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

[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..

[shais_mom]

for "accomodation for mature couple wanted" ..

I'm wondering if they think a "mature" couple is like 40 or 50 ish?
Then you add in 3 dogs and a baby on the way - they probably don't know what to think....

[tikeyas_mom]

I'm wondering if they think a "mature" couple is like 40 or 50 ish?
Then you add in 3 dogs and a baby on the way - they probably don't know what to think....

hahahaha Do you think thats what people actually think of when they think mature?? Is AKA older couple?? haha OMG I must look like a total loonie bin if thats true lol.

[tikeyas_mom]

Canis-Lupess,
My problem is that three of the female dogs ALL large breeds, All want to be alpha. And We have already had to resort to putting the largest of the three dogs (Great Dane) in a muzzle because she has seriously tried to KILL the other female dogs.
She shows no signs of when she is about to attack the other dogs, she just does it out of the blue with no warning. She has cost me and my parents ALOT of money in vet bills. So in a muzzle she must stay till we move out.

If I had it my way Baby (Great dane) would be the obvious Alpha female, But she cant be allowed out of her muzzle because she is such a freak about attacking the other dogs in the house. Even if they cower to her.

Daisy (Pitbull) would be second in charge, but as of now she thinks she can be first in charge because Baby cant defend herself.

Tikeya (siberian husky) would be third, but she doesn't seem to agree. She doesn't give up being alpha female very easily, even if she has been attacked several times, and nearly died. She holds a HUGE grudge towards Baby for beating her up so many times, so I sence ALOT of tention between Baby and her ALL the time.

Ebony (black lab) she is so passive and carefree. she could honestly care less abou tthe other dogs around her, let alone risking her life to be alpha female.. She is the most well behaved out of the four females.

Oscar (shih tzu)would be the obvious fifth in comand, because he is the smallest.

I have told everyone in the house that if they are to give the dogs treats to make sure that Baby gets hers first, then Daisy, then Tikeya, then Ebony, then oscar.. But there are so many teenaged boys coming in and out of this house that they have a hard time remebering to keep it in that order. Alot of the time Baby gets her treats last because she is in a muzzle and she has to be pput in a seperate room to be given any treats..

[tikeyas_mom]

Canis-Lupess,
My problem is that three of the female dogs ALL large breeds, All want to be alpha. And We have already had to resort to putting the largest of the three dogs (Great Dane) in a muzzle because she has seriously tried to KILL the other female dogs.
She shows no signs of when she is about to attack the other dogs, she just does it out of the blue with no warning. She has cost me and my parents ALOT of money in vet bills. So in a muzzle she must stay till we move out.

If I had it my way Baby (Great dane) would be the obvious Alpha female, But she cant be allowed out of her muzzle because she is such a freak about attacking the other dogs in the house. Even if they cower to her.

Daisy (Pitbull) would be second in charge, but as of now she thinks she can be first in charge because Baby cant defend herself.

Tikeya (siberian husky) would be third, but she doesn't seem to agree. She doesn't give up being alpha female very easily, even if she has been attacked several times, and nearly died. She holds a HUGE grudge towards Baby for beating her up so many times, so I sence ALOT of tention between Baby and her ALL the time.

Ebony (black lab) she is so passive and carefree. she could honestly care less abou tthe other dogs around her, let alone risking her life to be alpha female.. She is the most well behaved out of the four females.

Oscar (shih tzu)would be the obvious fifth in comand, because he is the smallest.

I have told everyone in the house that if they are to give the dogs treats to make sure that Baby gets hers first, then Daisy, then Tikeya, then Ebony, then oscar.. But there are so many teenaged boys coming in and out of this house that they have a hard time remebering to keep it in that order. Alot of the time Baby gets her treats last because she is in a muzzle and she has to be pput in a seperate room to be given any treats.. Or to be fed.

[Catty1]

You may need to use a realtor that will help with rentals.

ALSO - I don't know about your area, but here in Alberta if a place has an assumable mortgage, you don't have to qualify....you just take the mortgage over, and that can be cheaper than rent. You do need to pay the difference between...I can't recall...the present mortgage on the place and what you buy it for?

Anyway, if you or your folks have a realtor friend, they might be worth talking to for advice.