HELP! Please.........Scary for me

[Dubbiedog]

As I posted we just brought Tio our rescue home a few days ago. Well he and Dublin doing pretty darn good until a few mins ago and it scared the life out of me. As most people know we nickname Dublin as "Diva" and yes she is, but she has never,ever shown any agression to anyone, or any dog ever in her two years. She rarely even barks.

I have two beds for them now and they are with us in the office. I gave both of them a good size chew treat. Well Dublin wolfed hers down and then went over to Tio's bed and began barking at him. He just ignored her and continued with his chewy. ( He has lived his life until now with 46+other dogs) Dublin did something I have never seen and never thought I would see. She snarled and lunged at Tio's treat. He didnt' do much of anything but then she went "full blown" after him and he responded in kind. We literally had to pull them off each other. As I said not used to that and scared us so much. I put Tio in his crate so he could have some peace and all is quiet now. What am I going to do to prevent this in the future. Please I need your help....:crying:

 

[Baconator]

Being a single bully home for the time being I'm no help I just wanted to say good luck, I'm sure someone will be along shortly to help you out.

 

[DesertBum]

EEEEKKKK! That can be a fright. I have multiple dogs multiple breeds. I can give them all the toys in the world and they play with them and steal each others, but if I give them bones or chews things can turn ugly. When we give them bones/chews we give in different areas so we can separate them. Once they are all done they go and check out each others area but no squabbles.

 

[lexterwayne]

Might keep them separated while there are treats or food out of any kind. Ours will do that but no aggression. Libby will take lexs treat and lex will let her, then he growls at me till I go get it back for him haha

 

[NigelsMom]

Well whatever you do don't give up on her! I have a female and male and there are times they get a little too wild for me. I will put them in their crates with their favorite toys and they'll usually end up taking a nap. I talk to them and tell them they cannot be fighting like that. Scold gently but never hit or use their kennels as punishment. They are like children and she may be wanting to dominate. Karly wants to dominate Nigel a lot and I have to keep reminding her they have to play nice and she cannot be humping him lol Good luck and be patient!

 

[Davidh]

She is trying to be the alpha, but you need to establish yourself as the alpha. You go out the door first, you say when she eats and when she gets attention. Plus you need to watch for the signs. When he is chewing a treat and she goes up to him, you need to step in and stop her, usually a stern word will do it, if not step in between them and make her back away. If she takes a toy from him, you take it away from her and give it back to him. There are many things to do on this subject and I'm sure others will put in some good advice. You just have to give it some time and lay down the rules and make both of them follow the rules.

 

[cali baker]

I've gone thru similar experiences w/Tate and Finn. It's getting better but there are still times when both of them will get on each other and fight. For example, they both sleep w/me, and Finn in particular growls at Tate when they are in the bed together. I bought a king size bed hoping this would help but really, it hasn't. That's when i crate Finn instead of letting him have the bed privilege. It's an ongoing process, done w/lots of loving firmness and boundaries set. It will get better for you, just be consistent with your training and discipline. Good luck!

 

[Dubbiedog]

I knew you guys would come through :-) I have read and will read all posts and will do what it takes to make this transition work, though it does sound that some of it may last a lifetime

 

[izstigspunks]

Yes, it's a jealousy and alpha issue. Stiggy still goes after Punkin's food of any kind if he finishes his first. Since he's predictable like that, we would block Stiggy by standing near Punks so he can't get near him and steal whatever he has. He would stop attempting after a few tries, knowing that he won't be able to get through. But, definitely, give a more stern warning if there's aggressive growling involved. You're very lucky that Tio is laid back. That makes things a lot easier!

G'luck and let us know how it goes! You'll do fine mama!

 

[cali~jenn]

You need to tell Dublin who is in charge, you. Wen Miila did this trying to be the boss of Cutty and mugsy, one of the things I did was give them whatever bone they wanted while she was in a sit/stay position (with my attention on her at all times) and made her sit and watch them chew away. She wasn't allowed to have anything without them deciding they didn't want it first. This way she knew she did NOT have the right to take anything away from them. And when Miila would be chewing I would the take away whatever it was and give it to the boys. If they didn't want then she could have it back. And have her sit on the floor, not on the couch etc cuz as I didn't know at the time, being up on the couch was giving her seniority in the house. If she knows you don't approve and you stay consistent, then she will follow the rules. Hopefully it starting and catching it right away you will nip it in the bud quickly. She just wants to be the dominant one of the pack and maybe that will be her place after they settle BUT not going about it that way. Good luck, I know the challenge well! These babies are strong willed, that's for sure! Lol

 

[izstigspunks]

I knew you guys would come through :-) I have read and will read all posts and will do what it takes to make this transition work, though it does sound that some of it may last a lifetime

Don't be discouraged. It's only new for Dubbie, it doesn't mean that she's aggressive. It's very common for 'only-children' to react that way. She's a great girl who's looking for guidance from you. You can probably master this in a couple of tries seeing you have such a bond with her.

 

[cali baker]

[MENTION=4786]Dubbiedog[/MENTION], sometimes I will have to resort to a leash while indoors w/my two boys for better control of their aggressive behavior towards each other. It's okay to do that if you need to. In my case, I know the "triggers"--snack time for instance. I know when i give each a snack they have to be far away from one another otherwise a fight may ensue. The other time is bed time as i mentioned above. You can do this!

 

[babybully]

[MENTION=4786]Dubbiedog[/MENTION] Cleo will get that way with Mac sometimes and she will eventually learn, she has been a mommy's only until now! the only thing different that I would possibly suggest in the future would be perhaps to put her in the crate instead of Tio. She was the one who started it after all and he's lived a life of cruelty stuck in a cage 24/7 doing that when she's the aggressor could possibly show him that he's the problem maybe? Please, please don't think i'm being rude in anyway, it was just the fiirst thing that popped into my head when i read that you crated him instead and I just thought, poor baby he probably thinks he's in trouble now. Mac has never even growled at Cleo, i swear I've never heard him growl EVER, it is always her who starts the fights. And chews the kids toys. and my couch.

 

[JAKEISGREAT]

You've gotten great advice. How scary for you! Be consistent and be in charge.

 

[bulldogs4me]

[MENTION=4786]Dubbiedog[/MENTION] - Be strong ... they will test boundaries and you just have to be there to correct the situation and remind them of the rules, boundaries and limitations you have set for them! Right now though it is very important NOT to give treats that they can fight over until they have settled into a secure life together, that's super important!! If you want to give them bone type treats, it would be best to put them each in their crate and let them gnaw on the bones in a secure place.