One of my dogs (Bailey, an 8 yo German shepherd *****) is ultra-aggressive towards my other dog, a similarly-sized shepherd mix male. This has been going on for a while and we've tried several possible solutions with varying success. We have tried to re-home her to a single dog situation and tried to return her to the rescue she came from but most rescues are maxxed out these days and this one is no different. We had to move our third dog inside after a particularly vicious (and expensive) incident. She even killed one of our ducks that didn't get out of her way fast enough (she has NEVER shown inappropriate aggression towards a human). Despite all this, she's a very sweet and devoted animal, a classic German Shepherd personality. I hate to have a healthy, happy animal put down but it's quickly coming to that end. Any suggestions?
Ditto on what Harley said. If anyone can help you with this problem, its Zookeeper. She specializes in obedience and problem behavior correction in dogs.
We had a similar problem with two of our rescues; the two fighting were unfixed females that were newly rescued when our poodle passed away. He was the alpha dog, so we believe since the position of alpha dog was unresolved, they were fighting - quite literally - tooth and nail over it. We had the newer member of the pack, Pepper, spayed first, hoping it would calm her down and allow Miss Faith, our sheltie, to become the alpha dog. Not so simple. They kept attacking each other so viciously that every time we tried to schedule Faith's spay, she was at the vet's for stitches and infections. The vet even suggested finding another home for one of them so they wouldn't kill each other. But we did finally get Faith spayed, and the situation did resolve itself, with Faith becoming the alpha dog of our pack. We now have 8 rescues in our pack, and each dog knows who the boss is. So I guess what I am sharing is that neutering the pets made all the difference. I do not know if your pets are neutered or not, but if not, this could be the problem. We also took a cue from the dog whisperer, making sure all our dogs know that ultimately WE are the bosses. No more tomfoolery once they understood this. Just wanted to share....hope your situation improves without your having to lose your pet...:~/
I work with Zookeeper and the "speutering" status of each dog is definitely something she would ask about, as well as if anyone knows any basic obedience. I am quite sure she would not advocate a shock collar; shocking a dog that is already agitated could make things more violent. She would also want to know how long you have had them all, what triggered the incidents, if they have plenty of area to exercise in; she will have several questions, so please do give her a call, 291-9755. I know she is out and about but she would be glad to do a phone consult.
Also 8 is kind of old for a German Shepherd, she may be having some physical discomfort to trigger her aggression. Perhaps a trip to the vet may be in order, too.
To the OP - Pickle told me about your post so I checked out the board. She's right - shocking a dog who is attacking another dog could easilly escalate the violence in the attack. I'll be on the road most of the week, so PMs aren't really practical for timely suggestions. Feel free to call me - 291-9755 - if you get my voice mail, just leave a message and I'll call you when I get a moment. Will need to know: How long have you had each dog? Are they spayed/neutered - If yes, was it recent? How old is the other dog? Has the 8 year old female shepherd always been aggressive with other dogs? Do the dogs know basic obedience commands? If so, do they respect you as their leader? By this, I mean will they respond to you 100% of the time the minute you say 'sit' 'down' etc. What triggers the aggression? Food, treats - Toys, someone strange coming on your property, or knocking on your door, one dog getting attention. . .what starts the fight? While I feel bad for the poor duck (I have backyard chickens myself) yours isn't the first GSD or dog in general that has killed fowl. Hard habit to break - some only kill them once in a while, some every time they can get hold of one - other dogs - even the same breed will herd, protect, live among, or just them...its an individual thing. Sometimes training can deter this behavior, sometimes not. When did she last see a veterinarian for a full exam and bloodwork? Thyroid conditions as well as seizure disorders and several other medical conditions can greatly change a dogs temperment - as will canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome. Dental or joint pain can also cause an otherwise sweet dog to show aggressive signs. At the age of 8 there are several physical/medical possibilities that could be responsible, only a complete physical can determine if you can rule out her health leading to aggression. In your post you mentioned a third dog being moved inside after an incident - so the female 8 year old lives outside with the other dog 24/7? This heat has been disgustingly hot - and could easilly trigger agression and worse in dogs, especially an older dog who might be dealing with health issues already. A side note here - what Flea and Tick preventative are you currently using? I read a couple articles over the past few months where there was mention that Revolution brand (and a couple others that I didn't recognise) that were linked with dogs who were never aggressive in the past suddenly showing signs. ---to the rest of the board - don't flame me for it - Google it, I'm sure it's stil out there. I'm not implying it will make your dog go crazy, I'm just sharing what I've read. While some humans would like yo be the one to choose, Alpha Dog is determined by the dogs themselves. Often, humans who don't know what to look for when they watch a pack run together will assume a certain dog is the Alpha and they've chosen incorrectly. The bossiest dog isn't always the Alpha dog - Alpha doesn't mean aggressive, angry, or bossy - Alphas are usually quiet leaders who lead by having the respect of the pack, they set boundries and the pack follows. Most Alphas can stop their pack in their tracks with just a look. Another thing many humans don't get - is that all dogs don't want to be Alpha - many are very happy just to be around and be a dog. The trouble makers, they are usually the Alpha wannabes and that's all they will ever be. Respect - that's what it's all about Off and running again - rushed so please excuse typos. If you want some suggestions, grab the list of ?'s and run down the answers with me when you call - no charge for opinions/suggestions ~Vickie
