I have 5 Rat Terriers living in my house...they range in age from 8mos.to 3yrs. I let them outside quite a few times a day and they usually stay in the backyard. Because I have been busy bottle feeding puppies and we have had extreme weather I haven't been going out with them and now they have started going out front and going a few feet from my male black lab and barking and growling at him so he lunges on his chain at them. He will be a yr old in march and is fixed. He did break the chain once and he chases them..he did not hurt any but they sound like he was I just opened the door and got them inside then tied him back up. They get along fine with the 2 big dogs they live with in the house ..what has caused this? What do you reccomend? I had somebody laugh at me when I told them ..they thought it was cute..small dogs teasing a big dog..I'm afraid someone is going to get hurt. Thanks and I appreciate this site and your answers
to be honest, it sounds like you have more dogs than you can watch.
our household has a chiuaha, and two GSD/malamutes. none of them play together unless someone is there to watch, ever. if our dogs were to run around with each other by themselves, they'd probably start displaying pack behaviour and trying to assign ranks to each other - i never let them do this.
having your smaller dogs running around "teasing" the lab while he's tethered is - in my very inexperienced opinion - a recipe for disaster. i'm of the opinion tethering a dog for any length of time (i'm under the impression he lives on a chain?) messes with their head to begin with, and then you have the frustration as well? i bet if you leave things as they are, he kills or injures one of your dogs within a couple of years.
personally, i'd keep the smaller dogs seperated from the larger dog by a decent fence, preferably one they can't see through. correct any "fence running" by any dog, and i'd really try figure out a way to get that lab off a chain.
I agree that the little dogs need to separated from the lab, and the lab needs to be off the chain. After that, first things first, how much exercise do your dogs get? I know the rat terriers are little, but they still need to burn off some energy.
I wouldn't leave the little ones with the lab unattended. I have a manchester terrier who started getting snarky with my vizsla mix, and she's been attached to me at the hip ever since so I can be there to correct her when she bugs him. She's now pretty well behaved, but I still watch her like a hawk.
Obviously you can't tether 5 rat terriers to you, but you need to come up with a system where if the lab and the rat terriers are interacting - you're there to supervise and you have control of the situation. As the pack leader, it's your job to keep everyone in line and make sure nobody's being harassed.
Sandy Moore Webboard User Reg: 07-25-2006
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The only thing that struck me about the situation is that you said the weather has been extreme so you don't go out with them, yet your single coated lab is outside on a chain?
Sorry, I don't get it.
Does your lab at least have a dog house well insulated to take shelter in?
Then on top of that the other dogs are teasing him?
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My Little Dogs are harassing my Big Lab..HELP?
#129872 - 02/18/2007 10:44 PM 
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