Severe agression towards other dogs
 

Chloe is a 4 year old that we have acquired from my ex-husband 2 days ago. She is adapting very well to our home and our potty training. She was locked in a bathroom at her previous home with little to no human interaction, because no one "had time" or wanted to make the time to make her part of their family. The only problem that we are having is her attacking my shih tzus. My girls are older 10 & 12, an are very sweet laid back dogs, they are very used to being around other dogs. Chloe has viciously attacked them both more than once since she has been here, my poor girls won't even come downstairs when she is down there. We are keeping them separated by a gate at the moment and hoping that she will get used to them that way, but this morning I had taken chloe out to go potty and as we walked in the front door one of my girls was standing near the door and before I could even think Chloe had latched onto her face, just missing her eye and was just growling the meanest growl you could imagine from such a little thing. Chloe was still on her leash so I was able to easily get them apart and correct her with a firm 'NO", then put her in her little play pen for a time out. Am I handling this correctly? It is very strange because there have been times that she just smells their butt and goes on her way, then there are times that she will smell their butt and latch onto their hind quarters like a maniac. Any help and suggestions from some one who has gone through this would be much appreciated.

You are very kind to give Chloe a good home with the attention she needs. The challenge you face with her attacking your Shihtzus is a big one. I assume she wasn't socialized with other dogs if she spent most of her time locked up.

If you are able, I would enlist the help of a professional social behavior dog trainer. Even then, I would keep Chloe separated from your other dogs, especially when unsupervised.

Are all of the dogs spayed?

Yes all three dogs have been spayed I am keeping them separated at the moment with a gate, Chloe to one side of the house and my other girls to the other. They are able to see each other and smell each other through the gate but she is not able to hurt them.
I am also holding Chloe and petting my girls at the same time trying to show her that they are our friends.
There is a lot about her history that we will never know, my ex-husband got her about 6 months ago from an elderly lady who could no longer care for a dog. I am having a hard time even getting her vaccination records from anyone. They said that she is current on her shots but I am not able to confirm that. She is doing really well with everything else here. I am going to give it a little more time with just the slow introductions and see what that does, but will definitely call in a trainer if needed. Thank you Maximo!

It's very difficult when you have dog on dog aggression, or any agression for that matter. . I have this with my son's dog, Diesel, (I consider him mine because he's with me so much). I have taken classes with both of my dogs and you can start with this. Take an old towel and rub it all over Chloe, be sure to especially include the face and genital areas. Then take the same towel and rub on both of your Shih Tzu's, again being sure to include face and genital area. Give this towel back to Chloe, perhaps let her keep it in her sleeping area. This will get her used to their sent and the theory is they are more familiar.

The other thing to do is treat Chloe and your Shih Tzu's alot whenever they exhibit good behavior towards each other. I do agree that that a professional is in order, perhaps someone familiar with BAT training. (Behaviour Adjustment Training.

Best of luck, it does get better.

Calling in a trainer, I don't want to let this go too long. Will keep you all posted.

Good idea. If you have a partner or a teenager, you can also try leashed walks together, being prepared to keep the dogs separated but close. Each person would take one dog, and then switch off dogs mid-way through the walk. Include sit/stay and come training with treat rewards as part of your walk. The order out the door is important, the lead or alpha dog first, then chloe.

Also walk chloe alone for at least 10-15 minutes daily and again incorporate training into your walk time.