Returned from the vets, now growling at my other dogs.

Im not sure if this is in the right place wasnt sure if it should go in health or behaviour or here so here i put it LOL.

Well as some of you know Barney (9yr old Cav) was ill last week and spent a few days in the hospital. Before he went in he was spending alot of time in the kitchen in the puppy pen with the other 2 Cavs as we were still sorting boxes ect out from moving. He was getting on great as usual with the other dogs. The usual grumbles that you would expect from a 9yr old top dog but nothing to worry about. He would sleep with Reeno and let Reeno sleep with him without any problems. Sounds good right???

Well since coming home from the vets Barney has done nothing but growl, bark and snarl at the other Cavs and our X breed bitch. I put it down to him not being 100% still and wanting to be on his own so we brought the other Cavs into the living room so Barney could be on his own which went ok for a few mins they he wanted to be with them and them with him (while Barney was in hosp other cavs were given more freedom to get them used to comeing into living room again as this is what we want) Then all the dogs came in, he was fine for a few mins then started growling ect, they werent even near him. When they go into the pen (6x12ft approx) he was still growling ect at them. I mentioned it to the vet who said its pos hes still not well and had extra attention at the vets but will calm down in a day or two.

Well today hes been home for 5days and hes not getting any quiter. Hes still really grumpy, it takes him about 20mins to go to sleep at night, if the other dogs wake him hes off on one again now at 4am when ste goes to work its not the best thing him barking and growling we have to think of the neighbour (ones fine other is right grumpy). He was growling this afternoon in the pen and Disson went for him grabing his ear (We have had probs with Disson and his attitude in the past but have had no probs for along time after getting help) both dogs were sperated and Reeno brought out of the way "for good behaviour" This eve the dogs were with us in the living room, and Barney started again, upsetting the other dogs too. I put him in the pen on his own but he still growled. We turned the radio off in there and he went quiet and fell asleep in his cage. Now the other Cavs have joined him and he started again. I have locked him in his cage to stop any more fights and give the other dogs a chance to sleep but hes still barking a little.

With barney not being well he gets stressed out with all the barking and growling he does and starts to wobble when sat up so I cant let him get to worked up.

I dont know what to do, we dont know if hes going blind at all and cant see the other dogs properly but can hear them (eyes got slight cloud to them, used to be jet black) I would usual give a natural calmer to a dog whos getting stressed but with him being on tablets i need to check with the vets 1st.

I really dont know what to do. If hes not quite by 10.15pm i wil bring him into the livingroom with me as that would be 1h of him growling

Anyone any advise PLEASE. Im calling the vet in the morning see if hes got any ideas. Looks like another night im on the sofa.

Well cageing Barney didnt work he was still growling at 11pm (1 1/2 h after being put to bed) he couldnt see the other dogs so that wasnt the reason, I let them all out for pees and he snarled really badly at the other dogs, even when he was out on his own. Hes now in the living room with me and is slowly dropping off to sleep, as long as Whoopii (x breed) stays on her bed he will go to sleep.

Hmmm ... been thinking about this but have no obvious answer or magic solution I'm afraid.

First - Is it possible that Barney is in any pain or discomfort which would explain his change of attitude?

If any medical reason can be ruled out then perhaps you need to consider whther the behaviour of the dogs has any 'pack structure' implications.

After an absence, be it just a few hours or days, there is a re-establishment of order. You can see it if you take one dog out and when you come back the other/s sniff, greet each other, vie for attention, etc.

You said that the others were given more freedom of the house while Barney was hospitalized and that Disson went for Barney. This may indicate that Disson has ideas that the top dog position should be his. Dogs will sense, and take advantage of any perceived weakness in their group. Barney may be trying, with growls and other displays to re-assert his position. Has the 'freedom of the house' continued since Barney came home?

The barking when alone could be indicative of a degree of deafness. Dogs which are hard of hearing (but not completely deaf) will bark at imagined noises or at unfamiliar vibrations and movements. If his sight is impaired that may also be causing him to bark at things he thinks he sees.

If medical reasons can be ruled out then I would watch carefully and see if there are indications that Barney is losing his position as leader. If he is, do not try to re-inforce his position by favouring him as this will make the competition worse. Once a new leader is accepted by all (including the humans) then Barney can relax.

