Sadie went after Bentley and I got bitten. I gave Bentley a treat which he never just chomps and eats like he should but hoards in his mouth and goes to a corner to avoid food aggressive Sadie. Well I didn't move her to another room and I was holding him drying him off and I kept telling her to leave it. He walked out of my hands and tripped over their bell by the door and startled himself which caused her to attack him in his weak moment for the treat and she latched onto his face/neck really hard and it was a blur of fur with her growling and biting him and him squealing in pain. I tried to pull him away and push her off and she bit my hand pretty hard. It broke skin but didn't bleed but it's starting to form welts on my hand. I am so upset I don't know what to do. I can't have her do something like that when I have a baby in the house that she's jealous of or wants something from. She is so mean to Bentley at times and then cuddles him other times. I never really know what she'll do next. Anyone have any advice to set my mind at ease. I don't want a baby/toddler getting bit like I just did over Sadie's crazy behaviors. So sad that she's turning into such an awful dog and I don't want to loose her either. |
I'm so sorry this happened to you. I'm no pro, but wondered if your vet has a behaviorist available or maybe one they could refer you to? Then hopefully they could evaluate her & lead you in the right direction to train/teach her to not be so aggressive, etc. Hopefully someone with more experience/knowledge can offer more. |
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I don't really have any exp in mult pup households, so I unfortunately have no help in that area. I am concerned about your bite. It needs to be cleaned well; bites are puncture wounds. Hydrogen peroxide helps get the icky stuff out - its bubbling action. You could get betadine solution from pharmacy/some groceries. We use this to cleanse in hospitals. Be careful though, it stains like iodine does. If the wound is swelling ("welts" you talked about) or redness, you should probably be seen by a dr to get some antibiotics. You could also use topical antibiotics (neosporin) until you get to dr. |
Rach, sorry it happened, but it just shows with dogs, always expect the unexpected. Dogs all have different personalities. I take it Sadie is the Alpha. Maybe she needs a bit of training. Is she fixed? Age? Don't go getting overly excited yet. Plenty of time before the baby comes, and I know you will not be putting the dogs in the crib. Hopefully, others will pipe in. |
I'm sorry to read about this. :( Now, we've had a few scuffles happen over at my dads house with the 3 dogs. Over a year ago, I was doing tricks with the two boys (and giving treats obviously) when Lilly, the JRT, came from about 10 feet away and just went AFTER Jackson. Now Jackson has never started a fight but he surely will finish one so he was fighting back... in the process of pulling them apart, Lilly latched onto my boob (yes my boob!) and I had a nice pretty scar there for 2 months. The second big fight was a few months ago when Buddy and Jackson leaped down for the same bully stick at the exact same time and just went at it... it was really surprising because those 2 had never done that before and they really love each other. Lilly, I could understand, because she's always a b*tch, ha. Jackson had a little scab on his ear from that fight. But here's my question... how many other times has Sadie full on fought Bentley, ever like this? Dog aggression not does automatically equal human aggression... but if she's FOOD aggressive, then yes she very well could do this over a piece of food the baby drops. Not wanting to scare you. Can you take a bone from her, or a piece of food, without being bit normally? I'm unsure if she's more dog aggressive or food aggressive so if you could maybe explain more. Either way, since she is so unpredictable, I would be proactive in only feeding her in a crate or another room. No treats with the two of them loose, things like this, etc. Resource guarding is a big issue that needs to be trained and kept under control. However if this was just a one time thing... dogs will be dogs and fights will happen! |
Sorry your dogs got into a scuffle and you got bit. When my girls were babies and toddlers, I had a food aggressive/toy possessive dog. I never had a problem with my kids and the dogs. I taught my kids that the dogs had times and places they were not to be bothered and food and toys were those times. I taught my dogs the same thing and that was to leave the kids alone. I let them smell, but never get too close when they were really little. My kids never played on the floor with their own toys unless I was right there with them and that should be a safety thing any parent with any dog should follow. As kids get older, they will mimic their parents and they will try to stop a scuffle if one breaks out and in my opinion that is when children become vulnerable. Teach them to get help rather than try to break it up. Training with both animals and children starts the minute the baby is born. Baby gates. Lots of baby gates. :rolleyes: Having said that, my youngest daughter has a more passive personality. She lets animals (large as in horses and small as in our dogs) walk all over her and doesn't take her own stand against them. I had to watch her especially close because animals sense that with humans the same as they do with other animals and they will learn to take advantage. You can never let your guard down. I always try to think of all possibilities then take precautions against them, and even still I find I have missed something. On another side note, I have been around pregnant animals my whole life, cattle, horses, dogs, cats, you name it. You put one pregnant animal in a mixture of non pregnant animals and everything changes behavioral wise. Most times, the pregnant one was the instigator of negative behaviors. :D Your Sadie may be feeding off your your horomones and senses things are not the same. She probably needs some extra attention and reassurance, and even more once the baby arrives. |
