Daisy attacked Baby!.... When will the fighting END!!!

[tikeyas_mom]

thank you for replying to me and not thinking that I'm just trying to be a bad guy altho in my email instant notification I did see the symbol which upset me b/c I didn't intend to make you mad at all. Rehoming one of my animals would be like cutting an arm or leg off - I couldn't imagine - so I did not suggest it lightly...
you DO have a lot on your plate right now -
I didn't realize there were so many dogs in the mix - adding a male to the mix would just make things worse.
There's a person in market place I think that is a animal psychologist.
http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?t=130834 send them a PM -
it can't hurt.
and again I say GOOD LUCK.

No, you did not make me mad at all, we have honestly been thinking of all of our options. Your right adding another dog to the mix would most definatley make things alot worse, I would imagine. We dont need 6 dogs in the house anyways, as much as I would love to have a puppy . Thansk for the URL link, I'll check it out.

Catty1, I mean no disrespect, but I honestly dont really believe in the powers of pet psychics.

luvofallhorses, Daisy is three years old, so she is starting to mature.. I can really see it in her behavior, she isnt acting as much like a pup as she once was.. she is alot calmer lately, less mischievous.

[Seravieve]

I know its so hard when one dog attacks another. We've had multiple instances where Zeke (we assume he gets jealous..) attacks Bunny out of the blue.. like she's walking across the living room and he's laying down. The next minute he has her pinned against the wall and there are little tufts of B hair on the carpet.. And He's also attacked Eli a couple times. Probably within a month or so that we got Eli.

He never does any major damage.. Eli now has three puncture scars on his right cheek but other than that.. not a big deal. Im not too sure what Zeke's problem is.. or your dog(s) for that matter. I'd just watch them more closely.. We watch Zeke like a hawk.. he does tend to give of a low warning growl before anything else.. so we usually catch it then.

One observation though.. Daisy could have attacked Baby because she saw Baby as weaker than her because she is confined by a muzzle. So Daisy thought that she could gain dominance, etc while Baby was 'weaker'.

Maybe 5 dogs is just too many with your living situation and the certain dogs you have.. I vaguely remember in the last Attack post that you had mentioned you'd be moving out sometime.. And that will definitely help end all of this stress. Maybe you could separate the dogs by baby gates or something.. Not sure what kind of house you are in.. but maybe one group upstairs, and one group downstairs.. Something like that so they wouldn't all be together, at least until they can get along.

I too agree that adding another dog would only worsen the situation.. why add a new dog to a group of unstable dogs.. that'd just create more chaos and problems. And I'll never resort to telling you to get rid of one of them.. It's like giving up a child.

Might just have to invest in multiple muzzles for a while.. =) I see an order for 4 muzzles in your future..
Im sorry that youre in this situation.. and I feel your frustration!

[Varga]

Have you read the books by Jan Fennell? She has a great understanding of dogs and it might help you to follow the advice she has in her books. Mostly it's about how you make small changes in your daily routine which make it obvious to your dogs that you are the alpha and not one of them.

It might be worth a try.. But obviously.. I still think a consulting a behaviorist is even better.

[tikeyas_mom]

Maybe 5 dogs is just too many with your living situation and the certain dogs you have.. I vaguely remember in the last Attack post that you had mentioned you'd be moving out sometime.. And that will definitely help end all of this stress. Maybe you could separate the dogs by baby gates or something.. Not sure what kind of house you are in.. but maybe one group upstairs, and one group downstairs.. Something like that so they wouldn't all be together, at least until they can get along.

Yes, we are definatley looking to move out ASAP. But, as of now we haven't found one place for rent that will allow our three dogs. Alot of home owners have turned us down as soon as they hear we own a Pitbull. I have already tried to seperate the dogs with a baby gate but, since we spend most of our time upstairs the dogs HATE it when they are confined to the basement. They just enmd up jumping the gate, or knocking it over to get upstairs. They are part of the family, and crating, or locking them away from everyone just doesnt really seem fair to us..

[Seravieve]

I totally understand having troubles finding a place that will allow dogs.. muchless three of them. And I know.. they do tend to jump the baby gate.. just a thought. We use one at night to keep the dogs upstairs.. but otherwise, if we are downstairs and we lock them up there, Zeke will jump it.. A behaviorist might help.. just seems that all dogs are different. Jealousy might have played into it.. and Daisy seeing her as the weak one in the group..

Sounds like you're between a rock and a hard place.. shoot. I have my fingers crossed for no more dog fights in your household!

[Catty1]

In Calgary, the Humane Society has a list of pet-friendly rentals; try your local ones. Having some letters of reference from your vet and/or a past landlord can't hurt either.


Also, how about placing an "Accomodation Wanted" ad? You can spell out your situation, offer references on the dogs (if you can get them, or offer to pay a small extra deposit or something). That way, if and when someone calls, they'll already know what the deal is with pets. (If the pittie has been with you since puppyhood, that's good to mention).

HUGS

[Canis-Lupess]

Splitting dogs up in the same home where there are unresolved issues is not a wise idea because this prevents the dogs from ever resolving the isssue and, if they come into contact again, they'll carry on where they left off. It's not really a viable option and any pet behaviourist would probably advise against it.

The problem seems to be that the pecking order is not stable between the female dogs and this is what they are trying to sort out.
Sometimes, the way the human owners treat the dogs can create more confusion and, in turn, more aggression in order to try and create a stable heirachy.

There is one female who is obviously not interested in climbing the ladder or is too submissive to want to try. It's the others really that things need to change more with.
You need to decide who is naturally the most doominant and has the advantage over the others and then who comes second, then third. You might need to watch the dogs for a few days to see how they act around each other generally. The signs are often very subtle so look carefully.

