Jealous Sibling

[Kristyn]

Hi,

We own a 3 year old cattle cross kelpie female (Briody), and she has always been the perfect dog. A few months ago we adopted a staffy cross pup (male), who is now 5 months old. They are both desexed.

Briody didn't like him too much at first, but was never vicious towards him. This only lasted a couple of days, and now they are best mates - the pup only has eyes for her and she still only has eyes for us, but loves him to death as well.

We have been trying our hardest to make Briody feel like she is still "the boss" by greeting her first, feeding her first and not giving the pup any extra attention when she is around. This seemed to work for a while, as she has become less jealous of the pup, but now her behaviour towards other dogs has changed dramatically.

She fights with dogs she has known and been friends with all her life (with the exception of her 2 closest neighbours), and is aggressive towards strange dogs too. She doesn't tolerate any other dogs going near our pup and growls and snaps at them when they come near him. She seems to be warning them more than actually fighting, as she never goes further than a little scuffle.

We took them both camping on the long weekend and this time she even snapped at a child when he came near her and the pup, which is TOTALLY unlike her. She has been around small children before and hasn't had any bad experiences with them.

Has anyone else had this problem when they brought a new pup into their home? Briody is still our #1 girl and we give her as much love and attention as the pup, but we have to find a solution to her anti-social behaviour. I thought taking her to agility classes without the pup would be good as she can socialise without the pup to worry about and have me all to herself... :nahnah:

Any suggestions are most welcome!

[Cosmolo]

The only thing i can say is that you really should consult with a behaviourist as its something that is unlikely to go away on its own- and i hesitate to give onlne information on this sort of topic as its very difficult without seeing whats going on. Its important that it is determined why the dog is acting this way so that an appropriate solution can be found.

[poodlefan]

Kristyn:

She fights with dogs she has known and been friends with all her life (with the exception of her 2 closest neighbours), and is aggressive towards strange dogs too.

I thought taking her to agility classes without the pup would be good as she can socialise without the pup to worry about and have me all to herself...

No offence Kristyn but agility classes are not socialisation classes. I can only speak for our club but in order to do agility here you have to pass a control test that places your dog (onlead) in close proximity with other dogs and to control it effectively offlead with distractions. We developed that test in response to a disturbing number of dog aggression incidents where dogs were allowed by handlers to get into each others faces and fights occured. Put a dog that's quick to react aggressively into a highly stimulating environment with multiple dogs and unless the handler has exceptional control it may end in tears.

A dog aggressive dog who may also snap at people is not going to be welcomed to a class where dogs are trained offlead, often in close proximity to one another and where the dog may be restrained at times by another person. We do not allow dogs to "socialise" in a class where the aim is to develop a high degree of focus on the handler and control issues are important.

I agree with Cosmolo. You need to see a behaviouralist. I don't necessarily think that all the behavioural changes that your dog is experiencing can be explained by the presence of a second dog in your home.

Edited January 30, 2007 by poodlefan

[Kristyn]

Kristyn:

She fights with dogs she has known and been friends with all her life (with the exception of her 2 closest neighbours), and is aggressive towards strange dogs too.

I thought taking her to agility classes without the pup would be good as she can socialise without the pup to worry about and have me all to herself...

No offence Kristyn but agility classes are not socialisation classes. I can only speak for our club but in order to do agility here you have to pass a control test that places your dog (onlead) in close proximity with other dogs and to control it effectively offlead with distractions. We developed that test in response to a disturbing number of dog aggression incidents where dogs were allowed by handlers to get into each others faces and fights occured. Put a dog that's quick to react aggressively into a highly stimulating environment with multiple dogs and unless the handler has exceptional control it may end in tears.

A dog aggressive dog who may also snap at people is not going to be welcomed to a class where dogs are trained offlead, often in close proximity to one another and where the dog may be restrained at times by another person. We do not allow dogs to "socialise" in a class where the aim is to develop a high degree of focus on the handler and control issues are important.

I agree with Cosmolo. You need to see a behaviouralist. I don't necessarily think that all the behavioural changes that your dog is experiencing can be explained by the presence of a second dog in your home.

Thanks for the advice. I've taken Briody to agility and flyball classes before and she was extremely well behaved. She is very obedient and I have no worries about having her off the lead around other dogs, as long as the pup is not around. Like I said, she has always been the perfect dog and it seems she is only aggressive like this when the pup is around - it's almost as if she is protecting him or warning other dogs to stay away. She is protective of us also, but never snaps when other dogs come near us, although she might growl occassionally.

[Janba]

I have a similar situation with my two, though probably not as extreme. When I bought my BC home as a pup the dally (desexed) immediately started mothering him and became protective of him. He was a very over the top pup and would often get told off by other dogs. When this happened the dally would warn off the other dog. She also was wary about who she would let near 'her' pup. She was fine with other dogs when he wasn't there. She has never worried about kids playing with him.

I decided that she was basically saying "He is part of my pack and I have the right to discipline him - you don't"

I simply stopped letting them both interact with other dogs at the same time. If the pup was playing with another dog she was on lead or in the car and visa versa. When they are both on lead I am cautious about other dogs coming up to them.

He is now 18mths old and she is less protective of him, though I am still very careful about which dogs I let them interact with when they are together.

IMO it isn't a jealousy but protectiveness for a junior member of the pack. You say she is fine with the neighbours dogs who she might see as extended pack members.

Take her out by herself - maybe to an obedience club - and see what her reactions are like when the pup isn't around. When you do have them out together keep them on lead and if she worries about the pup interecting with other dogs, socialise him without her being there.

I would also seek help from a professional about the protectiveness towards people.

[Kristyn]

Kristyn:

She fights with dogs she has known and been friends with all her life (with the exception of her 2 closest neighbours), and is aggressive towards strange dogs too.

I thought taking her to agility classes without the pup would be good as she can socialise without the pup to worry about and have me all to herself...

No offence Kristyn but agility classes are not socialisation classes. I can only speak for our club but in order to do agility here you have to pass a control test that places your dog (onlead) in close proximity with other dogs and to control it effectively offlead with distractions. We developed that test in response to a disturbing number of dog aggression incidents where dogs were allowed by handlers to get into each others faces and fights occured. Put a dog that's quick to react aggressively into a highly stimulating environment with multiple dogs and unless the handler has exceptional control it may end in tears.

A dog aggressive dog who may also snap at people is not going to be welcomed to a class where dogs are trained offlead, often in close proximity to one another and where the dog may be restrained at times by another person. We do not allow dogs to "socialise" in a class where the aim is to develop a high degree of focus on the handler and control issues are important.

I agree with Cosmolo. You need to see a behaviouralist. I don't necessarily think that all the behavioural changes that your dog is experiencing can be explained by the presence of a second dog in your home.

Thanks for the advice. I've taken Briody to agility and flyball classes before and she was extremely well behaved. She is very obedient and I have no worries about having her off the lead around other dogs, as long as the pup is not around. Like I said, she has always been the perfect dog and it seems she is only aggressive like this when the pup is around - it's almost as if she is protecting him or warning other dogs to stay away. She is protective of us also, but never snaps when other dogs come near us, although she might growl occassionally.

I took Briody to flyball last night and she was perfect, didn't give any sign of aggression towards the other dogs, even when one dog bared his teeth at her she just turned around and kept playing with the others. Our flyball and agility classes give you the opportunity to let your dogs socialise, which is great. Will definitely keep taking her, she is so smart and picked up right where we left off last year.