Just short: I made a very bad experience today. That's why I chose the motto with which I sign below. I had too many problems today, so i'll explain myself a few days later. But if anyone has good advices, experiences, links etc. in this direction It would be great. Dog-Dog-Aggression problems again with Slippie.
Thanks!

Since this has happened before it's probably a good idea to keep them separated of it will probably happen again.

Yes, Bob, this i was doing for a long time. Then I started slowly to let Charlie free while I had Slippie on-leash. While I was training Charlie I had Slippie tethered on the other side of the house in order not to trigger jealousy

As all went well I allowed them to be free. After training sessions all 4 liked to rest in an open garage and this without the slightest problem for months. They all were always very relaxed.

In the evenings at bedtime after they have gone on command into their kennels I usually add a very short exercise session and reward them with a few treats. In the mornings I used to open the kennels and Slippie followed me. Once I noticed that Charlie had not taken all of the treats. Slippie must have smelled it, run into and ate them, but without doing anything to Charlie.

Since then she always wanted to enter that kennel, but I forbid it. I put her in asit stay and then walked with her away to the the training spot, all without problem.

But this time I had forgotten my bait bag on a very near spot. I turned my back for a moment and she immediately ran direction Charlie's kennel. i saw him coming out and she wanted to enter and then attacked him. Socks heard Charlie's squeaking and attacked too. It was so awful.

I screamed out of shock and in order to call my husband, I know I should have kept calm, but how in such a moment? I took the next useful thing, a broom and he came and helped with a broom too. We succeeded to separate them and I put them in their kennels for a timeout of about an hour. This part I did calmly, not in the sense of punishment.

Charlie was bleeding badly on both ears and and on the legs. We now have a Vet quite near to us and he came within 15 minutes. Fortunately the wounds were not all that bad as I first thought, not deep, he didn't need to sew, just gave antibiotics, an anti-inflammatory and a spray against insects. He will come again today to check.

I know it is all my fault, I stupid goose. I could slap myself. You can all tell me off, I'll not feel offended, I have allowed them to be free together much too early. I let myself be decieved by Slippie's calmness towards Charlie and thought she had definately accepted him. She is a good dog on the whole and I do love her not less than before. But what concerns those attacks I will never ever trust her again. I will keep them apart now for ever.

Each attack from her had the same type of trigger, either food or attention/affection towards him. I also know there must be a big lack of leadership and I will have to work on this generally. (not in the hope to be able to allow them together again).

I ask myself, if I should limit generally Slippies freedom in the yard and increase it gradually dependent on her behavior. I also ask myself, if I should work more with timeouts for any misbehavior, also for not obeying a command, provided she knows it perfectly. This I mean not only for Slippie, for all of them. Would this be too stern, too rigorous?

I want them to learn better that first of all I as their usual handler is in change for everything, or in my absence my husband or our gardenkeeper.

I'd appreciate every opinion, everything you have to say about this. It will help me to think it all over in principle.

Christina, six years ago, my hubris and naivety, resulted in my 18 month old pup being put to sleep after repeated attacks on Kaiser, to this day, I can't forget that time, I will never forgive myself, and the guilt keeps me awake at night. I'm not going to go over it in detail, because I can't talk about it without breaking down, but I want you to know, your situation won't get better, the dogs will never reconcile their differences, and eventually, you will have a dead dog on your conscience.

For the sake of the dog that keeps being attacked, please, please don't allow this situation to continue, it's miserable for both the dogs, and so unfair to Charlie to have him repeatedly experiencing this pain and fear.

Ditto to Tracey. You cannot change the situation, you can only handle it. Slippie needs to be kept away from dogs period, and so does the other dog who jumps in when the excitement starts.
They are reactive, and will always be reactive when allowed to control their own situations! If it keeps upn you may even start to see problems with Charlie from being bullied and attacked, he can very well turn reactive or fearful. You are messing with a dangerous situation, when you continue try to force the dogs to get along. All dogs need to be leashed, kept away from eachother, and never be fed together, and if need be I would put a muzzle on Slippie. They are not cruel, and will stop actual bites.
If you are worried about the yard, build a pen for the dogs, but do not let them run together! I would put Slippie in an opposite side of the house, kennels should be split into different rooms. It is a life change you don't have much of a choice to make, unless you are willing to rehome Slippie.

Thank you Tracey for your honest answer. I'm 100% of your opinion now. It was a big mistake to believe I could over time change Slippie. I do not blame her. It is not her mistake to be as she is.

I must say that under those circumstances it was pure luck that Charlie wasn't hurt more. But it is already enough what he has had to go through. I don't know how I would cope with all this if he was injured more severly or even killed.

I will go on trying to gain more leadership, but for general reasons. I will not again be as blindfold to believe I can change such incredible characteristics. I can't understand why she reacts like this. On walks she never tried to attack other dogs. I believe it is kind of terroriality or dominance or both. But searching for understanding will not help here, only strict management/prevention.

I'm sorry you had to through that nightmare you described. I'm already having nightmares about what happened to Charlie. Though he is recovering physically, to overcome his shock I know he'll need much more time. He seemed to be so selfconfident. If not he would not have joined the other dogs in the garage. I'll do everything to make him regain his selfconfidence, but of course never again in this manner.

Thanks again so much for sharing your experience and knowledge.

Thanks to you too, Becky. I think we were writing at the same time.

I also agree with you. Socks, the other Pit, will be kept away when Slippie is free. She never attacked the other ones by herself, it was always a support of her sister. She plays with the other ones in a very friendly fun manner.

Charlie, I think, would never be reactive, but very fearful yes. I say "not reactive" because he hasn't got the capacity to defend himself at all.

About the yard I'm not worried at all. We have already "sacrified" a big part of it for the kennels. They are big, split in an indoor and outdoor part. The dogs like to be in there and can easily spend hours there, provided they've also got enough time to waste energy.

It is all more a question of organisation and of insight from my part. No more imagination of being able to change Slippie.

Slippie is muzzle trained, because I wanted her and also the other dogs to be used to a muzzle in case it would necessary in an emergency situation (Vet, car accident ...) But what refers to this specific situation I prefer to separate them, because even with a muzzle Slippie could frighten Charlie awfully. With her force she'd knock him down easily, although of course she could not hurt him that much. But I want now absolute prevention.

Even in a muzzle Slippie could still create a lot of stress on Charlie with ANY attack regardless if there are bites or not.

I know, Bob, once something triggers her rage, she would be able to harm and terrorize him awfully. Although she has left him in peace for a long time and I have thought to have removed and avoided all possible triggers I see now how easily one can overlook something. For me strict separation as you said will be the only solution.

 Quote: Christina Stockinger

I know, Bob, once something triggers her rage, she would be able to harm and terrorize him awfully. Although she has left him in peace for a long time and I have thought to have removed and avoided all possible triggers I see now how easily one can overlook something. For me strict separation as you said will be the only solution.

Yes, I agree 100%. We as pack leaders can't allow a pack member to be terrorized .... for all the obvious reasons, but also, crucially, not to show pack members that there is no leadership at the
top -- that pack members are on their own to be afraid and to protect themselves alone (or, barring that ability, to suffer).