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Originally Posted by tiffygirl2003  Maximo: I do have others dogs for a total of 4. I have 2 girls and 2 boys. Both boys are neutered and the 11 year old girl is spayed. The attacker, the 11 mos old girl, is still intact because I plan on mating her next year.
Yorkietalkjilly: Thanks for your advise. I will definitely read the article that you recommended. I am very consistent with the dogs and I demand that they coexist. This attack just came from nowhere! Today after thhe attack, I noticed a change in her behavior. It was as though she wanted to get at the other dog again but I payed close attention to her and even if she looked at the other dog I corrected her. I did not leave them unattended and there weren't any more attacks. I made sure there were no toys or food left out that would trigger the behavior.
Normally they all get along very well but today was a nightmare with all that blood! My 3 yr old male seems to be guarding the wounded Yorkie by laying close to her so I'm also watching that behavior to be sure it doesn't trigger any protection aggression.
One other thing that I've noticed over the past few days is that the puppy has become somewhat annoying to the other dogs. She wants to play all the time and the older dogs get annoyed by her but don't hurt her. They just nip at her just as her mother would have done.
I'll definitely keep my eyes on them until I feel confident that the attack was just an isolated incident. When I leave home the puppy will have to be crated until further notice. I train my dogs using the crate, so crating won't seem like a punishment to her. I just want all of them to be safe. |
You sound like a very responsible dog-owner who will keep on eye on the young one and be sure that she's kept in line and looks to you to administer permissions and compassionate discipline within the pack. With a good leader who is clued-in and watching them closely, she will learn in time as she grows up a bit more, to control her own impulses and allow her pack leader to take care of things she doesn't agree with. But this does sound like it could just be a case of predatory drift that almost any dog can suddenly find him or herself engulfed in as genetic impulses kick in. Good luck with those babies down the road!
