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2Nd Dog Problems


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I have had Nika almost a month now and their is a couple of problems. Nika guards toys and food. She also gets pissed off when she is playing. I have had to leave the dog park because of this. If I feed them together Nita would not get any of the food. I need some suggestions. 20160805_200855.jpg

They look so peaceful. No food

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Kito and Bandit will sometimes guard toys, but will trade back and forth, as each one wants whatever the other has. Key seems to be making sure they are each given one of the same thing when brand new (so there are always at least 2 of everything.) Each knows that one is "theirs" but also knows that several are available.

 

As far as food, I would make sure to feed in separate areas (separate bowls too if that's not obvious, I just wanted to spell it out). If you have to, stand guard at food time to make sure each understands that you will not tolerate either one straying into the other's space or stealing food.

 

I hope that helps, that's just what our experience has been.

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Hi Rik - sorry to hear you are having troubles with #2 ...they are always testing us....

this is an article with some good exercises you can try with them--- takes time- Good luck

 

http://www.clickertraining.com/node/3339

 

How to Prevent Resource Guarding in a Multiple-dog Household

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Thank you, NorCal! I meant to echo your sentiment but managed not to. Sorry about that, Rik.

 

We are all so positive about our pups that it's hard to remember sometimes that we always have troubles of one kind or another bringing up small ones. It just comes with the territory.

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Don't know, maybe try over time that the food belongs to you and they get no food unless you say so. I know this is difficult to accomplish but worth a try. If nothing works, feed them one at a time where one can't disturb the other. You can feed them in separate rooms at one time or one after the other in the same room but make sure they are separated so there's no fighting over food.

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Rik my key board is dying so short post now. Can u describe the pissed when playing thng. sounds a bit unusual. Have you checked for any medical issues?

 

We had an issue with Waki from around 14 to 18 months if I recall. Resource guarding and picking fights with our female GSD. We set some tough rules and it was rough for a few months but with persistence he straightened out. Take a look at the Wakinyan thread. Sorry it's so long and I can't give you a better link. Hope to have a new computer shortly.

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Rik my key board is dying so short post now. Can u describe the pissed when playing thng. sounds a bit unusual. Have you checked for any medical issues? We had an issue with Waki from around 14 to 18 months if I recall. Resource guarding and picking fights with our female GSD. We set some tough rules and it was rough for a few months but with persistence he straightened out. Take a look at the Wakinyan thread. Sorry it's so long and I can't give you a better link. Hope to have a new computer shortly.

 

Hi Rik,

 

Yes. Please expand a bit if you can.

 

Nita is summer or winter 2014? (I got my first in fall 2014 and you were either just before or after me. Meaning Nita is 2 yrs old now, give or take a few months, yes?)

 

How old is Nika?

How old was she when you got her?

You got another AI puppy? (I missed something - sorry!)

 

When did the resource guarding begin?

Is it just with the food (meal feeding?)

 

"pissed off when playing" Does she start out that way? (aggressive, dominant attitude to pups? to adults?)

What does she do?

Is it only certain dogs? ages? or sexes?

Does her behavior just change after a certain amount of time or something a dog does to her (even approaching a certain way)?

 

 

 

 

 

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I find that a squirt bottle solves many issues. I buy the large one in the plant section of the market and keep it filled with water. I have three dogs. When they fight over a toy, the toy is mine. I take it away and put it on the sink. They will sit side by side looking at the toy. When they are calm again, they can have the toy back. At this point, I can just say enough and take it out of their mouths. To start with, they all got squirted and then I removed the toy. They all three get fed at the same time, in separate bowls, in the garage. They are separated by a few feet. Again, the squirt bottle is in attendance. Anyone that chooses to wander over to another bowl, gets a squirt in the face. If the other dogs are done with their food, then the one not finished (due to excessive interest in the other food) gets their food removed and tossed. By the next meal they are much more interested in eating their own food. It just takes consistency. Good luck. Oh, and praise when they get it right!

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Good advice Jeanine! Consistency is the key word...they learn so much better, quicker and less stress on EVERYONE with consistency! I also like what you said about praising when they get it right...that's so important too.

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Sherab,

I had gotten this book (after your recommendation) a few months ago.

 

It is simple to read and understand and I have been studying the dogs at the dog park and their interactions.

 

It is a REALLY good book to launch off from! :)

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Rik--Their names are so similar...can they tell who you are talking to? Im not being a smart ass just curious????

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Hi Rik,

 

Yes. Please expand a bit if you can.

 

Nita is summer or winter 2014? (I got my first in fall 2014 and you were either just before or after me. Meaning Nita is 2 yrs old now, give or take a few months, yes?)

