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I need Help ASAP

17K views 155 replies 27 participants last post by  debbiebrown 
#1 ·
My wife and myself are at our wits end. This forum is one of our last hopes for our GSD. I will keep things brief but as informational as possible.
My house consists of 4 dogs.
1 Chocolate lab- lazy and older male. 100 lbs. owned since puppy.
2. GSD- owned 1 year, was a rescue. is probably close to 3 yrs old. Female
3. yorkie- 6 lbs male.
4. Golden retriever brown- female, less than a year old. 45 lbs probably.

These dogs have been together for at least a year and have had no issues, other than typical dog issues, fighting over a bone or a toy. Nothing major.
all the dogs play together, romp and run through the house.

One night about 3:30am the retriever walked down the hallway and the GSD just flat attacked her. We burst out of the bedroom split them up. The retriever ran and hid, the GSD was just angry and we separated them for the rest of the night until later in the morning. When they got back together they played and were fine the entire day. That evening the retriever was in the kitchen eating. The GSD was in another room, she saw my wife walk out of the kitchen and she charged in and attacked the retriever again... same deal broke them up, retriever ran and hid. the retriever isnt even trying to be dominant. She immediately submits.
Other facts- The GSD loves our yorkie, she even helps feed him out of her own food bowl.
She does not get aggressive over toys. She doesnt really play with them.
When she goes out to pee she will find where the retriever pee'd and cover it with her own.
She does not like the retriever to come inside from being outside before she does. If i open the door they come running but the GSD will always charge her and make sure she doesnt get to the door first.
We spoke with a GSD specific trainer, he does things for the police etc. He said it was a female vs female dominance thing, he suggested the GSD would have to find a new home with no female dogs. FFW we found a home, husband wife, 2 kids, 1 male yorkie. Figured it would be great. 15 acres to run on etc. The GSD has been there a few days everything has been fine. We get a call today that the GSD nearly killed their yorkie after they walked out of the house. They returned the dog to us, saying otherwise she was a great dog. So now it is not a female vs female thing.
We dont know what to do aside from putting her in a home where she is the only dog is putting her to sleep the only solution?
 
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#4 ·
I believe the yorkie in the second home was a male, so not same sex aggression there:)

Frankly, I'd find a home with no other dogs and make sure you inform them of her behaviors.
 
#6 ·
Frankly, your dog was in a heightened mode, in a new home, free access to a dog she does not know. She works fine in your home with your Yorkie and your older lab.

The problem is that you brought it another female. That female is not reaching sexual maturity, and your GSD bitch is simply not ok with having another bitch there.

I think that you should rehome the Golden puppy, and be a three-dog home while you have a GSD.
 
#10 ·
This may be a good plan...Goldens with no issues would be easier to place than an aggressive GSD.

BTW, we have a rescue and foster and we've found that yes, initially things will be okay when we foster, but sooner or later, there is a dog (maybe 1 in 4-5 dogs that come through) that'll throw the balance off badly.

The last notable time it happened (other than we're dealing with it currently) one of our Dachshunds (a 20lb. one) almost killed two of our other dogs, and he's not been aggressive since the foster left.
The foster wasn't even really the target of his aggression but we had to keep her separated after that.
 
#7 ·
In my experience with same sex aggression, spaying won't have any impact on the behavior. It goes beyond hormones. As for her attacking the other dog in the home you just placed her in, there are several possibilities as to cause. But it does sound like she would do best in a home that has no other pets.

OP, I would contact a GSD specific rescue and ask if they can courtesy post her on their website. List her as a dog that needs a home without other pets. I would try to place her in an appropriate home before thinking about euthanizing her as unadoptable. Perhaps if you make it known up front when you contact rescues that you will keep her until she is placed you'll have a better chance of getting someone to respond.

Until she is placed in a home, keep her separate from the other dogs by crating her when they are loose in the house.

Good luck.
Sheilah
ETA: Dog-dog aggression has nothing to do with being aggressive to people.
 
#8 ·
Dog- aggression or other animal aggression doesn't transfer to humans, not like that, unless she's a genetic mess and is going to be aggressive to humans anyway.
But someone could get injured trying to break up fights.

Crate and rotate until you can find a spot for her. Enlist the help of a good rescue, would be a good plan.
 
#9 ·
Dog aggression has nothing to do with human aggression.

I feel bad for you. But it will be a whole lot easier to rehome the Golden puppy than to rehome a GSD that has a problem with other dogs.
 
#11 ·
Do you know what exactly happened with the yorkie? It sounds like what the GSD was doing at your house is same sex/dominance behaviors. So the fact she attacked the make yorkie is odd but GSDs could also easily hurt a dog that small without meaning to. I have had Dharma play with small dogs and I have to call her off because she is simply too rough for them.
 
#13 ·
not sure what happened at all, all they said was they walked out of the house/room and GSD went on attack mode. Nearly killed it, they called us from the Vet ER.
I agree finding a home for the retriever would be easier but my wife is fearfull for our yorkie now... there is a trust issue now. :(
 
#12 ·
Regardless of what happened with the second Yorkie I would say this is same sex aggression towards your dog. As for the second Yorkie, I would venture a guess that it may well have been prey drive kicking in when she went after him.

I would look for a good experienced home with no other dogs to take her in. There is no need to consider having her PTS. Dog on dog aggression does not translate into human aggression.

