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

[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.

[Pawsitive Thinking]

The fighting won't end until there is one clear pack leader and that has to be you - which is a lot easier said than done I know especially as you are pregnant.

I don't know if anyone here can give you tips on how to show them you are the boss. Archie is forever taking toys off Tobey so I just take the toy away from him so he knows I'm in charge but both my boys are smaller dogs so I wouldn't try anything like that with your girls.

I hope you can get this resolved soon - it can be much fun for either you or the dogs being constantly on edge, which the dogs will sense so are more likely to attack.......

[Giselle]

The fighting won't end until there is one clear pack leader and that has to be you - which is a lot easier said than done I know especially as you are pregnant.

That's what I was going to say. I know you love your dogs a lot (that's obvious ), but it really doesn't sound like this situation is going to work at this rate. By saying, "Baby is alpha. She's just acting this way because other people and dogs aren't acknowledging her as alpha", you're actually enabling her to act aggressive.

You are alpha. Period. The dogs shouldn't fight with each other if there's nothing to fight over. Leadership? You are leader; there's nothing to fight over. Food? You ration out food; there's nothing to fight over. Toys? You give out toys and you take them back; there's nothing to fight over. At this point, I think you need to start reigning in the dogs again. Leave no toys in the open. No treats. No collars. No muzzles. No food, etc. The house will be barren. They are fed in the morning and again at night. They will Down+Stay before receiving their meal.

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. It doesn't matter what order they're in because the point is that they have to do something for you. Thereby, they're inferior to you. Plus, if Baby or Daisy are truly getting aggressive, there is no other option than consulting a behaviorist or considering rehoming the dog. When Ivy was developing leash aggression, I contacted a trainer first thing in the morning. I, too, was short on money, but the trainer and I negotiated a payment plan. Please please do it! Behaviorists are trained and experienced to nip aggression in the bud. They will know how to fix this!

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.