Two Corgi Household w/ Dominance and Food issues
We have two Corgis, Woz (2 yes.) and Newton (1 yr.) and while the get along most of the time, we been running into problems. While trying all the standard tricks to teach Newt that Woz is her alpha (she was puppy when we introduced her into our household)we've resigned ourselves to the fact that Woz is just too submissive. He is rather good about being bossed about by his sibling and never fussed much when she kicks him off his bowl or takes his toys away. Mind you, we don't let her get away with it and she is always reprimanded. It still happens but luckily I can tell when she about to pull her stunts and can give her a stern warning to head it off. She does listen, thankfully.
While neither dog has food issues with me (I have always had my hands in their bowls and mouths from day 1) I cannot seem to break Newt from growling and snapping if Woz is anywhere near her food/treat. She'll go off even if he's 5 ft. away. We keep their food bowls separate from each other and feed Woz first. It's not a majority of the time any more since the reprimands have help curb the behavior. But we had an incident tonight where Woz wasn't gonna take it anymore. Newt went ballistic and frankly bat s*** crazy on him and he fought back. All in all it lasted maybe 2 seconds before I broke it up and sent her for a timeout. I checked both dogs for injuries and found she had a small puncture. However, the have been times in the past where i have found Woz with a small nip.
What should we do??? Newton has been a little devil from the get go so it's not anything surprising. Although she did not display any dominant or aggressive traits with her litter mates during our visits. They do get along and are normally lovey with each other.
Other than time outs, sharp words, rolling her on her back,grabbing her by the rough and making her lay, and yes, I am not proud but I've cuffed her on the fanny before...any tips would be helpful. I really don't want it to get any worse.Help!
While neither dog has food issues with me (I have always had my hands in their bowls and mouths from day 1) I cannot seem to break Newt from growling and snapping if Woz is anywhere near her food/treat. She'll go off even if he's 5 ft. away. We keep their food bowls separate from each other and feed Woz first. It's not a majority of the time any more since the reprimands have help curb the behavior. But we had an incident tonight where Woz wasn't gonna take it anymore. Newt went ballistic and frankly bat s*** crazy on him and he fought back. All in all it lasted maybe 2 seconds before I broke it up and sent her for a timeout. I checked both dogs for injuries and found she had a small puncture. However, the have been times in the past where i have found Woz with a small nip.
What should we do??? Newton has been a little devil from the get go so it's not anything surprising. Although she did not display any dominant or aggressive traits with her litter mates during our visits. They do get along and are normally lovey with each other.
Other than time outs, sharp words, rolling her on her back,grabbing her by the rough and making her lay, and yes, I am not proud but I've cuffed her on the fanny before...any tips would be helpful. I really don't want it to get any worse.Help!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Jane on
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I would do as others have suggested and either feed them in crates, or feed Newt first while Woz is kept in another room with a baby gate or something similar. Then switch so Woz has a chance to eat in peace. I personally don't like to reprimand a dog for a growl, I'd rather have that warning than teach them to go straight for the bite. I would do as Anna suggested where if Newt growls you need to back her up and ask Woz to move away while she eats.
I would also highly recommend obedience classes. I would only put one dog in the class at a time; I've tried a class with both my dogs (my boyfriend with one and myself with the other) and I didn't feel it was anywhere near as productive as one-on-one time. I'd also implement NILF (nothing in life is free) if you haven't. I wouldn't use any of the scruffing or rolling on the back methods without a professional trainer's advice.
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Permalink Reply by Michelle Potter on
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When I say reprimand that can mean anything from a stern "No" to having one or both dogs gently rolled onto their backs in a submissive pose, which I was recommended by a trainer (as well as others). When I reprimand for a growl, it is a stern "No!". If she gets snappy and crosses the room to his bowl, it is verbal reprimand, separation or any combination of the aforementioned corrections. I've actually found the on the back submission technique highly effective , being skeptical at first, but it is gentle, and glad I had followed the professional advice from a trainer nearby.The correction should fit the severity of the behavior. Like I said, I have a hard time with Millan's method that has been adopted by many pros and amateurs alike.
"if Newt growls you need to back her up and ask Woz to move away while she eats" It is not the male but the female that will cross the room to him and take what he has... He will move away with no problem unless she is too aggressive and is self protecting.
I have already implemented most of what Anna had recommended, as we are strict parents. No food bowls are left out (we don't free feed), if it is not eaten immediately within a certain amount of time, it is put away (per the experts, and will vary depending on your dog), the assume sitting position before feed and I go one further with their released word, among most of what she said. Training was already agreed upon but that is a given as we like to keep our dogs mentally stimulated (one hour of retraining of tricks, doorbell aggression (barking) training, and general commands followed with dental hygiene. Sadly, that is only done once a day but I am trying to get better at that.
I respectfully disagree with your and her opinion on the growling since she used to immediately charge Woz and other dogs and the growling is actually an improvement. I have video of how bad she used to be at no warning at all, the recent months growling is actually showing restraint. Video was taken of incidents to show exactly how berserk she would get...no one would believe me since she was/is a sweet calm natured puppy/dog.
Our plan of attack is training (already agreed upon in our household)though I would like to confer with the trainer whether it should be dog and handler, both dogs with two handlers, or a class. I prefer solo unit training vs. Class but classes can be highly effective depending on what you want to achieve. Immediately, we will revert back to separation/crating we had tried earlier as suggested, and no treats in toys unless they are separated via gate or crate. Despite having a toy for each, Newt considers everything hers.
I would like to say we had an excellent camping trip with five other dogs in October. Not one tussle, and only had to correct her once with another dom female;she ate and played well and had no food aggression with any dog including her brother.
If you or any one else has a site or literature that they have found valuable, I would love to learn about more techniques.While I may not agree with all the advice from this forum or others, I think it is important to weigh them to find what may work best for what we want to achieve. (One of my favs is Arden Moore) Please feel free to email me with any advice, info, links etc.
As for NILF, we refer to it as no reward without work and we enforce it even when guests or the PetSmart employee want to treat.
Whew, ok! I'll shut up now. Again, thanks for the productive discussion thus far.
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