Once you've found out the order they presently seem to be in even though it sounds like things are a little too evenly matched and are probably made more unstable by the inconsistent way in which they are treated by the humans of the house, you need to emphasize this by treating them as such. no. 1 gets fed first, fussed first, groomed first, even let off and put on lead first when walked and generally treated as higher thanking than no. 2 by yourselves. This must involve every person in the house. Obviously, they need to know you are boss although this dominance thing between owners and dogs is being abandoned by behaviourists as rubbish, the dogs still need to know you aren't the push over type so they are more likely to respect your decision on who is higher ranking amongst them.
No. 2 will be fed, fussed, put on lead, taken off lead, groomed, everything you do with them before no. 3 and if you fuss one and a lower one tries to push in for attention, the lower one should be ignored because this is a more subtle way of trying to climb the ladder, it is not about jealousy. The more attention you can command, the more dominant you are in other words. If one dog can steal the attention of an individual away from another, that dog has won the test of who deserves that individuals attention the most.

You must stick rigidly to these new rules because the dogs won't forget and will notice if you slip up.
I had to do this when my two bitches went through a bad patch years ago and they stopped fighting and I never had a problem since and I could leave them alone together fine without issues.

[tikeyas_mom]

In Calgary, the Humane Society has a list of pet-friendly rentals; try your local ones. Having some letters of reference from your vet and/or a past landlord can't hurt either.


Also, how about placing an "Accomodation Wanted" ad? You can spell out your situation, offer references on the dogs (if you can get them, or offer to pay a small extra deposit or something). That way, if and when someone calls, they'll already know what the deal is with pets. (If the pittie has been with you since puppyhood, that's good to mention).

HUGS

Actually I already have three ads placed in papers already for "accomodation for mature couple wanted" lol. I mentioned that pet/dog must be allowed. we own three very well behaved pooches, and baby boy on the way as well. Noone has yet replied, We have had the three ads placed for about two weeks now.. I hope that somone who is a dog lover, or who just doesnt care either way will call soon.

I have been checking rent finders, homefinders for my area and even areas a couple hours away for ANYTHING that might allow pets and we just havent had any luck.. Everyone seems to allow cats, some allow a small dog, just not large breeds, or more then one..

[cyber-sibes]

They are part of the family, and crating, or locking them away from everyone just doesnt really seem fair to us..

Man, that's a tough situation, and I see red flags popping up because you are going to be bringing a newborn into this situation soon, too. The baby's safety & needs have to come first, even before the great love you have for all of your dogs. Could you live with something happening to your little one because of what a dog out of control with aggression might do? Look at what happened to Anna & Bon, she never imagined she'd get bit. In the heat of a fight, accidents happen. But, there are plenty of people on this board with more than one female and they get along just fine & never have a fight. I guess a lot of it depends on your dogs' personalities.

I hope you are able to find someone who can help you find a solution you can live with. It would be worth the investment. You know we're here to support whatever your decision is. (((hugs)))

[KittyGurl]

Is Daisy spayed? It is common for dogs that are not spayed/nuetered to become aggersive against other dogs.

I would recommend putting up baby gates to seperate your dogs so they won't fight. Also, give them the same attention, they might become jealous of eachother if you give one more attention them the other.

You should really get a trianer when you have a money. It will make a huge difference in your dogs' behavior.

[tikeyas_mom]

I would also advise to stop putting them in pack order. They are the subordinates. Don't go "Baby is first for treats, Daisy is second, Tikeya is third, etc." That's just asking the dogs to challenge among themselves. If you must feed treats, give them a command and *then* give treats.

We ALWAYS make the dogs obay a command before recieving any food/treats, or toys.. They never get treats without having to work for them. When I feed Tikeya, Ebony, and Daisy they are in different areas of our living room (Baby and Oscar are never around when they get fed). I make them all laydown, and wait before they recieve any food. All three listen very well when its feeding time.

Baby gets fed outside, with my mom, she sits and stays before she gets her food.
Oscar has food in his bowl all day, but the other dogs never bother with it, or him.

Man, that's a tough situation, and I see red flags popping up because you are going to be bringing a newborn into this situation soon, too. The baby's safety & needs have to come first, even before the great love you have for all of your dogs. Could you live with something happening to your little one because of what a dog out of control with aggression might do?

I would never be able to live with my self if somthing happend to my baby. I have that lingering fear in the back of my head that Daisy may become fear aggressive towards the new baby. I actually emailed a dog trainer yesterday, she got back to me today, and should be calling any time now. I will talk with her for a bit about Daisys history etc, see what she thinks of the whole situation.. I really dont know how we will be able to afford the training, but we will find away I suppose.. I know first hand that getting in the middle of a fight can end with being seriously hurt, because my mom and I got inbetween Tikeya and Babys last fight, and we both ended up in the hospital.

ETA: Just thought of something. You're probably heavily pregnant right now, right? How often do you exercise the pups? Pent up energy can easily be redirected into frustration and, thus, aggression. Maybe that's part of the problem, too.

I obviously dont excersize the dogs as much now as I did before I got pregnant. But I Make it a goal to walk two dogs, every second day for about 45 min around my naibourhood. I always switch around who I take. (ex: I will walk Tikeya, my mom will walk Oscar.. Then two days later I will Walk Ebony, and my mom will walk Baby etc.. etc..)

Right now I am medical leave, I am not allowed to exercise excessively. So If I find I cannot walk the dogs; My mom and I will take a couple of them to the beach. (We never take Baby or Daisy to the beach because they are so dog aggressive when they are there, but we always make sure Baby and Daisy are seperated if we arn't at home)

Is Daisy spayed? It is common for dogs that are not spayed/nuetered to become aggersive against other dogs.

Yes Daisy is spayed.