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PS: when Winston tries to mount Hannah, how does she react? If she doesn’t think it’s fun, then you need to correct him. He is being a big-time brat.
I’ve seen some dogs not mind—they take turns humping each other and even if they’re fixed, they have a good ol’ time, but if the humpee isn’t happy you need to put a stop on the humper.
We have a six-year-old female, Mini Aussie (Hannah) that we've had since she was six months old. We brought her into our family when she was six months old. At that time, we had another dog, a male, that crossed the rainbow bridge last September. Hannah is very high energy and always loved playing with our dog who passed away. In October, we adopted a six-month-old male, Mini Goldendoodle (Winston). It was love at first sight. From the very beginning, the two of them absolutely loved rough-housing, wrestling, etc. It was clearly all in fun.
About a week ago, we heard, but did not see, the two of them fighting. It was loud and scary but very short-lived (less than five seconds). We're not sure what happened, but we suspect that Winston did something to irritate Hannah. She's been giving him the cold shoulder ever since. Maybe I'm being silly, but this is really upsetting me. I just loved watching them play. Have any of you ever had anything like this happen, and did the hard feelings ever resolve themselves? We've still got years ahead of us with these dogs, and I'd hate to see them live out their lives simply co-existing when they had been such good buddies for six months.
Any comments or helpful reassurances?
I understand this. ALL of it. Dogs have what I call "Folk Ways" - actually, it a sociological term.
They do get into arguments over things that would seem trivial - or even weird, to us. They can get annoyed with one another. And yes, this has happened many, many times with dogs who have owned us.
It will pass. Don't force anything. Hannah was snubbed or wronged in some canine way. My guess is that Winston wanted sex - they can want sex when they are neutered, and Hannah, not being in that mood, was offended. Or it could be that Winstons puppy-ish ways annoyed her.
My dogs - a black mouth cur - the largest and most mellow of the bunch is names Bessie or Tessa. She responds to both. She's about 60lbs. Truman in a male, half Jack Russel, and half Chiwawa. He's a little nervous and acts like a middle child. He's sweet but also gets hurt easily. Trixie is a black mini-Dachshund. She is very affectionate but high strung.
I think at least once a month there is some kind of "argument" among them.
Dogs seem to have strange customs - like walking in front of another dog when one dog sees themself as more Alpha.
I think it will just pass. Hannah was there first. Winston could aggravate her in many ways. She seems very "grown up" and maybe has "princess" tendencies.
My guess? They will make us and enjoy each other again.
Winston is growing up. He's a teen. What do teens do? Push boundaries, act snotty, challenge authority, assert themselves. Hannah isn't having it. They'll probably have minor bickers for a while but hopefully without physical damage. Hopefully. They'll either settle into a new relationship or they won't. The tables might turn, and Hannah might not remain the dominant dog forever. Enrolling them in an obedience class or dog sport would burn off some emotional energy and maybe help everyone figure out who's going to remain the boss. The top should be household humans, then one of the dogs. You can help by NOT favoring the underdog. It may seem unfair and counterintuitive, but the dominant dog gets first dibs on things they both value. If you don't support the top dog you can make things worse.
That's the first thing that struck me about the OP's post. Puppyhood and adulthood are very different times for any dog and with more than one dog in the house (we've always had multiples) it's always interesting to see how they work things out. We've seen the cute little sweetie pie dog rule the roost over larger and older dogs in our household, but we humans are always number one.
OP, it might not be what you want or hope for but we have to respect the relationship that our dogs forge as adults. Even the best of canine "friends" can have play turn into something else at any time. Enjoy them as the individuals that they are but always be aware that play can turn into a fight even with the best of friends.
They will work it out. You stay out of it. You don't speak "dog" so anything you do about it is just as likely to be the wrong thing.
Puppies get away with all sorts of rude behavior. Your youngster is no longer a puppy and he will have to learn some proper manners and Hannah is the only one who knows how to teach him.
