Mini and Shadow had another fight...

[Dixieland Dancer]

Is there another post with more information on this problem? I don't think I'm getting the whole story from just this post.

What makes you think Shadow is the alpha? What breeds of dogs are we talking about? There just isn't enough information given to give a good solid idea of what is going on. If you do have posted on this before can you link to the original post?

[gemini9961]

http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?t=100274

That might be of more help.

[k9krazee]

Shadow is our female Rottie, almost 10 years old. Mini is a 4 year old female (unaltered) Jack Russell.

I'm pretty sure Shadow is the alpha, the other 3 all look up to her and show signs of submission (licking her face, etc) and Shadow is the one to enforce the rules or let them know when playing gets out of hand...

I haven't really posted about it before. Its a relatively new problem. Mini will stalk Shadow throughout the house and then become extremely nervous and shakey. Sometimes we can tell that they are going to fight and can break it up, other times it happens because I guess we really aren't paying close enough attention.

I guess what I'm wondering is if there's hope to work this out or will we just have to always keep constant supervision of the two?

[dab_20]

I'm really sorry this happened again. I can't be of much help. Molli and Sam get in alot of fights but it's usually because food or toys are involved. I really hope you don't have to end up giving any dogs away. That would just be awful. Good luck.

[howlyip]

There are a lot more questions to be asked.
Are all females spayed??
Your Rotti is a bit old, how old is Mini??
Minis breed may have a lot to do with this, they don't know their size.
The fact that they are females is a huge part.

You cannot decide who is Alpha, except that you are Alpha, don't you try to figure out who should be and shouldn't. You are top dog, what you say goes.

Are they on leashes or free roaming??

How are they all greeted by you?? Must they obey a command to get some loving??

What more can you tell to the story??

[dab_20]

There are a lot more questions to be asked.
Are all females spayed??
Your Rotti is a bit old, how old is Mini??
Minis breed may have a lot to do with this, they don't know their size.
The fact that they are females is a huge part.

You cannot decide who is Alpha, except that you are Alpha, don't you try to figure out who should be and shouldn't. You are top dog, what you say goes.

Are they on leashes or free roaming??

How are they all greeted by you?? Must they obey a command to get some loving??

What more can you tell to the story??

k9krazee answered lots of those questions in the last post. Mini is 4 years old. And only Shadow is spayed.

[k9krazee]

Are all females spayed??

Mini is not at this point in time, Shadow is

Your Rotti is a bit old, how old is Mini??

Mini is four years old

Are they on leashes or free roaming??

Always free roaming

How are they all greeted by you?? Must they obey a command to get some loving??

They do, they have to sit first

...

[howlyip]

Right now I would say that Mini is coming into her own, being not spayed and 4 years old, she is staring to think about being top dog. Between 4 and 5, I have heard of this happening in smaller breeds.

I would think to get her spayed and work with her around Shadow on a leash. Mini, not Shadow on the leash. You need to be able to remind her what behavior is acceptable and what isn't. Especially if she is the one starting it.

Just my thoughts. Shadow could cause some serious damage.

[Dixieland Dancer]

It sounds to me like your Jack Russell (Parson Terrier) is being very true to her breed. I believe she has two things going against her at this point. 1. She is still intact (at this age spaying her will have no effect on this behavior) and 2. She has dominance aggression issues that are being fueled by her environment. Let me explain....

Jack Russell's are big dogs in a little body. They have a huge need for exercise. If their energy is not channeled properly they will find an outlet whether it's appropriate or not. They are fearless, have a very high threshold of pain and often challenge other dogs three times their size. They are extremely intelligent (it can be scary) and continue to test their limits throughout their life (15 years average). More often than not, they train their owners before the owner can train them. They can be very destructive if left unattended and unemployed. Most behavioral problems are due to a lack of alpha companionship, discipline, activity and exercise. It is very important to realize they require firm, consistent discipline. Their assertive nature must be understood and handled properly. A well behaved JRT is the one that was lucky enough to be exercised, well socialized, and trained. Unfortunately, shelters see a lot of JRT's turned in because of the aggressive side they can display when it is not channeled properly.

IMHO this dog is challenging your Rottie for alpha status even though it is displaying more dominance aggression than true alpha attributes. You are not helping the issue any by giving her "free roam" of the environment. This dog needs constant and firm obedience training along with lots of exercise from you. At minimum, it should always be on a short leash tag when around other dogs and never left around other dogs unsupervised until it learns some rules of proper canine behavior.

Most importantly, you need to affirm yourself as alpha over her. Do not look at this dog as a companion first, but as the dog she really is. She should NEVER be given anything without working for it first. Never let her on furniture (especially around the other dogs) and do not let her sleep in your bed (if she does). These are all things that enforce in her mind that she is a top dog. I can not stress enough the importance of exercise and working with this dog in obedience. She also needs a job to do such as agility or running or something that will stimulate her mentally. Never let your guard down with this high spirited little giant or you will be setting yourself up for some major heartbreak.

Which one of the dogs is the true alpha is not of consequence here. It is more important for you to establish yourself as the one in control over the entire pack. I'll stress again it is very important for the entire pack but especially the JRT to have alpha companionship, discipline, activity and exercise. That is not to say the JRT should be given more attention than the others. It is just saying the JRT is a higher maintenance dog. How you handle this will make all the difference in how the dogs interact in the future.