New dog = New issues!
So as most people may know by now, I got myself a cardigan! He's 4 years old and came from a show home. The old owners showed cardigans and show/breed French Bulldogs. He was one of 7 dogs and low man on the totem pole. The female cardigan and all 4 Frenchies made a habit of beating him up. Because of this, he has some fear aggression. He and Franklin are doing very well together because Franklin is just the cutest friendliest little guy on the planet! Lol. Anyway, my issue is with larger dogs (and the cats). My parents have a very sweet submissive lab and Truck (the cardi) keeps attacking him. If the lab is laying down, Truck is ok with him or if Truck is on the couch and the lab is on the ground, that's ok too, but if the lab and he are both standing then Truck attacks him. What should I do in this situation? I was letting it go at first because the lab doesn't react and will even go so far as to lay down and get to Truck's level, but now Truck will snap at him without being provoked, just whenever the lab is looking like he MAY come in Truck's general direction. I'm not worried about my lab reacting, but I am thinking about when Truck is introduced to some of my friend's dogs. At least 2 of my friends have dogs who WILL NOT allow another dog to attack them and it may result in a fight. I really want to try to build Truck's confidence, so best ways to introduce him to larger dogs? Do I allow him to snap or do I stop him? He is VERY responsive and will stop if I tell him to. Since he is a very submissive dog, I am of the idea that maybe I should stop him from attacking a dominant dog because its only going to result in him fighting and then getting even more scared.
He appears to have some separation anxiety as well, which is odd based on his breeder's description of him. I think he is just really liking all this attention and doesn't want to end up out in a kennel again or in a crate so he gets super clingy. I am going to have to crate him for school, and so far when I put him in his crate he whines and barks when I leave the room. He can't bark while I'm gone because I live in an apartment. I made him sleep in his crate last night in my room, but should I begin leaving him for short periods of time NOW so when I do have to leave him for school on Tuesday he won't freak out as much?
And last question, I guess he is a toy, towel, bed destroyer......ideas on good toys to put in his crate to keep him busy while I'm in school? I need toys that I don't need to supervise him since I will be gone at school. The owner never gave him Kongs bc she was afraid he'd get his bottom jaw stuck in the hole and she said no rawhides because he will bite off and swallow big hunks. So I need safe distraction/toy ideas for when I'm gone.
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Sandy Stickney on
-
Hi Melissa! Congrats on your new addition! I cannot speak on the aggression issues, as I have a golden retriever who gets overly excited at the sight of other dogs, and as hard as I have tried to correct this, I have not had any success. I would think though, that it will take time for him to adjust to his new surroundings, and I would think any time you can stop it from escalting, you should. (Although you may want to listen to the more seasoned corgi owners for better advice.)
My cardigans are both chewers. Kota even ate the rubber ring off the bottom of her bowl. They each get a towel or a thin blanket for bedding, as they have chewed most stuff I have left them. I am finally going to get them some mats w/ padding b/c I think they have finally stopped eating their beds. The only thing I will leave with them in their crates when I cannot be around to supervise is a nylabone. One time when we boareded them, we sent them with their kongs & some peanut butter. One of the kongs came back half eaten, so they do not get kongs in their crates unless we are around, or are only going to be gone for a short time (1/2 hour or less).
-
Permalink Reply by Zigward & Kimberly on
-
congratulations on your new cardi!:]
here are a few toys that ive found on amazon, and they really seem great! reviews said that even for dogs who are avid chewers, these toys lasted. and apparently what its made out of is nontoxic to dogs, so even if they did somehow bite off a piece or something, its not harmful. course, i dont have first hand experience, still though.
of course, there are more made out of that material by that company, but it should all be in the related links or whatever on amazon:]
also, as far as dog agression, maybe you could take him to a dog park on a leash (muzzled, perhaps?) and then just sit there with him around the other dogs, feeding him treats. then when he gets comfy with that stage, introduce another dog to him (submissive, like your parents lab.. but a different dog, since truck already knows him.) get the two dogs close together, feed him more treats, etc. i saw this on a show called "dog town" but it was with a dog with kid aggression, i believe. it worked for him, though. gooooood luck!
-
Permalink Reply by Melissa and Franklin! on
-
thanks for the links. I may try the tux toy as it seems to be pretty durable and I can put peanut butter in it to keep him busy for longer.
-
Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on
-
freezing the toy with the peanut butter in will make it last twice as long:)
-
-
for sure:]
i hope the tux works for you, and i also hope youll let me know if it stands up to its reputation when it gets to you!
-
Permalink Reply by Roger/Laurie on
-
My Tenby is a chewer. So far he has eaten/chewed a coffee table, couch, loveseat, shoes, and every toy we ever got him. Then we found the nylabones it was heaven sent. We keep them in every room of the house. He probably has 5 or 6 laying around. He is 5 years old and still chews the nylabones 3 or 4 times a day.
Tenby was a rescue we got at 6 months, he never had anything to chew on as a puppy so I think he is making up for this.
