Expert: Lee Charles Kelley - 10/30/2008

Question
QUESTION: I have two female dogs. A 6 month old chocolate lab and a nine year old German Shorthair pointer. We have had the puppy since June. It is now almost November and the aggression from the pointer towards the lab is increasing in severity. She seems to attack for no apparent reason, but before this happens it seems like she is staring her down. I have contacted my vet as well as a dog traing facility to try to come up with a reason for the behavior. I was advised that because neither one of the dogs are spayed, then that was probably the majority of the problem. Last night was the worst of the attacks yet (blood was involved) and I think they will probably get worse if I don't figure out the problem and get it settled soon. My older female seemed to be searching for the pup after the incident occurred and just wouldn't let up.  The puppy cringes and hides whenever she sees the older dog coming around the corner. Currently  they are separated by gates in my doorways to avoid any future occurances. Ever since we got the new puppy we made it a point to make sure we still did the same things we always did with the older one so she didn't think we were favoring the puppy over her. The attacks didn't start until about a month and a half after we got the new puppy. Things seemed to be going well. At least we thought they were. Do you have any ideas of your own or do you think I was steered in the right direction.

ANSWER: Hi, Ericka,

Thanks for the question.

I don't necessarily think spaying either dog will improve the situation. In fact it might make things worse. Part of the problem, or at least part of why things are getting worse, is that adult dogs are kind of programmed to "knock some sense" into adolescent doggies. They usually give young puppies a free pass on things, but get a bit rough with them when they become teenagers.

That said, what your pointer is doing goes way beyond the normal range for this kind of behavior. Dogs are NOT supposed to seriously attack younger dogs, ever, not unless they feel they're being threatened. And it's hard to imagine how such a young puppy could make an older dog feel so threatened that she would attack her so aggressively. So I have some questions that are important to help me understand what's going on.

How much hard vigorous playful exercise does your pointer get outdoors every day? Has her level of playful activity increased or decreased since the puppy came along? Do you ever play fetch and tug with the pointer? Do you ever take the two dogs on long walks together in nature or through the park? When your pointer was younger did you discipline her for any "bad" behaviors? If so, how? Has she received any formal training? Does she know any basic commands? What are her favorite activities? Besides the gates, what do you do to prevent these attacks? What do you do to stop them? Do you punish the older dog afterwards? Have you ever hit or spanked the pointer?

While I wait for your answers I'll give you a general idea about what I think might be going on.

Dogs are very emotional. They enjoy getting energized by things that stimulate their hunting instincts because when the prey drive is stimulated and satisfied (usually through play) that's when dogs feel most like themselves, most in touch with who they really are. Some dogs, for whatever reason, decide it's safer to shut themselves off from those emotions, those natural predatory feelings. They want to adjust to the way they're expected to live in a human household so they learn to live without wildly chasing everything that moves, or exploring everything with their teeth.

Many dogs seem to be fine this way for years. They're happy to go for walks, they're happy when their owners come home, they're happy when it's dinner time, but they don't very often engage in spontaneous play with their owners or other dogs, at least not for very long. And they're okay with that. Okay, that is, until some kind of change takes place in the structural dynamic they're used to. It could be a move to a new house, a divorce, or a new puppy. This type of change tends to throw such a dog off balance, emotionally. And being thrown off balance creates feelings of fear, panic, and even physical pain. Think about someone who hates being thrown off balance physically being put on a roller coaster ride with no previous experience with such a "fun" ride. They would be in a panic and desperate to escape.

So, if your dog is anything like the kind of pooch I described above, then she'd be thrown off balance by the new puppy's exuberant, happy energy, but wouldn't be able to escape from it. So she'd want to mercilessly attack the source of her anxiety: meaning she'd be desperate to go after the puppy for no other reason than to make the roller coaster stop.

The main thing to remember is that underneath it all, every single dog who has ever lived wants to be in harmony with her pack mates. They do NOT ever want to be on conflict if they can help it. So beneath all this aggression and seeming anger is a very sweet animal without a mean bone in her body. She's just scared and doesn't know what else to do. If this makes sense to you, let me know and I'll give you some exercises to help your pointer adjust better and stay more emotionally balanced.