Just a few observations - sorry I could not be of more help. If I think of anything else I will post.

Good wishes
SB

*we dont know if hes going blind at all and cant see the other dogs properly but can hear them (eyes got slight cloud to them, used to be jet black)*

Cloudiness of the eye could be cataracts E, maybe get her eyes checked?

Can only add that separating one dog from a group can upset the hierarchy particularly if the dog removed is the top ranking one and then when he is returned he has lost his power to control the others with one of those looks. If the dog is healthy I would say let them sort it but as he is still sick I don’t know what to suggest except perhaps if the younger male is intact an injection may make him seem less of a threat.

Thanks SB, Barney isnt in any pain ect hes still eating and running around which he doesnt do if theres somthing wrong. Barney is still Top dog as far as we can see as he gets lots of sniffs and ear pulls when he goes into the other dogs, this has always happend its just somthing that they do. OH and the licking of him and cleaning his face is still going on when hes not growling.

The dogs are still going into the livingroom as they were when Barney went into the hosp, it was done while he was away as Barney had been in a few times and I knew he would be ok, where as the other 2 would need closer watching. But they are all going in for a few hours then back in the pen when we eat or they dont want to be in there with us.

Im going to see his vet tomorrow for his check up and bloods to see how hes going after being ill, I will get him to check his eyes for me. I will see if i can work out in the meantime if he is going deaf (reaction to radio, other sounds ect) I wouldnt be to shocked if he is going deaf as then the alarm went off this morning he didnt wake up and it was right next to his ears. Or when i went out of the room he didnt notice as he was sleeping, now usualy he would wake up and follow me.

The last thing we want really is Disson as top dog this is where the problems with him started when he hit 12-18mth old. He got a bit to big for his own boots. Taking on EVERY dog he met, even our 3. We worked with him and have now calmed him down alot, to the extent he can be left with toys and given treats with the others around without him being put in a cage for the risk of a fight. But if hes going to be top then we can work it out.

Thordell :- We cant get Disson castrated as hes shown, well hes starting in the ring again this weekend then hopefully will be out next year after crufts. Thats as long as he doesnt start fighting with Barney if he does then it will afftect when hes out. I have asked about the injection and my vets are willing to try it on him but they said they think it could make him worse due to simaler cases they have seen.

If it was one of the other dogs growling ect then i wouldnt be to worried but the more Barney gets worked up the worse he can get or he starts to wobble (think of a dog whos falling asleep sat up, eye start to close, body sways well this is what he does) the only way you can get him out of it is to go and touch him.

Sleeping on the sofa with him last night was ok, the other dogs slept better, they didnt want to get out of there beds this morning, and Barney got a full nights sleep, shame I didnt

Sarah

Thordell :- We cant get Disson castrated as hes shown, well hes starting in the ring again this weekend then hopefully will be out next year after crufts. Thats as long as he doesnt start fighting with Barney if he does then it will afftect when hes out. I have asked about the injection and my vets are willing to try it on him but they said they think it could make him worse due to simaler cases they have seen.

No, was not suggesting that, I was thinking of Tardac as that may allow them to resettle

Edit, it may even help if both were given the injection.

Is that the injection that does somthing with the hormones as if the dogs been done???

If its not sorry what it is?? (sorry having thick day today )

Barney cant have it what ever it is as his heart is very bad, Oh by the way barney is entire aswell he would of been done when he stopped showing but he got a heart murrmer boefore he was 2yr old.

Yes, it is an injection that takes between 3 to 5 days to work and lasts about 3 to 4 weeks, I may not have spelt it correctly but have used it on several different dogs and did find it worked.

I expect Barney smells different as he has been ill and away from the pack . While he is still seperate you could give both lots of dogs blankets/towels to sleep on then switch them after a day to exchange scents. If Barney were not ill or in pain I would be inclined to try gradually putting the dogs together keeping a very close eye but I can't advise you to do this because it could lead to big problems...as the others say when one dog has been away from the pack there is always a jostling for positions when the absentee returns, and if they all got on well together previously they usually sort themselves out.