I haven't updated my post because I've been trying to really observe the 2 to make sure that I have accurate information about their behavior. Now I'm not too sure...
After spending a day or so pretty much doing nothing but watching them, I think that Yoshi DOES care. He seems annoyed by Momo & he snaps at her more often then I thought. He doesn't bark. But he does growl. A lot.
He growls when I give her any kind of attention & then he'll proceed to start biting her...not full on, hard hurtful biting, but he's definitelty biting. Momo does go up the stairs before him & walks ahead during walks. But I'm thinking it's because she's just faster & she has a different walk. Yoshi trots. Momo walks.
I'm also trying to figure out when the playing turns into fighting. When they're rolling around together & playing, Yoshi will eventually start to growl and show his teeth. But Momo looks like she's still in play mode. When the growling starts, I pull them apart & separate them. Then Yoshi will look at Momo throught the baby gate & start to whine like he wants to be with her.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kjc  How do you get Yoshi to stick up for himself? |
Since Yoshi is the senior dog, when they fight over a toy, I clap my hands & say "STOP!". Then I always give they toy to Yoshi & replace Momo's toy with a similar toy. They have 2 of everything. That's just an example. I don't know if this is the correct thing to do, but I've been trying to reinforce the idea that Momo should respect Yoshi.
I don't want to change how I treat them & react to the fighting differently until I'm sure about what's going on. I don't want them to get confused if I have to change my method. I'm going to try to shoot a video of them so that I can show my vet...and post it here. It's just hard catching them "in the moment".
In the meantime, I started reading
Dog Sense by John Bradshaw. Wow. He's hard core. I'm not sure if I agree with everything I've read so far, but it's a VERY interesting read. I haven't gotten far enough in the book to read anything about his views about relationships in a multi-dog household. If he does touch upon the subject in the book, I'm not sure if I'll agree with his opinions.
I'm also going to speak with my vet to see if he can refer me to a behaviorist. This isn't a MAJOR problem yet, but I'm just afraid that it might turn into something more serious if I don't address it now. Plus, I'm adding another pup to our household in May or June. I want these 2 to get along nicely before the new pup arrives.