Vehs Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 My friend has a 10month old cavvy and recently added a mixed breed from the pound to her family - he's probably about a year old and you can tell he's got staffy in him but god knows what else, they are about the same size, but the mixed breed is a little stockier. He is a smart little chappy and when I've visited he's always really keen to please and will follow the commands that he knows. She's probably had him for 1month-1.5months. I haven't witnessed this behavior directly, and went round to see it tonight, but as you'd expect he didn't do it, anyhoo -- he will knock over the cav by pinning her by her neck and then her throat and when she yelps/whines he doesn't let go. It seems to be all in play and there is no aggression - what is the best way for my friend to deal with this? I suggested taking him outside until he calmed down, but the dogs are usually outside by themselves when he does this. When she separates them the cav dashes off but will more often than not come back to play For the most part they seem very good together, they play together by wrestling, chasing each other for toys, tugging toys. She is considering getting rid of him because of this behaviour Any suggestions? The other issue is she got a kitten a few weeks ago and both dogs like to bail it up, but typical cat it also taunts them! The cat has high up safe places it can go, but always seems to find itself in a corner with the dogs sniffing around it - again both dogs are just curious and playful and there is no aggression. Would teach/enforcing the 'leave it' command be best? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 that dog needs to meet some well socialised adult dogs that dont take crap that will put him in his place Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vehs Posted February 23, 2011 Author Share Posted February 23, 2011 funnily enough Nek he has spent about a week with her parents older dogs (BC and some cavs) and probably because they don't play anymore he doesn't get the chance to be a bully Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Her Majesty Dogmad Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 I'd say it's the wrong mix of dogs personally. Staffy types suit staffy types, they play rough. Not suited to the types of dogs I own and I wouldn't consider one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancinbcs Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 I'd say it's the wrong mix of dogs personally. Staffy types suit staffy types, they play rough. Not suited to the types of dogs I own and I wouldn't consider one. Totally agree. I think she should find a more appropriate home for this dog before he really injures the Cav. Different breeds have different play styles and some are just not compatible. Next time she should do much more research before getting another dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 funnily enough Nek he has spent about a week with her parents older dogs (BC and some cavs) and probably because they don't play anymore he doesn't get the chance to be a bully no I mean a dog that will give him a couple of pinnings Its hard to say whats going on with out seeing it. The cav could be provoking it or the staff x could be in prey because of the screaming. Either way separating when you're not there to supervise is not a bad idea and only allow on lead play until the staffy x gets it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 She needs a good professional to come in and observe... She also needs a secure run for the poor kitten ... it only takes a second for play to turn to prey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juice Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Different breeds play differently, bull breeds play very hard! And its alway a contact way of playing, my bully does it, i only let her play with dogs than can deal with it, funnily enough though, my neighbours cav loves her Labs are a great sparring partner for them too. My cattle plays very differently, herding, stalking, and lots of running around, my bully just stands watching him i think the match maybe wrong unless she can deal with it now . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vickie Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Sounds like a disaster waiting to happen for all concerned, better to rehome the rescue to a more appropriate home & find a match more suitable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 (edited) I would be worried about the behaviour escalating. I'd certainly not be leaving the dogs together unsupervised, which probably defeats the purpose of the second dog. Gee I wish folk would get their rescue dogs from good rescues, not the pound. Edited February 23, 2011 by poodlefan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raineth Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 I think at the very least the dog should be given a time out when any play gets too rough. Also maybe they should be generally focussing on training the dog to have a more calm state of mind. You can train and shape states of mind like you can a behaviour. Dogs who are of the hyper variety benefit a lot from that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CreamyPuff Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Poodlefan what's wrong with dogs from the pound? I have rescued both my dogs from the pound and they are great companions-people just need to do their research as mentioned before about the breeds, not the place you get them from. The pound my 2 were brought from both came microchipped, wormed and with desexing vouchers (they were too young to already be desexed) so are just as good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussielover Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 There is a dog that sometimes comes to the park and does this to other dogs. The dog is a lab x schnauzer and is quite large and strong. It will start off as play but then it gets excited and will grab the other dogs throat, while pinning it and not let go. It almost suffocated a fully grown labrador (not mine). Luckily the owner was able to get it off in time. Needles to say, i don't allow my dog to play with it! Is this aggressive behaviour? why do some dogs do this? The lady has apparently been given advice (by other park-goers) to pull the dog off and then put it on its side for a few minutes? Its not quite an Alpha roll, but something very similar imo. I don't think this is working though as it hasn't reduced the behaviour