[Mr_Snuffy]

Hi all,

We are having a problem with our beautiful little dachshunds at the moment and would be very grateful for any advice.

We have had Agatha for 7 months now, and she has always been very sweet and good-natured. We have recently been taking her to the dog park and although she was a little timid at first she seemed to eventually get the hang of it. As you can imagine with a mini dachsy, she was getting her fair share of rough and tumble play but seemed generally happy with other dogs. We even recently had a "dog party" where we invited several friends over with their dogs (7 dogs in total) and she had the time of her life.

So here's the problem. Just yesterday we picked up our second dachsy, Gordon. He is a beautiful little guy, all 1.5 kilos of him. We had a 1 and a half hour car trip to get him, but we took Aggie so she could meet him on neutral ground. Anyway they seemed fine on the car trip home in the back seat, happy in each other's company. Until we got home...

Since then Aggie has not left Gordon alone, nipping at his ears and sniffing at his privates incessantly. She seems intent on pestering him, and at first we put in down to playing and establishing dominance, but it seems that she is actually quite jealous. She will not let him onto the couch where she has spent so many nights with us. We let him onto the bed last night and she was quite restless and unwilling to join us. My wife is very close to her and is quite upset at her sudden aloofness. She has been blocking Gordon with her body and taking any toys he shows interest in away from him. He can hardly get a moment's peace. My wife has up this point been the "pack leader" and usually has quite good responses from her commands etc but now Aggie virtually ignores her. Aggie seems fixated, obsessed with Gordon. Any attempts he makes at playing, and contact in general, end in snarling and biting. Aggie is not ferociously aggressive, but her constant niggling and moodiness have us a little worried.

What are we doing wrong? Is this normal and if so what is the best way to handle it? Any advice would be great. Luckily I have the next week off but after that we have to leave th dogs alone during the day. At the moment this just isn't an option.

Please help!

[crazydays]

Hi there. I have some experience in this area since we got a pup (5months) and we have Cagney -7yr St Schnauzer. Dominence and aggression is not abnormal at first.
My feeling is that the transition has occurred too quickly for your Aggie. She is trying to "get" what is going on. It seems as if Angie was ok with the pup until she realized Gordon was invading her territory.
I would say that Aggie wasn't ready to have this pup on her couch and bed. I would try to establish good interaction first on neutral ground. I think that once Aggie is playing with Gorden and gets some time in with him, she will come around. I think you have to be firm with Aggie about her behaviour on neutral ground with the pup. Do not tolerate any aggressive or dominant behaviour. Are you crate training? If not, is the pup sleeping with you too?

My thoughts are 1) on neutral ground ( not perceived by Aggie to be her nesting sites ) be diligent with Aggie about expected behaviour. Give lots of rewards for good listening to you. Reward Positive behaviour.
2) Aggie needs quality time alone with you so she can feel how special her bond with you is. This needs to be scheduled. If you crate train, the pup can go for quiet play or a rest and you can take Aggie for some good ole play/love time like she use to get.
3) For now, keep Gorden out of Aggies nesting areas. Aggie is trying to figure this out and allowing Gorden into her zones is very threatening to her. Only introduce slowly when things seem to be settling down.
4) It is important to keep "The Pack Leader status" Aggie will rebel but my feeling is she needs to know whose boss.

[Curbside Prophet]

Sounds very much like Aggie is establishing the new guys place in the pecking order. This is completely normal BTW. I agree with carzy's steps, and your most important piece of the puzzle is to control all the resources...inclusing the bed, and I would do this using life rewards or NILIF.

Is Gordon neutured? How old is he? It's not uncommon for male dogs to be picked on more than female dogs. If he's still intact and around 4 months old, his testosterone level is peaking, and be assured Aggie knows this, as now is the time to establish rank.

Otherwise, it will work itself out, but your just is to make sure it doesn't drift into predation. So keep a good eye on them, and any play fouls should end play immediately. Play fouls are biting any body part other than the neck and head area, or clamping down and not letting go after a yelp.

If these were my dogs, neither would be eating from a bowl. They would be hand fed, and I'd be working on obedience exercises and good manners like "take it" and "leave it".