-
Permalink Reply by Beth on
-
Maddie can get a hunk off regular Nylabones, but there is one that is shaped like a triangle that she can't get a good hold on.
http://www.nylabone.com/product-finder/my-pet-is/dog-medium/dura-ch...
Both of mine are powerful chewers, but while Jack does not seek to actively destroy toys unless there is a treat or squeaker inside, Maddie actively tries to get hunks off toys and then eat them. She will swallow plain rubber, plastic, etc. This particular shape does not allow her to bite down hard enough to get a piece off. At least not yet. Once she learns the trick, the toy can no longer be used. For instance, we had hard rubber bones that she could not figure out how to destroy. We had them for close to a year. Then she figured out how to get a hunk off one and immediately also got a hunk off the other, so I won't buy that particular style again.
-
-
I would absolutely get him used to staying in the crate. Give him some cream cheese or peanut butter spread on some sort of chew toy, lock him in, walk out the door without looking back. Leave him a few minutes, come back in, IGNORE HIM, open the crate, IGNORE HIM and walk back out of the room like nothing happened at all. Let him do his things. He should learn that your coming and going is the opposite of a big deal. He's probably just behaving this way because he's overwhelmed by the changes and you are his touchstone. Rehomed adults don't behave the same as puppies, nor necessarily even the same as rescues. They come from a home with a routine they are used to and can suffer from pretty severe mental shock at the whole thing.
As far as other dogs, honestly I would not ask him to interact with any large dogs for a few weeks. For these first few days, don't even introduce him to any at all. After a week or two, I'd start parallel walking with a large well-behaved dog. No sniffing, no greetings, nada. Just go for walk and let him see that other dogs mean him no harm. Similarly, go to a dog park or something with a secure fence separating you and the other dogs and just watch and give treats with no expectations on Truck at all. After he has walked with another dog three or four times, I would then allow one quick sniff and see how he does. If he's, don't push the issue. Say a quiet "good boy" and walk away. His leaving will be its own reward, since the other dogs make him nervous. If he is not ok even with a greeting after walking several times, then you have to decide if this dog fits your lifestyle. But again, I would not even try the walking for a week or so. Let him settle in a bit first.
-
-
Beth, I intend to give him probably 2 weeks before introducing new dogs. The owner and I have agreed that in a month I will decide if I am keeping him for sure so I want to try him with one or two strange dogs before that month is up. She also says he isn't super friendly with people, but he was very friendly when meeting me, my dad, and later my mom so I think that won't be an issue. The dog aggression will be a deal breaker if we can't work through it because I spend a lot of time with these friends and I can't have a dog that is constantly being aggressive. He also went after my 17 year old cat yesterday, but it was easy to re-direct his attention. He seems to react with aggression when he isn't sure, instead of by looking to me, but I've only had him 2 days so its hard to say what he is really like! I'm pet sitting my parent's dog until Sunday so Truck will just have to adjust to him, but no other new dogs until he is used to my house and routine.
But one thing I'm wondering, when he does act aggressively, like with the lab, do I re-direct him or let him try to figure out his place? He doesn't seem really committed to a fight, it just seems like he wants to show he isn't a push over. My lab finally reacted and Truck immediately backed off. I'm not sure what my part in these interactions should be though, redirect before he nips or allow the two dogs to work it out on their own?
-
-
If he stops when the lab corrects him, then I'd let them work it out. If he persists, then I would work on getting him to focus on you rather than correcting. If he is fearful as you say, then correcting him will worsen the situation by making him MORE nervous around dogs. So call his name, clap your hands, whistle, say "cookies!" or whatever works to make him look at you. The instant he looks at you, say "Good boy!!!" and clap your hands happily or whatever makes him wag, and run quickly for treats. Really yummy ones, tiny pieces, and lots of them. The idea you are working for is that the instant you see him start to prepare to engage (stiffening tail, raised hackles, stare, or whatever he does) you can say his name and he looks at you instead. So yes, let them work it out if the ARE working it out. If they are stuck in the same pattern with no change, then redirect. At least that's what I would do.
-
Permalink Reply by Jane on
-
This is good advice from Beth. As she said, if he's afraid I wouldn't correct him but I would try to redirect his attention before he gets to that wound-up state of mind. For a long while I had a treat pouch attached to my hip when we were around other dogs with Luke lol. He's made a ton of improvement though. We did a lot of practice walking around Petco and ignoring other dogs and getting yummy treats for it.
-
-
Good idea about taking him to Petsmart or Petco. I'll try that in a few weeks. He will be easy to redirect I think, I am so used to Franklin that this guy seems like he is constantly moving in slow motion lol. He is so laid back and mellow about most stuff where Franklin is constantly in fast forward!
Rescue Store
Stay Connected
FDA Recall
Canadian Food Inspection Agency Recall
Groups
We support...
Badge
© 2024 Created by Sam Tsang.
Powered by
