Aggressive Towards Other Dogs

[Guest wdlndgreasil]

Soooo...

 

We just brough Gracie home on Monday night. She's 3yrs and we have another 3yr GH [male] and a 10yr GH [female] in the house. Both the established dogs are quite calm, quiet and well, milktoast compared to Gracie. Gracie is quite high energy & outgoing in comparison. She was never in a foster home & never lived anywhere outside the track/kennel/farm environment. Two *major* incidents have come up:

 

1. Re-arranging beds in living room for everyone to provide more space. Set up bed & pulled out toy for Gracie. She ignored it & walked maybe 5ft away. 10yr old GH came into room, sniffed bed. Gracie came back over, stood next to her & growled - and before I could do anything, lunged at 10yr old & attacked her. I screamed "NO" and grabbed her off - and put her in her crate for a time out. 10yr old is ok - just lots of fur missing off neck

 

2. Came home, let dogs out. Dogs back in. Gracie brought a toy from living room into bedroom & was playing with it. I was talking to her & she dropped toy & I was getting ready to toss it to her again. 3yr old male GH came into room to see what all the noise was - she ran past me [maybe 5ft away] & just flat out attacked male. Jumped on him all snarling & biting. Again I screamed "NO" and promptly put her in crate which was right there in bedroom. Male couldn't get out of bedroom fast enough [bambi on ice ensued because of wood floors]!

 

This makes me sad. I've had multiple GH over the years - including other dogs I adopted directly from the track - and I've never had a dog this blatently aggressive. She's generally sweet - but seemingly turns in a second when they aren't even taking something from her but just being curious. She's muzzled now. But it is making me sad if the others can't have toys or chewies or anything in the house for fear Gracie may attack them. She'll even growl at 10yr old very aggressively if she's in her crate & 10yr old is just walking by - not sniffing or anything.

 

Gracie's even sleeping on her bed in the living room [muzzled of course] as I write this. I'm really committed to using positive training if at all possible - but dont know what to do other than time outs with crating at this point.

[Guest Vers]

Right off, I want to say I am not the best or most experienced person to answer this. I hope they will be here soon with more ideas for you.

 

Gracie is probably very, very scared and uncertain right now, and that's why she's reacting the way she is. And at three years old, she's basically a big puppy with lots to learn. First thing I'd do is muzzle everyone. Second thing is start showing her a consistent routine and consistent reinforcement of the good things she's already doing -- reward her the times she's not being reactive, for example. Have you already tried tethering her to you with a leash? For most homes, when a new dog comes in, toys and treats need to be taken up, given or supervised separately -- at least until the hounds sort themselves out and are comfortable with each other. That can take a while, more than a few days.

 

It sounds like she may have not just fear but space issues (growling at the ten year old hound when she walks by) -- Gracie needs to feel safe. Giving a time out in the crate isn't a bad idea, but you'll want to be careful if you want/need to continue to crate to make crating a happy, comfortable experience.

 

Focus first on keeping everyone safe, then on helping Gracie feel confident and not threatened. Show her a comfortable routine with rewards for good behavior.

 

Please keep us posted.

Edited December 18, 2010 by Vers

[TheFullHouse]

First I'd put all the toys away. It doesn't have to be permanent but for the time being, until Gracie is more secure I would leave out nothing that she could fight over, food, toys, bones. She's never been in a home. Everything is totally new to her. Most of mine have come straight from the track and it takes time for these dog to get used to sharing anything.

 

Now that you've removed anything that could set her off, you can start trying to work through her issues. She's obviously crate aggressive. I've had several of those, it's not unusual coming from a dog that is straight off the track. She may or may not get over this. I scold mine for growling at dogs walking past their crate and reward them when dogs pass and they have no response. Give her some time to realize that she doesn't have to fight for the things she wants. She has to learn to trust and be comfortable. Once she settles down and starts to relax and learns to trust that you will keep her safe you can then bring out the toys and try again. One of mine was super aggressive and it took 2 years to convince him that he didn't have to take care of himself, that I would do that for him and he's as sweet as can be now.

[Sambuca]

I wouldn't say she is dog aggressive. It sounds like she is EXTREMELY resource aggressive. I would lose everything that she may want to claim as hers. Don't keep toys out, don't let the dogs eat near each other and I would be very careful with dog beds. If you want to play with toys, take either her or the other dogs into another room where she can't see the other dogs and play that way. Feed her in her crate and the other dogs in another room. That's where I would start and hopefully other people will pitch in here and give some more advice.

[Guest Swifthounds]

I wouldn't say she is dog aggressive. It sounds like she is EXTREMELY resource aggressive. I would lose everything that she may want to claim as hers. Don't keep toys out, don't let the dogs eat near each other and I would be very careful with dog beds. If you want to play with toys, take either her or the other dogs into another room where she can't see the other dogs and play that way. Feed her in her crate and the other dogs in another room. That's where I would start and hopefully other people will pitch in here and give some more advice.

 

It definitely sounds like resource guarding to me. If she is an ex-racer, then she's never had access to anything she had to share. If it was within her reach, it was hers. Put the toys away for now.

