[lgh67]

Hi all,
Our 2 yr old family dog attacked our new 8 wk old puppy when he squeeled. I talked to a dog behaviorist and she said this is early dog behavior to attack and kill a squealing animal (prey) and that is has been bred out of most domestic dogs. She also said this likely cannot be changed. Has anyone heard of this and is there any hope?

 

[TooneyDogs]

It's quite possible. That trait however, has not been bred out of certain breeds...terriers, for example; are still excellent killers of vermin.

 

[Hyper_Pup]

What kind of dog is the family dog?

 

[bambee]

It could also be possible that your family dog is jealous of the pup. But if the behavior persists, you have to protect your pup.
http://en.allexperts.com/q/Canine-Behavior-3553/2008/7/New-Puppy-Attacked-Older.htm

 

[Snuggles]

Don't all dogs fight at one time or the other? My three year old sometimes goes after the eleven week old (who will be bigger than her). This is usually over territorial issues.

 

[Erick Aguilar]

Just a question here..
But did you do ''Proper Intruduction'' when you brought your new pup home?

 

[lgh67]

The breeds may be the problem. The family dog is a Queensland healer and the new pup is a Basenji

 

[Erick Aguilar]

That's as dumb as saying

Hey guys, my 2yo Pitbull attacked my 8 month labrador! I thinks it's cause Pitbulls are known to be agresive! (Don't take it seriously peeps, just an example)

No, breeds have almost nothing to do with this behaviour, it's either the fact you didn't do proper introduction and just placed an ''invader'' in the house and your old dog is protecting his territory.

Maybe your old dog is very high prey drive, and sees smaller dogs like preys.

You never socialized your old dog before bringing a new pup home.

Or maybe your dog was putting the pup in place.

 

[lgh67]

It could be any of those reasons. But the bottom line is that I need to fix the situation. The dog behaviorist is having me work on re-training the older dog. She said he's got really strong anxiety issues and is unclear about where he fits into the pack (dogs and people).

 

[Thracian]

I'm glad you contacted a behaviorist. Keep us posted on progress. I'm wishing you all the best.

 

[txcollies]

He could have just simply lost patience. Sometimes a puppy will pester the older dogs to no end, and everyonce in awhile they just go BAM! and that's the end of the story. Sort of a 'putting her in her place' deal. End of story. I've never had one of my adult dogs hurt my puppies, they know exactly how far to take it.

 

[lgh67]

Unfortunately I don't think it was simply a pester factor. The older dog would not stop. When I snatched up the puppy the other dog was foaming at the mouth and puffing his cheaks and jumping on me to get the pup. I'm working realy hard (with the help of a behaviorist) to retrain the 2 yr old - I just hope it is possible. If it's not I can't ever take him in public for fear he may attack something else. Does anyone know of success stories from a case like this? I sure would like to think there are some.

 

[animalsafe]

based on your comments I would consider consulting with a different bahaviorist..

cheers

 

[xoxluvablexox]

That's as dumb as saying

Hey guys, my 2yo Pitbull attacked my 8 month labrador! I thinks it's cause Pitbulls are known to be agresive! (Don't take it seriously peeps, just an example)

No, breeds have almost nothing to do with this behaviour, it's either the fact you didn't do proper introduction and just placed an ''invader'' in the house and your old dog is protecting his territory.

Maybe your old dog is very high prey drive, and sees smaller dogs like preys.

You never socialized your old dog before bringing a new pup home.

Or maybe your dog was putting the pup in place.

Actually some dog breeds are known to be dog aggresive and are bred for it. So yeah breed does have something to do with dog aggression. If a pit was to attack another dog it might have something to do with the fact it's ancestors were bred to be dog aggresive. I'm not sure about the breeds the OP listed but if the queensland healer, is a breed known to be dog aggresive that might have something to do with it.


I don't know how reliable this website is but here's some info about the breeds Temperament.

