We adopted Morgan our 4 year old corgi about 4 months ago from a friend. We would bring her to the dog park and she enjoyed the company of other dogs. We decided to get a corgi puppy because we knew she got along with that breed. We got Marley about a month ago, he is currently 5 months old, and we had a little trouble with Morgan accepting him. She would pretty much growl if he came near her, etc. She never attacked him or anything in the beginning. She seemed to bond with him the last few weeks and then all of a sudden this week there has been numerous incidents where she will attack him. Sometimes its provoked by him growling at her and sometimes its not. The last time she got to him, she bit his lip pretty good and he was bleeding for a while. I know as her grows this problem will just get worse if something is not done about it. She seems to be afraid of him (she will hide her head when he looks at her, wont come sit with me when hes around) so its more of a reaction of fee then wanting to be the dominant one. Has anyone had this problem or any suggestions on tips I could use to turn this situation around?

Views: 67

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Awwww, I'm so sorry that is going on. I don't have any advice unfortunately. but I hope things get better soon.
I'm sure Debbie can help, as well, and will have really great advice for you. (Debbie you there?) Personally, I have found that migration-walking with them together can be a great help. Short leash. One on each side. Walking as a pack. That is a start. With our Clan, it's obvious the older ones aren't the least bit interested in the younger ones. And they can get pretty nasty with each other. But if they have a good outlet for the energy, it helps. And walking is that outlet.

Think of it this way: play is "energy up" whereas walking is "energy down." Play is great but it keeps a dog's mind in hyper speed. A good, brisk, controlled walk is relaxing. For example, if you have something really on your mind and your mind is racing, take a good walk. After just a few minutes, your body starts to relax, your mind starts to relax and you find the mind-racing controlled and it's easier to think. It does the same for your dogs. They may have some pent-up energy that needs releasing.

There are different techiques to overcome the aggression and you'll want to contact your vet for a referral to a good animal behaviorist. This isn't a trainingissue. It is a behavior issue and you'll want to ensure you have someone who understands how to desensitize aggressive dogs.

Best of luck!
Im hoping its a combo of everything. Morgan just had an allergic reaction and is still on meds so she may be edgy and I realized today Marley may have tapeworm. So them being new to our home, being ill, Morgan being an only dog most of her life, etc. May all be adding up. Im bringing Marley to the vet tomorrow and will ask the vet her opinion. Poor doggies :-/. Thanks for the advice!
Amy you're right about behaviorists. Most of the ones I run across are folks who were obedience trainers and assumed they had the skills to deal with behavior issues. I have been fortunate to find a couple of excellent folks in my area who do good work with "issues" dogs. But not everyone is so lucky. One must be sure to get information on the behaviorist's training, schooling, certifications, and references prior to entrusting them with their dog.
!!!Not every behaviorist has much experience (or success) with aggression issues so take the time to ask what their background and experience is. During my search for the right behaviorist I also encountered "experts" who recommended yelling, hitting, or otherwise humiliating my dog so please remember that if it INCREASES anxiety then it is not going to work:-)

THIS!!! I absolutely agree. Walking them together will not solve the problem. You need to have an experienced behaviorist come in and do an evaluation and then work on having them become comfortable with eachother.

RSS

Rescue Store

Stay Connected

 

FDA Recall

Canadian Food Inspection Agency Recall

We support...

Badge

Loading…

© 2024   Created by Sam Tsang.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report a boo boo  |  Terms of Service