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- Olivia's Hyperactive Puppy
I don’t know how to message but I’m scared for my dog so… Hi, I have two dogs (girl rescues). One is about 7 and the other 1.5. The older one is a docile border collie mix, the other probably pit bull and beagle mix. Recently, they have been fighting more and more. The puppy is very hyperactive no matter what we do; walks, training, etc. So the older dog is fed up with it. Today, the puppy got a hold of a bar of soap and the older dog, trying to be dominant, started a fight over it. I tried to stop it but I’m not that big (I’m 15) and couldn’t. I yelled for my parents. My dad got between them because last time they fought, they were really hurt… My dad sustained serious puncture wounds in his wrist. I don’t know what to do… The puppy has always been annoying but it’s out of hand now. My dad wants to re home her. Is that the only way out? Please help…
Hi Olivia,
it is really upsetting when dogs fight and when we get in between it happens that people get hurt. This is of course pretty serious because you never know when it could happen again. I really can’t say if it is a good idea for your family to keep both dogs or not. If you decide to keep the pup I would strongly recommend to consult with a dog trainer/behaviorist to get some ideas to keep the dogs from fighting and hurting each other and your family. If the puppy is rehomed I strongly advise to be honest with the new owners and tell them why you can not keep this dog. They need to know what they have to do to keep themselves AND the dog safe.
I have a couple more questions that might help solve the problem. Are the dogs spayed? It seems the younger dog is getting mature and having two intact females around can lead to problems. When you say you walk her, how long? On leash of off? A dog this young and this breed should probably run for at least an hour a day to be exercised enough. You say you do training with her. Is it positive based training? Is she being punished a lot? Dogs that are punished get confused because they don’t really know why and this can lead to frustration and mistrust.
For now, until you have found a solution and more tools to deal with the situation I would strongly recommend to keep these two dogs separated. Feed them apart and do not have any toys or food laying around that could instigate a fight.
Good luck and best wishes,
Brigitte
Hi Olivia,
it is really upsetting when dogs fight and when we get in between it happens that people get hurt. This is of course pretty serious because you never know when it could happen again. I really can’t say if it is a good idea for your family to keep both dogs or not. If you decide to keep the pup I would strongly recommend to consult with a dog trainer/behaviorist to get some ideas to keep the dogs from fighting and hurting each other and your family. If the puppy is rehomed I strongly advise to be honest with the new owners and tell them why you can not keep this dog. They need to know what they have to do to keep themselves AND the dog safe.
I have a couple more questions that might help solve the problem. Are the dogs spayed? It seems the younger dog is getting mature and having two intact females around can lead to problems. When you say you walk her, how long? On leash of off? A dog this young and this breed should probably run for at least an hour a day to be exercised enough. You say you do training with her. Is it positive based training? Is she being punished a lot? Dogs that are punished get confused because they don’t really know why and this can lead to frustration and mistrust.
For now, until you have found a solution and more tools to deal with the situation I would strongly recommend to keep these two dogs separated. Feed them apart and do not have any toys or food laying around that could instigate a fight.
Good luck and best wishes,
Brigitte
Hi again Olivia,
sorry for some reason I posted the same thing twice.
There is one more quite important thing I would like to add. Weather you keep the dog or not you should get her a complete physical, blood test and also a thyroid test. This hyper activity could have a physical reason, maybe some imbalance of hormones. I think it would be worth spending some money on that.
Best wishes,
Berigitte
Hi Olivia. I am sorry to hear you are going through this. You are so young and being a very diligent young lady in trying to find some help. I don’t know what advice we can offer here, as we deal more with the illness of AIHA/IMHA and not much at all with obedience issues. Although, most of our dogs/cats have their moments too. ;)
Unfortunately, like Brigitte said, some dogs just can not be together and as such, do better being solo. It seems, as she said too, this is often seen in female dogs. I have friends down the street with five greyhounds and since the last male foster was introduced, the oldest of their females bit him quite badly.
One thing they do (because this happened once before, same female dog), is muzzle them when they go outside. The plastic muzzles can be purchased at most pet supply stores. She also ALWAYS separates them when she leaves, with a gate and/or several in large (they’re large dogs) crates.
Please don’t give up looking for advice though – you seem to be quite computer savy, you’ll find the help you need. Again, you are to be commended for your loyalty to your dogs and family. I hope you find some answers that steer you toward the help you need. Keep your love for animals.
My best to you and your family, Linda
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