Dog going CRAZY!!

[Antoninus]

i have two dogs, two BIG dogs. One of them is a bit mean to the other so as a result, we threw him outside because he cant be nice.

Now he's going crazy. Scratching at the wall, hes actually left claw marks in our stucco. Hes BEGGING to be let in but every time we let him in he starts fighting with our other dog.

What can I do to keep him quiet

[Aquila ka Hecate]

Are you respecting the Pack Order?

I'm thinking that could be the cause of the fighting.

You have to be the pack leader, of course, but also you must be aware of each animals' status within it, and don't give inappropriate attention to the lesser animal.

Often dogs will fight with each other when the humans are unaware of which is the alpha animal-it can cause a good deal of tension.

Regards from Joburg

[Isil Darkmoon]

Sounds like a dominance issue--and leaving him outside will make it worse, not better. "kicking him out" of the pack can cause him to become a very hostile loner because he feels deposed.

I assume you have him convinced that you and the other people are the pack alphas, correct?

After that--it sounds like the agressive dog is dominant over the other. You need to TREAT him like a higher pack member.

What you need to do is this:
The higher dog gets fed first, played with first, goes out the door first, no matter what. He's 'earned' his status and the rights that go with it.

Feeding the other dog first, playing with it first, or doing it at teh same time is telling the dominant dog that he's losing his position/not having it respected, so he gets more agressive and hostile to put the submissive dog in its place so he gets a firmer hold on the rank he feels he should have.

[FateDancer]

Untill a couple of years ago we used to have rhodesian ridgebacks, as you know these dogs are African pack hunting dogs, so the pact instinct is very strong in them. We used to breed them, so immagine the mess sometimes... what you should do in my experience is let them both in or let them both out, actuallly the both out would be better so they feel both miserable and could have a tendency to start to behave better to get back home, but there is a practical reason as well:

1st) by putting them both out you put them at the same level and you dont get jealosy or else
2nd)You are the boss and u must make that clear, so the next time the problematic dog goes on the other one, you take a water hose and splash water on them, cold water, u should be telling him he is a very bad dog as well while u do it,so scold him, dont bother with feeling sorry if u wet them both or scold them both beacause if u do it u are simply putting them at the same level in the pact as they should be and showing u are the boss. So water and scolding should do it in my opinion.

A little water never hurt anyone :-)

If the situation gets worse you should ask your vet what you can do...

[Kyan's Daddy]

http://dogdoright.com/dog-aggression-treatment5.htm (http://dogdoright.com/dog-aggression-treatment5.htm)

Get an airhorn like boaters use at Walmart or something... Loud noise will distract the fighting... However, sometimes you have to let the two dogs work it out amongst themselves.

DON'T GET IN THE MIDDLE. I took 65 stitches to the face in that same situation.

[BlackMagicalCat]

Best thing to do if ya wanna keep him,is build a pen outside for him.Make sure he has shade,and can dig a hole in the dirt,Dogs love to go underground in the heat.

If you can afford it,buy a chain link fence and put concrete on the bottom all around it about one foot deep,so he can not dig underneath it.Also make sure he has room to move about back and forth and let him out to run from time to time.

Otherwise he may drive you to wanna get rid of him,dogs have a way of wearing out thier welcome in many homes after they are no longer puppys and it takes a lot of care to care for them sometimes.

Or just tie him up outside on a chain,but he will more than likely twist himself into a knot,or get loose from time to time.and there will be a circle in your yard where he runs around barking to you ,to let him loose.

[Isil Darkmoon]

Best thing to do if ya wanna keep him,is build a pen outside for him.Make sure he has shade,and can dig a hole in the dirt,Dogs love to go underground in the heat.

If you can afford it,buy a chain link fence and put concrete on the bottom all around it about one foot deep,so he can not dig underneath it.Also make sure he has room to move about back and forth and let him out to run from time to time.

Otherwise he may drive you to wanna get rid of him,dogs have a way of wearing out thier welcome in many homes after they are no longer puppys and it takes a lot of care to care for them sometimes.

Or just tie him up outside on a chain,but he will more than likely twist himself into a knot,or get loose from time to time.and there will be a circle in your yard where he runs around barking to you ,to let him loose.

I can't even express how much this angers me. :grrrrr:

The correct solution is to *work* with both dogs to correct the undesireable behaviour--which should really be quite easy with just a little love and extra time.

It is NOT to dump the dog out of the way, away from his family and pack, and leave him be.

And dogs aren't disposeable. They're a committment for LIFE. It's amazingy unfair to them for you(generic) to keep them until they become a minor inconvenience, slightly disruptive, or a bit of a bother.

You wouldn't just get rid of your kids when they hit puberty, started staying out late, talking back, getting in a fender bender, hanging out with teh wrong crowd or any other "typical" behaviour. WHY would you get rid of a dog for *being a dog*?

If you want a dog that's perfect, get a plush one. Everyone will be happier in the long run.

Antonius, these are dogs that can still be worked with--even the more agressive of the two. These are territorial/pack problems that can be sorted out with just a bit more attention put in to speaking "dog" and learning how to communicate with them in the way they'll best understand.

PLEASE do not take the above advice and shove the "problem"--a living feeling animal--into a corner to be ignored. Please.

[FateDancer]

Hey! azzeenasman!
NO WAY, No chain!
You can deal with dogs in another way, they are NOT toys u put away when u get a couple of problems!

[Antoninus]

Well the chain idea is kinda out because this is a sled dog who pulled his entire dog house across the yard when we tied him to a metal ring we put on it just for that purpose when we were moving dirt.

I dunno about the pack order idea also, I mean, the one who's getting picked on is Hobbes, and he puts up with ALOT. But the other dog, Neil, sometimes pushes it too far and Hobbes will body slam Neil into the dirt when he does. Hobbes usually tries to avoid Neil because Neil is always really rough with him, but Hobbes does get tired of it and like I said, he takes care of it himself and Neil kinda slinks away wimpering.

[Isil Darkmoon]

Well the chain idea is kinda out because this is a sled dog who pulled his entire dog house across the yard when we tied him to a metal ring we put on it just for that purpose when we were moving dirt.

I dunno about the pack order idea also, I mean, the one who's getting picked on is Hobbes, and he puts up with ALOT. But the other dog, Neil, sometimes pushes it too far and Hobbes will body slam Neil into the dirt when he does. Hobbes usually tries to avoid Neil because Neil is always really rough with him, but Hobbes does get tired of it and like I said, he takes care of it himself and Neil kinda slinks away wimpering.

Actually, that reinforces it to me that it's a pack issue, for two reasons.

a) most sledding breeds, Huskies in particular, have much more of their instincts and sense of pack still intact from the wolf days than more... adjusted breeds.

b) Each step on teh totem pole has rights and privledges--a higher dog eats before a lower dog, drinks before them, etc, and has some right to boss lower-ranking dogs around. However that's also rank-specific--a dog three steps higher can get away with a lot more bossing than a dog one step higher, and even the lowest-ranking dogs will stand up for themselves if a superior is overstepping his rights and being too bossy/agressive/etc for the status difference.