Anyone?
never had this problem until now...HELP!
Last night as Df and I were watching a movie we rented the girls took their normal spots(by my feet) on the carpet and went to sleep, and all was perfect until out of no where Emma jumped up and bit Elle on the snout for no reason what so ever...Elle jumped up and growled (she's alpha), and layed back down after I checked her snout, thankfully no punctures. Anyhow, what would cause Emma to do this? Was maybe she having a bad dream and just attacted in her sleep?
I really thought we had the bad aggressions under control, but now, I'm not sure whats going on...Today so far, she's been her happy go lucky self...any inputs?
I really thought we had the bad aggressions under control, but now, I'm not sure whats going on...Today so far, she's been her happy go lucky self...any inputs?
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You mentioned "I really thought we had the bad aggressions under control"...has she been aggressive in other ways in the past? Maybe Elle was in Emma's personal space and she corrected her for it?
Her aggression was when she was a couple of months younger and she was going through heat, and after handling that she's done fine since then with no kind of growling or barking or showing teeth...I'm just wondering since she is going to be 1 next week, if now maybe she is going to try for Alpha possition on Elle, because currently, Elle is Alpha and has been since day 1. It could have been to there were some kids letting off fire crackers that night and maybe it startled her more then I thought it was?!
Hmmmm. How old is Elle? You may not have had serious issues before now because Emma was not sexually mature, is not sexually mature.
People say that sexual maturity is when the bitch comes in season. I disagree. While they can conceive at that point, I think there is still a lot of changes going on. I think sexual maturity may be reached by the second heat. I am nobody though, not a vet, not a behaviorist, or a trainer (of other people's dogs). I just think it is similar to thinking that a dog is sexually mature when he starts letting his parts move out.
I asked how old the older dog is, because generally, when there is enough of a gap between them, the younger accepts the elder as alpha without much trouble. The question is how much of a gap is enough? Four years, seven. One of the fellows that wrote a couple of the dog books that I have read, (sorry about no name), puts four years between dogs, and staggers male/female. so if he has two females, there is eight years between them.
Having dogs AND bitches can be just painful. And separation is key. If you have just two bitches, you may be able to step up the leadership skills and have harmony. I would not leave them loose together in the house when you are gone though. The chances of them fighting when you are not home to break it up, may be high enough. The consequences of that happening with bitches are devastating.
It may solidify things a bit if the younger bitch is crated when you are not able to supervise.
I think that if you do nothing different, these two will have it out. If it is only you there to break it up when it happens, one of the three may require medical/veterinary care.
Good luck.
People say that sexual maturity is when the bitch comes in season. I disagree. While they can conceive at that point, I think there is still a lot of changes going on. I think sexual maturity may be reached by the second heat. I am nobody though, not a vet, not a behaviorist, or a trainer (of other people's dogs). I just think it is similar to thinking that a dog is sexually mature when he starts letting his parts move out.
I asked how old the older dog is, because generally, when there is enough of a gap between them, the younger accepts the elder as alpha without much trouble. The question is how much of a gap is enough? Four years, seven. One of the fellows that wrote a couple of the dog books that I have read, (sorry about no name), puts four years between dogs, and staggers male/female. so if he has two females, there is eight years between them.
Having dogs AND bitches can be just painful. And separation is key. If you have just two bitches, you may be able to step up the leadership skills and have harmony. I would not leave them loose together in the house when you are gone though. The chances of them fighting when you are not home to break it up, may be high enough. The consequences of that happening with bitches are devastating.
It may solidify things a bit if the younger bitch is crated when you are not able to supervise.
I think that if you do nothing different, these two will have it out. If it is only you there to break it up when it happens, one of the three may require medical/veterinary care.
Good luck.
Even if she is "feeling around" on what's accepted and what's not, I wouldn't buy into the "alpha stuff". That's an easy out, and there's probably something more to it.Originally Posted By: Jenniferky... if now maybe she is going to try for Alpha possition ....
One thing to keep in mind is she snapped the snout AND did not break any skin. To me this sounds like a correction, weird though that she did this out of a sleep.
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