Dogs Fighting - Help!

[siona]

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Hi there everyone, haven't been around for a while - been v busy moving house bringing up a puppy being pregnant and getting used to being a mummy!

Not sure if anyone will remember the initial pics of Talisker from this time last year as a gorgeous 6wk deerhound puppy, but he's now an even more gorgeous 35" tall 55kg deerhound puppy!

We ran into a bit of a problem yesterday - fergal (mostly greyhound lurcher, 29" 33kg, 3yr old) had a go at Talisker in the in-laws back garden - a bit of a kerfuffle ensued which resulted in fergal spending the night in hospital and having stitches to 6 big but superficial wounds around his neck.

The boys have had minor run-ins before at home and there is a bit of a power struggle going on at the minute as Talisker is getting older and wants to take over, Fergal usually backs down but yesterday was all brought on by him and he wasn't backing down - they had to be seperated by OH.

Am wondering if anyone can advise me - should we get Talisker neutered? I know that this will settle down when Fergal accepts that Talisker is higher up the pecking order than him but the problem is - will Fergal survive that long?

Am i being irresponsible by giving him a second chance?

I think the whole thing happened because we were at the in-laws house where Talisker has only been once or twice an so Fergal sees it as his territory - i don't think it will happen here but maybe that's wishful thinking!

Am only considering keeping Talisker intact because we would like to breed from him in future but am definitely happy to get him neutered if it is necessary.

Sorry for the long post, any thoughts will be greatly recieved - especially from some of you deerhound experts!

Thanx

Siona x

 

[Loopy]

I expect the heat is making both grumpy so maybe a one off.

I had my collie x lurcher done a couple of months ago at 11 months cos he was being a pain humping anydog & pushing his luck and he's gone back to being his old smiley happy go lucky self However my other hound is a spayed bitch so no real play for power involved.

I love deerhounds :wub:

 

[jembo]

Hi there everyone, haven't been around for a while - been v busy moving house bringing up a puppy being pregnant and getting used to being a mummy!
Not sure if anyone will remember the initial pics of Talisker from this time last year as a gorgeous 6wk deerhound puppy, but he's now an even more gorgeous 35" tall 55kg deerhound puppy!

We ran into a bit of a problem yesterday - fergal (mostly greyhound lurcher, 29" 33kg, 3yr old) had a go at Talisker in the in-laws back garden - a bit of a kerfuffle ensued which resulted in fergal spending the night in hospital and having stitches to 6 big but superficial wounds around his neck.

The boys have had minor run-ins before at home and there is a bit of a power struggle going on at the minute as Talisker is getting older and wants to take over, Fergal usually backs down but yesterday was all brought on by him and he wasn't backing down - they had to be seperated by OH.

Am wondering if anyone can advise me - should we get Talisker neutered?  I know that this will settle down when Fergal accepts that Talisker is higher up the pecking order than him but the problem is - will Fergal survive that long?

Am i being irresponsible by giving him a second chance?

I think the whole thing happened because we were at the in-laws house where Talisker has only been once or twice an so Fergal sees it as his territory - i don't think it will happen here but maybe that's wishful thinking!

Am only considering keeping Talisker intact because we would like to breed from him in future but am definitely happy to get him neutered if it is necessary.

Sorry for the long post, any thoughts will be greatly recieved - especially from some of you deerhound experts!

Thanx

Siona x

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

I am sure it is down to a territory thing. If Talisker is getting a bit full of himself he will go for a crack at being the dominant male. Maybe you could try to assert yourself as the dominant one and knock him down a peg or two, this is not easy but maybe worth a try. If it happens again even something minor then i would consider getting him done!

Good luck - let me know

Jem

 

[siona]

Thanx for your thoughts on the problem - things have been fairly quiet since Fergal got home y'day, the weather probably is part of the problem, Talisker is not coping well with the heat and spends most of his day lying on the slate floor in the kitchen at the minute.

it doesn't help that Fergal is pretty sure that he's not a dog and is quite offended at being asked to sleep on a bed on the floor with that dog rather than being on the sofa with us!!!

Talisker does seem to know that we are in charge - we always eat first, he is fairly obedient (for a deerhound!), it's just that he seems to feel the need to assert his authority over Fergal nonetheless.

The main problem at the minute is having to continually remind Fergal that he is injured and losely held together with bits of string and so really shouldn't be running about the garden like a march hare!

