My Boxer killed one of our cats and he keeps attacking one of our other dogs. What to do? (shepherd, yorkie)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Thanks everyone for your advice we will be taking to to the vet on Wednesday, hopefully we can get answers for right now we replaced our dog gates with gates that have cat doors, just so if the other 2 cats need to get away they can. My heart was broken when I walked in door to find my cat I have had for over 9 years dead on the flood, I dropped to floor and couldn't breath, she was my little girl. I put the Boxer outside, I couldn't look at him I had to call my brother to take him to the shelter. The dogs and cats coexisted with no problems for 8 years, but the cat that was killed, Midnight, she never really got used to the dogs, she was always just afraid of them and just always stayed up high, on the cat food table or kitty cabana, she just kept to herself she didn't socialize with our other 2 cats.
Are all of your dogs fixed? We had a Westie and a Cairn Terrier that lived together and got along for several years. For some unknown reason they began fighting. The fighting got to a point where it was everyday. One time the Cairn started a fight with the Westie an d the Westie tore her open. We had to get the Cairn to the vet and get stitches. We tried to keep them apart for awhile and then put them back together and that didn't work at all. We ended up finding a home for the Cairn.
Bree, if it were strictly behavioral, I'd have a hard time too. But a dog you've had for 8 years as a pup, who never showed aggression before, almost certainly has something physical wrong that they can't control. If it's something that the vet can't help, then putting the dog out of its private hell would be the only kind thing to do. But there is the possibility of a tumor that could be removed or something else. That really wouldn't be a matter of forgiving, because it would be the tumor that did the deed not the poor dog. My heart would be broken in a thousand pieces by the death of my cat, but also by what had happened to my dog.
He has shown what I'm not sure is aggression, before this he would only growl and snap, but never break the skin or draw blood of our other dog. He would only do that when the terrier would try to get near his food as a warning, but the fights he has been starting are of no reason and he doesn't stop until my brother pulls the boxer and I pick the terrier up.
I asked our vet years ago is his growling and snapping to protect his food or when the terrier comes close when the Boxer is getting attention, and she told us its normal and the terrier should back off and if he doesn't than whatever happened is normal its just a pack thing.
He has shown what I'm not sure is aggression, before this he would only growl and snap, but never break the skin or draw blood of our other dog. He would only do that when the terrier would try to get near his food as a warning, but the fights he has been starting are of no reason and he doesn't stop until my brother pulls the boxer and I pick the terrier up.
I asked our vet years ago is his growling and snapping to protect his food or when the terrier comes close when the Boxer is getting attention, and she told us its normal and the terrier should back off and if he doesn't than whatever happened is normal its just a pack thing.
Keep the dogs separated when you aren't around AND when being fed, playing with toys etc. It sounds like resource guarding his food, even your attention is a resource to guard. YES, it is normal, but NO it doesn't mean you should just allow it to continue either. IMO that is bad advice from your vet since as you've seen, the situation has escalated. Try and find a good behaviorist/trainer in your area to work with both dogs on the issue.
Also, I want to comment on the situation with the cat. You don't know that the boxer was being aggressive. It very well could be that the boxer thought it was play and it was accidental. I have a cat that torments my dog. My dog is petrified of her 90% of the time and avoids the cat, but 10% of the time, she tries to engage the cat in play. I have no doubt that my dog would not intend to ever hurt the cat, but can see very easily that things could go very, very wrong. What happened in your home is tragic, but you have to keep your emotions in check in terms of the dog (and I'm not saying you can't be angry, sad, grieve etc you should grieve properly!). Your dog is a dog. It understands dog, not human, and can not rationalize like we can. It's very difficult to do, but you have to remember that it is quite likely that the dog doesn't understand he even did anything wrong.
Honestly, this is beyond your capabilities to manage and ineffectively dealing with this is going to result in something else happening that is very undesirable. From the outside looking in, I would advise that you consider putting the boxer down.
I would have no issue attempting to hire a behaviorist, but you need to understand that you are going to have to permanently change the way that you deal with your animals and that isn't something everyone can do. Make no mistake, if you try to turn this over to a pro and expect that alone to fix the problem, then you are wasting time and money; what really needs to change is you.
I asked our vet years ago is his growling and snapping to protect his food or when the terrier comes close when the Boxer is getting attention, and she told us its normal and the terrier should back off and if he doesn't than whatever happened is normal its just a pack thing.
I have to disagree with your vet. When you are dealing with aggression between two dogs and one has a distinct disadvantage due to his/her size, I think you have to protect the smaller dog. As the dog's owner, it is up to you to protect them, even if it is from another one of your dogs. If something ends up happening to the terrier, you are going to have to live with that, plus you will still be left with dealing with the boxer.
I know this is not an easy decision, and I am not even going to suggest what you should do as far as the boxer. But I do feel you need to protect all of the other animals in your home before something else happens. Giving the dog away to someone else just sets them and the boxer up for failure. You don't know how the next person will handle the dog's aggression, and you may be putting the dog in a very bad position. There are no easy answers and I'm sorry you have to go thru this. I'm sure you care about the boxer.
Hopefully the visit to the vet will give some answers.
resource guarding is technically "normal" but it indicates that the pack structure is not well defined, the smaller dog trying to "steal" food and not backing off after the first growl indicates a pushy personality whos not going to back down, the fact that the boxer feels the NEED to growl indicates uncertainty and confidence issues in the face of confrontation...
in a pack of feral dogs (NOT WOLVES byt strays who have banded together) resource guarding is only common when a new dog joins the pack while it establishes its pecking order and figures out where it stands, once a heriarchy is established, usually quickly (and yes some growling and snapping is normal) the resource guarding ENDS, because the new comer knows its place, those above it in the pecking order know theirs and those below know theres...
if resource guarding continues it indicates an unsettlement In the pack and will eventually lead to serious fights if the newcomer doesn't quickly establish rank...or if the newcomer challenges the alphas...
generally 1 good growl and a nip from those higher in the rank is all it takes...
in the case of ongoing food aggression it indicates an unsettled situation where no ones quite sure where the fit into the ranks...
in this case though I do belive theres ALOT more going on than a simple lack of confidence/unsettled pack dynamic...and with boxers being SO prone to cancers...health rather than behavior would be my main concern.
My 125 lb rott will not get along with the new dog. we have to keep them apart. Everytime we try to let them together, she tries to kill the other dog. who is about 80 lbs. My rott is very sweet and lovable to our cats but she will not let this dog in our space. We tried several times and she goes after it with vengance to kill. The other dog is very sweet also and cowers to get away from her. we dont understand why this happens. She is very sweet but why does she try to kill this dog?
My 125 lb rott will not get along with the new dog. we have to keep them apart. Everytime we try to let them together, she tries to kill the other dog. who is about 80 lbs. My rott is very sweet and lovable to our cats but she will not let this dog in our space. We tried several times and she goes after it with vengance to kill. The other dog is very sweet also and cowers to get away from her. we dont understand why this happens. She is very sweet but why does she try to kill this dog? We have to keep them separated. Its very hard. We have to lock the rott up to let the other one outside. The rott runs around the house and yard after we let the other dog back inside barking and sniffing every spot the other dog was at. She is so aggressive to this dog. I dont know what else to do.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
