another fight
 

I posted this in the TK thread last night but I wanted to post it where it would get more visibility because I need some suggestions here....

maggie and daisy (my cocker) got into a fight. (this has happened once before) maggie is soooooooooooo jealous of daisy. she just does NOT like her. maggie is VERY territorial. well, we got our dog food delivered today and we had the bin sitting in the middle of the kitchen. maggie was guarding it. every time daisy would come near it, maggie would snap at her and bark viciously. well, daisy walked near it and maggie ATTACKED her!! they were rolling in the kitchen having at it. we broke them up right away but maggie had to be put on her back. she was still trying to get at daisy.

man...she just really does not like daisy at all. they don't normally fight (she normally just barks at her)...but maggie just won't let daisy near anything that she thinks is "hers". she is not like that with our other dog at all..just daisy.

now, maggie is ONLY food aggressive toward daisy. NOT rex (our 11 year old min pin). but it isn't just food aggression, it is EVERYTHING aggression. she gets mad if she comes near me her crate, her blanket, anything that is "hers".

she has been jealous like this with bubba and roxy when they came over to stay for a couple of days.

what can i do about this?? It is horrible. she is the sweetest thing...but soooooooooo jealous of other animals, mostly daisy. why she isn't like this with rex, i have NO idea.

well, i just noticed something. and MAYBE (and maybe not) this is why maggie is so protective of her food....maggie has a habit of taking a mouth-full of food and running into the living room and eating it there. well, she hasn't been doing this so much since I cut back her food...she pretty much stands there and eats it all...but once in a while she does. she is always the last one to finish...the other dogs are bigger and eat faster. well, a few minutes ago...she did it. she went to where the living room and dining room meet...and as soon as she did...daisy went over and started chomping on her food. maggie, of course, got angry.

i wonder if this might have something to do with it???

Hmmmmmm, that definitely might have something to do with it. I know I get mad if someone tries to snag my food! I'm trying to figure out why she isn't this way with Rex. Why just Daisy?? :confused:

Was Daisy the last dog you brought in? Maybe she's being territorial toward her. Penny does the same thing to Sebastian, and I have to put her in a time out. It's getting a litter better with the time outs, but not much.

Time outs, eh? I might have to give that a try. I've used the putting them on their backs but not a time out....thanks for the idea!

Are all their food bowls a good distance from each other?

Whenever I have this issue in my house I leash the pup that's trying to get all the other dogs food to the cabinet door while eating. They need to learn that it's OK for everyone to eat in the same room and at the same time. It teaches boundaries. I have 3 leashes hanging off the handles of my cabinet doors. Every now and again I use them to keep my kids in check.

If it's more than just food, would need to know what the dynamics are in the house.

Ellie is like that too with other dogs. Just a though....I imagine Rex is a boy? Ellie is sort of "scared" of boys and isn't so bratty around them.

Maybe she is really pissed by daisy stealing her food especially since she eats slower and likes to take her time. Maybe give her some space to let her eat on her own space and make sure daisy doesn't get to it since maggie is so sensitive towards her?

Maggie sounds like London kinda. She is agrressive with her food and will take her treats and run as if someone is going to take them. She is also aggressive with toys she has cause she thinks they are all hers. What i have been doing is letting the other eat first in front of her to see if this helps, other wise she won't let them eat and makes them wait until she's done

nope, daisy was actually my first dog...then rex came along (he came with the husband LOL) and then maggie. so she is actually the baby of the bunch

yep, i have separated their bowls so that maggie does not think daisy is coming near her bowl when she is going to her own. this actually happened over the food BIN.,..that holds the bag of food...it is kept in the cabinet but was sitting just outside the cabinets.

she is also this way when daisy comes near me, or her crate, or her bed, or her blanket LOL

sounds EXACTLY like maggie. maybe i will do that...let the others eat before her.

Charlie came from a home of 8 dogs (UYR). His foster mother would feed them in separate areas ie bathroom, different rooms. Good luck because the fights can be dangerous. Warmly, Deborah

There are A LOT of ways to deal w/ this.
One of the easiest is to give Miss High & Mighty Maggie fewer things to feel the need to get pissy over.
For example, her bed? Yeah, she doesn't get it anymore. Or if it's down, it's in an uncommon room.
The food? When you're dishing out the kibble (all dogs in the same room) I'd have Maggie on a leash w/ either a harness or a collar (especially if she's a Yorkie within the higher end of the standard) and give her a correction if she even growls at any of the other dogs and then feed her last for awhile, but have her with you when you're dishing the food out so she might be tempted to miss behave. Teach her that's simply not how things are going to go down in that house.
She needs to learn that you're the one that she should turn to if she's having issues, not lash out on her family members and be a brat...it makes for an uncomfortable life for the other dogs too.

Like my signature says, "Big things come in small packages" and Yorkies are awesome because of this, but sometimes these little terriers can develop a big head.

If there is an over abundance of toys or one specific toy she gets more posessive of, take it away. Or have her on a leash while you play w/ her while the other dogs are in the same room or nearby so that you can give her a correction if she shows any aggression. A lip curl, a snarl, a growl....even a dirty look or freezing up.


Feel free to e-mail me anytime for more options.
topsredhead@yahoo.com