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What a sad situation. If you have the money, maybe you could see if a behavioralist can come in and see what is transpiring between the girls. It may not be one sided issue of the MinPin being aggressive. Second, I would suggest the seperation of the girls, by x-pen, crating or routinely manuvering them around the house. I appreciate that you rescued the Min Pin in the first place, and I know the last choice would be after 4 years to return her to a rescue. I truly hope it works out for you and your girls.
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I know exactly what you are going through. I have a yorkie who has been attacked by one of my other dogs twice with similar results as you have experienced. I know it is the yorkie but I have no idea what starts it other than each time there has been a man (family members) in the house. It seemed to just come out of the blue with no warning. They have lived together 4 years and this started last year. Skeeter is a rescue and she has put a couple of the other dogs in their place but never hurt them.
I put the big dog Skeeter in a crate when I leave the house. I also watch them very carefully when someone comes over I make sure they are separated. I use babygates and a crate.
I'm really sorry to hear you are having to go through this- I do remember you telling me that Gracie was a little trouble maker...it really does sound like the best option might be to find her a new home. And don't worry, there is someone who will want her, it just may take a while. Perhaps an elderly person with whom she can spend all her time, cuddling and nuzzling without any chance to do anything but be a companion or compete for anyone's attention. You may even be able to get the help of a local fostering outfit, many of whom work closely with the humane society or SPCA so you might call them and ask if they know of anyone who can help rehome your baby. And cuteness will NOT be a factor because when the "right" person comes along they will want her as soon as they see her! And until then the baby gates do sound like a pretty good idea.
Were you to want to keep her then of course I'd go with what someone else had said, which is a specialist certified in dog behavior/problems. ANY dog can be retrained and taught to learn different behavior but, at the same time, it is expensive (unless you live close to the dog whisperer and can give him a call! ).
Whatever you do I wish you the best- you and everyone in your household, including your other dogs, deserve to live in harmony.
What a tough thing to be going through...and I do understand what you mean...I also work mostly from home, but I am not giving them 100% undivided attention when I'm working.
Separation has been what has worked for me in similar situations. I have fostered a lot, and not all the dogs I've taken in were comfortable with being around my other dogs & cats, so baby gates have been an indespensible tool for me! My most recent rescue was bitten in the head by another dog and had to have an eye removed at the age of 8...she was very neglected & I'm sure she was also abused because when I first took her in she'd shrink away from people...she was also terrified of other dogs and would growl at my little dogs when they would approach. She's doing much better now after months of love & routine, but she still has some aggressive moments, and she gets separated when she acts up...once she calms down, she is allowed to re-join the pack. Everyone thought I was nuts to take her in, but I knew that as an 8year old one-eyed chihuahua with aggression issues there's be little to no chance of her getting adopted...she'd either live her life out in a shelter or bouncing from home to home...or, worse, put down, and my heart wouldn't let me turn my back on her no matter how much of a struggle it was going to be to get her up to par.
She went from about a 10% recall rate to about 75% within the first couple of months...now she comes to me as soon as I call her, every time. We're still working on the residual fear & aggression, and the marking (yep...very sucky, but she pees on EVERYTHING and must wear britches while in the house to deter this unwanted behavior...ugh!) but my point is that if an 8year old dog who went through the kind of trauma she did can improve behavior so quickly and so drastically, there is hope for your min-pin to be corrected in this behavior as well...it might be a long haul and it might be a bit of a financial set-back, but it can happen.
I'm really sorry to hear you are having to go through this- I do remember you telling me that Gracie was a little trouble maker...it really does sound like the best option might be to find her a new home. And don't worry, there is someone who will want her, it just may take a while. Perhaps an elderly person with whom she can spend all her time, cuddling and nuzzling without any chance to do anything but be a companion or compete for anyone's attention. You may even be able to get the help of a local fostering outfit, many of whom work closely with the humane society or SPCA so you might call them and ask if they know of anyone who can help rehome your baby. And cuteness will NOT be a factor because when the "right" person comes along they will want her as soon as they see her! And until then the baby gates do sound like a pretty good idea.
