Rescued dog attacking one of my other dogs

[Littlepink 10]

Hi , I rescued 2 brothers from Greece last summer . I have 2 other dogs too . They have settled in nicely apart from one of them randomly attacks one of my previous dogs for not apparent reason . Even when the previous dog submits the new one continues the attack ..... having to consider rehoming the new one !! Please help .....

[OLDPARTS 10]

its hard to solve , we had a new pup which our elder dog just would not accept , we tried every thing .

we had to re home him .

A few years later we tried again and got another young dog and they got on fine .

I suppose like people they just take a dislike .

It could be that dogs that have had to fend for their selves on the streets are not very social in home surroundings .

[Littlepink 10]

The two new ones are brothers so they get on fine and they both get on with my springer They all get on ok most of the time and even play together but we cannot see what triggers the new one to attack the setter . We have been through a lot to bring them home and they are such lovely dogs that I was hoping someone maybe able to suggest what the problem is . I don't think it's to do with fending for themselves on the beach as they are ok with the spaniel . They are very young dogs , 1 year old and the setter is 6 . Any suggestions would be great !

[OLDPARTS 10]

we have 3 dogs and feeding time can be a flash point so we put the food out of sight of each other , also if you give any one of them any attention that can be also a flash point they get jealous of each other.

There may be a flash point in your house , food , toys , attention for example , having said that we get the occasional cat fight for no reason

[Guest]

Have the new young dogs been neutered? Is your pointer male or female and neutered? When do the attack's happen? Do you do anything when the attack's happen?

Edited February 6, 2017 by Guest

[Littlepink 10]

They are all neutered males . We have tred stopping the fights and also letting them sort it themselves but the young one doesn't stop when the setter submits . There seems to be no trigger .

[Guest]

There is usually a trigger but it's sometimes hard to spot it. Have asked at the rescue if he had any issues with dogs thier?

[Chelle-82 10]

If he is acting like this at 1yr old then it isnt likely to get any better... Just because he's neutered doesnt mean he's still not going to be dominent..

 

It is of my honest opinion that you must put the welfare of your older dogs first (by older i mean the ones you've had the longest)

 

You've tried your best but not every rescue works out and you need to be OK with that.. Maybe he would better suit a home where he is the only dog or maybe even with a bitch that has been spayed..

 

I am currently considering rehoming a Cairns Terrier i took on in November 2015. I've tried everything to help her fit in with my other two but she just does not get on with my oldest dog and bullies her at every turn.. Wont let her feed or get a drink, wont let her into a room or out of a room, constantly chasing and growling at her.. It's awful to see really..

 

She went for her on saturday and whilst i tried to pull her off she's turned around and bit my finger so enough is enough, she's going.. It's really upsetting because on her own she's a lovely little dog who is very palyful and loving but this obsession she has with my other little lady is too much to take anymore..

 

Hope you get your issue resolved

[Guest]

I would say at 1 year old he is still very young and could change with help. I was not trying to say having him neutered would stop the problem although it helps sometimes, i was just gathering information to help pinpoint why he reacts and try to help.

[Littlepink 10]

I would say at 1 year old he is still very young and could change with help. I was not trying to say having him neutered would stop the problem although it helps sometimes, i was just gathering information to help pinpoint why he reacts and try to help.

 

Thank you and I appreciate your help !! I appreciate any opinions and advice . I know I may have to give him up but for now he's still worth fighting for . I know if it gets too much for my setter I will do the right thing . Thank you to everyone !

[ccit 10]

You don't say how many times this dog has attacked the other but it sounds like it has happened on a number of occasions. If this is a regular occurrence then you have a problem because it is unlikely to improve but could get worse.

 

You mentioned not being able to discern what the trigger factor is. This, and the fact that only one dog is being singled out makes me think that the rescue dog, for one reason or another dislikes your existing pet.

 

The stress that you and your dogs are under will probably make things worse so you need to try to minimise this. I think you should take steps to separate the dogs, always keeping them in a separate room or take it in turns to crate one of them.

 

From what you say, you are not ready to give up on your rescue dog but remember that it can be the kindest thing to do for the dog itself, the others and yourself. Living in an atmosphere of friction is not nice. Some dogs are much happier and more settled living without other pets in the house.

 

BTW please be very careful when you try to stop the fight. In the heat of the moment, the dog can lash out at the person who is intervening and you could get badly bitten.

Edited February 7, 2017 by ccit

[Littlepink 10]

ccit, all you have said is spot on and I have indeed been accidentally bitten twice . The attacks are becoming less frequent but obviously one attack is too many .i totally agree that he maybe better elsewhere too . It took such a lot of effort and cost to get him here and most of the time he's calm and happy that I feel I need to give it a bit more time . Thanks for your reply !:-)