My jrt suddenly aggressive with my gsd! :(

[Claire33]

Hi all, New here but in need of advice please. I have a 9yo JRT bitch and an 11month old GSD x Huskey bitch. They have always played together really well and even when the JRT can get snappy my GSD never reacts back, until yesterday. Now the GSd x is very food orientated and she was sniffing around an old food sack when Jet (JRTx) came over, suddenly all hell broke loose and they were really going for each other. I managed to call Willow off and Jet finally let go of Willows neck but it was pretty scary at the time and Jet has been left with a cut above her eye. Now since then Willow has tried to 'apologise' to Jet a few times, going over and licking her face, laying down in front of her and offering her belly but Jet won't have any of it and keeps having a go, to the point that twice Willow has retaliated and being 4 x the size has had Jet pinned down. Luckily each time I've been there and put a stop to it almost immediately but what if this is now a pattern for the future, I can't always be about and don't want to have to keep them separate Any ideas people to help my two get a long again? (NB Jet has been spayed and Willow has just finished her first season, not sure if that's a factor?)

 

[goldenbear2013]

Oh dear! you poor thing!

it's one thing have a tussle and its the another when one actually ends up hurt.

is your 11 month old in tact or has she been spayed? if she is in tact it could be that she is coming into season and this has sparked some hormonal changes which could potentially cause what has happened between your 2 dogs.

the fact that one has become submissive around the other is very positive in my opinion. It is less likely that something like this will happen again if the other knows that what they have done is very very wrong.

if your dog is tact then I recommend getting her done asap. This wont solve the problem but it may help the emotionally charges hormones from popping up again. Plus she is a teenager and will be testing boundaries. Due to her size she knows she can dominate your dog by purely grabbing hold of her, so eyes like a hawk will be required whilst she transitions from pup to adult. It is a tricky time but will, persistence and consistency should shine through eventually.

If it happens again, separate them for a good couple of days. No contact at all. Everything to be done separately with them, until you feel that they can be in the same room as each other. Normally I would say give them a time out but the fact one ended up hurt, drastic measure sometimes need to come into play.

There is a lady on here under the name Eingana and she has a GSD so may be able to shed some light on the behavioral aspect of your GSD x and what she will be like at her current age.

Sorry I cannot be more help and I hope things start to settle soon.

Sophie x

 

[caroleann]

Hi, I am sorry to hear of the fracas between your two bitches and can empathise as have experienced the same between my elderly Toy x and Giant Breed. I do think that Willow coming into season has some relevance and the only advice I can give is never to leave the two alone together. Even spaying Willow will not make any difference to the apparent change in their once close relationship and that is why I would now never have two bitches residing in the same home together. Of course some dog owners will protest that they have two bitches living happily side by side under the same roof and in fact many do, but once any aggression has reared it's ugly head then I am afraid that is extremely hard to deal with. Dog on dog aggression is the hardest thing to deal with as any behaviourist will tell you. In addition we are not discussing two bitches of equal standing, but a vey determined JR who has been the Topdog in this household and a large powerful pubescent GSD x.

 

[Claire33]

Thanks Sophie and Caroleann, Willow finished her season a few weeks back so is scheduled to be spay mid/end July, there wasn't any problem with the two dogs then, in fact Jet followed Willow around like her shadow (and did her best to keep Willow clean, not want you want to see through the kitchen wndow when you're having your morning cuppa!). They have always been so close which is why it was so upsetting yesterday and this morning. They feed in separate rooms and sleep in separate rooms and I always walk them separately as Jet is a very mouthy little madam and I didn't want Willow thinking that's how we meet and greet other dogs, but they do share the garden during the day although my son is at home as he works nights. Jet has always been a stroppy old moo but Willow has never let it bother her but maybe with the 'teenage' phase in full swing she's not happy to let it lie anymore

We've always had two bitches at a time and never had any problems, obviously the odd snarl and growl around food bowls, favourite toys etc but nothing like this!

xx

 

[Raven oaktree]

Hia I have a 9moth old GSD x also called Willow who is also having problems with my old guy .ive chosen to seek the help of a behaviourist specialist, specializing in GSD's so I can nip it in the bud before it escalates. Never ever leave them together unsupervised..if you need to go out they need to be in separate rooms. I know its hard to do , especially if they have always been together but there has been a shift in the relationship and you risk serious injury or worse if you leave then unattended. It may be that your GSD is maturing. Adolescent GSD'S can.become problematic during this time as I have found out.if I were you I would seek help..like me you have no idea why there was a shift in behaviour so rather than waste time trying to figure it out seek help before it gets worse. Good luck and let us know how you are getting on

 

[Claire33]

A popular name for that breed then as I know another Willow GSDx that is just over a year now. The problem isn't Willow, she has been very submissive to Jet and keeps trying to be 'friends', it's Jet that keeps snapping and growling. My son did keep them separate all day whilst he wasn't right there with them but when he was and they were together he said they were fine, except the odd growl from Jet but Willow just walked off. They spent most of last night mainly being 'polite acquaintences', walking past each other acknowledging the other but no real contact, they did then both lay down on the sofa next to each other for the rest of the evening though but for now you're right, I will keep them separate when they're not supervised!

 

[eingana]

Hi Claire, and welcome to DogForum

I have had so many 'my bitch has come into season and all hell has broken loose' visits arranged while working in GSD rescue and I am of the firm opinion that anybody who doesn't take this into account when looking at inter-dog issues is missing something vital. The vast majority of them have been bitch-bitch issues, with the dogs around the same group (particularly if they're neutered) just being a bit non-plussed as to what the fuss is all about.

I think that Willow is also likely to be having teenage issues too, which won't be helping anything, and Jet is also very likely to be realising quite how big and powerful Willow is becoming, and there's probably some residual fear/nose put out of joint issues coming up as a result of that too, and you may have to spend a lot of time working on the fear/aggression from Jet which may be a hangover from the first altercation as much as a 'new' problem. Sadly in times such as this, dogs have a very good memory and even if the original problem is solved, that doesn't mean that memories of the problem can't cause future issues.

In these situations neutering is vital, or the same issues are likely to recur with every season, and with the few people who have not had the bitch in question neutered, those issues have got even worse with future seasons, resulting in injuries requiring vet attention and a really bad enduring bitch-bitch issue. The only solution once the issues are really entrenched is to properly separate the dogs, so I hope that your prompt action can prevent that applying in your case.

In the short term I don't think you have any option but to separate them whenever you're not able to pay them full attention and watch their body language. Attacks don't happen out of the blue- there are always signs, even if they are very fleeting and not visible unless you're really paying attention.

It's hard any time they are fighting but I feel the need to point out to you how controlled Willow actually was to only leave a small wound in such circumstances. A dog as big and powerful as Willow could have shredded a small dog like Jet in a whole selection of ways and if she didn't then that's because she was telling Jet to back off from provoking her, not actually attacking. If she was attacking then Jet would have been left with far worse wounds and I think that this is really important to acknowledge. Yes, it's unpleasant and yes, it's something to be avoided, but she wasn't actually in full attack mode and that's great.

What I'm reading from this comes down to being a season issue with Jet provoking and Willow telling her off when it finally got too much for her, followed by Jet taking umbrage that Willow lost her temper.

 

[gypsysmum]

I think you have a ticking time bomb and you must separate them. Once Willow is neutered you could try to reintroduce them but do not ever leave them alone together. Once bitches fall out it can be intractable. It often results in one of them being rehomed.