Dogs fighting within family - any advice?

2funki4wheelz

Hi - sorry for the long post but this situation has me living on my nerves! (I've looked at other threads here but they all seem to be about dogs with other strange dogs - on walks etc, this is in my house!)

We have 3 dogs - Coco - 5 yr old terrier mix (scruffy small type), Button - 3 yr old terrier mix (looks like a mini pinscher) & Zara - 1yr old (lab/llewllyn cross apparently).

We've had them all since pups, Coco & Button being half-sisters. We got married last month and all 3 spent their first time in kennels, 15 days, all 3 together. Firstly, I want to say the kennels were excellent and faultless, but I think the unfamiliar experience may have upset things.

On the last day of boarding, the lady caught Zara attacking for Button. This happens very ocassionally in the past (maybe 3-4 times ever), usually if they had bones or if they were hyper barking at the stray cats in the estate.

When we picked the dogs up, Zara was doing all the classic stuff, tail held high, growling etc and Button being submissive. We got them home and there's been plenty of scraps in the 2-3 weeks since.

Zara displays dominant aggressive behaviour, to both other dogs (but is behaving for us) but much much more to Button who is toally submissive and puts the tail between the legs, drops her eyes, lies or sits, goes into a corner - basically does everything to appease her but she has still gone for her about 4 more times, which is very distressing as Button lies on her back and gets attacked with Coco joining in!!! Zara & Coco also had one massive fight which took a lot of water and loud noise and 2 of us to break up. Button is now a nervous wreck, hiding on the couch with us or hiding under our garden shed and not even coming in at night.

We had Zara neutered last Monday, and obviously we don't expect an immediate effect but once any drugs had worn off she was straight back to it. We explained all to the vet and were told to buy muzzles and put them on as punishment when the dogs go too far, which we have been doing (both Zara and Coco, because unlike Button, Coco does not really back down and growls back or starts on Button instead).

We've been distracting them when possible when the behaviour starts, then muzzling when it gets more aggressive then taking them off once they calm/lie down quietly. We've been treating Zara as alpha (after us), with food/praise etc. and trying not to make a fuss of Button in front of the others. We don't have room in the garden to segragate them. Yet sometimes we can play with them all or they'll all sit around quietly not heeding one another, just being totally normal.

Does anyone have any more advice or tips? I'm really frustrated looking at Button shaking and being shoved into corners and having to be on constant guard in case the other two start on her or each other.

peasant

This is a difficult one, without actually seeing the dogs ...

My first advice would be to forget about treating any one dog as "alpha" and keeping up a "pecking order" of any sort.

Groups of dogs are much more dynamic than that, roles change, moods change, etc and by enforcing what you think is the "right order" you might actually make things worse rather than better.

We have three dogs at home, 1 neutered male and two intact females and it's the two females that occasionally have "issues" with each other.

We do not give any of them preferential treatment, we discourage bullying or even simple jumping of the queue. Whoever is closest when there's something going (cuddles, treats) gets it first and whoever jumps the queue gets moved to the end.
Whosoever kicks up a stink gets thrown out.

We let them sort out hings between themselves, but only to a certain degree.
Anything that exceeds a warning (i.e one bark or one growl) meets with our disapproval and we step in to keep the peace, if needs be by removal/separation of the offending party(ies).

Basically we have one simple rule: No fighting/bullying allowed.
We don't care who started it, we don't care which dog might be "right or wrong" ...as soon as the tension / noise level rises we put an end to it.

Our part of keeping the peace also involves other things:
Mainly avoid any and all situations that could create jealousy and/or fights.
Bones (of contention:D ) and other "extra" treats are always handed out with every dog in a seperate room. Food is in seperate, well spaced bowls.
Toys are under lock and key and under our control only.


As for your dogs specifically:
Zara is a large-ish dog and therefore at the age of one just entering her rebellious teenage phase.
I think it is the absolute wrong idea to treat Zara as an "alpha" at that stage of her life. She's just testing the waters in regards to dominating the others and you are actively encouraging her by giving her "alpha" status.

Now is the time where she needs to be made understand the rules rather than be encouraged into a leading role for which she is far from ready anyway.

Another factor that could have influenced things (besides the stint in the kennels) is Zara's operation. Not so much the fact that she is neutered now, but the fact that she was gone for a while and came back smelling different (of doctor, medicine, etc) and not like the old Zara anymore.

I would suggest that you change your style of leadership around the house into a "dictatorship". What you say goes. Full stop. No arguments, no bickering, no two ways about it. Even if you're wrong, you're still right.

Be fair, be even handed, stay cool, calm and collected ...but be strict and consequent ...your rules, not the dogs'.

That's the way it works for us at home anyway.

2funki4wheelz

peasant wrote:

As for your dogs specifically:
Zara is a large-ish dog and therefore at the age of one just entering her rebellious teenage phase.
I think it is the absolute wrong idea to treat Zara as an "alpha" at that stage of her life. She's just testing the waters in regards to dominating the others and you are actively encouraging her by giving her "alpha" status.

Now is the time where she needs to be made understand the rules rather than be encouraged into a leading role for which she is far from ready anyway.

That's really interesting, she does seem a bit lost overall since she came back and we realise there's been a lot or change and a lack of routine for a while. She behaves well for us, walks/commands etc. so as you say, she may be trying it on with who she thinks she can.

Thanks for the advice, it's good to hear from another multiple-dog household .

Dyr

2funki4wheelz wrote:

Zara & Coco also had one massive fight which took a lot of water and loud noise and 2 of us to break up. Button is now a nervous wreck, hiding on the couch with us or hiding under our garden shed and not even coming in at night.

I'm probably going to be pilloried by some PC people for this but feck it: You're dogs are knocking the living s***e out of each other while you throw water around and shout a lot? Grab 'em by the scruff, drag them off each other and show them who the boss actually is

2funki4wheelz

Bambi wrote:

I'm probably going to be pilloried by some PC people for this but feck it: You're dogs are knocking the living s***e out of each other while you throw water around and shout a lot? Grab 'em by the scruff, drag them off each other and show them who the boss actually is

Believe me, we (two adults) had both of them in a firm grip and there was no 'drag them off each other' option, the jaws were locked in and we would've ended up with two very injured dogs if we'd ripped them apart (which I don't think was physically possible). That's not being PC, that's just being realistic.