Re: aggression toward other dogs

In Reply to: aggression toward other dogs
Posted by:  Shari
Posted on:  May 22, 2001 at 01:27:03

: I have recently moved from OH to NM. Not much jrt action her. More pitbulls & chows. My male (Babe) just turned 5. My female (Sassy) is 4. I have bred them 3 times. Moved here , had her fixed soon. Didn't really want to, but work a lot of hours & though it would help as far as the landlords dog went. He's a big dog! Maybe yellow lab mixed with a bigger dog. Even with Sass fixed my male thinks he's 150 lbs not 15 lbs. He starts fights. I was at a friends who has a pit bull, they all appeared to be getting along fine. Not Babe started afight, ended up at the vet with 8 stiches & drain tube, really deep. This was mother's day. I thought they were getting alone here with this big dog. I have them fenced in they're own area, only let them out when I can supervise. I can't turn my back when Babe (new name Houdini)Manages to get out. This morning I like to died, the big dog had him by the neck, hair flying, Babe flying in air. I was right there broke it up. Took 45 min to get him out from under the bed to check the damage. Can't believe he wasn't ripped open again. He's very sore. He goes in tomorrow to get last weeks stitches out, they can check him out better then. I can't take watching my Babe die like that & he will if he continues. There's no rescue here. I hate to separate them, & send him back to OH. I don't know what to do. Won't matter if I move, everyone has dogs here, it would just be another dog. He's always been around lots of people & dogs. He don't like it here. Please if anyone can help me, advice, or live out here, something. I'm about to have a nervous breakdown. I love these guys!!!

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Shari,

This is the price you pay for having an intact male dog. I don't know what to tell you, other than I'm sorry you weren't made aware of this long ago. Those of us who have dogs that we breed just deal with this kind of thing as a fact of life. I have a beautifully tempered male who just recently turned from Jeckyl to Hyde when I brought a male into the house to breed to one of my females. All I can say is thank goodness I have adequate rooms in the house, and fenced in yard to keep these two separated at all times until the visiting male returns to his owner.

If you choose to not neuter a male dog at the appropriate, young age, you run the risk of this kind of problem. All you can do now is stop allowing your dog to be in situations where he could hurt another dog or be hurt. Don't trust any dog and don't trust your dog. It's better to be safe than sorry. Neutering now may settle him down a little, but at this point, now that he's started being aggressive, there are no guarantees.

Jane