Food Aggression And Another Question

[Guest kahjul]

I have a 3yo sf grey that was never on the track. We adopted her at 12 weeks from an oops litter. She is very Diva-ish. Everyone on the planet was put here to pet her and serve her. She loves any dog smaller than her, but isn't happy with larger dogs. She has lived with my old lab until we recently lost her. 4 months ago we adopted a 1yo sf from the track. She is what they call a 'pocket grey'. Only about 50# and 3 or 4 inches shorter than Derby (the Diva). She came with some seperation anxiety (getting better), very shy (getting better), and somewhat skittish (also getting better). She showed signs of food aggression from day one so instead of feeding them together I leave Derby in the dog run, close the gate and put Tally about 10' away with her bowl. Derby eats very slow and as soon as Tally finishes (quickly) she runs the fence barking and growling. If I bring her in the house as soon as shes finished, Derby hears the door and wants to come in too. She's not into food and would gladly walk away. If I leave them be, Derby gets panicked by the barking and growling and leaves her food. Any suggestions?

Issue #2- Tally 'happy nips' when she's excited. She does this with me first thing in the mornings. Usually just kneeling down for some pets calms her and she stops. She also wants to nip at Derby when they play. There have been a few times when she's grazed her and Derby barks at her, but nothing I've worried about until now. Saturday night Tally broke the skin. Derby has a pretty good chunck out of her tushy and she is acting afraid of Tally. They still lay together for naps, but as soon as Tally wants to play, Derby will go lay in a corner. Should I muzzle Tally when they are outside together? Suggestions???

[Guest Wasserbuffel]

Muzzle when they're outside together, it's a very common practice for people with multiple greys. Play bites can end up needing stitches with skin as thin as theirs is.

 

Can Derby eat in the house? That way Tall won't be there barking at her when she's done, and she won't want to go back inside because of the door.

[GeorgeofNE]

The food issue is simple: feed the well behaved, slow eater in the house!

 

And I agree: muzzle when outside. Better safe than sorry, although your "diva" won't like it since she wasn't raised at the track and won't be used to it.

[Guest kahjul]

Derby won't eat in the house. She's one of those dogs that only eats because we make her. She doesn't eat in hotels, camping, no treats at the store. I've tried feeding her inside and she will just go lay on the couch. She eats well in her regular bowl, in the same spot its always been in. I think as a pup, she learned to eat there with the lab besdie her. Now with the lab gone, thats still her 'table'. I'm going to try bringing the other one inside-she'll eat anything from anywhere so I don't think she'll care. I'm looking for her muzzle for playtime...I know I kept it.

[Sambuca]

Make sure you muzzle both dogs while they play. Even if Derby hasn't ever started anything with Tally, if Tally starts something she won't be able to defend herself if Derby fights back.