at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megan_ Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Poodlefan what's wrong with dogs from the pound? I have rescued both my dogs from the pound and they are great companions-people just need to do their research as mentioned before about the breeds, not the place you get them from. The pound my 2 were brought from both came microchipped, wormed and with desexing vouchers (they were too young to already be desexed) so are just as good. PF is saying that people should get their dogs from rescues. The rescues get the dogs from the pound and then put them in foster homes. People then adopt the dog from the rescue. Why is this a better approach? You *can't* tell what a dog's behaviour is going to be like in a pound environment. When a dog is living in a foster home, the foster carer gets to see what the dog behaves like in the real world and can find a suitable family for it. For example, my girl would shut down in a pound enviroment. People would think she was sweet and shy. In the real world, however, she can be very aggressive. I imagine that a young family would see her in the pound and think she is soooo sweet and would be so gentle with kids. The kids would pay the price for this mistake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megan_ Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Different breeds don't always suit eachother. Sure, you can supervise, retrain (good luck with changing a dogs DNA...), time out etc etc, but why not get dogs that actually suit each other? I grew up with a staffy - loved her to bits - but I don't let my two play with them because their playing styles just don't suit and it usually ends in tears (the tears of my dogs, because they are so much smaller than a staffy). I think the whole "deed not breed" "breed doesn't matter" thing has gone a bit far and people interpret it incorrectly. Breed plays a very big part in how a dog behaves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CreamyPuff Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Poodlefan what's wrong with dogs from the pound? I have rescued both my dogs from the pound and they are great companions-people just need to do their research as mentioned before about the breeds, not the place you get them from. The pound my 2 were brought from both came microchipped, wormed and with desexing vouchers (they were too young to already be desexed) so are just as good. PF is saying that people should get their dogs from rescues. The rescues get the dogs from the pound and then put them in foster homes. People then adopt the dog from the rescue. Why is this a better approach? You *can't* tell what a dog's behaviour is going to be like in a pound environment. When a dog is living in a foster home, the foster carer gets to see what the dog behaves like in the real world and can find a suitable family for it. For example, my girl would shut down in a pound enviroment. People would think she was sweet and shy. In the real world, however, she can be very aggressive. I imagine that a young family would see her in the pound and think she is soooo sweet and would be so gentle with kids. The kids would pay the price for this mistake. The pound I got my girls from let me spend time with each of them in the pens to get to know a little about them and their behaviour. Fair enough it is not as good as what foster homes can offer but I think the comment by PF was uncalled for-just my opinion is all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Creamypuff-- I think PF said DOGS, not puppies With a young pup .. there is more opportunity for a family to train/mould the pup's behaviour. with an adult dog ,straight from the pound, many habits /traits are well established, may not be suitable for its new home, and be more difficult to change dogs from a reputable rescue have been assessed and fostered, so that behaviour and quirks/problems are well known. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CreamyPuff Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Either way the manner it was said could have been a bit nicer-that is all do not want to start a debate on someone else's thread Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dee lee Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Poodlefan what's wrong with dogs from the pound? I have rescued both my dogs from the pound and they are great companions-people just need to do their research as mentioned before about the breeds, not the place you get them from. The pound my 2 were brought from both came microchipped, wormed and with desexing vouchers (they were too young to already be desexed) so are just as good. PF is saying that people should get their dogs from rescues. The rescues get the dogs from the pound and then put them in foster homes. People then adopt the dog from the rescue. Why is this a better approach? You *can't* tell what a dog's behaviour is going to be like in a pound environment. When a dog is living in a foster home, the foster carer gets to see what the dog behaves like in the real world and can find a suitable family for it. For example, my girl would shut down in a pound enviroment. People would think she was sweet and shy. In the real world, however, she can be very aggressive. I imagine that a young family would see her in the pound and think she is soooo sweet and would be so gentle with kids. The kids would pay the price for this mistake. The pound I got my girls from let me spend time with each of them in the pens to get to know a little about them and their behaviour. Fair enough it is not as good as what foster homes can offer but I think the comment by PF was uncalled for-just my opinion is all. Many of us have seen or experienced the fallout from adoptions gone wrong. PF is expressing a view many of us hold. Rescue organisations spend time assessing the temperaments of pound dogs and (ideally) determining a good match with a prospective owner. The OP is another of a multitude of stories we have all heard over the years, where a dog is adopted from a pound and is unsuitable for a certain home. Often these stories end in tragedy. In truth rescuing a dog is russian roulette. I think Megan's example of her dog is a perfect one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Her Majesty Dogmad Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Having just read about the adopted Staffy from the RSPCA in the UK, killing the family's existing dog, I stand by what I said. Your friend should return the dog asap before the Cavvie is seriously injured. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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