Mums dog has taken a severe disliking to my dog?!

[silverbreeze]

My mum has a 6 year old full male spaniel who with people is a complete softy but has been known to take a disliking to another dog but, until recently it has only been his borther who he has issues with (they have to be separated all the time)

Anyway, I have a 20 month old spaniel who is the most submissive creature going, Jake growls at him and he grovels around and does everything he should be doing and eventually Jake will leave him alone. But, the last 2 weeks Jake has been terrible, Sammy will be cowering and grovelling around and Jake wil stand on top of him growling and going for him (not actually bitten him yet) and Sammy can't do anything to make it stop as he is literally on his back on the floor. He scared Sammy so much the other day that he wet himself and I am having to intervene whereas I always used to leave Jake to have his ego boost then he'd be fine.

I have had Sammy for over a year and I just can't understand why Jake is behaving like this, he is a big powerful dog and Sammy is basically a wet lettuce who hasn't got an agressive bone in his body. Sammy is castrated.

Any ideas, tips on how to deal with this. I don't want Sammy to get scared or try and retaliate as Jake would tare him apart. Should jake be muzzled etc, should we make Jake submit and lie on the floor (like Caesor Millan (sp)) does until he accepts that he is not to do this. If you approach him to separate them Jake becomes more agressive, I had to drag him off by his bum hair yesterday, launch him then grab Sammy out of the way of danger. They don't live together but Sammy stays at his grans at weekends when I am off with the neddies.

 

[soloabe]

Maybe you should think about castration, sounds like a dominance issue in which case that would help.
You could try a dominance roll like you suggested but it needs to be done every time he shows dominant behavior not just when he growls at your dog otherwise it wont work.
A muzzle is also an option but not the best by far.
My suggestion would be castration and a dog training class for him!

 

[silverbreeze]

Thanks. yes, I think I will have to suggest that. For some reason she's not keen but I have no idea why?!
He goes out beating etc in the winter and goes gundog training and he is perfectly fine, never even remotely bothers with any other dogs... I guess it's down to his territory though in the home environment.

 

[CAYLA]

To be the fair, the excessive submissive behaviour your puppy is displaying is highly annoying to some dogs, my mams malamute does this to other dogs and they all want to eat her, esp my rotti who is peace it's own self, u need to calm the puppies behaviour and obs reprimand the older spaniel if he goes to far, he sounds like he is warning him at the moment, which is his way of saying bog off kid!!

You have to be fair on both sides, no annoyance from the puppy and no aggression from the older dog.
You need to engage in a little activity which them, to keep the puppy occupied, playing with a ball, going for a walk, he needs to interact with the puppy more on a less annoying basis.
The more they spend time together the more familiar and comfortable they would become together, they need walking frequently together and taking out in the car, with puppy crated beside older dog, where he can travel with him but not irritate him.
If the puppy is infactuated with grovelling around the older dog, it's up to u to try and entertain him and in doing so try to invite the older dog, favourite game/ball, for both, not one ball, they may be a masacre

, then let them chill, puppy in crate if poss, so the old dog can experience the pup in a calm state too.
They will settle and the puppy will become bored after a while, but they must have frequent interaction for this to happen.
Im not sure castration would work here, because it's does not sound like dominance, jsut an older dog irritated wit the over selous behaviour with younger dog

 

[silverbreeze]

I spoke to mum about it last night and she said the same thing, that he isn't an agressive dog normally so it must be something else. So when I first get Sammy out of the car and Jake is out in the garden should I immediately start to play a game with them? Jake is so difficult to distract once the growling and standing over has started.
Sammy will come to me if he isn't pinned under jake! The other problem I have got is Sammy is quite annoying when it comes to playing too as he wont chase his own ball but insists on chasing the other dogs balls (the manmade kind I might add

) .. I could run aruond the garden like a loon with Sammy in tow and hopefully Jake; would that help!?
This is really good info and it sounds like it is pretty much on the ball as to the reason. Sammy is pathetic when he is around Jake, it is pitiful to watch!
Thinking about it too, Jake has been worse since mum has stopped walking them together when Sammy is at hers; she used to take them to the horses and they'd play but Sammy can be a little bit annoying around the horses so she stopped taking him along. He also used to overnight with Jake but for some reason Mum stopped doing that too (can't remember why)
When you say frequent interaction; is weekends alone enough or should it be every day?
Thanks for all this, great to read!

 

[CAYLA]

When u go to your mams, I would ask her to have her boy ready for u to take them both for a walk, this gets over the initial grovelling session, because I assume your pup would jsut make a bee line towards your mams older boy and begin to annoy him immediately.
Taking them for a walk means they are both on lead when u meet up and u head straight off, by the time it comes to letting them off, your pup will be far to interested in the walking environment than in the older dog, so this means more time spent together without the sibmissive pestering and the older boy can assosiate somethign positive when he comes, rather than an annoying encounter.

Try to tire your boy out a little before hand to burn a little energy off him, so he has less to unleash when at your mams

Don't worry if the older boy does not join in the ball games, again if u can play with the puppy, it takes his attention away from grovelling, when he does display the submissive behaviour to the extreme, call him off, and tell him to LEAVE as a reprimand for pestering, even place him on his lead as a reprimand and make him lie beside u, he will settle with this behaviour but he needs more interaction with the older boy on things like walks, I would say as often as possible really, then it's not jsut an over exciting weekend meet up, instead he becomes boring cos he sees him too frequently

Also travel them together to get to walk destinations with your lad in a crate, again it's a positive assosiation together and they are heading for a walk which they will both love.
Your mums dog is def not dominant/aggressive, he would have bitten by now, which actually may have done the job of making him go away, but beacuse he is jsut warning and pup is not taking it seriously enough, it's now your turn to step in

 

[silverbreeze]

Thats great, thanks for the advice. I shall start working on it asap, I spend two nights a week at my mums too so I shall stop in on my way past in the mornings with him... OH will be made up at least as it means he wont have walking responsibilities in the mornings I am at my mums!
My mum will be made up that Jake isn't the bad guy!
Thanks again