First and foremost, you need to have your doctor take a look at that today. It broke skin and now you have welts. It's not okay to just let it go because you are pregnant. I hope she is current on rabies and you on tetanus. |
I didn't realize you were pregnant. Crystal is right, you should be seen by your dr. |
I'm so sorry this is happening. I agree with Brit...You need to figure out what triggers her aggression, food or toy whatever it maybe...and start training now before it get way out of control. This is my story and how I'm handling it...I have 3 yorkies now Bella, Harley and my new girl Ivy Lou...All are spayed and neutered...When I first got Harley, Bella was mean to him if he had a toy or anything...Bella thought ALL the toys and chewies where hers and she would go after him...so what I did...I put all the toys and chewies up and would only allow them to play with them when I was playing with them...as soon as Bella started to get aggressive I would stop all play and put the toys and chewies up and put Harley in his play yard...no more playing....well she quickly learned that if she got pissy play time was over and she didn't like that...Harley is now almost 9 mos old, I no longer have to keep the toys put up...they play well together now and Bella hasn't got aggressive with Ivy Lou at all, Ivy is 9 mos old, we have only had her for 3 weeks so I hope Bella's good behavior continues...but I do have to keep all chewies put up, she thinks they are all hers, she is very greedy..LOL..She will go and take Ivy's and Harley's from them...so no chewies until bed time than I take 3 up, DH will hold Bella's chewie cause she insist on it LOL and I hold Ivy's and Harley's while they chew...once everyone is done I put them up until the next night. Bella don't have any food aggression at all with them or me...When I'm giving treats I make all 3 sit in front of me and stay, than I give the treats...so far so good..so my problem was dog aggression...We are still working on the chewie aggression but I'm hopeful it will work out. So don't give up on your baby girl....you can correct the problem with consistent training...you may need to put her in an xpen when giving treats while training so she can't get to him or better yet put her harness and leash on...wrap the leash up in your hand, make them both sit in front of you before giving the treat...than give her a treat first so she feels special, than give Bentley one...watching her very closely at the same time and if she goes for his treat or to attack him...pull her quickly away, at the same time say "no leave it" looking her in the eye. This will also teach her...that she isn't in charge and neither is Bentley that you are and that Bentley isn't a threat....if that makes since...Good luck hun, hang in there...I hope it all works out for you and your babies. |
First of all, get the hand checked even though you think it's ok. Better safe than sorry while you are pregnant. Now, if the aggression issues are just with food, then it's pretty easy to avoid the situations by completely separating them during feeding/treat times by putting them in different rooms or using an xpen. See if you can have a behaviorist come in to work with her. Now, when the baby comes, it will be the same thing in reverse. It's time for the baby to eat, so the dogs get put up. No temptation equals less chance of biting. Someone mentioned Sadie possibly being in heat, making her more aggressive. She's spayed, though, right? In any case, YOUR hormones can be giving off pheromones that may be upsetting her or she could be picking up on your tension. I found my dogs to be especially clingy and grumpy while I was pregnant, just like me :) Good luck and get that hand checked! |
Pixie used to do this with my little boy. we never knew what set her off so we had no warning it was going to happen. We just made sure we kept them seperated when we were not home, she is 10 1/2 pounds he was only 4 pounds and I was NOT coming home to a bloodbath. We still do not know what sets her off, she has gone after my little foster girl once, and nipped her on the nose, she sqeald, my boy would NEVER give her the satisfaction of yelping when she did this he was always silent. Well Nya yelped and then I gaqe Pixie the talking to and she does like a little kid and her little bottom lip quivers when she knows she is in trouble. Then she "stalks" the one she just attacked, i do not know if it an I am sorry thing or what but I do not let her do it, I just try to make sure no dog invades her personal bubble so to speak and as long as that does not happen all is fine. good luck it is a hard thing to deal with |
Breaking them up the way you did will almost always result in you getting bitten. You separate then by lifting the aggressor (Sadie) up by the hind legs and she will let go once thrown off balance. Separating them the way you did is not safe. You also need to work on the food aggression issue especially with a a baby on the way. |
I do think that food aggression is pretty common in a multi-dog household; for sure, you are not the only one with this problem. I feed mine separately - Lucy in her crate and Ringo in the kitchen. After dinner, each will go over and lick the other's bowl. Low-value chew sticks can be left about - but high value treats (bully sticks, etc) will be given separately in their crate. Keep an eye on it and I would take this time to work on Nothing in Life for Free training with your aggressor. Most likely, neither one will be interested in baby formula so you will have some time to settle things down. Good luck. |
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Sorry about this Rachel. I know we have discussed our concerns about once the babies arrive. I don't have any advice. My two girls and Ernie seem to follow the pecking order pretty good and we rarely have an issue, but they do happen. I hope you are able to find peace between them. :) |
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