 

Few important questions:

 

1. Have you had three greyhound before? Three is a pack, so by definition the addition created a new and dramatically different circumstance. Now instead of one relationship between twpo parties you have each dog having a relation with each other dog and they need to establish an order that everyone can live with. This can take time.

 

2. Everyone's muzzled, right? All dogs new to one another should be muzzled for at least the first several weeks, especially where your recent addition changes your situation into a pack.

 

3. Did take your existing hounds to meet the new one and let them have the final say, or did you choose alone?

[Guest Giselle]

Have no fear! This isn't abnormal at all. She is basically a dog who has never had to share 1) space 2) food 3) attention. Your job, then, is to teach her to tolerate other dogs and share resources.

 

I echo everyone else. For now, remove everything: toys, treats, chew toys, maybe even the beds. You may want to try delegating each dog to a specific bed so that Gracie has a very clear idea of what the rules are.

 

Gracie needs to be put on a very strict NILIF (Nothing in Life is Free) program OR "Learn to Earn", as others call it. Essentially, it requires that your dog earn every resource. If your dog wants dinner, he has to "Sit" and "Wait". Or if he wants to go on a walk, he has to sit calmly while you put the leash on and not walk through the door until you give the verbal release "Okay!". If he wants a toy, he has to let go as soon as you say "Give" or "Drop it". etc. etc. Implement this very strictly for Gracie so that she understands that she does NOT need to guard them from other dogs because YOU are the source of everything! If she wants something, her focus will be on performing for you.

 

Teach resource-sharing. Put Gracie side-to-side with your calmest dog, maybe having her a few feet away if you don't trust her. (Or, you can muzzle her and shove the treats through the muzzle opening.) As you pop a treat into her mouth, simultaneously feed your other dog. Repeat this a few times. Then, feed your other dog a treat *before* you feed Gracie (do this quickly and immediately after so she doesn't get the chance to bite). Eventually, you can add time between the moment you feed your other dog and the moment you feed Gracie. Example: You feed your other dog first, wait a few minutes, and then feed Gracie. This will teach her to tolerate other dogs having resources and that you are the sole-resource! She will learn not to fight because YOU control everything, so, if she wants something, it has to be through YOU. Same goes for toys and space and attention. Good luck!

Edited December 19, 2010 by Giselle

[Guest Swifthounds]

Gracie needs to be put on a very strict NILIF (Nothing in Life is Free) program OR "Learn to Earn", as others call it. Essentially, it requires that your dog earn every resource. If your dog wants dinner, he has to "Sit" and "Wait". Or if he wants to go on a walk, he has to sit calmly while you put the leash on and not walk through the door until you give the verbal release "Okay!". If he wants a toy, he has to let go as soon as you say "Give" or "Drop it". etc. etc. Implement this very strictly for Gracie so that she understands that she does NOT need to guard them from other dogs because YOU are the source of everything! If she wants something, her focus will be on performing for you.

 

Great advice, Giselle! I usually implement NILF pack-wide whenever there's a new addition, so as to avoid telegraphing to the newbies that others get privileges he/she does not. The established pack figures this out pretty quickly and so it become like a game of "Who Can Do What's Expected First" and get a treat, giving a level playing field and also giving the new dogs a good example to follow.

[Guest PhillyPups]

When I bring in a new dog,I find muzzles and babygates are my friends. When giving the treats I stay behind the babygate with the new one, handing treats to the previous residents all the while scritching the new ones ears and giving the treat last, thus teaching that they all will get one and reinforcing that they have to fight for nothing, it will be handed to them.

 

I feed them all in the same room, with the new one the frurthest away from the prior hounds. I stand between them. I do not let the hounds wander, and do not let the new one growl. (When AnnaBanana was first her here first few meals she tried to turn Kujo, she will now walk away from her bowl if another dog approaches.)

 

I love muzzles and know they are my friends. When I go to work mine are muzzled.

 

She is new, and as said before, she never had to share before and is trying to figure out a whole new world with new behaviors and expectations.

 

Good luck.

[Guest wdlndgreasil]

UPDATE:

 

So we made it through the holidays! Gracie has stopped her counter surfing! Yeah! She's getting better about being around my other 2. The 10yr old still isn't thrilled with her [actually I don't think she likes her at all] and because Gracie is so young, she gets rather excited and knocks into my 10yr old quite a bit. The 10yr old is pretty stoic and patient about it and will stay out of her way at times - but has also given her a "what for" once or twice when her puppyish antics are seemingly out of control. Downside is she is still overly pushy and shoves her way through the other dogs to get your attention or a treat - much like the annoying kid that's always screaming "mom" and wanting attention.

 

There has been one incident of growling when the 10yr old tried to walk by her bed & I nipped that right away.

 

No more accidents in the house. She has had a bit of an upset tummy the last week & has been on meds - though it has NOT curbed her energy level at all. She sheds paper to confetti levels - unwrapping gifts at christmas was a hoot

 

Gracie and my 3yr old are becoming better friends. They will be out in the yard together and follow each other around & play. We can have bullies/rawhide out in the living room with everyone having their own & no issues IF SUPERVISED. Feeding time is also supervised. Gracie eats on her own & is taken straight out [everyone goes out to potty immediately after eating] or she'll make a bee-line for everyone else's food. She will follow you everywhere - to the point of being annoying - even for something simple like getting a drink from the kitchen.

