Category: Top Dog

Backstory

We have 2 dachshunds. 1 male that is 4, another that is 2. Both received from reputable breeders.

Our older male is picture perfect and not the problem. Our younger one has been a problem since roughly 8 months old. He was picture perfect before then and has loved the kids and other dogs. Nothing changed setting wise at 8 months.

Problems

1. Anxiety: The younger one has been the most anxious dog I’ve ever seen. When we got him we had a goal to socialize him and take him anywhere and we did. Restaurants, dog day cares, groomers, long drives and trips. All very positive experiences. When he turned 8 months it was like none of it existed. Any new person that walks in our house he will pee himself and run. He is scared of almost everything and sometimes doesn’t know where to be. He has a kennel that’s his safe spot. I think he wishes he could just stay in there all day or at my feet. We saw a vet, he agreed and we got a prescription grade CBD so we knew it had safer manufacturing process. He is on a high dose and it doesn’t seem to help.

2. Aggression: He has problems with guarding which we have talked to a behaviorist about and believe we are handling well. EVEN in situations where I can’t find a reason for him to be guarding he will just snap like something is wrong mentally. My Kids (9 & 6) could be petting him on the floor and he is loving it ….then he suddenly will go at their hands, no injury, no resource, kids not being aggressive and I’m right there to supervise. This has happened 4 times to the kids and 2 times to me in the last month. Never broke skin but I don’t think we are far off and I don’t want that to happen. He will also suddenly while walking in the house turn on my older dog (again no resources, injury, or interaction) just mad that he crossed paths. Trainer said based on interactions rehoming might be smart for safety.

I’ve had half a dozen dogs growing up. All of them great. Both trained my own and used trainers before, etc. This is the first dog where I feel like he is just broken mentally and wanted to see if the certified folks of Reddit have a different view.

I have read the guide, but I can't find out how to manage this specific situation in it. Everything about resource guarding a person is only about one dog doing it. But (I believe) both dogs, or just one, are fighting over me.

I have two dogs Pepper (Husky, 2-3yrs), and Sage (GSD Mix, 4yrs) who usually get along. We noticed sometimes around food, Pepper would lash out on Sage and attack her if she got to close. We shut this down immediately and now make sure we separate them for feedings and human food we aren't actively eating yet.

There has been a "random" attack a few times, but I could never identify some of them. They fight maybe once or so a month. But recently the fights have no apparent reason. It is always when me (or sometimes fiancé too) are just chilling with them. They won't be begging for attention, they will both be relaxing. Next thing I know, boom, fighting. I am 90% sure Pepper has started ALL of these fights. Sage has only ever been aggressive with some foods but we have completely removed that from her aside from high quality treats. Pepper has eaten Sage's food before we could catch her (we were still learning), and Sage has still never attacked her.

This last time, I was just sitting at my desk, they both sleep and lay around me while I game. Usually one under my desk and the other around my chair. It was completely normal, neither asking for attention (as usual when these happen). While I was mid-game, suddenly Pepper and Sage went full aggressive fighting on each other. I had to tear them apart (this was very difficult) and crated Pepper, and tended to Sage first, who has a wound on her next bleeding (small, but Vet visit tomorrow as they are closed today). I had some blood all over my arms from the fight, and Pepper had blood on her cheek and ear. No wound on her. They both fought throat to throat.

The thing is, I have never seen Sage attack first. Ever. The problem is she starts to defend herself then also won't back down. We got Pepper a little over a year ago and I am starting to realize all these "random" fight is when we are relaxing and Pepper is close to me, Sage gets to close to her then she attacks. I have caught it once or twice from body language but its hard when they do it whilst I am doing something. Or, vice versa, sometimes she will approach Sage (under my desk at my feet), and I guess Sage won't move so she attacks? I don't know what to do! This resource guarding stuff is great but I can't find anything for my specific situation of TWO dogs resource guarding ME. I am keeping Pepper in her crate to seperate them until AT THE VERY LEAST we can take Sage to the vet. I feel bad keeping her in the crate.. but she is the type of dog to destroy things if not being supervised. They are already whining to see each other when I put one away and let the other out.

I could just really use some advice, and if anyone finds a post similar to mine (I couldn't) PLEASE redirect me. I have tried looking up what to do after dogs fight when resource guarding, but its all about food, toys, or treats. Resource guarding with humans, all I could find weren't involving another dog in home. PLEASE HELP. We definitely are considering a trainer but until then I need to know how to handle this.

We didn't have too much snow last year so my rescue mutt (50lb, 1.5 years) is experiencing a big snow for the first time. It's about 7" or powdery white stuff and she LOVES digging in the shovelled piles snow. She'll frantically dig down, stick her head in, sniff around and then start again in a new spot. It's actually quite endearing and she seems to love it.

My question/concern is whether or not I'm creating a behavior issue or encouraging anything that might make her more reactive. Can anyone weigh in?

Even as I type it, but feels a little silly to say but I keep thinking about dogs with a laser pointer and how it can cause issues. My previous dog, a 70 lb mix, loved the snow but he wanted to hike and romp. He did a little digging but not like this. Bailey will romp and zoom but always return to the giant pile of snow to dig. Often, she gets over stimulated and will not recall so we are working through that too (She's in a fenced-in area so she's safe but by ignoring me, I can see she's highly motivated by digging). I'm always watching for cold feet and bring her in often to warm up, brush them off. I'm mostly concerned if I'm encouraging a bad behavior. My plan is to start teaching her dig on command to hopefully help her disengage when necessary. Embark DNA says she's about 30%shep, 13%mal. She has about 10%husky along with a bunch of other high energy breeds: lab, pittie, chow, boxer, border Collie. I love her digging because it helps tire her out and drain some of the energy because we're not able to go on these super long walks on very snowy days. It's also enriching but, again, I don't want want her to pick up a bad habit. My other dog didn't love the snow, she will lay down in it for an hour, if I let ger. I'm guessing that's the husky in her coming out. Any advice is appreciated!

So I’ve got a 12 year old male lab/shepherd/great dane mix. Mostly a black lab, with all the characteristics of a lab. I trained him since he was a pup on a lot, and for a long time he was very obedient. Over the past year, things have fairly regressed. On walks, he has become obsessed with looking for food on the sidewalks. We live in a city and the unfortunate truth of life is that there is a lot of edible items on the sidewalks that he seems primarily focused on. So much so that his nose is to the ground for 99% of the walk, trying to find food. By no means is this dog underfed – the vet loves his diet and body figure. I’m told “he’s just doing what labs do.” He knows the commands “leave it” when he is about to pick things up, and “drop it” when he has something in his mouth. Lately, however, he seems to ignore those in favor of scavenging for food.

First request: what are some good ways to retrain or eliminate this scavenging habit?

Second request: given his age, his back legs have become incredibly weak and he displays lameness a great deal. I’m doing PT with him daily to alleviate his symptoms.

Is there anything in particular I can do to strengthen his backend?

Thank you!