Bunnie and Lennon

Some advice please...

Bunnie doesn't like Len...... in fact, at the moment, it's a bit stronger than that.

We have to monitor them when they are in the same room together, and walking past each other results in fur flying.

At the moment, our response to this is "NO" and clapping of hands. It then stops, but they are both happy to start it up again immediately afterwards. I have let them get on with it a couple of times, but it becomes quite nasty.

I've never had a situation like this, and I'm not sure how to deal with it.

On Evie's advice, I will be walking them together today (with Baz's help) to promote that they are members of the same pack.

I can understand Bun's behaviour completely.... I was warned by Gill - her breeder - that she food guarded and fed them separately yesterday. However, poor Lennon doesn't "get it" at all, bless, and has started spending time away from her.

Once again though, as she is due in season she's pretty interesting to him, and he cannot stay away for long, even though he's just carrying a water pistol.

Any suggestions to restore harmony would be appreciated, and even more importantly, should Baz and I be reacting any differently when it happens.

Many thanks

Vicki it was never going to be easy as Im sure you knew, we had this with Tess and Skye for a month
We just did as your doing at the moment although I did use the stair gate over the kitchen doorway so that each could have sometime out.
You do not mention any blood drawn so at least thats a good thing. I would try and make sure that Bunnie doesn't get Baz's lap for the time being or a chair etc etc., I would promote that they both lay on the floor, if they both like toys I'd be wary of allowing them too close together, as you say feed seperately
With us the sleeping arrangements were like yours Skye came upstairs and Tess stayed down otherwise it would kick off, we spent most of the time watching them but after a month they started playing together slowly at first but now they are firm mates.
Im sure if you are having Bunnie spayed later that will help Lennon be less interested and her hormones will be less all over the place. I know once we had Tess done Skye became alot more friendly towards her

Best wishes its early days yet.

Thanks Steph - I''ve just got back from a short walk (all of us) which went very well. A single deck bus went past, and Bunnie just watched..... Baz has now taken Len further as he is traffic-savvy.

Sounds good xxxx Im sure things will settle all very new to everyone yet xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

This is perfectly normal, would you expect them to necessarily get on if you just met in the street?

No.

So do not expect it in a situation where a) it is strange b) where the dogs have not been properly introduced and c) bitches tend to put dogs in their place.

If she is coming into season then I expect, like me, she may have a short fuse!

This is really no different than introducing a new puppy.

Expect issues.

Make sure that the dogs can be separated safely at times.

It will settle down in a few weeks.

They will sort out their pecking order, and bitches tend to rule the roost IME!

Good Luck

Sorry to hear that, Vicki.

Can you see any particular reason for this? I mean, do you feel it's because of some resource or other reason? Or just because they are so very new to each other?

My advice would be to not let them practice this. It's always hard to tell over the net, but overall I'd say that being allowed to continue with this behaviour if it become nasty, is probably not a good thing.

I agree with the use of childgates, supervisoin at all times, use of a light house line, (to guide and control) and lots of praise for simply calmly settling down.

You could also do some training exercises, such as encouraging each dog to lie on an individual mat and to stay there for a period of time - this can mean that in time, you can dispose of houselines etc and the dogs may learn to be calm around each other

Lots of long walks to tire, and supervision at all times. When they cannot be supervised, separate

What I've written above is kind of precautionary, but you want both dogs to associate each other with good things and not scary, challenging stuff.

So also ensure that they get lots of lovely hand fed treats whilst together (but ensure you have control of each dog and don't get them too close in case they kick off.) Over time, the dogs will learn that being with each other means good things happen

Walks together are always good!

Is the problem all over food? If it is, ensure you separate whilst feeding (but you know that! ).
Sometimes dogs are ok in one room, otherwise you may need to use separate rooms, when feeding.

It may still be possible to use the feeding for good associations as I suggested, but just be careful and ensure that adrenalin levels are not rising and dogs are comfortable. Start far apart and over time, bring slooooowly together more. But use y our own judgement

Lennon is carrying a water pistol?

