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Becky

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A litte history.

I have a 5 yr old neutered male Dachshund, Ray. I've owned him since he was 9 months old and he's been neutered since he was 1 yr. He's been the only dog here for the past 3 years or so.

A month ago, I got a 3 yr old neutered male Dachshund, Leonard. Leonard had just been neutered. He's been non aggressive. Ray also seems to be non aggressive and also seems to enjoy the company.

Both have house access to only my laundry room and kitchen area. Leonard has been kept in a wire pen in the kitchen when in the house since his arrival as I did not trust the two together in a small space. That's worked well. Being typical dogs, they both want each others toys, but I've kept the dogs and their toys separated.

I have a large fenced yard, about 1/2 acre, and after a few days of Lenoards arrival, both dogs have been out together in the yard when the weather is nice. Both spend a lot of time squirrel chasing and all seemed well until yesterday.

I came to the house from the barn and discovered that they had been in a fight. I didn't see or hear it, so I have no idea what they were fighting about. I bathed both to get the smell off. Neither had any real injuries.

But, since then, Ray has been watching Leonard, circling his pen and keeping an eye on him. It appears that Ray was the dominant dog in their fight. He's lightened up some today, but I'm not letting them together.

Ray also did something he's never done. I put some dirty laundry on the floor of the laundry room this morning. Turned around to see Ray hiking his leg and peeing on it. That is unacceptable behavior!

So, I need some good advice on how to get these two dogs back together again and keep Ray from marking in the house!
 
The truth is, you might never be able to trust them together again. It would have been more wise, to have chosen a female and not another male, to bring into the house. But Leonard is with you, so not much you can do about that now. Even two males or two females, brought up together, do not always get along. Sometimes, even a male and female will not get along. Regardless of sex, your Ray might never welcome another dog into your home.

So what is to be done now? Well you could consider rehoming Leonard or keep them always separated. This especially when you are out of the room or house. Having had one disagreement, it will likely happen again. I suspect they did not know each other, before you suddenly brought the new dog into the home? Always better to have dogs meet/go for a walk etc., in a neutral area, before bringing the new one actually into the home.

I suspect Ray is now marking his territory, to show the new dog who is boss and that it is his home. You'll have to catch him doing it from now on and throw a huge fit. Dogs hate it when owners lose control. It is also difficult to actually catch small dogs, when they lift their leg.

You can also take them both, through a complete obedience course and together if possible. Obedience trained dogs most usually, have a more solid handle on life and a sense of responsibility. It will especially give Ray the idea that he is not the boss in your family.I tend to think at the moment, he does think he is.

Remember, Dachshunds were bred to hunt, so even with their small size, they are brave, quick on their feet and ferocious with anything they consider 'prey' or not wanted in their area. If not well socialised with people and other dogs, they can become very people or dog aggressive. Another good reason to join an obedience class, where they will be learning to be around many other dogs, people and keep their eye on you as the boss.

I have always kept many males together in my home. Most were not neutered, because they were show dogs. Never had a fight yet. But all were obedience trained and all knew I or other humans in the house, were the boss. This included many Great Danes and smaller breeds, all kept together.

So I think, if you do decide to keep the new fellow, you and Ray must have the 'Come to Jesus' talk.

Lizzie
 
Hi, Keep them separate for now. Then begin some counter conditioning... Works best when you have some help.. Dog A is in room, dog B enters and both dogs get a treat. repeat... Dog A will start looking to owner for treat when Dog B comes around and the same for the other dog. You might want to train them to a mark on the floor to sit on for their treat so they don't get in eachothers space during the re-training process. You can drop the treat in a small bowl rather than hand feed if they get grabby with the treat. You need to associate good things when the dogs are together. You could use help of a professional trainer to get the timing right because timing is everything and doing the counter conditioning wrong can make the problem worse... Alpha wolf rolls, striking a dog or "come to Jesus training" rarely works and can actually make the problem worse by reinforcing the dogs thoughts that dog B is the problem and Dog B makes the owner angry... Hard to explain but think of it this way... If a dog growls at another dog and you strike or shake the dog, you get silence and think you have stopped the problem. Owner feels good and in control. What you have instead created is a dog that is warning you that it is stressed and you are silencing the warning. These are dogs that later explode or "bite without warning"... Dogs that attack or bite without warning are mostly dogs that have been taught that their body language and expression of stress is incorrect... If you correct the problem and not work on what is causing the problem, you are setting yourself up for an explosion.

Cesar Milan is an idiot. He sets us back 40 years in dog training where people showed dominance over dogs to win. The only thing I agree with that he says is that dogs need exercise to reduce stress. You can learn alot by watching Victoria Sillwell "Its me or the dog" she is cutting edge in dog training and uses a positive approach and she deals with similar situations you are describing. Lack of praise the only correction a dog needs to get a message across... Dog says... hmmmm that time I didn't get a treat... what will get me a treat... hmmmm.

Even little "badger dogs" can learn a pattern of acceptable behavior once you set up rules and guidelines followed by positive praise for acceptable behavior. You can also put one of the two dogs on a leash when they are in eachothers presence, and switch out which dog is on a leash... (start with the one hiking the leg). I attach the leash to my belt loop for hands free control.

I also say take up all toys and bones and your dogs should only get a treat as a reward, not just for looking cute. Work for treats. The lifting the leg is a territorial thing.. One dog saying "Oh yeah, I own this house" Sometimes they will even pee in their beds or your bed or your pillow.. you get the picture.

Both these dogs should be crated and not left alone together for now, even if you leave the room to do laundry, pop them in their crates, give them a treat, then let them out when you return. All bone chewing and toy play is in a crate with the door shut.

Writing quickly, sorry if this is hurried, but i was worried when I read your post and wanted to write something right away... feel free to ask questions if you have any.

Adair
 
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Thanks for your suggestions. I'm looking for someone to help with behavior modification. For now, both dogs are separated and have no 'together' time.
 
Thanks for your suggestions. I'm looking for someone to help with behavior modification. For now, both dogs are separated and have no 'together' time.
excellent... you can check NADOI (National association of dog obedience instructors) possibly for a trainer in your area. I love doxies, my driving trainer has two. Best wishes to you. I know how stressful it can be to have dogs at war with eachother.
 
I am of a different camp I have a lot of dogs a pack so to speak and they do interact as such. And just like in a herd sometimes best of friends have a day or two or even a week where they wanna kick the crap out of each other. The dogs do the same someone who was happily submissive for one reason or another decides one day he would like to see if he can get that toy or that spot in the sun and a fight ensues.

The fact neither had any real injuries suggests to me that is exactly what this was. It is very probable that they will go back to their same dynamic. Just like in a herd there are times you just need to let them kick or chase and just work it out.

I am not a dog expert but I think making it more complicated can make it harder on everyone. If he can not feel he has "won" the boss position since they are now and have been separated then perhaps that is why he has resorted to marking his territory?
 

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