 

How old is Nika?

How old was she when you got her?

You got another AI puppy? (I missed something - sorry!)

 

When did the resource guarding begin?

Is it just with the food (meal feeding?)

 

"pissed off when playing" Does she start out that way? (aggressive, dominant attitude to pups? to adults?)

What does she do?

Is it only certain dogs? ages? or sexes?

Does her behavior just change after a certain amount of time or something a dog does to her (even approaching a certain way)?

 

 

 

 

 

Nita is 2 yrs old now. She was 7 weeks old. When I went to the Gathering I came back with Nika who is 1 year old. I got 2 identical toys and was playing with both of them at the same time when Nika just goes off on Nita. At the dog park she was playing nice and just went off. Everything else is unknown

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Rik--Their names are so similar...can they tell who you are talking to? Im not being a smart ass just curious????

No not yet. Nita realizes there is food involved and runs over

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Rik, I see, she's 1 year already. If she was at Kim's as a potential breeder she has to learn how to be a pet - that is to say her life with you is different from her life at Kims. Much more intimate with you and your home and her sister. Is she fixed or intact? If intact get her fixed and it will help.

 

12 months is an interesting development time. Not a pup anymore. New pack with sister close in age also equals sorting out pack order. If she's been re homed from another family something wasn't optimal and some bad habits may have formed.

 

I think Norcal is on to something. It adds a layer of confusion if she doesn't know who you are directing so perhaps for a while you should use another name for her. All mine end up with 3 or 4 names anyway.

 

Changing homes at 12 months is not an easy thing for a pup. She's probably working out trust. Trust takes time to build. She probably wonders why she lost her last pack and if this new pack will be forever or temporary. I would recommend making your house rules, consistently enforcing them but adding a lot of love, play and trust building (like grooming). It's not a sure thing but with new pack members at our house it seems to me that if they have their honeymoon then the squalls and testing starts relatively soon vs after a few months the pack forms and sticks. The gathering just happened and you are already to the point of asking for help. i think that's a good sign, even if it doesn't feel good. Also talk to them a lot. This is how the day goes. Let's go potty. Lets go inside. I'm eating lunch now. They will pick up a lot and it seems to help dogs to know what's on the agenda. Let us know how it's going and what works or doesn't work.

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Great comments and suggestions Norcal & Sherab!

Kelli & I are still working on Tayamni & Coffey not responding to one or the others name.

 

It is indeed different bringing in an adult dog to a new home with other animals. Rik has that teenage age pup coming in. I'm sure we all remember our teenage years and testing out adulthood. :blink:

 

A lot of my friends have rescue/adoptions and the rescues let them know it can take 2 months for a dog to understand it is not going to be uprooted again.

Have seen it with dogs that have been adopted and returned a couple times, but that's not needed to make a dog wary.

 

Also, I was at Swim Park on Sunday and there was a female dog that just came out of heat there and the dog didn't bite any other dogs but snarled and snapped to make sure they stayed away from her. It didn't matter that these other dogs were fixed females and males. It was the approach by the other dogs. My 'kids' walked by her close but didn't focus on her and they were fine.

 

Nika may not used to dog parks. If she was rehomed from somewhere, the previous owner may not have socialized her at dog parks.

If she was at Kim's then she understands pack hierarchy and 'dog talk'. She also was probably in a group she was VERY comfortable with.

Maybe Kim or Greg could give you some info if she grew up at SDK ????

 

Not all dogs at the dog parks know 'dog talk' - I think it comes from owner's unknowingly training them not to speak it. I've been observing for the last couple of years and can pickup on some things.

A dog may exhibit a sign that they think is play and Nika feels threatened. OR - she is challenging to establish pack order with the "new" dogs.

 

I agree with Sherab (she gives good help), establishing trust and letting her know and get used to your routine - is important.

AND reaching out on the forum soon is great!

 

We are here for each other :lol:

 

 

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Nika was just at the kennel for 3 weeks.Her owner's moved to Japan. She seems to be playing fine then goes off. Nita won't play tug of war with her again. Kim has suggested that I trade her for an older dog but I don't want her to go back to the kennel but have her rehomed somewhere without any dogs. All in all she is a good dog just needs some more work

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Nika was just at the kennel for 3 weeks.Her owner's moved to Japan. She seems to be playing fine then goes off. Nita won't play tug of war with her again. Kim has suggested that I trade her for an older dog but I don't want her to go back to the kennel but have her rehomed somewhere without any dogs. All in all she is a good dog just needs some more work

 

Wow - so she's changed homes twice in a month basically!

It sounds like you are willing to put the love and work in!