Treat them the same as always, except if you were not already doing it, Hannah should be getting first of everything, first petting, first supper dish, first treat. Hannah first and then the pup gets his. He will learn his place, learn the adult dog acceptable social boundaries, and then peace will return.
My only other advice is to check Hannah carefully to make sure the rough play didn't give her a sprain or sore spot.
Winston is growing up. He's a teen. What do teens do? Push boundaries, act snotty, challenge authority, assert themselves. Hannah isn't having it. They'll probably have minor bickers for a while but hopefully without physical damage. Hopefully. They'll either settle into a new relationship or they won't. The tables might turn, and Hannah might not remain the dominant dog forever. Enrolling them in an obedience class or dog sport would burn off some emotional energy and maybe help everyone figure out who's going to remain the boss. The top should be household humans, then one of the dogs. You can help by NOT favoring the underdog. It may seem unfair and counterintuitive, but the dominant dog gets first dibs on things they both value. If you don't support the top dog you can make things worse.
Thank you! Especially for the bolded. You're right in that it is only natural to favor the underdog. I'm definitely going to try not to do that.
Give it time. Something similar happened to me twice, with two different females that I had introduced to the same male (introduced the second female when the first one had died).. The dogs eventually made up and became friends, although with the second female, since there was such a large age difference, of about 9 years, they were more like acquaintances.
In some cases, when the older dog fights with the younger dog, it’s because the youngster is no longer a puppy and has lost its “puppy license” that had allowed it to have a free pass for bratty behavior. The older dog is basically now telling the younger one “enough, you’re no longer a baby—treat me with respect.”
Also, I agree that you shouldn’t stress about it because if you do, you’ll only make things worse. Dogs are pack animals and you are (or should be) the pack leader and be the one in charge.
It’s normal to be concerned, as I know I was. But I felt better after I talked to my dog trainer. What I witnessed was a skirmish—not really a full-fledged fight. No bites. Just a lot of snarling and posturing. My trainer said if the dogs really hated each other they would have drawn blood.
I also like the idea of doing something with them together. A walk is ideal. You’re in charge, showing the way, and they’re a team, going along with you.
Thanks. The bolded is good to know. It sounded pretty awful, but nobody got hurt, so I guess that's a good sign in more ways than one.
PS: when Winston tries to mount Hannah, how does she react? If she doesn’t think it’s fun, then you need to correct him. He is being a big-time brat.
I’ve seen some dogs not mind—they take turns humping each other and even if they’re fixed, they have a good ol’ time, but if the humpee isn’t happy you need to put a stop on the humper.
She's been patient, but I don't think she's crazy about the idea. I'll be sure to stop him if I ever see him doing it again. (Right now, I'd just like to see some sort of interaction between them.)
I think it will just pass. Hannah was there first. Winston could aggravate her in many ways. She seems very "grown up" and maybe has "princess" tendencies.
My guess? They will make us and enjoy each other again.
Thank you for the encouragement. Hannah is definitely the princess and Winston is just a just-barely-one-year-old clown.
htank you! Especially for the bolded. You're right in that it is only natural to favor the underdog. I'm definitely going to try not to do that.
It's hard to do. BTDT. I once adopted a rescue who turned into a very. very bossy PITA once the initial new arrival caution wore off. It didn't take long. My other dog had been an only dog for several years and was mature and confident, but she was basically bullied into submission. It was very difficult to watch. Not understanding the dynamic at first, I felt bad for her and found myself favoring her in little ways. That turned out to be a mistake. The boss dog resented the extra attention she seemed to get and kept "reinforcing" his position. My other dog suffered for it.
I found myself liking the new arrival less and less for being who he was. As more time passed other serious issues rose to the surface and my inexperience didn't help matters. I'd been chucked in way over my head...his previous owner flat out lied about her dog in order to be rid of him. The rescue eventually failed in a disastrous way partly because of the dog, partly because of my treatment of them both. Many years have gone by since, but I still feel terrible about the whole thing.
Last edited by Parnassia; 04-17-2024 at 04:24 PM..
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