In the meantine I would keep these two dogs separated at all times, you need to keep your other one safe it is not fair to let this happen again, If you have to, crate and rotate until you find a suitable home to place her in. Possibly contact some local reputable rescues and ask if they could assist you in helping to find a suitable home.

Good Luck
 
#15 ·
So they brought the dog home, knowing she'd been aggressive in your home, and gave her free range of the whole house immediately?
Is the Yorkie going to make it?

All I have heard is to shoot the GSD.
Well, as selzer said, it's probably due to the fact you brought home the Retriever puppy, another female.
So why should the GSD pay with her life??
 
#16 ·
So they brought the dog home, knowing she'd been aggressive in your home, and gave her free range of the whole house immediately?
Is the Yorkie going to make it?


Well, as selzer said, it's probably due to the fact you brought home the Retriever puppy, another female.
So why should the GSD pay with her life??
I dunno either. Thats just what people said, she is a liability.
 
#19 ·
Most people aren't very educated about dogs...and that comes from a rescue perspective where we run into very uneducated people daily.

There's nothing wrong with your dog. She doesn't like the puppy. She's stressed over that.
People can't fathom that dogs have feelings and emotions too, they aren't little robots with fur, or humans with fur.
 
#21 ·
No, what happened at the new place should have NEVER happened. No one should have left a 6 pound dog alone with a new dog, when that new dog is in an alterred state, off balance, re-homed, etc. That was human-fault all the way. A dog is ONLY a dog, and that little dog was not FAMILY to her.

Now, about the same-sex aggression, that will not go across other dogs, like on walks, or on people at all. It is pack/same-sex aggression. It is kind of like asking your wife if she minds you moving your high school sweetheart in until she finishes college.
 
#24 ·
I totally agree with the others, hard decision to make, but I'm with the others, either rehome the golden, which may be easier to do, or rehome the gsd as an only dog and with people who are knowledgeable:)
 
#27 ·
I agree with the people who have said "last in, first out". The last dog that comes in and upsets the dog already living there should be the one to get rehomed. It would also probably be much easier to find a home for a golden puppy as well. But if you are going to rehome the GSD, like people have said, do so as an only dog and to people with experience.
 
#30 ·
it definitely had. I was nearly in tears thinking about having to put this dog down. I mean my wife and daughter cried when we found her a home, that was bad enough but thinking of putting a bullet in the dog that just wants to love us? its stupid talk. Thanks for pointing me this way bro.
 
#32 ·
So.. What makes the Retriever pup so special? Why can't you rehome it ?
I just brought a pup home a few weeks ago
if the current dogs here reacted in anyway, the pup would be GONE. not the dogs who have lived here for years. not the ones who i have invested all of my heart and time into.
 
#38 ·
Ok. So. I looked up your thread on the other site.
You should have expected that they would tell you to shoot her, that was on a gun forum!

Savage,
tell me. How much exercise and training does she get a day ? Does she go anywhere frequently (rides in the car, the park, etc) ?

Does she have a crate that she sleeps in ? & does she ever get any alone time with you?

Often in these cases.. There is LOTS of body language involved that you have looked over.. I'm sure right before the 'attacks' on the golden, she gets hard eye'd and stiff and stalks her.

Can you describe the attacks ? What does it sound / look like ?
 
#40 ·
She could definitely use more exercise. I had open heart surgery in august and have been recovering from that. As far as attacks go i cant tell because she waits till we arent in the room. Everything is fine until they are alone. Other than that they play and wrestle like normal. It sounds like all **** breaking lose. basically the retriever yelps/whines/runs the GSD is in police attack dog mode. hair standing up etc.
 
#39 ·
and do NOT buy their alpha dominance bull****!
that will only make things worse
Why would a completely confident animal (a true alpha) attack?
it wouldnt
only those who are scared will attack, an 'alpha' has other means of establishing its dominance
and it is not through fighting
trying to be 'alpha' over a dog that is already scared only reinforces whatever fear she has currently
i have 2 GSDs and 2 Akitas, never lain a hand on them. if i did? they probably would piss themselves. if i do it enough times, they would take my face off.. and it would be well deserved!
 
#50 · (Edited)
a lady my wife works with knows someone who trains GSD for the police, she will discuss this situation in the next day or two with them.

edit:
also, say the GSD is in the living room, if i even whisper to another dog or pet them, the GSD would run in and kind of nuzzle the other dog out of the way and try and get the affection. whats the deal with that?
 
#51 ·
That sounds like resource guarding. The GSD (does she have a name we could start calling her by?) sees you as "her's" and doesn't want the other dogs to get what she sees as belonging to her.
 
#56 ·
Yes, most people will describe it that way.
Dogs don't get "jealous". They don't have that emotion. They do, however, see things or people as "belonging" to them and want to keep other dogs from that thing (resource).

You should search NILIF- Nothing In Life Is Free- on this site. She needs to learn that nothing is "hers" but it is yours. Be it food, toys, treats or your attention. She gets things because you allow her. She should be working for everything right now. You only need to make her sit or give paw, or something before she gets anything, that includes your attention. This means before you feed her, before you open the door for her to go outside, before she gets a treat, before she get any attention. Also, when she comes to you for attention, you need to send her away. Wait a minute then you can call her back to pet or love on her. She needs to learn that she get attention when you say so, not when she does. Everyone in the family needs to be doing this.

If you are letting her get on the furniture, stop that immediately. Dogs see height as a dominance thing and letting her get on the furniture makes her believe she is equal to you.
 
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