 

Car trips with all 3 require muzzles for safety and when we go to work, Gracie is crated & muzzled & the other 2 are muzzled [we have an elderly neighbor who comes to let them out for potty during the day & no incidents so far]. Both 3 yr olds are crated at bedtime.

 

I think she's settling more. It was just so overwhelming & led to a number of battles btwn me and the other half over her. I had 5 adult GH in my house at once and a litter of puppies and never had aggression so was totally at a loss! I certainly don't feel she's a bad dog. She's just never lived in a house & everything is new. She'll be here 1mo as of the 13th. I'm hoping by late spring we'll all have settled into a routine that will make the summer really enjoyable.

[Guest 4dogscrazy]

So glad to hear things are settling down. I am truly a novice, I got Tempe 2 and 1/2 years ago, and added Piper a month later. That made three, including the Lab mix. But the lab was never really part of their pack, so all was well. Then a year later I added the boy. Oi! My house turned upside down. He was young and pushey and named himself king the minute he walked in. For the first time...chaos. Fighting over beds at night, a food fight, resource guarding over crates, oh heavens I was stressed and wondering what in the heck I got myself (and family) into! We had nips and fights in the yard, thankfully nothing major but I still see blood spots here and there to this day. I had no greytalk back then! I ended up changing every single thing I did. Oh and that's when Tempe's SA went through the roof! We learned to muzzle in the yard, quickly. I had never done that before. Crates for the two youngsters at night and while gone. Feed totally separatly and a general rule of no growling/feet on anyone/roughhousing allowed EVER. After six months of "behavior camp" I took down the crates. I can now feed them all together (except Fancy) and they share bowls swapping back and forth, always supervised of course. I still muzzle while I'm gone and in the yard if I'm not right there. Things settled down eventually and we've gone at least six months with no "arguments". I think it just takes time. I learned that sometimes one dog can change everything! Good luck to you, I was very frustrated at the time so I understand!

[Guest Giselle]

Great to hear she's settling in!

 

For feeding time, do you have Gracie on a NILIF-type protocol? If you do, you can easily use the behavior to prevent her from stealing other dogs' food without using a leash or anything physical to restrain her. My Dobermutt has all kinds of issues, so this is how the dogs eat dinner:

Click for Video

You can teach this by withholding the food until she waits for your release to eat. Then, when she's done, you can teach her to wait by closing the crate door gently until she's waiting for your verbal release. Reinforce constantly by treating her while she's waiting patiently. Then, release her to go potty. It makes feeding time much more relaxed because I can be 10 ft away and control them by voice

 

You can use the same type of training to help Gracie learn where she belongs vs. following the hoomans like white on rice!

[Guest PhillyPups]

Good to hear things are working out. Time and patience are a key. She and your older hound may never become best friends, but they will learn to co-exist.

 

Sometimes we shake our heads and wonder "what have I done" but after the adjustment period we almost forget those times and then wonder what we did without them.

[Guest cwholsin]

Glad things are working out! I definitely advocate for NILF rules, too. We did that with Hermes and will probably always have that attitude with him! Keeps them mentally stimulated and with a 'job' of sorts to do. It's all a big game to him! At mealtimes, he goes through his tricks and then we ask him to lie down at the end of the living room (it's attached to the kitchen) and wait for his release word before getting to eat. Not only is it a game to him, but as he's gotten better at the commands we now test him by saying words that aren't the command word to make sure he's paying close attention to what we're telling him! If we're feeling extra snarky, we'll throw in a few that sound similar to his release word to see if he's really listening. Usually he scores 100%! What a guy It's fun to see him actively sorting out the words and twitch his muscles when he thinks we've said it and realize that we didn't. It's great fun for all!

 

I definitely agree that resource guarding lessens resource guarding when the dog sees the owners as the source for good things and they have built up the relationship to the point where the trusts that everything will be provided for him/her.

[Guest wdlndgreasil]

Yes, I definitely need to work on training more. With Gracie and Flash! It's just been SO hectic just getting everyone settled & holidays... that's totally my fault. I'm working on clicker training but am quite a novice as it's semi-outside the other basic training I always did with my dogs in the past. Gracie's energy level is SO high - even compared to past GH that were actively involved in sports & activities that getting her to focus can be hard. But yes, I agree, it IS something I need to be more diligent about.

 

On a funny note - she was wandering the livign room yesterday & I thought she was just seeking out a toy. Nope. She dropped & pee'd [even though she'd just be out less than 20min before]. And as I'm saying "no" and trying to get her out the door, I set my PB&J sandwich on the coffee table. She's out, I come back, and Flash is sitting on his bed, eating MY sandwhich with a look of proud accomplishment on his face! Convinced it was a conspiracy of sorts, I just laughed & let him finish it and went and made myself another one. Ahhh, the life of a multiple GH household!