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Visiting from local board - little dog agression question
What do we do about a little dog-on-dog agression? Can he be taught that the other dog is part of the family also?
My parents got a 3yr old springer spaniel named Sparky who is very sweet and nice to us adults and the kids. When introduced to our 9 yr old lab named Taj, Sparky ran right up to Taj and wagged his tail and even tried to play for about 5 min when they first met. However, about 20-min later Sparky was laying under the table (with multiple ways out - round table in large room) but my dad was sitting at the table and started growling for what we thought was no reason since my lab was 20-ft away laying down. My dad (Sparky's owner), said, "No, growling, Sparky."
Then about 5-min later when I Taj walked over toward me, Sparky came out from under the table and started a fight with Taj. It wasn't really too serious b/c it was easy for me and DH to pull apart and they are both 75lb dogs. I think Sparky was just testing out where he fits in the family with another dog who comes in and is comfortable in his house.
My dad and I believe he that they can figure it out since he was fine and playful - puppy-like actually - when he first met Taj. Plus after we broke up the fight, Taj was nervous, but Sparky just laid down under the table again and took a nap - not really a sign that he was trying too hard to be aggressive or territorial. Aren't they just trying to figure out where each fits in our family pack? How do we encourage them to figure that out without fighting too much and be able to see each other a few days per week. We also will be having them stay together in the same house when any of us go on vacation.
Any advice or books to read on this that have good techniques to introduce dogs to living with each other? There are some trainers in town, but from what the shelter director said he doesn't know if many of them do much more than puppy training classes or hunting dog training. There is a shelter behaviorist, but he's really busy and sounds like he's booked for 3 weeks and we'll have them together again this week.
Are you united with the CCOKCs?
Re: Visiting from local board - little dog agression question
It sounds like Sparky could be resource guarding-that resource being people (your dad, you, etc). Mine! by Jean Donaldson is a great book that addresses this issue, and can be found for fairly cheap on Amazon.
If you haven't yet, google Nothing in Life is Free aka NILIF-its a training technique that IMO is great at teaching a dog boundaries on what is and is not appropriate/acceptable behavior.
Try to get Sparky a visit with the shelter behaviorist or another behaviorist near you...and in the meantime, if you're going over your parents with Taj again this weekend I would suggest you keep leashes on both of them so that its (hopefully) easier to separate them if you see any issues arise. And honestly, if you see any issues come up (Sparky growling, a fight starting, etc.) separate them right away and keep them separated, whether its by tethering the dogs to different people using the leashes or by using baby gates to keep them separated. We had some people resource guarding issues with our pit mix after we adopted him, and Target's $10 baby gates were a lifesaver as he was learning what behavior would and would not get his butt put in time out or when our dogs just needed a break from one another.
Ditto the NILIF and "Mine!" recommendations. Also, even though they technically already met, I would recommend introducing them on neutral territory (i.e. not your house or your parents' house; instead, try a nearby park or something where neither of them will "guard" the location) and taking them for a walk together so they can get used to each other's presence in a calm, non-confrontational setting.
NILIF has really been great for my two dogs (we adopted our second about 18 months ago). Both of them understand that DH and I make the rules and that if one dog breaks a rule, we will handle it, so they don't have to "discipline" each other. We have had very few scuffles, but when it happens, any toy/treat is removed from the situation entirely, and they are both sent to their beds (their "places") for a time out. I will say that I allow normal warning signals like a growl to encourage them to communicate with each other, but anything more is immediately stopped, and we monitor all of their interactions very closely. GL!