I just adopted a 2 year old female BullBoxer Pit (who has just been spayed) from the pound. she had been brutally beaten and the people there said when she came in she was almost dead. she is shy but not skid-dish, and is very calm (doesn't bark or tear stuff up). she interacts well with other people, doesn't growl at them or play too rough. she likes children and gets along fine with other dogs in the park and pet store etc. My roomate has a 1 1/2 year old pit (newly spayed swell) that he just adopted the day before mine. She is highly energetic and very social. she also gets along with our beagle ago other dogs just fine. But my boxer and her absolutely hate each other. they cannot be in the same room before they begin a battle royal with each other. Is there any training methods or medication to fix this? I don't want to return her but I don't want to create unsafe living conditions either. I have heard of muzzle playing where they both get muzzled up and play fight, etc. until they are used to each other but Im not sure if thats what needs to be done. please help, I really love this dog and want to keep her with me.
Please help
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May I ask why these dogs didn't meet before you adopted your boxer? Most rescue organization ask that the dog meets all the other pets in the house before approving an adoption. Also I think that looking a getting a behaviorist into your home would be the best idea. Please don't medicate your dog!
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To clarify- you and your roommate each JUST adopted a young adult female pit/mix? And they already hate each other? Are they drawing blood in this "battle royal" fights? Like requiring a vet visit?
Honestly, not off to a good start. For one, while there are many female dogs that can get along with another female fine, when two females DON'T get along, it is usually the worst (most violent) and hardest to change. They often will continue to fight, and the fights get worse.
You need to get some professional help from a pit bull experienced POSITIVE trainer (an abused dog particularly doesn't need corrections being used), but I would not be surprised if they recommended rehoming one of the dogs. My rescue would not have adopted out two female pits of nearly the same age to the same household like that (we will adopt a female out to a house with another female but all the dogs are evaluated individually and we make sure the original dog has settled in well and is trained OR if we've had two dogs living together in a foster home for a significant amount of time and both are mature). 1.5 years to 2 years old is right at the age that dog aggression can show up in a previously non- dog aggressive dog.
I would NOT have them playing with muzzles, they can still hurt each other with the muzzle (like a battering ram), it can change the dynamics of body language and make a dog more stressed and aggressive and muzzles can and do come loose. A muzzle might be a solution for walking them near each other or for moving dogs in and out of rooms. It needs to be a basket muzzle so the dog can pant and drink easily (not the tighter mesh muzzles commonly sold at pet stores). But if at this point they cannot even be in the same room as each other, you're going to need to crate and rotate (never loose together). There is also the possibility of redirected aggression- if one female tries to go after the other female and the beagle gets into the middle of it and has the dog aggression turned onto him.
Honestly, not off to a good start. For one, while there are many female dogs that can get along with another female fine, when two females DON'T get along, it is usually the worst (most violent) and hardest to change. They often will continue to fight, and the fights get worse.
You need to get some professional help from a pit bull experienced POSITIVE trainer (an abused dog particularly doesn't need corrections being used), but I would not be surprised if they recommended rehoming one of the dogs. My rescue would not have adopted out two female pits of nearly the same age to the same household like that (we will adopt a female out to a house with another female but all the dogs are evaluated individually and we make sure the original dog has settled in well and is trained OR if we've had two dogs living together in a foster home for a significant amount of time and both are mature). 1.5 years to 2 years old is right at the age that dog aggression can show up in a previously non- dog aggressive dog.
I would NOT have them playing with muzzles, they can still hurt each other with the muzzle (like a battering ram), it can change the dynamics of body language and make a dog more stressed and aggressive and muzzles can and do come loose. A muzzle might be a solution for walking them near each other or for moving dogs in and out of rooms. It needs to be a basket muzzle so the dog can pant and drink easily (not the tighter mesh muzzles commonly sold at pet stores). But if at this point they cannot even be in the same room as each other, you're going to need to crate and rotate (never loose together). There is also the possibility of redirected aggression- if one female tries to go after the other female and the beagle gets into the middle of it and has the dog aggression turned onto him.
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