Guys/gals - Urgent Help Needed!

[Poodle wrangler]

Can i get some advice on how to get them apart if it happens again?

When the second fight started yesterday i was out, and the only one home was house mate (who i trust 100% with my dogs, she owns Odin). She only weighs 55kg, was was totally helpless to get them apart.

We dont own a break stick.

I have read that she can use a choke chain and choke Loki off of odin? Does this work?

Steve

Yikes I've seen a patient with a few fingers amputated as he tried to separate his fighting dogs. He was a big guy. Breed of dog? Maltese!

You, or your housemate, do not want to be breaking up fights between any dogs, let alone the larger, powerful breeds!

Is it really worth the stress to you and danger the dogs? Will you wait until one of them is dead or severely injured? Get professional help NOW. Separate the dogs in the meantime.

[freundhund]

You can now buy portable dog pens for around $300 from LARGE petshops/warehouses or large hardware chains. You can also buy additional panels to enlarge them.

I believe you have the correct idea about desexing as this will help, 16 mths is an acceptable age for it to be done according to internet research from Europe.

If you can I would have a couple of plastic buckets (light weight) filled with water, throw water over dogs then please don't flame me over this use the plastic bucket(hit the dogs with it vigerously) and a very agress tone of voice so that you appear to be the dominant one. This is the only way I have ever been able to by myself break up a bitch fight.

I know we all agree that hitting dogs is not acceptable but in this case it was used to stop myself getting hurt and from the dogs doing more damage to themselves. I felt a few bruises from a soft bucket was better than a dead dog!

Hope this helps you, good luck this is a very stressful situation until you can separate them.

[Staranais]

Has anyone delt with aggression before? Any suggestions?

Yes, and yes.

Seperate your dogs when you're not there to supervise their interactions.

Also, please get a good behaviourist in to look at them and help you sort out what's going on.

[he'smyhero]

We had some aggression issues between our two about 6mths back but haven't had a fight in a couple of months now. Our main problem was Hero resource guarding toys, chews, me, anything he thought valuable but they were still ok with having their meals together. We obviously removed anything they would fight over and kept a close eye on him. He got a correction (just a "ahh") if he showed signs of aggression and was crated in a covered crate in another room if it escalated.

But we also built runs and seperate them during the day. I have 2 bull breeds and don't want to come home to a dead dog! Also if they are together during the day and Hero starts and we aren't there to correct him, even if it doesn't turn into a fight, then the training isn't going to be as effective.

Could you possible leave one dog inside while your out? If not I would be getting a removable run you can get them from bunnings and petstock.

I am also pretty small and I have trouble seperating my two, who wouldn't weigh close to your two. If you flat mate has them out by herself make sure she keeps a close eye on them so she can seperate them before a fight breaks out- there a usually a few signs.

[wolf82]

Update:

Issues are pretty much sorted, we have the occasional play fight that starts to get out of hand, but its just broken up before they get too carried away.

Loki (AmStaff) Is getting his balls off soon, i had the implant done a month or so ago and its clearly working, his testies have shrunk to half their size and he no longer humps the Sibe.

The only thing im having issues with now is in the evening, the AmStaff trying to jump our fence to get at "something". The neighbours have a neutered male Stafford which is inside most of the time, but at night we can hear rustling and noise coming from the bushes on their side of the fence, i suspect its possums or rats, and Loki is trying to get them.

Heres a cut and paste from my other post, no one seemed to respond

--

It seems that most nights around 7-9pm, my dogs seem to go a bit loopy! (When it starts to get dark)

Ill try and explain the situation as best as i can.

Basically next door, they have a male Stafford, whom my boy has jumped over the fence once to visit. Im not sure if he is part of the problem.

The neighbours have this huge tree / bushy growth that is next to and ontop of their verandah, which is next to our fence. On OUR side of the fence, there is a bushy lemon tree.

