Please!! I'm desparate!
 

I've asked before, but if anybody has any suggestions, I need them!!!

Maggie just attacked Buster AGAIN! She does this at least once a day! She will grab him by his ear (I hope it's his ear) or on his face and won't let go. She's growling when she does this, she is intending to hurt him. I know she hurts him because he cries out. This usually happens when any attention is paid to Buster. It happened Saturday when I picked them up from the groomer, the groomer was getting Buster ready to leave and I was putting the harness on Maggie (pretty innocent). It happened just now when John was petting both of them, this is the first time he saw her do it and he was shocked. It happens if anyone, at anytime pays attention to Buster and she is within biting range. She does it if you are paying attention to her at the same time or if he comes up when she is getting attention. I don't know how to discipline her, right now she's in a room by herself. Maggie goes for a dental in a while and stuff like that makes me nervous anyway and now she's in a room by herself, ugh. But, I'm afraid that she is going to really hurt Buster. So far she hasn't drawn blood, I don't want it to get to that. Buster just gets more beat down and afraid each time she does it, he literally is afraid of her. If anyone has any suggestions, please, I need them. If you know of anyone in my area that can help, I need the suggestion! I don't know what to but rehoming her is not an option!

Ok this might sound weird but you need to order KissE collars, I don't know why but when I put them on my 7 month old whos trying to gain her rank over my Miss Mini it calms her. I would put them on both of them for a few days and then retrain or get outside help from a professional.

I feed my two seperately, I make them both lay down and stay and give them treats at the same time. I don't leave food down for them to fight over and I never give one attention without the other. If Mini is on my lap, Mia is on my lap. If you need to handle one make sure the other is penned. Remove the behavior from happening while you make the change...kind of like if they chew shoes, put shoes away BUT train them to not chew shoes...

This is working for me, I am very careful not to slight one over the other and when I see things reving up the KissE collars go on and I spend alot of time retraining them together.

I hope you find a solution.

Good Luck

p.s. how old are these pups? How long have you had each?

Hi how're old are your little ones? I have a 2 1/2 and a 4 month old they are 1/2 sisters. I have had this happen a few time. Lizzie the oldest does it to Abbie when she starts bothering her. She has never hurt her and never would. I put my little one down for naps when she gets out of control. I would trime time outside one gets aggressive but that one in their carat. It only took Abbie a few times to get it

Ziva(3 yrs) used to take snips at Abby (10 months)but it is becoming way less often. I do feed them separately on the advise of my vet. Ziva spent quite a lot of time in timeout (crate)at first. They have ganged up on the old big dog a few times now...I try hard not to show preference to either one. I think walking them together helps the most.

I have two females that are vicious with each other....I must keep them separate....it is like they see each other, and one of them HAS to be telepathically hurling insults and talking trash at the other because all of a sudden, it is ON!!!!! If left to their own devices, it would be a fight to the death....they get along with everyone else, but they HATE each other!

Don't laugh, Buster is 4 years old, Maggie will be 4 years old in September. I've had them since they were babies, Maggie has always been the dominant dog and I've tried to control her, obviously I haven't been successful.

Geez, I thought I had it bad. It seems that Maggie is very jealous. Buster will come and "ask" for attention but Maggie never does. Maybe we have been not been giving her enough attention? I don't know the answer but I need to find one.

Oh my gosh, you made me laugh so hard! I know its not funny, but it is! I can just see Miss Mini with her high and mighty, I never lick my self attitude, nose in the air..biggest snob on four feet telepathically telling Mia "Bitch you ain't got nothing on me"!!!! omg, thanks for the laugh!

They don't fight over food. I leave kibbles down all day, but they don't fight over it. I feed them their dinner separately. Maggie will eat out of Buster's bowl first, if I catch her doing it, I pick his bowl up. What's a KissE collar? Do you walk them separately? Take them on outings separately? I've been telling DH that I should be doing this to have one on one time but he says the one I leave behind cries. I say they will get over it. The few times I have taken them separately, they love it.

