Dogs fighting - advice required please
Discussion
Are they all boys and have they been castrated? This will have an effect on it.
The AMB is still settling in at the moment and the Westie will be trying to make his place. He also knows he is safe when the AMB is in his crate. In time the AMB will find his own place in the pecking order naturally. Do you know any history behind him? A typical time would be six to eight weeks for them all to settle.
The AMB is still settling in at the moment and the Westie will be trying to make his place. He also knows he is safe when the AMB is in his crate. In time the AMB will find his own place in the pecking order naturally. Do you know any history behind him? A typical time would be six to eight weeks for them all to settle.
Sounds normal to me. When we were looking after next doors male dog my male pup put him in his place for no reason a couple of times. They'll figure it out, if it becomes an actual fight you will know about it. The odd snap at each other seems to be normal in my household atleast.
One thing i would recommend.. Avoid any toys or treats that take a while to eat bones, chews, etc. They will be a good reason for the westie to show who's boss.
One thing i would recommend.. Avoid any toys or treats that take a while to eat bones, chews, etc. They will be a good reason for the westie to show who's boss.
LordHaveMurci said:
If it becomes an actual fight we'll only have bits of westie left & a bully that needs rehoming - lose/lose situation.
We're keeping one or the other crated in the house for now, letting them in the garden separately & will continue to walk them together & see if things improve.
Good point, ive just seen him in the dog photos thread, hes a big bugger!We're keeping one or the other crated in the house for now, letting them in the garden separately & will continue to walk them together & see if things improve.
LordHaveMurci said:
OThe OH has been walking the two of them on the lead together, leaving the spaniel at home. This has gone well so we have been feeding them virtually side by side, the Westie finishes 1st & proceeds to steal from the bully until stopped!
I would be very careful with this. Feeding time is nearly always when the fights or problems start. If you already know the Westie is going to try and steal from the bowl of a larger and stronger new dog, then don't allow it to happen in the first place. If the new one snaps at him you're going to end up in the vets and there is nothing you can do to stop it happening at that point. The only other question will be whether you need to go to the hospital after the vet to get yourself sorted out from splitting them up
I'd keep the Westie on a lead when they're being fed, and if he goes anywhere near trying to steal from the other bowls he needs to be loudly told NO and physically restrained from doing it.
KFC said:
I would be very careful with this. Feeding time is nearly always when the fights or problems start.
If you already know the Westie is going to try and steal from the bowl of a larger and stronger new dog, then don't allow it to happen in the first place. If the new one snaps at him you're going to end up in the vets and there is nothing you can do to stop it happening at that point. The only other question will be whether you need to go to the hospital after the vet to get yourself sorted out from splitting them up
I'd keep the Westie on a lead when they're being fed, and if he goes anywhere near trying to steal from the other bowls he needs to be loudly told NO and physically restrained from doing it.
I quite agree. Feeding time is a common flashpoint, even with dogs that get on perfectly well at all other times. Mine all eat in the kitchen, but they are spaced out around the room and they are not allowed to approach each other until bowls are empty.If you already know the Westie is going to try and steal from the bowl of a larger and stronger new dog, then don't allow it to happen in the first place. If the new one snaps at him you're going to end up in the vets and there is nothing you can do to stop it happening at that point. The only other question will be whether you need to go to the hospital after the vet to get yourself sorted out from splitting them up
I'd keep the Westie on a lead when they're being fed, and if he goes anywhere near trying to steal from the other bowls he needs to be loudly told NO and physically restrained from doing it.
Sounds like its nearly sorted, but please please don't let him off the lead unless you know 150% that he will come straight back or you can catch him and put him back on his lead, if a dog is on a lead they don't always want a large dog off lead coming over to say hi, and not every dog can be picked up out of the way
Good luck
Good luck
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