"The Australian Cattle Dog should be okay with older, more considerate children, but can be aggressive and wary around other dogs. These dogs are not really suited around cats unless they have been raised with them from puppy-hood. The Australian Cattle Dog is an intelligent and bold breed, but can be a little too headstrong, which means that they need to be handled assertively and firmly. You will also find that the Australian Cattle Dog has bags of energy and will enjoy all sorts of activities. His suspicious personality and vocal tendencies make him a good watchdog, but also mean that he will often be very wary of strangers."
-http://www.justdogbreeds.com/australian-cattle-dog.html

Unfortunately I don't think it was simply a pester factor. The older dog would not stop. When I snatched up the puppy the other dog was foaming at the mouth and puffing his cheaks and jumping on me to get the pup. I'm working realy hard (with the help of a behaviorist) to retrain the 2 yr old - I just hope it is possible. If it's not I can't ever take him in public for fear he may attack something else. Does anyone know of success stories from a case like this? I sure would like to think there are some.

Do you take him out into public now? He's 2 years old, I'm sure you've brought him out in public before. Has he ever shown signs of aggression during those times?

based on your comments I would consider consulting with a different bahaviorist..

cheers

I agree.

 

[lgh67]

What do you think the behaviorist I have now is doing wrong? I think this is pretty darn serious, so I appreciate all comments.
I do have another referral to a behaviorist I can contact, but I thought I would stick with the first one for now (my vet's office referred the current one).

The 2 yr old (Max) has always been shy around people, so when I took him out off-leash in the past it was always in open places like a beach or a big field. He also spends some time (but, not really often) with my parents Chihuahuas and does fine. I also have a big fat cat that Max really likes - not as a snack, but as a buddy. But now I wonder if I can trust him in these situations.

 

[Erick Aguilar]

Actually some dog breeds are known to be dog aggresive and are bred for it. So yeah breed does have something to do with dog aggression. If a pit was to attack another dog it might have something to do with the fact it's ancestors were bred to be dog aggresive. I'm not sure about the breeds the OP listed but if the queensland healer, is a breed known to be dog aggresive that might have something to do with it.

Which is why i clearly said :

''No, breeds have almost nothing to do with this behaviour''
Reffering to the fact some breeds are dog aggresive, but i didn't want to make a wall of text when people could understand my simple statement.


I do think also, that you should contact another behaviourist lgh67 specially because she said ''this cannot be changed'' ... so why keep trying if she says ''this cannot be changed''
She would either tell you to contact another behaviourist.. or try her best to correct this behaviour.

 

[momto7dogs]

I dont want to be rude. But Andy my red heeler did not take up with my new pups right away. He had them penned, biten them, and just snarling at them. He does not like change,and he dont take to new dogs right away. I have to slowly introduce him to other dogs. I have to tie him on a short leash while I bring the pup on a leash and let him know this is my dog and he/she is staying here. ACD are particular about accepting new dogs or pups. Both of my ACD are good with cats no problem with cats on my part. You just have to slowly teach them to accept new dogs and it wont happen overnite. It took Andy 2 months to finally accept that Queenie is not going any where. He still sometimes snap at sparkle but its cause sparkle can be a royal pest and hes just simply saying pls back off. If you pup is really aggravating him then hes going to snap at the pup as a way of saying back off. I dont correct Andy when the pup is being a pest they have to learn to back off when they are being overly playful. Andy listens to me very well when i say psst back off he does. But you have to teach the pup his manners to when the dog is doing what hes told and the pup is still trying to be a pest then its time to start teaching the pup when to back off to.

 

[Snuggles]

Well usually the pup does back off when growled at (I would - LOL). It usually is jealousy when the pup is either getting more attention or has a toy. She doesn't normally run and attack her.

 

[Mudra]

Some older dogs are more tolerant to puppies and some are not. I got lucky and owned two older dogs who are tolerant of puppies. Also, introduction plays a very important role. My boys met Xena a week before she was brought home. They met at the doggy daycare where Xena was being fostered and the boys had been there a few times before. So it was kind of a neutral place for all three dogs.

 

[lgh67]

Momto7dogs gives me hope. If her Queensland had a hard time at first with a new dog but it worked out with effort, then we can do it too.