Please try some of the things I suggested. And I know when my two tussle they sound awful but its a case of sounding worse than it is. Divert their attention, stamp your foot, something....I think you will be fine...(Yorkiemom1's - not so much!!!)

Keep us posted.

They do like to walk separately but then the one left behind gets sad and the one that got to go gets an attitude. I walk together like Cesar (dog whisperer) says, I am trying to make them a pack. If they snip now that Abby can hold her own, and I think it is over me, I turn my back and remove myself from the area.
Maybe your girl gets some kind of attention- good or bad - from taking shots at her brother?

Good points!

you should also check out cesar millans website for information that may be helpful.

I thought that about Lizzie and Abbie at first. I tell everyone Lizzie has middle child syndrome she would act sad and pouty whe she saw Abbie and she would play with her and leave I started watching them more closely and panicked. I thought Lizzie would never get over being sad I kept watching and they started playing more togethe, but Liz kept on hitting her and Abbie sounded like she was dying. The more I watched I realized Lizzie was trying to correct her and teach her. I don't know how to explain it, but she honestly wasn't trying to hurt her.

I have the exact same problem with my two. Sammy is 7mos and Sadie is 5mos. They fight like crazy. I can't tell who starts the fights, but they sometimes growl so loud, we can't hear the tv. When they do this, I try to seperate them but they go right back at it. I have just started using a squirt bottle of water and squirt them, and that seems to stop it for a while. Sammy likes to tease Sadie with his bone or toys, and when she goes after whatever he has, it makes him mad and then they start all over. It gets on my nerves really bad:eek::eek: He even tries to pull her off the furniture by her hair or ears, but then she does the same to him. I am reading all the posts to see if I can pick up something helpful too.

My yorkie kagan started doing this to our cat tiger who was around long before him she would bite at the side of his neck and just attack. Any time he seemed to become head of her she would do it. Its def a pack order behavior. She wanted to be dominant. One thing I did that I learned from the dog whisperer was I would go to her when she did it and kinda but my hand on the side of her neck (their vulnerable their) and kind of gently lay her down and do a deep growl type sound. she would go belly up, that was showing her that I did not approve of her behavior and I was the alpha in the family. She was also going after my aunts female black lab who was a lot bigger than her she would run out get her at the neck or ear. I would tell her NO! and then again do the motion. It really helped with her it took some time but the gesture worked. That and after I bred her one time it really calmed her. Like the dog whisperer says dogs don't view things the same as humans. Yes they may do some things that make you think so. But its natural for them to view their family as a pack. which they are part of. We sometimes just got to remind them where they are in the pack. I hope this helps a little? It sounds like the same thing I was going through with my girl.

Hopefully someone will know of a good trainer in Texas for you. Some things are easier to do in pairs. You and your husband can work together on this.

Each dog is harnessed, and walk together but separately ie you have one and your husband has one. If Maggie goes for Buster on the walk, strong NO and leash correction, immediate turn around by the walker, and into the house and into her crate she goes! You continue on your walk with Buster, play have a good time etc, say 10 minutes. When you come home say nothing to Maggie ignore her, water Buster. Then get hubby to leash up Maggie. You walk out the door first with Buster, then hubby follows, off you go on your walk. Same scenario, same correction, this time Maggies stays in crate after you come home with Buster and he is treated and watered.

You can do this routine in the house too. If grooming Buster is a trigger, set it up with hubby present. You are grooming Buster, Maggie is harnessed and leashed. Hubby holding lead. Set Buster down with appropriate good boy treats. She goes for Buster, NO, correct, and crate! The moment she starts to move in you must correct.

Another option is to muzzle her. But that won't correct her behaviour, it will just stop her from being able to hurt Buster.

Sorry to hear about Buster & Maggie. :(

I know you've had the issue for a while...

I agree with Gemy's advice.

Are you sure with pups this young they are not just playing?