Main thing is management, training and rewarding for calmness and pre-empting problems, this is key to encouraging a calm attitude and "good" behaviour

Hth a bit. Pat McConnell has a nice little booklet - think it's called something like "Managing your multi dog household" which gives some useful training tips for - well, multi dog househoulds!

Wys
x

Vicki, I am no expert but can give you my experience of Lily coming to live here as an unspayed kennel bitch.
She walked in and got very dominant with Kyiro, I just left it for a bit but then to give Kyiro a break would distract her.
Lily had just finished a season so like Bunnie her hormones were all over the place, then she had never seen the inside of a house before let alone heard all the sights and sounds, she had also had to be dominant very possibly to withstand some of the kennel mates she would have met and she had lots of scars from them.
Its such a big upheavel for them .
I still feed them in seperate rooms and for the first couple of nights took Lily up to my bedroom (Kyiro would not come up if his life depended on it). Just so she could feel secure near me and so I didn't have to shut Kyiro away to keep them apart at night. She was actually very dominant over my bed too and it was a nightmare.
Luckily quite a few greyhound people told me of thier similar circumstances when bringing an hormonal girl home, they all said stick with it as once they are spayed they change and really mellow.
I know Bunnie is not a greyhound but she has come from kennels and has raging hormones which I think all us girls can relate with. Those first weeks until I could get her spayed were hard, it did get easier as her hormones settled between the seasons, but since she has been spayed she has been so lovely and sweet and her and Kyiro are fine together 24/7 she is also not so clingy and needy. I for the first time last night let her unmuzzled with my grandson and she was very chilled and sweet and even gave kyiro the confidence to let a child stroke him.
Because of losing Shady and feeling very emotional over her (I still do), and with Lily behaving how she did I found it very hard to bond with her in the beginning,, she actually went for me too on one occasion, but I am glad I stuck with it as now we are through the otherside and I have a lovely well balanced girl and Kyiro at long last has a new best friend. They are not close close but there is no bad feeling at all between them and they hate it if one is not around.
I hope it all works out for you Vicki, the hormones will certainly be making her a million times worse than she would have been if she just had the experiences to get used to, she will be feeling very insecure.

Even dogs that live happily together sometimes scrap when a bitch is coming into season.
Its early days yet

I know it's not in your nature being the softy that you are but I find generally the best way of dealing with it is to be very matter of fact and treat them all as equals, so no ginger squishing until things are settled down. I also warn them before they kick off when you know there is a specific trigger point such as passing in close proximity, I get my Ah ah behave yourselves in first. I find dogs that resource guard aren't fussy about the resource tbh, if they successfully manage to warn others away from food, bones, beds etc it's only a matter of time before they attempt to warn them away from you too. Put the rules in place from day one rather than feeling sorry for them and making allowances, she's had a right result and landed firmly on her feet when she found you and once she relaxs a bit will no doubt show her appreciation a bit more to Lennon for sharing his home comforts with her, cheeky minx. I do things a bit different from others in as much as I never feed seperately but give them a reasonable amount of space and stand guard between them until they learn that no one is going to be allowed to nick each others food, I won't allow it. I also have them sleeping in the same area but use crates to stop any aggro, while allowing them to get used to each other and used to sharing the home and all the priviledges that come with it.
With my last two fosters the most common phrase used was "Don't you Dare" so much so the parrots are now forever saying it .

When Alfie came here Lily was going through an awful phantom pregnancy and her tolerance levels were pretty low. There were times when I wondered if I was doing the right thing as despite Alfie being a young pup, Lily seemed to dislike him intensely at times. It was a different scenario in that one was adult and one very young, but it still involved careful monitoring of them and trying to make sure they both had their space.

They really are the best of friends now and though Alfie sometimes pushes his luck with Lily, she is the boss and will soon tell him to calm down. Hormones are horrible things (as we all well know!) and I'm sure that once Bunnie is over her season and spayed, things will be much calmer.