Another Dog problem..
Replies
Yep, it's me again.
Alright, so here's the thing. I have a 1 yr Shih-Tzu/Poodle mix (Male) and we have adopted a 2 yr Havanese Mix (female) from the shelter. Things have been fine, the usually play fights and the like but lately has my mom thinking twice of the Havanese.
She has been growling and snapping at the male recently and has even drew blood on his chest. Though I've caught her licking at the wound and the male will move away as if it hurts him a lot.
Then when the family is eating or just in the living room, she tends to just growl at the male and again, snap at him. Now he's a bit more quick at avoiding her snaps but it has everyone worried.
The shelter has said that she gets along with other dogs but has had a rough life before us. However we've had her since May and just recently she's acting different with the male.
Is there anything we could do? I've tried keeping them separated but the female won't stop crying and she gets really anxious.
, whenever a pet has sudden changes in behavior it's always a good idea to check to make sure there's no illness or injury. Maybe she's in pain and it's causing her to be more anxious and violent.
There's various articles on teaching dogs how to get along on the internet. I'm not a master on that but from what I gather separating them might just increase the problem. It might be better to do activities with them to try and teach them to be a pack, with you (or another human) as the pack leader, so that they're not trying to fight for pack leader between themselves.
I dunno. She has a weird nail that she has been nipping at since we got her but she never got upset at the male for getting close.
I'm honestly lost and looking online confused me more. D:
I would maybe check to make sure the weird 'nail thing' hasn't gotten worse, because a dog being in pain and feeling vulnerable could definitely lead to them lashing out unexpectedly.
I wouldn't keep them separated, but I would really make sure their supervised and make sure the male doesn't too up in the girls face. I find female dogs can get a bit more cranky than their male counterparts, and it could also be due to her unfortunate past that she might be a bit more sensitive.
It might be beneficial to ask a trainer for some advice too.
I never yelled at my best friend before either until I had a migraine so bad I just snapped one day. It happens. It's not uncommon.
That weird nail that she's worrying should be looked at. While it might not be the source it should be looked at. She could end up bothering it enough to get an infection. Get it looked at.
Taking her to the vet is the first step. But paying closer attention is number two. You've already clearly identified two times when she gets very upset. She obviously feels there is something to defend or attempt to be an authority over. She's not happy in those moments. That is a direct reflection on the people and how she feels about her place in that moment. Training is going to be a big part of fixing this I think, and both male and female need to be exactly the same. They're at the same rung on the ladder and that rung needs to be below you. They should be looking up to you to encourage whatever the feeling in the room is.
Set boundaries. If everyone is in the living room relaxing and watching tv and she's anxious and snapping then she and he need to lay down and relax. Maybe they have beds or kennels that they feel safe in. Living room time is lay down time. Dinner time is lay down time.
Yeah, I took her to the vet before about the nail and he said that there's nothing to worry about. /shrug/
Thanks for the help you guys. c: I'll see what I can do to try and make things better for both dogs.
But it's still bothering her? Take her to another vet. If my cat was bothering one body part constantly and the vet told me it was fine I'd be going for a second opinion.
Yeah, she bites at it from time to time. I'll definitely look into taking her to another vet for it.
