dont know what to think

[sammy101]

Kodie just attacked Lucy,im crying right now and i dont know what to think:( It was just over a stupid toy and he's becoming aggressive,and i dont know what to think,im sos scared that his aggression will turn worse,and we'll have to take Lucy back,im so scared and i dont know what to think,he's always been the sweetest boy and i dont know what to think of him now,im jsut so worried that he's going to turn worse,please pray that everything will be ok,im just scared:(
im just worried that he'll do it again,just not over a toy,i just dont know why he would attack her over a stupid rope toy

[bckrazy]

Dont worry, just calm down! :( It sounds horrible, but it could just be a little scuffle.. this happens a LOT when adult dogs are introduced to new puppies in their home. Everything is different for Kodie, and he's probably just trying to teach her that he is alpha. Is Lucy hurt at all? What happened in "the attack"? was it just growling/pinning or did he actually puncture the skin and make her bleed?

[sammy101]

I was up stairs when it happened,i dont think he made her bleed or anything,it just that he never EVER done anything like that before,no aggression whatsoever,She's not hurt though.im just scared:( i just hope he never does it again,and ill knw they wont be playing with toys with eachother for a while.

[Tollers-n-Dobes]

Kodie's jsut not used to ahving another dog in the house, it's been quite a while since he's lived with another dog. He's going to be a bit protective over his things for a while, I'm sure it'll get better.

[bckrazy]

I definitely agree... just, dont allow them to play with toys/eat rawhides/eat meals together without supervision to prevent anything bad, if you think he was really being aggressive. Dogs growl, bark and snap all the time! Thats how they teach hyperactive puppies boundaries, and Lucy is probably trying to push Kodie right now. If she is trying to steal his toys and he reprimands her, that is totally fine, as long as he knows to stop and not to hurt her. If you're very worried, just make sure some one is always watching when they have toys in the same room together, to stop a fight if Kodie is too rough. He probably was only telling her to leave him alone ;)

Also, make sure Lucy *knows* that Kodie is alpha by feeding Kodie first, giving him treats first, petting him first, and giving him more privileges. She will get the message, and that'll help put them in their positions

[caseysmom]

It took casey 6 weeks to accept our new puppy. Just this week we had a HUGE breakthrough, she has growled and showed her teeth whenever he goes near her bed and this week she did that and then suddenly they were playing like they were in love. It was really wierd they were laying on their sides hugging and playing.

[Kristl]

that just happened with our two 7 wk. old labs. the advice I got was it's just trying to see who's the alpha, the bigger, stronger dog. I took this as: they're gonna fight, they're gonna wrestle, I need to just seperate them at those times....maybe you're situation is different. But from my experience (which, I'll admit, I don't have much) if I were you, I'd simply supervise playtime as much as possibe. Even though Kodie has been an angel up to this point, he may have just felt the need to show Lucy he is boss. Hope this helps you. please don't cry...they'll work it out!:)

[KYS]

posted by bckrazy: dont allow them to play with toys/eat rawhides/eat meals together without supervision to prevent anything bad, >>>>>>>>>>>>

I agree!


Seeing any dogs fight is scary. :(

Even though my dogs have not had a fight in 3 years,
supervising them with toys and goodies is a
on going process that never ends.

[Giselle]

Don't worry, I'm sure it's just a scuffle. I had the same exact problem with Lucky (resident dog) and Giselle (new). Since Giselle was so thin skinned, I was terrified of even letting the two meet each other. It didn't make sense to me, either. Giselle was and always has been an extremely submissive dog. Whatever it was, those two dogs had multiple scuffles. At one point, Giselle couldn't even be in the same room as Lucky because she was so darn scared of him. It was SO heartbreaking. Giselle would sleep on my bed with one eye open. Whenever Lucky stumbled into the room, she bursted up and tried to jump onto my desk trying to run away from him. All through that horrific month, I kept in close contact with my adoption coordinator and I called her every few days to ask for her advice. I also e-mailed her continuously until things started to improve. Throughout that month, I kept wondering if I should give Giselle up....I seriously wanted to call our adoption coordinator and ask her if giving up Giselle was an option. Well, I gradually introduced them and made time together FUN FUN FUN!

I've learned to cope with Lucky's resource aggression and they are always fed at least 30 feet away from each other (different rooms in the house). Toys are never given without my supervision, and they've learned to tolerate each other. Soon, I'm sure they'll be content with each other's company. I've seen them snuggling from time to time;) I wish you good luck, and hang in there. The first 2-3 months are always a bit tougher.:)

[sammy101]

Yeah i know it was just a little scuffle,but i had to grow up with a aggressive dog,my RB Dalmation Sheena,she was always picking fights with other dogs,and i had to grow up with that so i guess it really affected me.
He's never been really dominant before.My dad had him in his room for a while(Kodie knew that we were mad at him),so we had them split up for about 30 minutes,then he came out and just wanted to play with her again:rolleyes: weird dogs...i sure wouldnt want to play with a 90 lb dog that just attacked me,,,jeez!
He always gets treats,toys,etc first.They have to be supervised when theyre eating b/c they like to switch foods.

[Dixieland Dancer]

I know this is hard advice to follow but you have to let the dogs determine who is the alpha between them. Let them squabble (within reason). A show of aggression when a new dog is introduced is not really aggression at all. It is just dogs sorting out that pack heirarchy. It can be more difficult for the human than the dogs. Remember, they don't reason like humans...they reason like pack animals.

Which ever one is the alpha, needs your reinforcement of that status constantly. You need to do everything for the alpha before you do anything for the other one or you will see the little sqabbles get worse over time and they will never become friends. If you do your job of reinforcing the alpha, then harmony should rain in your home soon. Be patient.

[anna_66]

I agree that you do have to let them work it out (within reason).

I guess you'd say we are kind of going through the same thing with Bon and Huney.
A couple of weeks ago he took her bone and when I took it from him and gave it back to her, he grabbed her neck. He was growling, but not bad but he definately didn't want to let go.
Needless to say now Huney doesn't want any really good treats while he is in the house. She is just so meek.
I started putting him in his kennel when they are given good treats (pigs ears & such) but she won't eat a treat then either. So I just let him outside with Roxey and she gets a special treat and gets to have some Mommy & me time;)
But he's so good now, he'll just walk into his kennel when I give him a treat and eat it in there.

Sorry to go on about my two, just wanted you to know yours isn't the only house that goes on in:)