Bummed about my dogs.

I just want to say this. If the dominant being (you) is not around, there is no heiarchy sp? For someone to say "it was the pitbulls aggressive nature" may not be entirely correct . Especially if you have no experience with them. I have a pitbull myself and a chihuahua and they are best buddies. A dog is a dog and nature will come out of them. The only reason pit bull bites make the news isn't because of the frequency, it's because they are very strong dogs. If you do a little research, the most aggressive breed isn't a pitbull at all. It's the poodle. Yep the poodle. once again, the poodle. Now with this being said, when I leave home, both of my dogs are crated and separated just for this type of reason. Dogs will be dogs and they don't have the reasoning capacity that we do.

 

I just went through this recently with my pug. (My vet thought he had a brain tumor causing him to behave the way he was behaving...he bit somebody, started to attack my other dogs, went after another dog on a walk, and killed my cat) So it is NOT a pit bull thing and you have my heart felt sympathy right now. I know you will do the right thing!

One thing we all must remember, that no matter how much we love our dogs, they are still animals and must be respected as such. They can not tell us when they dont feel good, are in a bad mood, or when they have a brain tumor! And at times all animals will go back to their "natural animal instincts" Fighting over food, toys etc.

In the case of Otis, I took him to the vet on several occasions, he was placed on anti-seizure medications, I emailed Ceaser Millan (did not get an answer) and consulted several dog trainers. I was told by most of the dog trainers that there was "no hope" for my situation and that he was beyond help. I HAD to make the decision to do what was right for Otis, for me and for my other animals.

You and you alone will have to make the decision on what to do also. Some questions I was forced to examine was: Is this a one time occurance? Is the dog aggressive or unsafe, is there tension between the two animals. Are humans at risk of being injured?

YOU are the only one that knows....nobody else on here should tell you what to do. And nobody on here should make you feel bad because of what you do/dont do. I will give you the following advice however........WHATEVER you do....dont second guess yourself! I can tell from this post that you simply have the best interest of the animal in your heart and whatever you do is for the best.

(I apologize if I come across harsh or whatever...it has only been a week and half since I had to put my beloved pug down...and somebody warned me not to read this thread because they knew it would spark some emotions from me!)

Good luck

 

All good. We took her to trainers. They could help a little, but basically told us she won't change. It takes a lot of patience and there will be many set backs. We hand fed her for 6 months. Gotta say that was a little silly, but we had to establish roles.

 

Thanks, your situation was rough.

To put this in context..... Dogs can be food aggressive. Big news flash there right. It isn't that I'm surprised it was over a bone, it is just that my dogs have not been food aggressive before. They take each others bones ALL THE TIME. Only as puppies and we figured that was a dominance issue that got settled.

So bottom line now is my dogs are food aggressive period. They will be treated as such and it is not the end of the world.

The whole thing just got to me cause I worry about Java and can't stand to see Sammy hurt. But hell, Sammy was up the next day and acts like nothing happened. Try keeping two dogs from paying for a week!

Here they are after Sammy got home from surgery.

 

powerman, just thought of something.....are your dogs spayed? if not, get them spayed. will calm them down, and besides it increases life expectancy.

 

Yep. At the rescue.

The fact they are both similar sized females does not help.

 

I didn't mean to sound harsh either. As a lover of the pit bull breed, it warms my heart that you actually own one (even half) and that you care that much for them. If anyone met my pit they would understand that situation really does dictate their behavior. If you are a dog fighting idiot that doesn't take care of his animals, then yes they will be aggressive. It's their fight or flight instinct. Your situation, powerman, isn't uncommon and really isn't that big of a deal not that you know it's going on. Keep them separate when you are not there. That will save you alot of trouble. God Bless!

 

My dogs will do the same over "special treats" so I do not allow them to keep them when I leave.....even leaving the room for a few minutes. It happens. it's instinctual.

 

Fighting (I also call it arguing because its usually just loud more so than dangerous lol) over food or toys or chews is normal around here. I have toy breeds (chihuahuas and a toy poodle) and they get along great but have to be crated when they eat and when they have chewies they sometimes fight, we even needed vet care once. I agree with everyone else about not giving them chewies when you're gone and maybe have them in separate areas or crates for chew time if you want to be extra safe. All of your fears would have been in my head if I was in your situation so don't feel bad about that, the shock eventually wears off so you can be more rational.

 

I have a rat terrier and a chihuahua. They like ot put eachother in their places often but it's always been (thus far) more loud and aggressive SOUNDING than violent.... No blood drawn.