Well, I'm back into trouble at my house. I've gotten used to Toby grumbling at whoever comes near him when he's flopped out & Max grumbling back and various other scenarios of growling & posturing. Once in a while, a couple of mine will get into a fight though, & they never just have a "spat" & then stop on their own. Granted, I haven't just sat & watched to see if they WILL settle down, but they don't seem to be going to!
On Saturday, Charmin & Edie lit into each other - the neighbor dogs had all run towards the common fence, so, of course, mine had reciprocated. I have no idea what triggered them, but they were serious! I had a bow rake with me so I grabbed the tined end & started whacking them with the free end. (At some point the rake head came off.) I whaled on them & tried to stick the handle in their mouths or in between them; I did get them apart twice, but they'd just jump back in after a second or two! It was bad enough that the neighbor guy came out with a gun, intending to fire to scare them. They finally broke up & I stood between them catching my breath.
They each have some pretty good puncture wounds - I clipped the hair away from the holes - but nothing that I'd pay a vet bill over, & Charmin's front leg/foot is a bit swollen.
Sunday, I kept a close eye on them, because they were posturing at each other & kept trying to sniff each others backsides. This morning, they're STILL looking like they might be gonna bow up at each other again, although not quite as much as Sunday.
What IS IT with my dogs! I feel like I'm being flung back into "Ebony-land"!! Maybe I'm a bad influence, because I never seem to have dogs that just get along all the time. I know people that have more dogs than I have & they're all hearts & kisses! I'm just sick of it! Maybe I shouldn't have dogs!
Do those of you with more than one have problems with fighting? What do you do about it? Does it continue after the incident is over?
Jenny
I have the ability of single-minded determination and focu... Hey, look! A horse!
I've been pretty lucky, W is a major butthead but so far we haven't had any fights with major injuries. Only 1 foster dog really worried me because he wouldn't back down when W would start something and after a couple times I think he was the one starting it. I kept them completely separate for a couple days then slowly reintroduced them, with both dogs leashed so I could pull them out of the room quickly if either of them even looked at the other one funny.
Kirby really doesn't like W, but he just growls every time W comes near him, and luckily W seems to have decided to just ignore him.
Good luck getting your gang calmed down. Sorry I don't have any helpful suggestions. I know it can be scary when they get like that.
Well, so far there haven't been any more incidents. Charmin's not acting like herself at all, though. Neither of them has injuries that need any treatment, but she's been really subdued & has kind of a distant look in her eyes. She also hasn't eaten in a couple of days. She often skips a meal, sometimes two in a row, but I don't think she's eaten since Tuesday morning! Of course, she escapes the yard almost every day & is laying in my pasture when I get home, so she might be getting fed elsewhere, but I don't think so. I'm going to call the vet tomorrow if she doesn't eat tonight.
Jenny
I have the ability of single-minded determination and focu... Hey, look! A horse!
I really don't have any advice to offer. When DD stayed here a few months with her dog, before moving back East to school, we even had a trainer come in. Did no good at all. Two spayed females used to being "only dogs." <:// We just had to keep them separate all the time. It was a major hassle, but it beat bloodshed and vet costs!
When DH & I were first married, we each had a dog. Neither of us were willing to give up our dogs, either. <8-) But, mine was female and his was male, so we just introduced them outside and then they sorted it out without violence. I think it was easier because they were opposite sexes and his male, although territorial, gave complete ground to my female. We had peace for all the years they lived after we were married, thank goodness! <:P In all the years since then, we've only ever had one dog at a time. We have a very small house and yard, 2 bedroom, 800 sq. feet total, plus we had DD. So, no room for more than one dog. No room in the budget, either!
I hope things will work out for you, and that Charmin is OK!
Blessings,
Gypsy
)O(
"What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night.
It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime.
It is the little shadow which runs across the grass
and loses itself in the sunset.
- Crowfoot, Blackfoot warrior and orator
Dog fighting is cruelty, which is a human activity and a human illness.
It's not the dog's fault.
All dogs need to be evaluated as individuals."
--Tim Racer, one of BAD RAP's founders
