[alaskayorkie]

Originally Posted by CINDY WHITENER

We rescued the mother to my male dog 2 years ago and I gave her to a cousin, two weeks ago she decided she didn't want her anymore, so I took her back. She is a very sweet girl but my dog Jingles (4 years old ) has been the only one for all his life is having a hard time. I really don't know how to handle them. I want to make sure I do the right things. I have stopped letting Jingles sleep with us at night and they both sleep downstairs in separate crates now. I have also changed the way we feed him and started putting it in the crate. We own our own business so we take them to work with us everyday. I have lots of questions but for now I'm I doing the right thing so far? THey have been fighting over toys lately. Will Jingles get worse?

First of all, it sounds like you're a saint for rescuing mama twice. Good for you. It sounds like the steps you've taken with the crate and the feedings are good ones.

As for aggressiveness, they may just be feeling each other out and establishing boundaries. If they are not hurting each other in these fights, I wouldn't be overly concerned. However, if there is potential for injury, my advice would be for you to take charge of the toys. You hand them out and you take them away when you are not supervising them. They need to understand that they are YOUR toys, not theirs, and they have to follow your rules.

I had to go so far as to leash my aggressor in the house whenever I brought the toys out. Thankfully, after a couple weeks, he got the idea. They now have their own toys and respect each other's boundaries.

Good luck.