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Originally Posted by Opium88  Well, the trainer comes back from her vacation soon and she said we will work with Toby on this. If the situation doesn't improve I will most definitely give him to ladyjane. I don't know anyone out here that is as mindful of their dogs as yorkies require (vet visits etc) to feel comfortable enough in handing him over... And he really needs a yard cause he has so much energy and even though we always take them out to the park and let them run themselves exhausted, which is enough for izzy, it's never enough for Toby. And we live in a small loft. So he could probably use a little more space. It's really hard to think of giving him up, but if he isn't happy I will. And regarding what LovetoDream said about people always wanting to re home the problem one- I have never even considered that with any dog before now. And this time it isn't because I don't want to deal with his issues, it's because I don't want him hurting izzy and getting hurt himself. Not because I find him a problem.i don't half ass my responsibilities with animals. I had my pit bull, Chewy, for 17 1/2 years before I i made the decision to put him down. That's a long life for a pit bull for one, so I obviously took care of him well, and I had him his entire life. So no, I don't have a habit of giving up on my dogs. But if it comes to that being a better option for Toby , yes, I will drive him to Houston. And yes, I'll drive the entire 12 hours myself instead of doing the easier thing like sending him on a plane. I actually volunteer at the animal shelter here and I'm not ignorant to the issue of perfectly good animals being euthanized senselessly because of people who can't think past themselves. I am not one of those people. But if the situation isn't going to be a happy home life for either dog I will look past my own wants to the option of giving Toby a chance at something better. I'm not perfect and no one here can say they are either. But I am not a self absorbed person that believes passing off my animals is the easy option either. |
If you're going to keep him, I would strongly suggest you keep the two dogs apart or else have no toys or chewies, food bowls, etc., down that they can fight over and watch them like a hawk until retraining is beginning to pay off. Feed them separately. Study the behavior, body attitude and look of the dogs before a fight and you will be able - in a very short time - to see when one dog sends a signal to the other dog that lights a spark in him or her and the fight is on. Look for an any signs of dominance such as a paw on the other's withers or face, trying to mount the other, crowding him with his body, running the other one away from an area using his stare, body or bared teeth, stealing resources.
Be on the lookout for an intent look, focused look at the other dog, perked up ears, very still, tense body, tight mouth/maybe teeth showing, slightly narrowed or wide, rapt eyes, tail up high - still or wagging - and the dog up on its toes, not standing easy. That's the time to step into the situation with an "uh oh" or "no"(I tend to use "uh oh" during training - "no" after the dog has well learned what he should and shouldn't do) and the back the instigator off, walking into his/her space and stand over him until the dog gives way, softens his eyes and body, gives up and walks away, all the while pointing at and intently staring into his eyes as a pack leader in the wild would do.
Your demeanor and body language showing you are intent on stopping further escalation is powerful to your dog, so calm yourself, be very confident, determined and imposing as you approach the dog who is trying to start a fight and let him know you intend to stop this and stand him down until he gives up and leaves the area. Do not ever, ever, ever show anger or yell at dogs - use only confident, calm determination, stay in teaching mode and always monitor the two dogs any time they are out together and stop behavior with purpose before it escalates - you can do it once you learn what looks or actions precede an attack or fight. Sometimes the one who attacks isn't really the instigator so you need to watch both of them closely for all those early signs that they are sending out. Occasionally a dog will strike w/out warning but most of the time they send out very clear signals once you learn them. By stopping that dog first, he'll begin to learn you will always step in and stop him and begin to police himself, realizing he's going to have to give up the role he's trying to assume as leader to you and begin to accept your role as leader of your little family pack. But he must learn to fully trust you first - trust your style and your confident leadership. It will take time but it always happens when it's done right with calm confidence and always staying in teacher mode with your dogs.
As fast as possible, I would get two copies of Tamar Geller's "The Loved Dog" and both of you read it through. I've used those methods ever since I began working with dogs and find one gets results with bad behaviors faster using a loving, gentle, positive approach - showing your dog you are trying to teach him what you want and rewarding him when he gets it right, giving him negative feedback when he doesn't.
You can likely get the book used online for pretty cheap, no doubt. It's the perfect approach to effective human/dog interactions and successful training, reshaping unwanted or scary dog behavior and teaches you HOW to train and rehab your dog using only fun, positive reinforcement and negative feedback when he gets it wrong. You begin to look at life as your dog does - not as we think they do. It's a MUST READ for anyone with a dog. Dog training and reshaping is actually fun when it's done right.
If you have any further problems with one of you losing your temper with the dog, for his sake, Toby needs to be immediately re-homed. Imagine how he's feeling right now - he knows something is very wrong and he doesn't know how to fix it, though he's trying to with his attacks, trying to manage the other dog who he sees as weak. Dogs with strong leaders with good dog-handling skills rarely fight. Geller's book can teach you how to be that leader and give you good to excellent dog-handling skills, especially if you read more of her books. Only a strong, calm, confident and gentle, loving leader can help both of your dogs through this now.