that are conflicting...not the female apparently. that happens...

 

 

two males against each other and add a female in the mix. catastrophe i hope it works out for you though. i love dogs so much and, if i could, would have 6 puppies in my house at all times lol,

 

the thing is, the dogs are not "against each other" my old dog is gentle and harmless, he minds his ouwn business and has no problem with my new dog. and the new dog didnt mind him for the first week either. it's just this attacking thing that started today. for no reason.

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Catch the dog in the act. Physically grab him, eg pick him up if a small dog and hold him by his front armpits (his back resting on your chest) or grab and pull the rear legs if it's a large dog, yelling "No". Keep putting them in situations where you can instantly correct the dog. You can also very gently place your hand around the dog's throat and say "No."

 

Dogs are odds players. if the odds of being corrected by you is 100%, then they won't do the bad behavior. They only do the bad behavior when the odds are 100% they can get away with it.

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he's not stressed, he's been here almost two weeks and is in heaven. super happy and playful and spoiled. He was fine with my old dog until today. I tried to discipline him but he just went back and attacked 30 min later. I can try and crate him but I am gone long hours at work a couple of days a week. what if he has to potty or eat????

 

A dog shouldn't be allowed to eat whenever it wants during the day. Provide food at meal times only. Dogs that can eat whenever they want during the day sometimes develop weight problems and they also need to go to the bathroom a zillion times a day. if they have set meal times, there is also less danger of resource guarding/dogs arguing over food because they are supervised when its out. It also makes it easier if anyone ever watches your dog for you and it also makes it easier to know if they are not eating and something is wrong. You just can' tell what happens if other dogs can take their food throughout the day or if they don't eat at the same speed as normal.

 

Are you giving him way more attention than the older dog because he is new? You said he is spoiled. Well, in the beginning - there is a pitfall in spoiling a dog. You might be teaching him he is the most important one and might not want to share. When you do things, make sure you take your old dog out first or do things with your old dog first. Make the other dog wait his turn and ignore him if he is carrying on. Also, even though he seems happy - if everything is new at once he may be overstimulated.

 

Crate training is precisely what a dog needs if you go away because they a) won't get into trouble and into things b) won't attach each other. c) will learn the rules of the house. Take away your dog's water at a certain time before you leave and optimally, hire someone or have a friend let the dog out during the day. Many dogs are crated while their owner is gone and they are just fine being in their den. But you can't just put the dog in the crate and go. You have to teach the dog the crate is a safe place. Just leave it open when you are home and praise him every time he voluntarily goes in and give him his food, etc, in there too.

 

Also, what are you doing to discipline him? "NO!" is a start, but you really want to curb it before it starts. Is he a playing too aggressively, the old dog scolds him and the young dog gets aggressive or does it seem out of the blue? All dogs have subtle body language that we aren't good at reading. I would start by keeping a baby gate in between them and saying "no!" when the new dog growls at the old one, or he starts to give a "look". Some dog owners know the subtle look when a dog is fixating on a dog intently before they strike. say "no!" at that point when it even enters his mind. And then let them interact at only short intervals with supervision and pet both of them and reward the new dog with words and petting for good behavior, but do not even let them interact for a few days or keep the gradual, occasional interaction schedule for a few weeks.

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Catch the dog in the act. Physically grab him, eg pick him up if a small dog and hold him by his front armpits (his back resting on your chest) or grab and pull the rear legs if it's a large dog, yelling "No". Keep putting them in situations where you can instantly correct the dog. You can also very gently place your hand around the dog's throat and say "No."

 

Dogs are odds players. if the odds of being corrected by you is 100%, then they won't do the bad behavior. They only do the bad behavior when the odds are 100% they can get away with it.

 

Never grab a dog's rear legs because they can turn back and bite you very very easily. Also, do not do something that will be viewed as you being aggressive towards your dog because he will defend himself. To break up a fight, splash water at him, or make a loud noise to catch his attention. If he is not locked (biting down) on the other dog you can even throw a blanket over him. You can get the other dog safely away and safely handle the young dog without getting bit or keeping him there until he calms down. When you do these things, the dog sees this as something that happens but won't connect it with you being aggressive or threatening towards him. Splashed water or a blanket or a noise is just something that comes out of nowhere.

 

If your other dog was younger, it would be possible he would be bold enough to "correct" the younger dog, but your old dog is not. So you need to nip this in the bud - protect the old dog while teaching the young one.

 

 

Also, did the old dog accidentally bump into the new dog and then the dog attacked? if so maybe the younger one has something that is hurting him. My normally sweet older dog went after my younger one when he was hurting.

 

Also, make sure you are not just playing with the dog but teaching him commands, tricks or games so his mind stays active and he is not bored. And walks are a must. Don't play tug of war with him, but rather games that make him think.

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