 

GREAT! :wub:

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Rik 3 weeks in the kennel is forever from a young dog's perspective a 12 mo old = almost 1/12 of her life. I bet she associates the dog park with the kennel and may do so for a long time. Even though the kennel wasn't a bad place it was surely confusing and traumatic to be left after bonding with her new family. We had a malamute that was abandon on a road and hated car trips. it will take her a while to get some confidence up. Suggest you avoid kennel like places until she has some confidence. I get that you don't want to trade her in. Cool. It's always an option of last resort and nice to have that safety net for both of you. I'd be sure to walk her every day regardless of weather - get the steam out of her in a good way. This is a smart animal that knows it was left by a family that probably loved her and was loved by her. No way to explain to her why. You will have to just earn her trust over a period of time. Does Nita understand what an owie is? She may have more patients with Nika if you tell her "She has a brain owie" when Nika acts out. My dogs are very empathetic when ever I tell them someone has an owie.

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I have had Nika almost a month now and their is a couple of problems. Nika guards toys and food. She also gets pissed off when she is playing. I have had to leave the dog park because of this. If I feed them together Nita would not get any of the food. I need some suggestions.

 

Nita is 2 yrs old now. She was 7 weeks old. When I went to the Gathering I came back with Nika who is 1 year old. I got 2 identical toys and was playing with both of them at the same time when Nika just goes off on Nita. At the dog park she was playing nice and just went off. Everything else is unknown

OK, I feel it is time for my input here since I do know a little bit about Nika and her situation. I have also dealt with similar issues with my three dogs during feeding time (ages 8 years, 2 years and 1 year). Just as a reference, Nika is four days younger than my youngest and Nita is only a few days older than my two-year-old Anoki.

 

During the five months Sri's dog Sita stayed with me, I dealt with a brief issue between her and Maddie of growling, snarling and staring each other down during feeding time (eight months difference in age). This started about four months after Sita moved in and for reasons only known to them. This was not going to happen in "my house". My house, my rules. I quickly distracted the two, not by yelling but by grabbing my penny bottle or snapping my fingers. I was always nearby during feeding time. If it started again, I picked up their food and feeding time was over.

 

Feeding time is only 10 minutes and all my dogs eat at the same time with their bowls about three to five feet apart. I sit or stand in the immediate area to ensure they all behave. If one walks away from their bowl toward another, I intervene and send them back to their own bowl. I do not allow the situation to escalate. As each one gets done eating, he/she comes to me and I give them a nice massage while we wait for everyone to finish. Again, my house, my rules. Eat your own food when I put it out or go without. When feeding time is over, I pick up the bowls and everyone gets attention.

 

As for Nika, I had her for several weeks with my dogs before she went to her first family. As a puppy, she interacted well with a puppy her age (Maddie) and two adult dogs (Anoki and Blue Bird) at the same time. Nika was an only dog with her first family. When she came back to the kennel, I had the opportunity to observe and interact with her. We also rotated dogs in the kennel with her to watch how she interacted with the different dogs and there was never, to my knowledge anyway, an issue. So why am I saying this? The problem may simply be the lack of rules, boundaries and discipline. Having two intelligent dogs under the same roof is a wonderful thing as long as rules are established and enforced constantly. Humans set the rules and enforce the rules, not the dogs. I do not believe we have a dog issue here.

 

Rik, I don't know the situation other than what you have written or if any of this even applies to your situation. But again, maybe a reminder that these dogs are very intelligent and require strict discipline to understand the rules you have established. Remember the "Tough Love" Kim talks about? Tough love means that discipline, not out of hate or frustration, is stern with the intent to help the dog in the long run. If this does not apply to your current situation, maybe it will help someone else who reads this.

 

Nika was just at the kennel for 3 weeks.Her owner's moved to Japan. She seems to be playing fine then goes off. Nita won't play tug of war with her again. Kim has suggested that I trade her for an older dog but I don't want her to go back to the kennel but have her rehomed somewhere without any dogs. All in all she is a good dog just needs some more work

 

Remember, you really don't have a say in this. By contract / agreement, which everyone signs when getting a puppy/dog, it reads: "I agree to return the pup or dog to Song Dog Kennels if for any reason I am no longer able to care for it."

 

I just want to avoid any confusion and squash any idea that these dogs can be passed around without going through Kim and Song Dog Kennels.

Edited by Greg
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Thanks Greg .I would never try to place one of these dogs on my own. I would chauffeur the dog to it's new owner if they were between here and Selma Or.though.

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My condolences. I'm sure it was a hard decision. I'm also sure you made the best choice for all three of you!

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My condolences. I'm sure it was a hard decision. I'm also sure you made the best choice for all three of you!

Here here.

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