Jackson is SUPER loud when he plays - he's all teeth, and growling, and biting at necks, and it's all play.

But with pups that young, I always tend to doubt it's real fighting. Pups, especially terriers, are very loud lol.

Are you sure with pups this young they are not just playing?

Jackson is SUPER loud when he plays - he's all teeth, and growling, and biting at necks, and it's all play.

But with pups that young, I always tend to doubt it's real fighting. Pups, especially terriers, are very loud lol.
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I first thought the same thing, but then one ususally starts crying as if he/she is being hurt. Sammy was just fixed last month and has calmed down some, Sadie had to be rescheduled for July due to her age and vet wanting to make sure her adult teeth were ok. I am hoping after her surgery, she will calme down too. They do lay together on my lap(after scolding and repositioning themselves several times) without any fighting. It just seems to be over bones and toys, both of which they have two of everything. I can't get them to eat seperately though, if I seperate them in different rooms, they won't eat at all.

I won't count on being bred for calming Maggie down, she won't be bred.

First I wanted to say how sorry I am that you're having this problem with your two babies.

Our Lindi Lou has been aggressive at times with our other girls but we have learned to control most of these episodes from occurring. We call it her "Chucky" outbursts! LOL :eek: My husband named it that and it kind of stuck.

At first I was separating Lindi from the other girls for time outs but this didn't seem to help at all. After watching Cesar on the Dog Whisperer he doesn't recommend separating them. Now if Lindi has an outburst I put her on her side until she calms down out of the red zone and will leave the girl she attacked beside her like Cesar does. Cesar says if you separate them then foremost in the dog that attacks mind is the aggression towards the other dog they just attacked. If you leave them on their side and bring the other dog beside them until they calm down then the feeling of calmness is foremost in their mind towards the other dog. Also by putting them on their back with the other dog over them it will help them to feel the other dog is dominant over them instead of the other way around which makes sense. We've done this repeatedly with Lindi and it seems to have really helped. She's had the odd outburst but we try to anticipate her body language and can see how she's getting in the "red zone" and redirect her behavior.

Things like when the girls bark at the doorbell and get into a frenzy seem to set Lindi off so I will redirect her behavior as soon as the doorbell rings. If one of the girls yelp for some reason this also sets her off so I have to redirect her behavior again and then she calms down. It is stressful though always having to be on the alert for potential things that will set her off.

I also feed Lindi by herself which seems to have helped. Otherwise she will wolf her food down and try to pounce on the other girl's food too.

I agree with the above poster that you should take a look at Cesar's website to learn some of his methods. I think he's amazing and it's great how he teaches people to read their dog's body language. This has helped me out tremendously. :)

I'll try this along with some of the other advice I've been given. I used to think she was just playing when she did this but now she won't let go. One time when I pulled her off of him, she had actually pulled his hair out. When Maggie was younger, the groomer thought she was correcting him, now she thinks Maggie is jealous. I don't know, I worry that he's being hurt. I don't want her to draw blood.

This sounds a lot like my daughters problem with her two males. They started fighting after living together for almost 3 years. We tried everything. I ended up taking Riley They get along great with other dogs just not each other. Even after over a year being a part we have to keep them separate. I do believe they would fight to the death. We tried walks meeting on different turfs. Medicines and also scents in the home. I would never leave your two alone together. I hope and pray you have better luck then we did.

I you want to go the trainer route, the trainers at J-Canine in Rosenberg are excellent. ( J-Canine Pet Resort ) If their location is inconvenient for you, they can give you a referral for someone in your area of town.

Jeanie, I'm sorry to hear about the issues. Definitely go with the professional route if you can. Have you ever had professional training for them? You will be amazed at the changes that can take place.

