Dog issues

I'm facing a bad situation here.

The other day, for the second time, my 90-pound chocolate lab attacked my six-pound Jack Russell over food. The little Jack needed 10 stitches to sew up a hole in her neck and also had a couple of bad puncture wounds on its head. Had my other lab not intervened, I'm pretty sure the Jack Russell would've been killed.

Obviously, I can't have that. We have four dogs total -- two labs and two Jack Russells -- and the other three have no issues whatsoever. We've had the chocolate lab for a little more than a year now and have raised her since she was less than six weeks old. It's lived in the same house as the other three, gone through the same routines and received the same training as the other dogs. Despite every effort my wife and I have made, we can't seem to stop the aggressive behavior over food.

Otherwise, she's great. Friendly to other people and other dogs. She listens, comes when she's called and would allow her kidneys to burst before she'd use the bathroom in the house.

But still, something has to be done here. It kills me to say it, but I think I've got to give her up. I've called some friends and family to see if anyone might be interested but had no luck. Simply dropping her off at the pound or humane shelter isn't an option. I want to know who's getting her and that she'll be OK.

I guess I'm wondering if anyone has faced a similar situation. I have to do something. I just don't know what.

 

I don't have any issues with you, dog.

Seriously, one option is to feed them separately.

 

Worth a shot, dog... it beats the alternative you mentioned

 

I was about to say the same thing. If you can feed just these two dogs in separate rooms at different times that could maybe solve the problem. Sounds like a hassle but it\'s less heartbreaking than giving up what sounds like an otherwise great dog. Good luck with it.

 

Have you tried crating the lab at mealtime, and feeding her there?

 

Jesus, just feed the lab separately. No need to get rid of the dog if that's the only issue. I have two dogs who absolutely hate each other. They've been separated for more than five years. I feed them separately, walk them separately and rarely let them in the same room at the same time. It's not easy, but there's no way in hel I'm giving one of them up. My sister-in-law once said, "Why don't you give one up?" She has two kids. I said, "Why don't you give one of yours up?"

 

Here was our process.

At first, we thought that crating her while she eats would only ensure that she was aggressive. At some point, no matter how hard you try, a dog is going to come in contact with other dogs while food is present. So, we forced the dogs to eat together while we stood over them and watched closely, with a leash on the lab the entire time. We would give the lab chewy sticks, let her get started gnawing and then take it away from her and give it to one of the other dogs. We did this shit for weeks on end, over and over again. It was going great. And then one day, as we were cooking dinner, my wife dropped a piece of food on the floor and all hell broke loose.

So, we started putting her in a crate to eat and tried to make sure there was never any food around when she was in the house. That worked OK, until one day, out of the blue, she just went nuts when one of the other dogs walked by her crate while she was eating. This was about three months ago. And it never stopped. She went after the other lab -- not a good decision on her part -- over a beat-up bone a few weeks back and she tried like hell to go after the smallest Jack Russell another time.

This last time was the worst, though. We were in the car and the Jack had somehow escaped from its carrier and gotten into the very back of the SUV with the two labs. We had some dog treats in a bag in the corner, and that's what prompted the attack.

I simply don't know what else to do.

 

If one of her kids came close to killing the other one and didn't fail because of a lack of effort, she'd give one up for a while.

If we're talking about two dogs of the same size, I could manage it. But in this case, one bite and we lose a dog. I'd much rather find a good home where she could be happy and keep all four alive.

 

Good luck then.

 

I had two dogs once, brothers they were, who were incredibly jealous of each other. You would pick up or pet one, and the other one would go nuts, and then they would just go at each other, vicious biting to the throat and ears and all that. They would have killed each other if we didn't break them up. And they were little damn Yorkies.

At some points we'd grab one dog and put him outside the sliding glass door for a timeout, and then they would go off on each other THROUGH THE GLASS! That was irksome but funny as hell also. Then we muzzled them, and they just went at each other with the muzzles on.

And they were brother dogs. It was weird.

Finally, my sister took one of the dogs to college, and a year later he was let outside for a squirt, only to get pancaked by a passing car. Sad thing is, he was the dog full of love. His jealous brother lived a long and cranky life, and we found out later he had heart problems all along. I wish we would have known that early on.

So I'd have that choc lab checked out for any internal problems, first thing. A muzzle might work, but dogs don't like that, and you can't blame them for that.

Sad thing is, it's best to find that good home for the lab. A one-dog home, with no young children around, let her find a peaceful place with good, loving owners and a nice back yard.

It's a tough thing to do, and I bet we all feel your pain on this on. My aunt and uncle had one dog, name was Champ, what a good dog, and when he had to be put down it grieved them so much that they never could have a dog again.

I would have gotten another dog myself, after a suitable waiting time, just for the joy that dogs bring.

I wish you luck, dog428..........best to find a happy new home for the lab, and preferably one where you can stop by and roll around with her in the back yard as often as you can.

 

Couldn't you have told that story without the death part? "Pancaked by a passing car." Eloquent.

 

OK, this is going to sound mean, but honestly every dog -- like a horse -- has to be broken.

I know this because i've had dogs that have had to work for a living when i was growing up. you can't run the risk of an over-aggressive dog when you've got calves and sheep around.

The process is called a shock collar.

Next time he/she does it, you lay down on the button. It will take two times at the most. The dog will offer its food to the Jack Russell.

Some say it's mean, but dog don't understand a timeout.