My daughter is about to move in with me she has two dogs, a Beardie Collie x lurcher called Gypsy she is 12 years and is spayed and a blue merle Border Collie called Diesel he is 4 years, and is entire, I have a black & white Border Collie called Devon he is 8 years, and is neutered. They all get on well together when we take them for walks, they have all been on holiday together without any problems, they all play well together with no fighting over toys. But Devon can be very jealous over me and if Gypsy comes near me he will push her away but if Diesel comes near me Devon will start a fight, Diesel is very hyper-active and doesn't settle till it gets dark so is constantly on the go, so my question is: How can we avoid any fights without keeping Devon and Diesel muzzled in our home, ideally I would like to take Devon and Diesel for walks on my own but feel at the moment it would be to much of a battle.
Ray Thrush
Carol Price, trainer and behaviourist, says...
Keeping two dogs of the same sex under the same roof can always be a bit of a lottery. Sometimes it works out fine, but in other cases it can be a recipe for ongoing conflict. It tends to depend greatly on the nature of the dogs concerned, and also how their behaviour is handled.
Either way, when owners tell me that their dogs are ‘possessive’ or ‘jealous’ about them, it does tend to ring warning bells, in terms of the true nature of the relationship between them; i.e the dog in question is seeing an owner less as a suitably superior leader figure in his life and more as some prized resource he has to guard from all comers. This in turn can also signify an owner’s perceived weakness in relation to their dog.
Countless dogs spend their time being ‘loved’ and indulged by their owners, but not enough get given the firm and consistent guidance necessary for them to master more acceptable behaviour.
A dog should not be afforded the right to decide who his owner can or can’t have an interaction with—be they human or canine. Only you, as an owner, have this right, and if your dog is not taught to accept this it can be a recipe for ongoing trouble.
My suspicions are also that Devon may pretty much have access to you, and all areas of your home, all the time, which can lead to intense emotional over-attachment in dogs and more extreme reactions whenever this attachment appears under threat (e.g. howling/barking/destructive behaviour when the dog is left alone or aggression towards any rivals for an owner’s attention).
So a first sensible step before your daughter moves in with her dogs is to begin putting a bit more emotional distance between yourself and Devon, to get him more used to not always having your undivided attention on demand. The best way to do this is to get a dog gate installed between the kitchen, say, and all other areas of the house. Put Devon’s bed in the kitchen, and encourage him to spend time on his own there, on the other side of the gate, while you are at home.
As he is used to being with you all the time, he is highly likely to protest at this point, with much frustrated whining and barking, which you must totally ignore, however long it goes on for. Only go back to Devon when he is quiet again.
Before your daughter’s dogs move in, also get her to give you items, like old T-shirts, with their scent on, and place these next to Devon’s bowl at every meal time, to build up more positive associations in his mind.
It may, in fact, be a good idea to set up separate ‘dog quarters’ in the kitchen for both Devon and your daughter’s dogs, once they move in, so that they are not able to constantly be in conflict over attention from you or her.
Once your daughter’s dogs have moved in, you can then decide which dogs are invited into the main part of the house with you, as and when you wish. If Devon ever becomes aggressive towards the other dogs when you enter these dog quarters, or he is in the main house with you, immediately banish him, on the other side of the dog gate from where you happen to be. Keep doing this each and every time he shows aggression or possessive behaviour when you are around, until he eventually learns to behave in a more civilised way around the other dogs, if he wants to stay with you.
This may take time but it will be worth it for the sake of far greater future harmony between the dogs. After all, no dog can continue to guard what he is consistently denied possession of. Another possibility, if conflict seems really serious or prolonged between Devon and Diesel, is to invest in a good-sized indoor kennel. Cover this on the top and surrounding sides with a blanket, and put cosy bedding inside to make it den like. You can use this kennel to segregate the boys, taking it in turn to have one dog out and one dog in the kennel. It is not ideal, but a lot better than keeping both dogs muzzled all the time.
Diesel appears to have his own issues, and definitely needs to be taught how to settle better, throughout the day, and get out of the habit of constantly self-stimulating himself into a frenzy—which is what most so called ‘hyper activity’ in collies really amounts to. An indoor kennel, where he has to wind down for regular periods, can also help on this front, as can eliminating any possible artificial colourings or additives that could be in his diet, including treats.
It is important to understand how much you can change and improve the behaviour of any dog through much better, and more authoritative, handling and guidance on your part. But not all owners find the shift from being overly indulgent to more convincingly hardline easy. So if you feel you still need more practical ‘hands on’ help to settle the dogs in together, get additional advice from a good local canine behaviourist. Your vet should be able to refer you to one.
As far as walking the dogs together goes, I am a bit puzzled, as earlier on in your letter you said that they got on together on walks, and never fight over toys? And also, that when you went on holiday together, the dogs got on fine. My instincts are that once you get the main conflict issue sorted, re rivalry over access to you on your home turf, walks with the two dogs should pose few problems.
Amy Hatcher, behaviourist and obedience trainer, says...
Inter dog (two dogs in the same household) is unusual in dogs, it's normally bitches that can't get along together. Castration changes the gender of a dog or neutralises the dog. If one dog is kept entire and the others are not it creates an inbalance in
the pack as the result is two neutrals and a dog. It sounds like naturally Devon would be top dog but Diesel being entire has confused things. I would recommend getting Diesel castrated - particularly if he isn't being used at stud. Castration stops so much testosterone reaching the brain and the hormone is taken over by serotonin which helps a dog to relax. This may also be part of the reason that Diesel can't relax.
In addition you need to ensure that you have some good strong house rules in place so that the dogs understand the humans are the leaders. This minimalises fights and jealousy as they look to you as leaders, rather than battling it out between themselves. Some suggestions for house rules:
Create a personal space around yourselves, the dogs aren't allowed in this unless invited
Don't let them upstairs
Only allow on sofa when invited.
House rules will help to reinforce your dominance. You don't say how much exercise they get but as I am sure you know Border Collies require several hours a day in order to keep them calm and relaxed. Often a good long walk of a few hours will iron out any tension.
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