Hi, I feel really upset tonight. My daughter was here today with her 5 year old dog jasper, only for the 2nd time since we got Murphy (20 weeks). We also have jack who's 15 years old but jasper knows him fairly well, although they don't see each other a lot. When jasper came in Jack was quite pleased to see him and went up to him to say hello (think he licked Jasper's ear) and jasper bit him, drawing blood on his nose. He was really snarly with Murphy every time Murphy went up to him too. We went out for a walk a little while later and the three of them got along fine. When we came back home Murphy was up licking jasper (as he does with all dogs) and the next minute jasper turned on him, giving him a bite on the nose and drawing blood. Murphy obviously yelped for Britain, wee soul At their dinner time we kept them all separate and Murphy was in the garden when jasper was eating his. We let murphy back in once jasper had finished and murphy went over to Jasper's empty bowl to have a look (as he always does with jack's) and jasper went for him again, nipping him on the wound on his nose again, leaving Murphy yelping like a banshee!!!! Obviously they are going to be together in the future, any advise how to handle the three of them in one place would be great fully received. Murphy has been a bit subdued since they left, I hope it won't make him wary with other dogs he meets Karen xx
Re: Dogs not getting on That's no good, definitely upsetting Is this a change in Jasper's behaviour? How has he been with Jack in the past? If it's quite different to his previous behaviour then I'd have Jasper checked by a vet as he may be harbouring some pain somewhere. If it's not really a change in character then Jasper needs some work on behaving politely with your dogs. The basic approach would be to control the dogs' interactions (so, no hellos till you say) and rewards for relaxed behaviour, as you gradually get the dogs to come closer to each other. Also, all feeding to be in separate aras and food bowls put away afterwards. To be honest it might be something on which I'd get the advice of a qualified behaviourist, once a medical problem is ruled out. When are they going to spend time together? Is it necessary for Jasper to come to your house?
Re: Dogs not getting on I agree with Racheal , I would consider a behaviorist as well. I would keep jasper away for sometime or have something like a muzzle for Jasper to keep other safe. How is Jasper elsewhere with other dogs ? Was there something different this time that made Jasper react . I might be wrong but i think if this continues it might not be good for Murphy as u mentioned . Let us know how it goes. Cheers
Re: Dogs not getting on Oh Karen,what a stress ....poor little Murphy and I bet your old boy Jack was upset by all the shenanighans too.im a one dog,first dog owning forum member .the only experience I've had of other dogs at home is when we've had friends come over for short periods with dogs after we've walked together or popped in with a dog Dexter knows very well.Lets just say I try and encourage everyone to take tea in the garden....it can be a riotous rampage and I want the interior of my house intact! Is Jasper ok with other dogs he meets?if so and he's always been ok Jack ,he obviously doesn't like Murphy being around so Rachaels advice about gradual exposure to each other will help. You mention that Jasper doesn't see Jack a lot so I guess you can still have time with your daughter without the dogs being involved...and whilst that's a shame that might a course of action you can take. Good luck Angela
Re: Dogs not getting on Sorry to hear this Karen , I agree with what Rachael has advised but I think you have to bear in mind that just occasionally , a dog will take exception to another one for no apparant reason, just like people do I suppose : It is highly unusual for a dog to have a go at a puppy, they usually have whats called a Puppy Licence until they are about 10 months old , wondering if it is essential for them all to meet as the last thing you want is for Murphy to become afraid of other dogs , so sorry .
Re: Dogs not getting on Hi, thank you very much for getting back to me. I've been thinking a lot about what happened as I'm still quite upset about it, for all the dogs concerned and for my daughter too. I don't see my daughter all that much due to work etc and she lives about 30 miles from me, so when she does come to visit it would normally be with jasper and for a most of day visit. As I said only 2nd visit since we've had Murphy and first time was when he was about 9 weeks old. So two things were different this visit, obviously a bouncy 20 week old about the place, but also, since we've had Murphy, it's brought jack my old boy out of his shell, He normally wouldn't have bothered saying hello to jasper before, so maybe jasper has been spooked with the changes. Jasper is my daughter's baby and I would say she totally spoils him and I think he may have been a bit jealous yesterday that not all her attention was on him. He is a lovely loving dog and he was very out of character yesterday. Saying that, because my dogs were so old (I lost my 16 year old x collie in February) and never really bothered with jasper before, any interaction has always been on jasper's terms. The change in jack and the new dog is something jasper hasn't encountered before. Thankfully my boys are fine today, apart from Murphy having a chunk of skin out of his nose!!! We've been out with them this afternoon to a nearby country park and Murphy has been playing with some dogs there and he seems to be happy and confident with them. I certainly don't want a repeat of yesterday, I think it may be a case of keeping them all apart for a while, although this isn't ideal Thanks once again for looking commenting on my post Karen xx
