Oh NO! Dog Aggression!

purplelori · 09-08-2009, 11:32 PM

Got a call from daycare today--Wally and another dog got into 'an altercation'--which Wally initiated. The other dog was a terrier, and Wally bit him on the neck and left at least one puncture wound! This came out of the blue--he's never been aggressive toward other dogs, and has been going to this daycare for months. So now, we are going to be responsible for the other dog's vet bill (which we have no idea what that will be) as well as wondering WHAT could have started this! When I asked what we do now, they said they would make sure the two dogs weren't together any more, but I'm wondering what we could do to make sure he doesn't do it again. The gal at daycare said he's in his 'teenage years' and 'feeling himself'. He will be 10 months old on the 21st, and we are just sick that this happened. Anyone have any suggestions of things we could work on to make sure it doesn't happen again?

Thanks!

Lori and Wally

daisy'smom · 09-09-2009, 07:59 AM

That's too bad. Since you were not there to see what happened it is hard to know what caused it. I doubt that he just bit him out of the blue for no reason. The other dog must have done something to cause him to bite. Maybe a look or a growl or something that the daycare did not notice (or was not watching.) Was the dog a small Terrier and if so why did the daycare have the big and small dogs together?

It may just be an isolated incident and I am glad they will keep the dogs separate. If he is aggressive towards other dogs again than I would consult a behaviorist.

That sucks about the vet bills. Hopefully it will just be a one time visit.

AussieGirl · 09-09-2009, 06:10 PM

I agree with Tanny, it's hard to know what really happened if you weren't there. I have read that often times (not all the time) the dog that bites isn't actually the one who provokes, dogs communicate with body language and often times they send signals/messages that humans don't pick up on, so the instigator sends a signal (all the while looking like the innocent party), and the other dog responds making them look like the guilty party. Just a little FYI check out this article The top 3 most aggressive dogs some Terrier breeds are quite aggressive.
As Tanny stated keep an eye on him and if worried or it happens again get a behaviourist. He is a teen and testing/pushing the boundries, maybe a group training session, for a few reasons, bonding for owner and dog, training will help get through the teen stage a little easier, group class will mean he is around other dogs in a controlled way.

Spyglass Sally · 09-09-2009, 06:17 PM

I saw an interview with a pro football player once and he said that when you get illegally hit on the field by somebody, you never hit back. Because the referee will not see the first hit, but sense something and turn in time to see you hit back. So you just wait....until you got a clean shot at revenge. It's entirely possible that Wally missed that interview and made a rookie mistake.

Doreen · 09-09-2009, 09:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spyglass Sally

I saw an interview with a pro football player once and he said that when you get illegally hit on the field by somebody, you never hit back. Because the referee will not see the first hit, but sense something and turn in time to see you hit back. So you just wait....until you got a clean shot at revenge. It's entirely possible that Wally missed that interview and made a rookie mistake.

LOL... this is true! Same thing in soccer, being the old soccer mom I used to be.

bruinsBoxers · 09-10-2009, 07:19 AM

I have to agree with everyone else . There are just too many things that could have caused the fight .

Boxers have a very unique style of play . I have noticed that many other non boxers do not really like the boxer style of play and will act out towards the boxers . It is very possible that the terrier did not like they way he was playing and told him so , and he just defended himself .

purplelori · 09-10-2009, 11:31 AM

Thanks for all your input. I took him back to daycare today, and asked about the other dog. The girl said 'oh, he's fine, it was just that it was a pretty deep puncture, and we wanted to make sure he got on antibiotics so there wouldn't be any infection'. So, we feel better about that. (no bill yet though!). Several of my 'dog people' friends said pretty much the same thing--the Jack Russell probably was 'talking smack' and Wally was stupid enough to retaliate! We will definitely watch him, hopefully it was an isolated incident! (He had been slow to get up the last 5-6 days--not wanting to get out of his crate when we opened it in the morning--and popped out right away today. Maybe he just wasn't feeling good, and that terrier got on his last nerve!)
Thanks for the support--I knew this group would come thru!

Lori & Wally

Doreen · 09-10-2009, 11:37 AM

Jack Russells are crazy little dogs... my son has one of those also, along with the Mastiff... He would drive my older boxer crazy and Roxy nipped the JR's nose pretty good that they had to take him to the vet too.

Boxer100 · 09-10-2009, 01:00 PM

Terriers and boxers usually don't go together very well. Both have different styles of play and terriers can become aggressive very quickly if they feel threatened or do not like the way the other dog is playing. Your boxer probably just reacted toward the terrier's hostile behavior.

Bellas Mommy · 09-10-2009, 01:32 PM

We actually have a chihuahua also and she is aggressice towards Bella...and Bella cowards up to her but the chihuahua thinks she is the boss...so maybe because the JR is smaller than Wally it feels like it has to be defensive towards him...and Wally was showing it that it should and his size is what matters not a small JR!