Maggie which is my small dog(shiz mix) has a problem with Brutus. Anytime he gets near her she starts a low nasty growl. Then he being 4mos and 63lbs starts jumping around, barking. Of course this causes Maggie to start showing teeth and deep growls emit from her. So in comes the calvary better known as Roxie to save poor Brutus. Now Roxie is growling and looking at Maggie like she could be a pancake or early snack.(Roxie being 30lbs overweight would only have to sit on Maggie and she would be squished) Anyhoo, Maggie stands her ground, and I now have Roxie on one side and Brutus on the other. Not a good situation as I look at Brutus and it seems he might be thinking about the early snack also. To make a long story short. Everyone does mind,(thank goodness) Roxie lays down in the other room, Brutus mosies off and Maggie goes under the sofa table to sulk or thank her lucky stars mom saved the day. Any ideas how to prevent this in the future? I don't want to be gone one day, come home and find out Maggie was lunch. Oh btw Maggie and Roxie got along fine before Brutus became part of the family. If Maggie got testy Roxie would just ignore her.
Having aggression and/ or jealousy problems
- Thread starter filarotten
- Start date
Maggie is the senior dog, right? Maggie rules. No one is allowed to antagonize Maggie. If Brutus is aggravating Maggie, make him lay down and be calm so he learns that Maggie is the house boss.
The next step is getting Maggie to think of him as "the baby" instead of the interloper. Sit down with Brutus next to you, the call Maggie over to your lap. Maggie gets to sit on your lap! Then you can call Roxie over and make it a family thing. Everyone has to lay there quietly and be nice to each other for a bit, then you can get everyone up and they each get a cookie. Maggie FIRST.
Maggie needs to be first always. Feed Maggie first. Greet Maggie first when you come home. As Brutus gets older you can encourage his natural inclination to protect Maggie and Roxy. Filas are very family oriented, and family, for a Fila, is all inclusive no matter how many legs each member has!
Bimmer is the boss here, even though he is only half the size of either of the grrrls, lol! He's second in command and I've done those things to support his position. Now, when Bimmer barks out an order, both grrrrls hurry to do what he's told them to do!
The next step is getting Maggie to think of him as "the baby" instead of the interloper. Sit down with Brutus next to you, the call Maggie over to your lap. Maggie gets to sit on your lap! Then you can call Roxie over and make it a family thing. Everyone has to lay there quietly and be nice to each other for a bit, then you can get everyone up and they each get a cookie. Maggie FIRST.
Maggie needs to be first always. Feed Maggie first. Greet Maggie first when you come home. As Brutus gets older you can encourage his natural inclination to protect Maggie and Roxy. Filas are very family oriented, and family, for a Fila, is all inclusive no matter how many legs each member has!
Bimmer is the boss here, even though he is only half the size of either of the grrrls, lol! He's second in command and I've done those things to support his position. Now, when Bimmer barks out an order, both grrrrls hurry to do what he's told them to do!