I had/have this same issue with my first yorkie,...Sadie was 1 yr old when we got Lillie....Lillie was only 8 weeks old(I know....to young) Sadie became VERY dominant over Lillie...Lillie was a whiner and cry baby...as soon as little would cry out Sadie would pounce on her!!:eek: I mean tearing into her!! I would lift Lillie and Sadie would be hanging from her hair!!:eek: This happened A LOT when we first got Lillie...Sadie has backed off over the years (she's 7yrs old now...Lillie 6 yrs) However.....from time to time if Lillie does reverse sneezing or should whine for ANY reason Sadie goes right to her and gets that dominant stance over her...we have to pick Lillie up right away...we got a new puppy the week before Christmas...Bentley...he was 5 months old and 2.5 lbs...not a big guy...he is also a big baby....if he falls when running he will cry out...Sadie will run to him but will NOT touch him! not sure if it's because he is a male?...I spoke with my vet about this issue...she told me this is Sadies makeup...she is a very dominant dog...She is also the alpha dog....She has gotten much better....I now know what will set off this behavior so I am on guard with her and will end it before it starts....When you see this happening try laying her down and holding her there...this will make YOU the dominant one....this has worked for me...

Good Luck!

This is what makes me nervous about bringingthe new pup home next week. I am so scared they will hate each other

The last fight I broke up between the two of them, I thought if I let them "go at it" for just a minute, as long as no one was getting killed, they would work it out, one would declare herself dominate, the other would submit and shut up talking trash....OMG!!! It was like Michael Vicks house! It got REAL clear, REAL quick, that Kara was going to kill Rosie....I ended up in the middle of that dog fight, grabbing long hair by the handfuls, one in the right hand, one in the left hand, put them BOTH down on their backs, and me growling and snapping just like they were....(I hope the neighbors did not see me thru the fence, they woulkd think I had rabies or something)....when I got finished, EVERYBODY was looking at me, RABID ALPHA-MOMMY, and EVERYONE in the pack was down on the ground, not saying anything, ears down sideways, tails quivering,...and that was the end of it! I just keep those two separate now....

Wow ~ I know how hard this is to deal with. I agree - no blood should ever be drawn - EVER.

Ringo is quite dominant over Lucy (except he lets her lead on walks). We are very aware of that and treat him accordingly. He goes out the door first; leashed up first; fed first . . . as long as Ringo doesn't feel like he's getting 'shortchanged' in any way; he is good with Lucy.

BUT with Lucy's health problems, she sometimes gets more attention. That will trigger him right off. So if I give Lucy medicine - I squirt water in Ringo's mouth like he's getting medicine. Keeping everone on an even keel.

Lucy, of course, gets more attention from strangers when we are walking or when we have visitors. I try to ask them to pet Ringo as well or perhaps I will give him a little extra attention myself. He's very in tune to being slighted and you know who will pay the price if it goes too far.

A dominant, jealous dog - is hard to handle. But, as I say, as long as we make sure everyone is treated fairly, his ego stays in check.

Walking them together helps their bond - but I do think you need a second pair of hands for now. Another thing we did was remove Ringo from the room for bit when he started getting cranky with Lucy. Just popped him into another room for a few minutes. It didn't take him long to figure out that as long as we all play together - we all stay together - otherwise, he will spend a little time alone. (This was early on).

Whew. After all that - there are still some rare evenings (it's always evening) when I can tell that Ringo is out of sorts. That if Lucy did one thing to make him mad; he would jump her. I can't explain how I know; it's just a look in his eye; the way he holds himself; and he just seems very 'intense'. On those evenings, I keep them separated. Ringo likes to be in the fenced yard and will stay out there several hours. Lucy gets our attention separately then. Ringo comes in about 9:00 and Lucy goes up on my bed (her favorite spot); she is content and out of harms way.

I don't know what triggers those 'evenings; if something happened during the day ~ I just don't know. A long walk - tiring everyone out will help that too.

Good Luck.

You might want to try this method for a while to see if you can work this out yourself since you have small dogs, and if not, employ a trainer:

If I had two fighters, I would study the body language of the attacker just before the attack for a few days with a soft muzzle on her. If she reacts badly to the muzzle, leave it off & be prepared to separate them during the training should she go ahead & attack while learning.

