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I currently have three dogs. "Moe" has diabetes and is blind as a result. "Curly" seems to be hassling Moe every chance he gets; it's almost as if every time they are in the same room he has to show his dominance. It rarely results in a fight and Moe always backs down but it is getting annoying and I am sure Moe doesn't enjoy it at all. The third dog is a sweet female that gets along with everyone.
I have read that a dog will act this way to another animal in the pack if that dog is seen as endangering the pack due to physical problems. Is this what's going on? Is there any way to get Curly to stop it? I was thinking that spraying water in his face might dissuade him BUT that might only work when I'm at home. I have been leaving the dogs in the house while I am at work lately due to the 100 degree temps.
Curly is insecure and Moe is an easy target. Moe should be crated when you are out - to protect him from the other dogs and to keep him from accidentally hurting himself.
You just need to establish a protocol for keeping them apart and yes, go with the spray bottle when you are home. At the very least, he will learn to behave in your presence.
Is Moe staring at Curly? When I got Phoenix who was deaf with limited vision since birth I had problems with Jazz going after her and jumping her . She never hurt her but it did terrify her and she would be squealing like a piglet. Jazz was a dog that saw direct eye contact from another dog as a challenge. I also at the time had 3 dogs and Dash was my sweet lover boy and very good to both of the girls.Anyway when Phoenix would see a dog coming she would stand and stare being her vision was limited and Jazz saw that as a challenge and would react.
Often when out in public and a dog reacts to another dog if the owners had been paying attention it is because the other dog was staring and making direct eye contact. I helped work on an aggression policy for our agility club and talked to an animal behaviorist and he said in the dog world staring is a very aggressive act. So people should try to prevent their dog from staring at other dogs.
Is Moe staring at Curly? When I got Phoenix who was deaf with limited vision since birth I had problems with Jazz going after her and jumping her . She never hurt her but it did terrify her and she would be squealing like a piglet. Jazz was a dog that saw direct eye contact from another dog as a challenge. I also at the time had 3 dogs and Dash was my sweet lover boy and very good to both of the girls.Anyway when Phoenix would see a dog coming she would stand and stare being her vision was limited and Jazz saw that as a challenge and would react.
Often when out in public and a dog reacts to another dog if the owners had been paying attention it is because the other dog was staring and making direct eye contact. I helped work on an aggression policy for our agility club and talked to an animal behaviorist and he said in the dog world staring is a very aggressive act. So people should try to prevent their dog from staring at other dogs.
No, it is more like Curly will hear Moe moving around the house and Curly will go to where he is. Occasionally Moe might be looking directly at Curly but as he is blind he doesn't realize it.
One thing I wonder about is I feed Curly once a day while I have to feed Moe twice a day due to his condition. Maybe Curly is jealous? Should I feed Curly at the same times (smaller portions) and maybe he will calm down?
Curly is insecure and Moe is an easy target. Moe should be crated when you are out - to protect him from the other dogs and to keep him from accidentally hurting himself.
You just need to establish a protocol for keeping them apart and yes, go with the spray bottle when you are home. At the very least, he will learn to behave in your presence.
If anything I would have to crate Curly since Moe needs to drink frequently and does sometimes urinate. He is really good about only peeing in the kitchen on towels I have laid out for him.
If anything I would have to crate Curly since Moe needs to drink frequently and does sometimes urinate. He is really good about only peeing in the kitchen on towels I have laid out for him.
Is there any way to put Moe's bed/crate in the kitchen and close it off the room from Curly when you aren't home? I agree with the spray bottle while at home.
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Is there any way to put Moe's bed/crate in the kitchen and close it off the room from Curly when you aren't home? I agree with the spray bottle while at home.
I guess I could buy a "baby gate" and seal off the kitchen. Good idea although I was hoping someone would have a behaviour modification idea for Curly.
I had much the same situation with my now deceased aged border collie and my younger bc.
My suggestions:
Protect Moe from Curly, but try to incorporate the separation as an organic part of your daily routine so that neither dog is made to feel that they are being banished or punished by the separation. If you go with a baby gate, I would be tempted to put Curly behind the baby gate, not Moe. My fear is that if you put Moe behind the baby gate in the kitchen, Curly can still snark at him and cause him distress, but if Moe is loose with Curly behind the baby gate, then Moe can go somewhere else in the house if Curly gets snarky.
What is the context for Curly getting snarky with Moe? For instance, is it at night when you are all settled in the living room and one dog or the other wants attention? Is it at feeding time? What is the context for these snark-fests?
I would make a point of putting their beds on separate ends of the living room, ideally out of eye contact with the other.
If you can catch that moment when you see Curly beginning to react to Moe, immediately walk between them (do not say anything to either dog) so that you are simultaneously walking between them and leaning into Curly to turn him away from Moe, then ask Curly to do something- sit, down, whatever, and then redirect him to another activity, area of the room, etc. This seems simple, but is very effective in enforcing that only good behavior is tolerated, and at the same time doesn't "punish" either dog, just redirects Curly. This "splitting" behavior as it is called is both a means of body blocking, interrupting undesirable behavior, and redirecting unwanted behavior.
Similarly, when you are engaged in an activity with them, stand between them- ask Curly to place himself on the opposite side of you from Moe so that you are body-blocking them.
Feed them separately, and keep toys picked up so that there aren't any squabbles about what belongs to whom- ok with fully able and functioning dogs, but not with a dog who needs to be protected.
I am not so big on the water bottle- better to try to interrupt the trigger causing the behavior and redirect. You want Curly to have good associations with Moe, and being sprayed with the water bottle would create a negative association and potentially cause more problems than it would solve. I would also worry that if Moe is "soft" that he might feel that the water bottle is directed toward his behavior.
My sense- from watching my own elderly blind border collie and my young boy, is that my younger boy was -frightened isn't the right word, but for lack of a better one- of my older boy's clumsy gait and body language that he interpreted as rude (even though my old boy never intended that). My older boy's physical ailments caused him to unknowingly exhibit uncertain and possibly rude body language. My young border collie also behaved the same way around an older foster border collie who was physically clumsy. Dogs read body language and when another dog's body language becomes confused or unreadable (e.g. a hesitant gait or blindness that looks like staring), it can be unsettling for the other dog and cause the other dog to react.
WOW I sorry But the WOW is I had Collies Born Blind! None of my dogs acted like this! They end up becoming Guide Dogs to the blind ones! I had one that used me as her Guide person But none would Fight or pick on them! Lucky for me I only get a blind pup every once in awhile. & I never had problems re-homing them. I never heard any one say their other dogs picked on them. As suggested Crate the Blind dog when not at home or rotate crate the other dog. But keep them apart don't leave them alone!
How about an ex-pen? More room for things like towels and I doubt a blind dog will jump out...
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But none would Fight or pick on them! Lucky for me I only get a blind pup every once in awhile. & I never had problems re-homing them. I never heard any one say their other dogs picked on them. As suggested Crate the Blind dog when not at home or rotate crate the other dog. But keep them apart don't leave them alone!
