Originally Posted by yorkietalkjilly  Not a lot of information to work with but here are some thoughts to consider. At his age, is his testosterone level likely high enough to cause aggression? Couldn't his aggression be likely related to his now being an old, weak dog, considered an outcast to most healthy dog packs, yes, even civilized, pampered house pets. And unless you know dog body language, know what to look for in time to stop his attacks B4 they start, he is likely going to get hurt seriously either physically and/or psychologically, with an eyeball punctured, a lip torn open or far, far worse, depending upon the size, viciousness of your other dogs. You can get hurt trying to stop the fight, but of course stop it you must.
Are you certain he doesn’t have pain/fear aggression, resulting from some painful arthritis, which would be pretty likely in an elder dog of 10+ years. Does he ever favor one leg, hold up a paw or hesitate to make jumps he used to? He could have some activity-related cardiac insufficiency growing winded, tired during even short walks, begin to slow down, isolate himself to a quiet room to spend time alone?
If he’s not perfectly fit,feeling well, your other dogs sense that as a weakness, will alert on anything he does to attack, trying to remove him from the pack. This often initially unseen or unwitnessed canine interplay can go on without your knowledge and could be the cause your elder has grown fear-aggressive. He realizes his age, his weakness is sensed, truly outlawed by natural ‘laws’, and that he is a walking target for the other dogs. Anybody or little dog in that situation is bound to react to that situation by trying to stay safe. Best defense is a good offense as most dogs see it so now he strikes first, resulting in all the other dogs’ attacks.
I would strongly suggest you make dead certain he’s not arthritic or otherwise physically impaired or your other dogs will keep trying to eliminate him. Until then, you are his only true defense so will have to work hard to keep him safe from your other dogs, whatever it takes. A good dog behaviorist could help you read situations, dog body language and perhaps work with you in how to better read your dogs, predict trouble, instigate some behavior modification techniques for the dogs.
Until then, keep him with you and protect him, even when it seems he’s the aggressor, as he’s likely overly aware the other dogs want him gone. You might have to consider rehoming him to a pet-free home where he is only-dog, to spend his latter years in quiet and peace. |