Were you to want to keep her then of course I'd go with what someone else had said, which is a specialist certified in dog behavior/problems. ANY dog can be retrained and taught to learn different behavior but, at the same time, it is expensive (unless you live close to the dog whisperer and can give him a call! ).
Whatever you do I wish you the best- you and everyone in your household, including your other dogs, deserve to live in harmony.
Thanks Helios.
I have been keeping them separated when I can't give them my undivided attention. When Gracie acts up, I either scoop her up or send her to her blanket.
I am going to place an ad in the Petfinder classifieds. I have been putting it off because I can't bear the the thought of a Gracie sized hole in my life. But I know it is the best thing for her, and I will do it.
We live so far out in the sticks that it would be very expensive to have a pro trainer come out. I think I already know what Gracie's problem is. She wants to be Supreme Empress of the Universe, and Buffy doesn't agree.
Gracie will seek Buffy out, and cop her little attitude, stiff-legged, tail up, ears forward. Buffy will be sleeping on her own bed and Gracie will go and bark at her. She wants what ever toy Buffy has. She will ambush Buffy outside the dog door. She will see a shadow under the door, assume it is Buffy and have a fit. Buffy ignores her most of the time, and the problem arises when Gracie surprises Buffy. I know all of the situations that set Gracie off, and she is not allowed to do any of those behaviors.
Caesar would want me to retrain my husband and my dad because they spoil Gracie and make her think she is alpha. I can't do anything about that. Believe me, I have tried.
I am going to place an ad in the Petfinder classifieds. I have been putting it off because I can't bear the the thought of a Gracie sized hole in my life. But I know it is the best thing for her, and I will do it.
Please get in touch with a Miniature Pinscher Rescue group, who have knowledge of situations like Gracies. You don't just want to adopt her out to anyone, she needs a special home. One where she can be spoiled a little and not get in trouble with her alpha nature.
Miniature Pinscher Club of America, Inc. - Rescue Information (http://www.minpin.org/rescue.html - broken link) any number of the people listed will help you find a MinPin rescue group near you. Even if you live in the middle of no where, they will make arrangements to pick up your dog.
Adding these as well...Internet Miniature Pinscher Service (IMPS), if Urgent help is needed 1-877-Minpin1 or try their website at http://www.minpinrescue.org/
additionally, Friends of Penny MinPin Rescue http://www.rescueminpins.com/2/home.htm. Again, these places specialize in placing the right MinPin with the right adoptive family.
Last edited by Col.W.Deering; 02-05-2010 at 11:00 AM..
I may have missed this suggestion in the posts, so forgive me if I am suggesting the same thing. Can you bring a leashed Gracie toward Buffy at the times you know this behavior gets triggered and discipline (whatever your discipline word/sound is) Gracie when she is getting in that state/reward her when she calms down/ignores Buffy... so you are controlling the situation and teach her what the correct behavior is? Maybe a controlled 'almost' confrontation will help her understand what is acceptable behavior and what is not. Wish the best for you in whatever you decide to do. I know this is not an easy situation.
I may have missed this suggestion in the posts, so forgive me if I am suggesting the same thing. Can you bring a leashed Gracie toward Buffy at the times you know this behavior gets triggered and discipline (whatever your discipline word/sound is) Gracie when she is getting in that state/reward her when she calms down/ignores Buffy... so you are controlling the situation and teach her what the correct behavior is? Maybe a controlled 'almost' confrontation will help her understand what is acceptable behavior and what is not. Wish the best for you in whatever you decide to do. I know this is not an easy situation.
Thank you for your suggestions. We do something similar to that. The biggest help so far has been being there every single time she acts up, so we can correct her behavior before anything bad can happen.
One of her triggers is the click sound the TV makes when we shut it off. That sends Gracie into a hunt to find Buffy wherever she is and harass her. Before I shut the TV off I hold on tight to Gracie's shirt (don't all min-pins have a wardrobe?) and let her struggle and bark till she is worn out. Each time she calms down in a shorter period of time. I am trying to break the cycle of her bad habits.
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And until then the baby gates do sound like a pretty good idea.
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