New Subj Line: CL puppy having puppies - help needed from experienced pup raisers

[pinklady]

We are going to get a gate and rotate them from areas and try to keep them separate. We were alternating crating, and Heidi wasn't liking it. I'm worried if we keep her in there too long she will get more frustrated. So we have a leash on her and are being extra cautious. They are also fed in their crates too and we have no toys for them to fight over as well.

I live 30-40 minutes south of Chicago. Any recommendations for a behaviorist would be great. We are going to work with one and have her spayed and see how it goes from there. I just hope we can all survive that long.

[Freestep]

Originally Posted by pinklady

My 10 year old son is extremely upset and doesn't want to keep Heidi. He is very attacked to Sasha and this is hard for him to watch.

I keep thinking about this. It must be really scary and confusing for your son to have this dog come into the household and attack "his" dog. I am sure he's feeling worried and unsafe, and thinks it's unfair to Sasha to have Heidi come in and try to take over.

Was everyone in the family on board with bringing Heidi into the household?

I'm also worried about Sasha and how this is affecting her.

That would be my concern as well.

[pinklady]

Hi free step, yes we have been talking with the kids about a second dog for a while now. We knew we wanted a Shepherd and preferably older. We waited until the kids were older although we've actually been looking for a while. I've been browsing shepherds rescues for years. So we didn't take this decision lightly. However, he and Sasha definitely have a special bond, Sasha sleeps with him. We've tried to explain that we have to avoid letting Heidi guard dad (because he is apparently the trigger), and that she also needs to be spade. And that we are going to try to see if we can resolve this. Plus I was reading our county ordinance and it is illegal for us to sell or rehome or give away a dog that has bitten someone. I would see if we could contact a Shepherd rescue if things didn't get better. We are not the type to give up on animals, our first cat is now 15 and mean mean mean. So we try to honor our commitments. But he would not be unhappy if we didn't keep Heidi. He's now witnessed her twice going after Sasha.

[msvette2u]

That type biting is much different than an aggressive dog that has bitten.

That type (during a fight) isn't hardly enough to register on my own radar and I'm a rescuer who refuses to take in known biters.

If you need to give her up, definitely enlist the assistance of a rescue, and spay her first (which you're planning anyway) to avoid her being taken by a puppy mill or backyard breeder.

[pinklady]

So you wouldn't consider this an aggressive action then? She is really vicious toward Sasha when she attacks her. Never witnessed anything like it before.

[msvette2u]

Not towards HUMANS, no. Dog aggression and human aggression are two different things.

Well, I'm assuming your husband reached into the fray to stop the fight?

[pinklady]

Yes, he tried to separate them.

[msvette2u]

Then, no, if she doesn't just up and bite, it's solely dog aggression, more specifically bitch-to-bitch or same-sex aggression.

Did you get this girl from a rescue?

[mebully21]

honestly i would return the dog to whoever you got her from. its not fair to your resident dog Sasha to be constantly on guard from heidi, not to mention your child seeing his dog attacked. there is no guarantee that heidi will calm down after spaying. sometimes some dogs just dont like other dogs of the same sex. it will be a crate/rotate life for the next 15 years if heidi doesnt calm down after spaying.

[msvette2u]

What state are you in?