Now around this time at night, my dogs will come out and run around, normally up and down this fence. Its an urgent sort of run, the Amstaff charges up and down, while the huskie chases him and bites at the base of his tail and back (hes covered in little bumps from it and looks terrible) and the AmStaff will turn around and chase him away, and go back to the fence running. Now, when they get to the lemon tree, they both just freeze and stare up into it, like theres something in the tree. They will both stare for a good minute, then Loki the Amstaff takes off again, running up and down the fence, also staring over the fence towards this big bushy growth, i would take a guess and say he was in drive mode, his tail is errect and stiff, and he acts like a dog on a mission. The other night i was just sitting out side, when Loki was staring at the fence, i called him and he totally ignored me, then took a running leap and basically cleared this 6-7ft fence (it was originally 5ft, but i added 2ft of lattice since he jumped it the first time). I bolted over and dragged him back over to our side just as he was about to push himself over, and i was too much in shock to give him in trouble, so i just put him inside.

He has been chemically castrated, so im not sure if he is doing it because of this other dog, or if there is creatures in the bushy trees, and he is trying to get over the fence to get at the animals. QUite often if we are outside at night you can hear something rustling about in the bushes, and i doubt its the neighbours dog, he is more of an inside staffy, i have used my Maglite, but i cant see anything.

Is there anything i can do to stop this behaviour? I cant stand outside and yell at them to get inside, Loki rarely listens when heis in that mode, and i physically have to get close to him before i can get his attention, and Odin is the same (Sibe Huskie).

So my questions are:

How do i stop the Huskie (15mo) from chasing and biting the AmStaff (18mo) (AmStaff is turning around and retaliating, and chasing the Huskie, but we have had a few issues because the Huskie gets corner and fights back, and we have a big scrap),

And what can i do to stop the AmStaff running up and down the fence line? At this time of night, they are both obsessed with the tree and what ever is in it, and whats making the rustling over the other side of the fence.

I have thought that if its the dog next door, i can introduce my AmStaff to his Staffy and hope there are no issues, Loki can be a little DA towards other males.

Im really worried that the AmStaff is going to jump the fence when im not home and get into a fight with the neighbours dog. When we are out at night they are normally crated inside, but are left outside during the day (they sleep in the sun pretty much all day).

Thoughts? I hope i was clear enough! smile.gif

Steve

PS I have also made the choice to have the AmStaff's balls taken off, i had the implant done as a temporary thing to see if it would change his behaviour, which i think it has, his testies are a lot smaller, and he doesnt hump the Sibe anymore.

[Dogsrules]

I know someone who use a broomstick to stop fighting dogs. I was there one time when a fight broke off between several dogs, it seems one dogs is being attacked by the others. She then got out, stumped her feet, yelled, clapped and took the broomstick and tap the dogs. It stopped in seconds, still growling & circling, but a few more yells & claps, stop all of that.

She told me that the noise ( yell, clap, stumping ) will distract the dogs that is just joining in the fight, not the instigator. Which is true, as I watched her did that, I can only see there were 2 left that was still going, the rest just run away.

She tapped the dog, not hit them. Just a tap on their back, their legs and try to put the stick between their face, just to distract the instigator. She did this with the yelling & stumping as well. It seems to work for the dogs as they get distracted by the stick and finally stopped.

Mind you, these are small dogs, maltese types. Not sure if this will work with big strong dogs.

I'd say separate them when you are not around. Better be save then sorry.

[wolf82]

You wont stop a dog in full drive with yelling and stomping, i dont think it has anything to do with the breed, but at the stage of the fight.

Been there, done that. Its scary.

After a few fights, its much better to prevent it before it happens.

[he'smyhero]

I would say with your boy pacinf the fence there are probably rats in the next door yard- hence why he only does it a night. My staffy sits on our back deck staring and will go and pace like this at the rats that have started to run along our back fence. It is nearly impossible to get him inside or get his attention when he's doing it. He's in "Hunt" mode. I don't know about the sibe bitting him it may be that he wants to play or something??Trying to get his attention??

I would go next door and tell them you think they might have rats- I'm sure they'll do some thing to get rid of them. Once they are gone your problem will probably go away.