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Bullied dog :(

Bellatrix18

Warren Scout
I have two beautiful dogs but their bond has started to go downhill and was wondering if anyone had any dog knowledge that could help me!

Willow is a grumpy unpredictable staffy cross who is generally aggressive with dogs and people. She started off loving Roscoe (our jack russle) when we got him just over a year and a half ago but started pinning him to the ground and growling/staring at him about a year after we got him. This escalated into Ross getting a puncture wound in his neck. It was cleaned and he was put on antibiotics and we started thinking about sending Willow to live with relatives in order to keep Ross safe but she suddenly started to love him again and started playing with him, sleeping on his bed, licking him etc....

But a couple of days ago (5 months after the last attack) my pet rat escaped and from what I can guess Roscoe went to catch him (I was asleep but in the same room). Willow went into protector mode as she loves our small pets and gave Ross another puncture wound on his neck.

I am very worried. Will is a very unpredictable dog and since the bite has started glaring at Ross again. :( Willow is my family and I love her more than anything and the thought of giving her up breaks my heart, especially since she saved my little ratty's life. But I'm scared that Roscoe is in danger. Two puncture wounds in his neck seems so ridiculous and dangerous, especially since Will is about 5 times his size.

Willow has a home at my parents house as she was the 'family dog' so I would still be able to visit so logically if they can't live together she'd be the one to leave, but my parents aren't as strict with her and I'm terrified that they'll get lax with her discipline and she'll bite someone. Also the thought off not being with her every day crushes me :cry:

Any advice would be great. Is there anything we can do to insure Rossy's safety but still keep Willow??
 
Not much I can suggest-hope someone else wil be able to though.
It is possible for your little terrier Roscoe to be rehomed to family/friends and then you will still be able to see him? That way you will still beable to keep your beloved Willow. :)
 
Seeing as she has a home at your mums if the worst came to the worst then her living with them would probably be the best option. (Until I saw that I was going to suggest rehoming Roscoe instead, as rehoming an aggressive dog is very hard, especially with the stigma attached to staffy's and in the wrong hands she'd never have a chance.)

Is there any way you can keep them separate when you're not there to keep a close eye on them? :)
 
Yes when you are not around can you keep them in different rooms? When I go out I leave one cat upstairs and the other cat downstairs as one bullies the other.
 
I've had dogs that have bullied each other and had some serious vet bills - before we realised what was going wrong.

Strict separation unless under supervision, is my only answer. We did research behaviour specialists but bullying is difficult to break permanently - particularly when bullying is going on at 3pm but the dogs are lying contentedly side-by-side at 6pm. Because it is an intermittent problem, it is difficult to definitively solve - to the extent that one of the dogs will never be at risk.
 
Is Ross neutered? If not it's worth thinking about. As humans our instinct is to treat the dogs "fairly"/equally, but that can cause problems with pack animals. Making the underdog even more of an underdog can reduce the tension between them. Eg you must reinforce Willow's status as top dog - feed her first, etc so that Ross is less of a threat. Do hope you can find a solution...
 
It might be worth getting in a behaviourist to have a look at them, if its at the point of attacks, that is what I would do personally.
 
He does seem to... er... divide opinions right down the middle. :lol:

Whether he divides opinions or not there's a reason there's a disclaimer at the beginning of all his programs saying not to try his ....erm...."techniques" at home!!
 
Thanks so much for the replies. I'll try my best to reply to everyone!!!

The problem with separating the dogs is that Will can be seemingly fine with Ross and then suddenly be on him in a second with no real warning . For example we can be watching TV and Ross will jump off the sofa. That triggers willow to attack/pin him. We are always there when she jumps on him but the two times she broke the skin we couldn't get her off in time as it's so unexpected or quick :(

I did mention my parents taking Roscoe instead of Willow. I feel awful that I'd rather give him up but I'm so much more connected to Willow as I've had her 10 years. But my parents love Willow and feel responsible for her as she was a family dog before coming to live with me where as Ross is mine and my partners dog and my parents feel no responsibility towards him at all.

In terms of dominance Ross couldn't be a more submissive dog. Everything about him says submissive. I think Wills lack of socialisation just makes her act like this towards him with no real reason :? We do try to treat them accordingly in terms of their 'pack status' by giving Ross everything last but have to make sure that Willow also knows were in charge of her. That seems to help things a lot.

I would love a behaviourist for them but we've tried a couple of dog behaviourists with Willow and have ended up paying a lot of money for second rate advice. I might ring around and see if I can find one with good reviews...

They are asleep on the same bed atm and she's been licking his head and doing the play bow with him. There has at least been no more glaring since yesterday. It's such a shame if they are split up because when they are close they really bring out the best in each other and I think they'd miss each other. I just don't want poor Ross to be bitten again. I know of a friends dog who was nipped on the neck in rough play but the tooth caught an artery and she died. I'd never forgive myself if that happened to Ross :cry:
 
Possibly quite stressful for him too as he never knows when she is going to just turn on him. Difficult situation.
 
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