How to get 2 boys to get along?

F

Farma

Well-Known Member
Joined
17 March 2010
Messages
2,107
Visit site
I have an 18month old JRT x Chihuahua (mainly jack) and my sister bought a parsons jack who is around 9 months now(much bigger than my dog already). We thought it would be nice to be able to take them for walks together, look after each others when we go out, work etc etc but they do not get on whatsoever. They both get on fine with other male & female dogs but not each other.

They are both our 1st dogs so neither of us are experienced dog people and we keep getting so much conflicting advise about how to deal with it, some people say leave them to it to resolve it but they fight terribly and neither will back down and obviously we dont want our dogs to get hurt and other people say get in the middle be the 'pack leader' and stop them.

Any advise is most welcome.:)
 
1st, they need lots of neutral contact, so a few weeks of daily walks together but on a lead.
Then I would do the out for walks and off lead and see how they react where there are other things to focus on.
Is one worse than the other would you say? where are they when the squabbling takes place, on a walk? on a lead? in the house?
The most important thing when they are together is never panic and fuss and never scoop one up or grab one, you are far better off correcting the aggressor/one to make the first aggressive move(they must be aware that you are very much aware of their next move), a check and a "ahh ahh" or "NO"! but this has to be done in a firm manner like it is meant!, as it is afterall a reprimand that there is a consiquence for the unwanted action.
 
Thankyou for taking the time to reply, that makes sense and yes they are very good in neutral ground ie on a walk so will def practise this alot more before we put them together again. x
 
Do you think they will actually fight? My dogs are quite grumpy on the lead, when i say grumpy i mean hair up and looking scary... i find if i let them play with other dogs off the lead they are so happy and if there is a bit of heirarchy i tend to let them sort it out themselves, BUT would never recommend this if you actually thought they would have a proper set to!
 
Devonshire dumpling said:
Do you think they will actually fight? My dogs are quite grumpy on the lead, when i say grumpy i mean hair up and looking scary... i find if i let them play with other dogs off the lead they are so happy and if there is a bit of heirarchy i tend to let them sort it out themselves, BUT would never recommend this if you actually thought they would have a proper set to!
Click to expand...

Well this is the problem they start off just really rough play and persistent humping and then you hear them switch to full on fighting and it sounds really aggressive.

My dog is practically always off the lead and will always play and say hi to other dogs and I never see him display this behaviour other than with my sisters dog.

Before my sister got her dog she used to look after my dog on his own at her house - do you think that my dog sees her house as his territory still?

Neither dog is neutered.
 
I reckon you would be fairly safe to let them play offlead in a field..... especially as it starts off as play... my terriers play together and ppl are always asking me if they are fighting, its so noisy and aggressive sounding, it does often end in tears when one bites the others willy, he will flip, bowl the other over and stand over his throat while the other is submissive, they then go their seperate ways and are friends.... so literally play rough, ends in tears and one sorts the other out, but they have never bitten each other, just very very rough play!

Hard to say without seeing them, I would be mortified if I suggested this and one ripped the other apart!!

Dogs on leads are so different and yes react differently on their own territory... I had someone let there stupid bouncing lab puppy into my garden, it was twice the sixze of the terriers, they humped it and showed dominance, then played with it, puppy got rough so they told it off and made it submit, then puppy ignored growling so it got a nip.... from then on it didn't ignore growling and learn its boundaries, ie it could play but not jump on the dogs... now i could never have taught the puppy this, this was something an older dog had to teach it.. does any of this make sense??

XX
 
Thanks that does make sense , the trouble is when they start to fight we dont know how far it will go, so do we leave them and found out or intervene?
I think the idea of them being in a neutral environment sounds sensible and maybe get the adjusted to each other better before they go to each others houses again?
 
Well today my sister and I took them both to the woods let them off and did an hour walk with them being total angels together!!! So I think a few more times of doing this and then try indoors again! Yay ...so happy :):):)
 
Try the walks on a daily basis for the weeks ahead, try not to let time lapse between these initial walks. Sometimes when dogs are not meeting on a frequent basis then a one off meet and greet will normally start with the whole "who are you again" and sniffing, humping and grappling start, so keeping them in constant contact is the key, I would also maybe think about castration for both if you are not intending to breed.
Ps, No, personally I would not allow 2 dogs to sort one another and fight it out, I would always step in.
 
Thanks Cayla, 1 of them is due to be castrated next month (my sisters) so I hope that will also help.
It was very encouraging today so we will be sure to keep that up for a while and consistently before we let them back indoors together.
Many thanks for the advice xx
 
'Dogs fight for breeding rights & bitches fight for breathing rights' is the oft perceived wisdom. In other words, boys are all mouth and no trousers..........it sounds horrendous, but.......and yours are both terriers, so likely to be doubly so! :D

HOWEVER, without witnessing them it is impossible to say if this is the case or whether yours are an exception.

Personally, I allow all my dogs to rough-house but step in with an 'enough' command when I think things are getting OTT; this precedes their whistle 'stop' cue for place your bum on the floor NOW! All of mine have good bite inhibition.......so, train for this, train for the 'stop' and pick neutral ground as already advised. Use diversionary tactics if necessary. Keep up the socialisation for both with other dogs............they are too close in age to have a 'natural' unconfrontational hierarchy...........ie a 4 year old male taking precedence over a 11 month male. It is something you need to work through.........personally, in my opinion and experience, it comes down to training and not castration.
 
Thanks for the reply, that is very interesting, I do take my dog to training and agility, which initially I did to teach me how what to do but have progressed and my dog is doing well at the agility aspect(although he often has to wait for me to catch up lol). He is very obedient thanks to that training.
My sisters dog hasnt been to any training whatsoever, she is now considering this also as he is rather wayward to say the least, possibly this combined with the castration will be the answer. Either way after todays success I feel more positive that the eventual outcome will be a positive one.
Many thanks for all the replies, Im very grateful and look forward to having the 2 dogs together as **friends** maybe ...If all goes to plan! Thanks again guys xx
 
Abe and Bryn sound like they are killing each other when they play.
They both just have just really rough play styles.

Not saying that this is what yours are doing but it may be worth you looking online at dog body language pictures?

Not sure if you can get it there but i have a book called Canine Body Language: A Photographic Guide, by Brenda Aloff (picked it up in a charity shop for 50p) and its wonderful.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top