Dog on dog possesive aggression.

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Willza

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My older, neutered female, Malamute is very possesive toward my younger, male pup which is still only 14 weeks old.

The two (after a few initial teething problems) get on fine and play together under almost all circumstances in fact she can be quite tolerant of his rambunctious puppy behaviour, however whenever a valuable toy such as a stuffed kong comes into play things can very quickly turn ugly.

Most people have suggested this is in a dog's nature, especially for this breed, and to just avoid situations where (very one sided) conflict might occur - to which I would have to mostly agree.

There has however now been a fairly serious incident where the older has attacked the younger when this rule has been accidentally broken by my dog walker (who I might add here is totally not at fault and has been thoroughly proffesional about the situation, it was just murphies law something had the potential to go wrong and eventually it did).

I am now left in a situation where I need advice on techniques that address specifically Dog on Dog possesion agression (she would never dream of being possesive towards a person).

Does anyone have any techniques or pointers here? (asidefrom the obvious as I have already booked a behaviour specialist who has been well recommended)
 
It is indeed very natural bahaviour, a dog will fight to defend it's posessions/food.
I never leave any younger dogs with elders with food/treats, an elder dog can do to much damage and I dont feel easy with the whole elder dog wont hurt baby dog, becase some will but some most certainly will not. I do neither discourage any dog warning another off it's food when another dives right into another bowl, it's part of the learning curve, it's survival for a dog. If the dog is likely to do damage I will then reprimand the thieving dog mself, but if I have a dog who will just give a warnning like my rotti then so be it. The akita would just decapitate said thief:D

I can leave my kennel dogs akita and deerhound to eat dinner together and walk off, deerhound takes ages but akita will not steal she knows she would be in trouble and she respects the awld fella:D same with house dogs, bones e,t,c would prob be different and although a fight wouldn't break out because my dogs know who they can and can't push around in the pack;) and can be trusted to take their boned slink off and eat and leave the otherd well alone, and the can when im home, but not when im not.
The akita for one will never/has never been challenged for anything, dogs know she is not to be messed with, this is why crates re a god send, so they can have treats seperated.
You just always have to remember to gather the empty kongs/bones up and box them ready for next time.
The pup does not yet realise that he cannot simply try and "take" or try and eat what the elder has but when they mature and understand the pack structure a bit more "i.e the bitch is top dog and prob always will be" he will back away and you will eventually beable to at the least feed them together without fights an allow them treats supervised but maybe never when unsupervised.
 
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So do you guys think that I shouldn't be trying to lessen the agressive reaction the older one has as towards the younger?

Instead I should just be trying to educate those around me what is and isn't sensible when feeding my dogs? (I say others as I have had no problems myself for a some weeks now and consider the problem to be one caused by others feeding my dogs without paying enough attention to the issue - I seem be able to catch the agression and nip it in the bud or stop the pup from acting too dumb and walking into a fight situation before it happens).
 
Willza said:
So do you guys think that I shouldn't be trying to lessen the agressive reaction the older one has as towards the younger?

Instead I should just be trying to educate those around me what is and isn't sensible when feeding my dogs? (I say others as I have had no problems myself for a some weeks now and consider the problem to be one caused by others feeding my dogs without paying enough attention to the issue - I seem be able to catch the agression and nip it in the bud or stop the pup from acting too dumb and walking into a fight situation before it happens).
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Exactly that, you know your dogs best, you do what you manage and find best, but dont allow others to, they may not be as compitent as you and you will only worry when u are not there.
Def dissuade aggression from the elder but not when she is eating something and the pup tries to get it, distract the pup or give pup same treat in his crate. I personally shove the pupp away and give an "ah ah" leave to teach its not to go to the bowl.
 
I wouldn't let anyone else have a say in feeding my dogs. Especially as one is wheat intolerant and I have caught well meaning people feeding him biccies and sandwiches :o

You will learn to read the warning signs and step in BEFORE things start getting out of hand, verbally or with a distraction.
 
Thanks guys this has been helpful, it has kind of confirmed that I'm on the right track.

I haven't had a problem myself with the issue for weeks now, to me it's entirely predictable because it's food/kong related and I seem to be able to nip it in the bud before it gets out of hand by correcting the older one for over reacting or scolding the pup for gibbering and cavorting near the older one when food is being prepared. If I feel things are unmanageable or I dont have the time for it then they are separated, with the dominant older one allowed to wait in the kitchen while I prep the food and the pup crated.

The problem is when well meaning others have prepared kongs in the other room thinking that the dogs in the next room will be fine. Unfortunately this isn't the case, the dogs know what you are doing, and they are actually being left unsupervised in a potentially aggressive situation.

I'm struggling now to justify to my partner why I have insisted on a new puppy when we knew the older one was possesive. I still feel it was the right choice and that we are identifying and ironing out problems as we go - we've come on really far since we first got him. But I do worry that she is right and that if this happens again the pup might end up with something more serious than a couple of staples.

Ho hum. If only I could work from home then this wouldn't have happened.
 
You have received some very good advice, from experts, I only want to add that my sister has exactly the same problem with her two JR's. Both bitches, they cannot have toys or bones etc, or they will fight pretty much instantly (and seriously). She feeds them from their own bowls and she cannot leave food down. The dogs live happily so long as she sticks to these rules.

I currently have a small lurcher and a whippet (bitches) and have had as many as 5, and never experienced these problems, I leave a bowl of food down constantly, I do not think I have done anything clever, it's just that my dogs are pretty laid back types.

I only wanted you to realise, you are not the only person this happens to.
 
Just had a chat with the behaviour specialist (more letters after her name than you can shake a stick at!) : She mostly echoed what the others here have been saying (I know Cayla and Cavecanim are really experienced in these things so it's hardly surprising!)

She said - It will be very difficult if at all possible to change the older dog's ways, continue to separate both whenever the kongs are involved or even remove them from the situation entirely, then make sure that everyone who feeds the dogs knows exactly their routine and the consequences of doing it wrong.

She even went as far as to say that she would not be needed in this situation, pretty good really considering she could have milked it like other dog trainers have in the past.
 
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