But you must start to see what body language she exhibits prior to attack. Does she raise her head, put her ears forward, back, cock/lower her tail, wall/squint her eyes, lower her head somewhat, hunch up her body, gaze steadily in a lock-on look - stuff like that. Watch her every single movement & get a good feel for what she does because she will send out body language to you & the other dog - all dogs do. They may be subtle but once you are aware of them, you recognize what it is that telegraphs her coming attack.

Then, once you see that behavior start, discipline her right then. Get up & go over to her, make eye contact, point & say "uh uh" in a no-nonsense voice(not a mad or threatening voice - just stay in the calm trainer/teacher mode as you are working to help this dog avoid going into the attack mode & she needs your help. Stay calm & matter of fact. If she continues that behavior or starts to growl or stand up, just calmly reach down & approximate the dominate or alpha dog in a pack's discipline by placing your hand in a claw-like clasp on the back of the dog's neck & keep it there - no verbalizing at this point. Don't say a word, just let the body language of yours & your fingers do the talking. Do not get angry, or dig in or or hurt her or anything like that - just place the fingers like teeth of an alpha dog over the back of the neck & hold. This just tells the dog in terms they instinctively "get" that, hey, enough of that. Once she stops the body language and/or growling, bared teeth IMMEDIATELY take your hand away & walk away, no words, but looking back over your shoulder with eye contact with her. Turn right around if she resumes aggressive body language & repeat.

Here is the important part. You must do this every single time you see her start to lock-on or assume the body language that shows she is obsessing over the other dog. Every single time. By doing this, you will slowly but kindly teach her that you as the leader of this group disagree with her behavior & intend to stop it. You are the leader, you set the rules & enforce them - not her. Then, as I said, the moment she stops that behavior, you stop. That teaches her that by calming down & stopping the beginning of aggression, discipline stops but that you watch her all the way back to your chair. Alpha dogs use long, steady eye contact in sending message to underlings all the time. Often, just a look is all it ever takes with them.

You cannot get emotional or mad or frustrated during this repetitive teaching process as that will only add your nervous or angry energy to the excitement she's working into & will tend to escalate the probability of attack. Just stay in robot mode - dog alerts on other dog, you say "uh oh" with a stern look & if the dog doesn't look away or stop the behavior, you administer some canine-type discipline, stopping the moment the dog gives way, while keeping a stern eye on when retreating.

It will take time, persistence, and getting a handle on your emotions at the aggression, staying patient & it will take it day after day with some dogs for quite some time. And, it will have to be resumed, even after a nice, quiet period of this behavior stopping, once the behavior resumes, as it probably will.

Once you dog gets to the point of stopping that body language with just your words, I would reward that AFTER A WHILE but not the first two weeks. But after a while once the dog seems to start to police itself & relax its alerting to the other dog, walking over & giving a small treat without fanfare or words will further teach the dog that stopping the pre-aggression alert is a very good thing & gets her a little treat, not fingers.

Another word about the other dog. Once it learns you have assumed leadership & discipline, it will start to be less nervous(which can invite attack) & begin to relax, thus lessening the fear messages it telegraphs which really can trip the attack lever on the more aggressive dog.

Just as important, during this time, go right into the "Nothing In Life Is Free" training with the aggressive dog. You can Google it & read up on how to easily do it. It will establish you as the leader of your little pack or family with that dog & that tends to gain you a lot of swat-points with your little fighter. She begins to learn you control absolutely everything in life that matters to her. Your words & actions become all important to her & it makes a dog tend to take your gentle, kind but steady discipline straight to heart.

I would try this for a while & see whether you can achieve some peace this way. If not, I also suggest that you get a reputable behavior modification trainer to visit your home for training. I would not suggest trying this method with big, powerful dogs yourself. Hope it helps. Good luck with those babies.