December 30, 2013
My dog has started attacking one of my other dogs who has heart problems. I'm afraid my dog is going to kill the other dog. What would you suggest I do?
Full Question:
I am looking for some guidance as to what type of training my dog needs. I have a female miniature Schnauzer/Maltese mix that will be 2 in January. She has recently began attacking our 11 year old poodle (also female). The poodle is sick with heart problems and the attacks on her are becoming more frequent. Millie, the mixed breed, also chases the cats and tries to go after them but not in the aggressive nature that she has with the poodle. The poodle now trembles when Millie is anywhere near her. We have a dog that is 9 years old (also female) but we have not had a problem with Millie attacking her. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I am afraid my dog is going to kill the poodle. I should also specify the older 2 dogs are my parents' dogs and I moved in with my parents with Millie about 9 months ago. When we first moved in all was fine. Not sure if that information is important. Thank you. 
Ed's Answer:
I do not want to offend you and I certainly don’t mean to insult you, but this is more of a common sense owner problem than a dog problem.
Fixing a good deal of your issues comes down to proper management. I recently produced a short video on Management for one of our recent newsletters. It’s free to watch if you can watch streaming video on your computer. I suggest you watch it. Good management is just as important as good obedience training when it comes to living with a dog.
Your concern about this dog killing the other dog are well justified. I have a file full of emails about a family dog killing another family dog. When this happens, it is always the owners fault for not managing their dogs properly.
Get dog crates and use them. Get this dog on leash in the house and keep it on leash. You own a dog pack, three dogs is a dog pack, and it is not uncommon for one dog to turn on an older, sick dog. Can you imagine being 85 years old in a nursing home and another resident is attacking you for no reason? Sounds pretty horrible doesn’t it?
I wrote an article titled How to Introduce a New Dog into a Home with Other Dogs. If you read it you will see some of the mistakes you have made. http://leerburg.com/articles.htm This two year old dog is going through maturity. It’s time that you step up and establish some rules with the dog. The first rule is to stay away from these other dogs or you will go into your dog crate.
If you care to learn how to properly manage the dog here are a couple of DVDs I have produced:
Establishing Pack Structure with the Family Dog
Dealing with Dominant and Aggressive Dogs
The bottom line is I give you credit for looking for answers. The ball is in your court now and you need to do what is necessary to now only train this dog, but manage the dog so it doesn’t kill this older dog and believe me it can happen.
As I said, I don’t have a lot of time to sweet talk this issue. I love old dogs. They deserve good care and to live out their lives in a home they feel safe in.
Regards,
Ed Frawley
Fixing a good deal of your issues comes down to proper management. I recently produced a short video on Management for one of our recent newsletters. It’s free to watch if you can watch streaming video on your computer. I suggest you watch it. Good management is just as important as good obedience training when it comes to living with a dog.
Your concern about this dog killing the other dog are well justified. I have a file full of emails about a family dog killing another family dog. When this happens, it is always the owners fault for not managing their dogs properly.
Get dog crates and use them. Get this dog on leash in the house and keep it on leash. You own a dog pack, three dogs is a dog pack, and it is not uncommon for one dog to turn on an older, sick dog. Can you imagine being 85 years old in a nursing home and another resident is attacking you for no reason? Sounds pretty horrible doesn’t it?
I wrote an article titled How to Introduce a New Dog into a Home with Other Dogs. If you read it you will see some of the mistakes you have made. http://leerburg.com/articles.htm This two year old dog is going through maturity. It’s time that you step up and establish some rules with the dog. The first rule is to stay away from these other dogs or you will go into your dog crate.
If you care to learn how to properly manage the dog here are a couple of DVDs I have produced:
Establishing Pack Structure with the Family Dog
Dealing with Dominant and Aggressive Dogs
The bottom line is I give you credit for looking for answers. The ball is in your court now and you need to do what is necessary to now only train this dog, but manage the dog so it doesn’t kill this older dog and believe me it can happen.
As I said, I don’t have a lot of time to sweet talk this issue. I love old dogs. They deserve good care and to live out their lives in a home they feel safe in.
Regards,
Ed Frawley
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