How to deal with mild (so far) dog-dog aggression

[Chula]

We brought home a new dog on Tuesday. She is a spayed female pitbull.

We already had a spayed female GSD mix and a neutered male Rhodesian. The female is dominant over the Rhodesian.

The new dog is very playful and friendly. The GSD has accepted her. The problem we are having is that every time the new dog tries to engage the GSD in play, the Rhody acts protective/jealous in an aggressive manner.

Last night, the pitbull was licking the GSD and posturing to try to get her to play. The Rhodesian was by me and I could tell he was getting agitated so I reached over and held his collar. The GSD mildly corrected the pup which sent the Rhodesian after the new dog, pulling me after him. My husband scooped up the pup and removed her from the room.

The Rhodesian had completely ignored the new dog when we had an interaction at the shelter. We have never had aggression issues with him. The shelter staff were more worried about the GSD accepting the new dog which hasn't been a problem.

At this point, they are never left alone. How can I help our male dog accept the new dog? I don't want to make him more jealous than he already is.

[Ola_]

I only have two dogs but I know that at three they become a pack and everything gets more complicated. The dog-savvy folks I know who have more than 2 dogs do their introductions very very slowly. For example they would separate them via doors for several days so they could just get used to each others' smells. Then several more days on opposite sides of baby gates (assuming their don't get aggressive around barriers, some dogs will fence fight). Go on side-by-side walks together if you can so the dogs are around each other but not forced to interact directly.

If at any point you have issues with this I would go back to the previous step and spend time there. The worry is that once they agress they are more likely to return to that behaviour the next time. The puppy (how old is she?) should also be spending lots of time crated to keep her out of the other dogs' hair. This is assuming the Rhody doesn't get aggressive while she is in her crate.

Also, if you can increase the amount of exercise they all get (but especially the resident dogs) that always helps as it reduces the stress hormones.

[greenmagick]

I think if I were you I would look into the possiblitly of finding a behaviorist to work with you. You have three highly driven breeds there, which while is not a bad thing, may need a bit more help managing at first. Its hard to say without knowing the dogs and seeing what is actually going on. I am definitely not an expert but I think part of what set him off is grabbing his collar. That signals stress and that something is wrong to your dog. I would try giving lots of treats to the rhodie while the other two are playing....have him associate them playing with good things. If he starts posturing or looking like he is going to attack, he has to leave the room.

[Sailor]

I agree with the behaviorist idea - it's so hard to give advice online about this, when we're not there in person and seeing the interaction. Plus, as a pp said - you have 3 highly driven breeds. That's going to take some working out.

I agree about not grabbing the collar. When you introduce dogs, if one of them is on a leash or is held by the collar, they feel like they're at a disadvantage, which can actually spark a problem. Again - this is just a general statement, and not true for every specific situation, I can't say what your situation was as I'm not there.

I think your best bet is to find a behaviorist who knows what they're doing, and can watch the interactions and find the best way to help these dogs become a pack.

[Chula]

Thank you for your responses.

The pitbull is not a puppy. She has had at least one litter but she is young. The GSD is seven and the Rhodie is almost five.

We really worked with them last night in the backyard. For now we are keeping them separated most of the time and I am going to find a behaviorist. A co-worker used this program for her dog aggressive dogs. http://www.snugpetresort.com/snug-dog-training/ They had good results.

The pitbull is scheduled to start training on September 1.

They are all perfect angels on walks and will walk side by side with no issues. The family room seems to be the hot spot with the Rhodie.

This reminds me of bringing a newborn home from the hospital when you already have a 2 year old. All of a sudden the 2 year old seems so big and loud and in your face. Well, Max the Rhodie is my 2 year old. He was extremely upset with me yesterday and wouldn't look at me or come when I called him. He sulked around and would turn his back when I came in the room. It makes me feel like I have ruined his life.

[greenmagick]

Make sure that the training is positve based training. Correcting for dog aggression is often done at the wrong time and can really exacerbate the situaion. I looked at the website and it didnt say.

I am reading a book called Click to Calm right now. It is the story of a golden who started showing some dog aggression. The owner was a trainer herself, but wanted someone who specialized in dog aggression. The person she went to made it worse. She then, using the clicker and positive reinforcement was able to turn it around. It offers lots of tips and tricks as well as how to do it yourself. I would still get a good behaviorist in there though to help you spot what dog is starting what, etc.

[Ola_]

While you are working on this, be extra vigilant around what dogs usually consider high priority areas. These would include all doorways or narrow passages, and for some dogs also places where food is prepared or fed. Also be aware that the dogs may be resource guarding, especially with a newcomer in the house - the resources may include anything from toys to chew bones, and even you.

[Nicole915]

Great advice upthread. I'd also add that you may be well served to keep a drag leash on the dog while they're interacting. Make sure that when the dogs do get time together, that something wonderful happens (like a walk to a special park or yummy treats). The other thing to keep in mind is that if this is indeed a pecking order issue, that human interaction can sometimes exacerbate problems, if the dogs decide who's in charge, you'll want to follow that order.

You may also want to consider that your dogs want a job. Not every dog is cut out for the life of unemployment, some want more. My sister's RR is a much more confident and happy creature after starting (and actually excelling) at agility. Just a thought =)

Last thought, many shelters have great canine behavior support for recent adoptees. Since so much of this is really difficult to wade through without seeing it, you might want to give them a call and see if they have someone on staff who could be another pair of eyes for you, maybe see part of the problem you don't because you know the dogs so well. I often have clients video tape the behavior, and it can make a mountain of difference.

Best of luck to you, you're doing a good thing here. =)