Siona x

 

[Macha]

I don't think neutering will solve the problem. I've talked with a couple of people who had there dogs neutered well into adulthood and it didn't cause the dogs to be less aggressive or domineering. And I have a lurcher who was neutered young (about 7 months) at a rescue centre, but tends to be dominant with other dogs and although he is alright with his kennel mate who knows the neutered one is ruler of the canine pack, he can get very stroppy with dogs we meet on our exercise runs.

 

[fallenangel]

you need to watch the closley and fined out who realy is the dominta of the 2 dogs its sometimes not as odvius as it seams but once you know you must kep the order your the tip dog but next in line must be feed before the lowest dog and keep the pecking order in everything you do feed first strock forst let of lead first. dont get into thinking its not far on the lowst dog as they dont do fair they do pack ored and if you keep it it should help. but as i said before studdy carfully who toe boss is of them both cos if you get it wrong it will make things worres.

i had 3 greyhounds all viying for boss here till I got a string will greyhound bitch and they were all soon put in there places well woman are allways the boss realy :lol:

good luck i hope you sort everything out

 

[siona]

It is quite tough to work it out, i think they both think they're in charge at the minute! Talisker has gradually been trying to assert his authority but Fergal hasn't completed relinquished it and still asserts himself at times although he has been much more submissive since Sunday - he tends to have a short memory though so don't know how long it will last. Talisker is still very young (15mths) so i suppose that's why he is still happy not to be in full control, he tends to wait until Fergal pushes him TOO far before he loses it and puts him back in his box!

 

[bappit]

Hi Siona, I do remember the pics of Talisker as a pup in arms and hope that motherhood is treating you kindly (what'd you have? sorry, just being nosey! :b ).

I'm no canine behaviour expert by any means so can only chuck in my thoughts on the problem with the fighting, based on experience of my own and mates dogs over the years in the hope that its of some use to you :thumbsup:

What i'm thinking on is there are quite a few factors at play here, apart from the heat, three main one's occur to me:

1) Talisker is getting to the bolshy teenager stage that all young dogs (not just dogs come to think of it :- " )seem to go through.

2) Both dogs have had to adjust to a change in the pecking order with the arrival of the baby, perhaps Fergal more so as he was probably allowed a position in the pack of you and your OH which was quite comfortable, but there has been a fair bit of upheaval and change with the introduction of Talisker, your move, and the birth of the young'un...resulting in his 'special' position being eroded-no longer allowed in bedroom/on sofa etc., so I'd guess he will be viewing ways of moving up the pack again.

3) I would'nt be as fast to assume that Fergal will end up the 'underdog' of the two, "its not the size of the dog,..." dont overlook that! Besides which as a lurcher I'll wager he possesses a cunning and survival instinct, which is not found in many pure bred deerhounds. As Talisker matures they will, i'm sure find their way around each other, to live in relative harmony.

I can only guess perhaps that Fergal chose your in-laws place as a kind of neutral ground for a 'square go'? Personally I would NOT be quick to have him neutered, as I feel its not going to solve the issue for you. I dont know in their odd skirmishes at home if you or you OH have intervened? Best to let let them sort it out themselves-i know it can sound very heated, but it usually is a handbags job :b ...they do find a natural order of things, a good shouting at the both of them with no blame (no cuddling/spoiling or attention given of the one the appeared to come off worst, or any favours given to the one that 'started it') just a "Your both a pair of _______________(insert appropriate word :- " ) get out of my sight/to your beds!" will suffice :sweating: (alright i deliver one kick to both arses at that point i admit it works for me...must admit, but if your not comfortable with that stick to the shouting).

Anyway thats my thruppence worth (got a lot more pre-decimalisation see :lol: ), I really appreciate its been upsetting for you - just give them a little time to learn its you and OH thats boss( :lol: well i'm not really going to comment on that that's up to yourselves-just present a united front of your putting up with no sh*t from either of them.)

All the best

Sheena

 

[siona]

Hi Sheena,

thanx for all the advice - am a wee bit scared, think u must be some sort of mind reader! All of the above is a pretty accurate summary of what's been going on. I do try to remeber what a tough time Fergal has had over the past year - his whole comfy wee world really has kinda fallen apart, but it's easy to forget because he has generally coped so well - and frankly things are better for him now than they were back then - i just don't think he always sees it like that.

I do keep trying to remind him that he should be greatful for the puppy that we got him to play with in his new back garden, but he's not convinced!!!

Now that things have calmed down have realised that neutering won't solve the problem and that they have to sort things out for themselves - don't think was ever seriously considering it, just panicked a bit at the time.

Anyway things are pretty calm here at the minute, fingers crossed it'll stay that way!

ps Had a wee boy, Zack - 5months old now

Siona x