I hope this helps!
LCK
http://www.LeeCharlesKelley.com
“Changing the World, One Dog at a Time”

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: As to the questions you are asking about my pointer and vigorous playful exercise everyday...when the weather is nicer she likes to be outside, and she is usually constantly running around the yard. She love to play ball. She'll play until she is blue in the face. However, whenever it gets colder outside or if it's raining she does not like to be out there. The only way her activity has decreased is because of the temperature changes and not wanting to go outside. As for long walks together in nature or parks, my husband takes her out to the State Game Lands to let her run but it is not on a regular basis. I on the other hand am afraid to bring them together because of the way she behaves around the puppy. I went and bought a soft muzzle for instances went they are in the same room together, and I'm glad I did because tonight she went after the puppy in my kitchen and had she not had the muzzle on, the puppy could have been seriously injured. I do not put in on her all day long, only if I have them in the same room together to hopefully work things out. The pointer has had no formal training. We got her when she was a year old from someone who was going through a divorce and couldn't keep her. The only other major changes in her life would be the new puppy. When the attacks occur, we immediately intervene by breaking the pointer away from the pup using a stearn Command of "no". After they are apart we usually put her outside for a few minutes (2-3) to cool off because she is in such an uproar. I do not feel that hitting the pointer is going to help the situation, however we did the first time it happened but have not  since because I think it will just make the situation even worse. We love our animals like they are our children and they are treated better than some people are in this world. I hope the answers to your questions help to better assess the situation we have at our house and enable you to give us some helpful advice to help us to love our animals the best that we can. Thank you.  P.S. One other quick question. What kind of affect will this have long term on the puppy. She is afraid to even walk in front of the pointer or even come through a door if the pointer is standing there. I feel so bad for her.

Answer
Hi, Ericka,

I think I have a better idea of what the situation is. And I think you're right for the time being to muzzle the adult. I would use a basket muzzle though, if possible. The kind that wraps around puts pressure on the dog's snout which increases feelings of nervous tension, which is the source of the problem in the first place, in my view.

I would normally recommend you talk to a local trainer, particularly one who's familiar with "drive" training techniques. But I'm worried that no one in your area will be able to get past this idea that this aggression is normal for two unspayed females.

Would it be possible for you and your husband to spend some taking both dogs for a long walk together every day? That would be one of the quickest ways to create a new relationship between these two (though it won't solve the problem entirely).

Here's a link: http://www.tiny.cc/walking2dogs

The second thing I'd recommend would be what's called the "pushing exercise." You essentially hand feed your pointer outdoors every day. You put her food in one hand, hold it in front of her, palm up, and while she eats you surreptitiously put your other hand lightly against her chest, also palm up. As she gets used to the other hand being there you pull your food hand toward you slightly, but keep your other hand in place against her chest, so that she has to push against that hand in order to eat. Anytime she finishes a handful, take the other hand away from her chest. You never want her to feel that pressure except while she's also getting the pleasure of eating. You have to do this every day. If she won't eat from your hand at dinner, that opportunity is over and she'll be more motivated at breakfast, etc. She HAS to learn to push against you while eating in order to develop the kind of working temperament that isn't thrown off balance so easily.

More links:

http://www.tiny.cc/SwimUpstream (pushing exercise)

http://tinyurl.com/3balu6 (pushing exercise, a la Neil Sattin)

The third thing is to get the pointer to play tug-of-war with you outdoors.

Here are some links on tug:

http://www.tiny.cc/MythofTug

http://www.tiny.cc/tug (tug, a la Neil)

I would also use her affection for playing fetch to teach her some basic commands, particularly those that require her to develop impulse control: the "down" and the "stay."

As for the puppy, it would be good for her if you could set up some play dates with other dogs who aren't trying to kill her. Otherwise you're right: she may develop her own fear aggression around other doggies. It also wouldn't hurt to use the pushing exercise and the tug-of-war games with her. Play fetch with her too.

Since I'm not with you in person, showing you how to do these things in the most effective way, there's a good chance that you might not do them 100% correctly. So print out each of the links I've given you and refer to them often. You can also contact me as much as needed to help you through this. My feeling is that if you take the girls on long walks every day, particularly at the State Game Lands, you'll start to see a change take place between them within a few weeks. If not, let me know.

I hope this helps!
LCK
http://www.LeeCharlesKelley.com
“Changing the World, One Dog at a Time”