Corinna And My Parents Dog Got In A Fight.

[greytluck]

This may be long, sorry.

 

We brought Corinna and Wally to my parents today, it didn't end up going so well. Lucky my parents dog is a 40ish lbs mutt, a short and stocky girl. She is quite leash reactive to other dogs but has been excellent with both Hobbes and Wally when they've visited in the past many times. Lucky was actually quite good friends with both boys actively seeking them out to cuddle and playing very well together in the back yard.

 

With Corinna it's been a different story though. This was the third time we brought her to my parents. The first time Lucky was a bit snarky when Corinna approached her, and she snapped at her once when Corinna got to close (they were both standing). Corinna gave her a wide berth after that, and the second visit we had no incidents. Today was a problem right from the start though. We called ahead and gave the three dogs a quick walk before we brought them all in. We settled down in the living room with three dog beds but Lucky was determined to lie with Wally on his. She was licking his face and ears which is fine as Wally is very tolerant of things like that, but every time Corinna even went remotely near them, Lucky got up and snapped at her. She was clearly been protective/territorial of Wally for what ever reason. We made Lucky lie on her own bed and that seemed to settle things down. About an hour later I brought my two out to the backyard and asked my parents to leave Lucky in. Well my dad didn't listen and he let Lucky out after about 5 minutes because she was crying at the door. Now I really should have leashed Corinna up at that point, and I know I'm at fault for not doing it but they were ignoring each other at first so I decided to just keep an eye on them. Corinna was playing by herself and Wally and Lucky were chasing each other through the yard. When Wally grabbed a toy that's when the fight started, Lucky was still chasing Wally but now Wally had a squeaky toy and Corinna became interested in the sound. Corinna joined the chase but the second she was within a meter of them, Lucky turned and lunged at Corinna. Corinna of course fought back, it only lasted a few seconds as I was right there to break it up, but Corinna managed to tear the tip of Lucky's ear in the process.

 

We brought them back in, cleaned Lucky's ear which wouldn't stop bleeding. Corinna was pretty much acting normally but Lucky wanted nothing to do with anyone and went off to another room by herself. I didn't want to leave on a bad note so we took the dogs on another walk together. That seemed to bring Lucky back around and she was interacting appropriately with Corinna on the walk. We left right after that.

 

I don't have to bring the dogs to my parents although it is nice not to have to leave them at home, but in the summer all the dogs will have to spend quite a bit of time together at the cottage. We go up almost every weekend and will be spending the majority of July up there. The Cottage is small and crowded as it is so we really have to get this sorted out.

 

I will not be allowing them loose outside together anymore and I will definitely make sure there are no toys around when they are together but what else can I do to keep the peace. I can muzzle mine, but I'm not sure if my parents will muzzle Lucky and even if they do we can't keep them muzzled 24/7 at the cottage, well I guess we could but that wouldn't be very nice for any of them. Any advice is welcome.

Edited March 22, 2010 by greytluck

[Guest PhillyPups]

Can you crate one of or both the girls or at least babygate the girls separately? I would try to explain to my parents that muzzles are a safety tool, just like a seatbelt.

 

Good luck. Are both females spayed? Could be Lucky does not like other female dogs.

[greytluck]

Can you crate one of or both the girls or at least babygate the girls separately? I would try to explain to my parents that muzzles are a safety tool, just like a seatbelt.

 

Good luck. Are both females spayed? Could be Lucky does not like other female dogs.

 

There is no room for a crate unfortunately as the cottage is only about 600 sq ft and we usually have about 6 people in it plus the dogs. We can baby gate them temporarily but that would mean one of the dogs will be segregated from the people as the only place we can put up the baby gate would be in the hallway that divides the bedrooms and living room.

 

Lucky and Corinna are both spayed, and I think you're right she doesn't like other females for what ever reason but is there anything we can do to change that? I really hate to always have to separate them, although I will if that's what it comes down to.

Edited March 22, 2010 by greytluck

[Guest houndlover]

Wow...that's a tough one. I really don't have a lot of experience with this type of situation (I guess that's good in a way.) Can you use some type of natural spray pheromone with Lucky so she doesn't get so stressed out around Corrina? My vet had suggested this for my GSD b/c he gets a little freaked out when he goes to the vet. There aren't any side effects to it but I'm not sure that it would work for all dogs.I guess that it would depended on how worked up the dog gets.

 

I give you a lot of credit for walking the dogs together before you left and not leaving on a bad note.

[Guest PhillyPups]

I know BarbieJade would not tolerate another female, so I never brought one in while whe was with me. She was okay with them elsewhere just didn't want them in her home. Have you had Lucky over to your home?

[greytluck]

Not since we've got Corinna. Lucky is not cat safe and I have 3 cats so it's quite an ordeal when she comes. We can always try it though.

[silverfish]

You know what? It is just possible that this incident has sorted things out between them, without further intervention on your part.

 

On the next visit, I would try very hard to behave as if things were just fine, and watch how the dogs interact. Obviously, it's not a good idea to let everyone run in the yard together, unless everyone is muzzled, and I wouldn't leave them alone unsupervised, but that little spat may have been enough to sort the rules for them. I would be thinking maybe that Corinna has drawn the line of what she'll tolerate from the snarky Lucky (a torn ear is not a serious injury, it would have been much worse if both dogs had intended a serious fight) and maybe Lucky has now learned how far she can go. There are two promising signs - Lucky went off by herself (showing that she accepted the 'lesson' from Corinna) and Corinna didn't continue to be aggressive (showing that she felt that little show of strength was sufficient and was now content to leave it).

 

You will need to watch very carefully how they behave around each other next time, and try very hard not to let your fears and body language influence them, but don't assume the worst. It could be that they'll now get along much better.

 

Taking them for a walk together before leaving was a great idea! You said that Lucky behaved appropriately on the walk and that's very promising.

 

And you're right, you should not muzzle Corinna unless everyone is muzzled.

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

I agree with Silverfish. You say that after the fight, Lucky wanted nothing to do with Corinna, but all the previous "arguments" have been Lucky being the instigator. It sounds as if Corinna has put her in her place. The walks are great, in addition I would be very aware of both hound's disposition, specifically looking for statuing, staring, and or a very low (barely audible) growl. If you see any of these things, a VOG correction "should" do the trick. In my experience, if the hounds respect you, then a correction from you will settle the conflict down. I have a few grumbly hounds every now and then around my house, and a simple VOG from me takes care of the situation. I really think that they may have worked things out amongst themselfs here. Here's hoping.

 

CHad

Edited March 22, 2010 by Greyt_dog_lover