Re: Other Dogs

In Reply to: Other Dogs
Category:   Aggression
Posted by:  Stephanie Byington
Posted on:  May 28, 2002 at 14:25:40

: I have an 11 month old Jack Russell. He has always gotten a long with other dogs and plays with them and has been totally fine. Well now with my boyfriend's dogs (walker hounds) he seems to be showing aggression toward them. But then I had him around friend's dog and he was fine. So I am not sure. We are looking for another puppy for my son, we are trying to adopt one, but I am not sure how that will go over with him. We have a puppy walker hound female on hold thinking that a puppy might be better than an older dog. Can you help in anyway to try and understand his little man syndrome?

Response:

Hi Stephanie,

Sometimes it's hard to determine what sets a dog off to disliking another but liking some.

If your JRT is not neutered I would strongly suggest getting him neutered. This should help to lessen any aggressive tendancies.

A lot too has to do with how a dog is introduced to another dog. Introductions should always be done on neutral territory, somewhere away from your home. Your backyard is not neutral territory so you have to make sure it's a place that your dog doesn't feel like it's his.

If you decide to add a puppy you will have to be very vigilant and watch how the two interact. Never leave the pup alone with the JRT unattended.

There is a hierarchy in the dog world. One dog is going to be dominant over the other. Many people make the mistake of interfering with this process. Once they establish their pecking order it's important to go along with it. Whoever is higher in pack order is the one to get fed first, petted first, etc. Many people make the mistake of overcompensating to the "underdog" this usually leads to bigger fights, as the more dominant dog sees his position being usurped. The kindest thing you can do for the "beta" dog is to treat him just as that, second in line. This will ease the pressure on him and believe me he will be happy to know his place in the pack. Dog's don't think like we do and while we may think the underdog is being slighted and sad this is just not the case.