BOO HOO!!! I May Have To Give Away My Dog

[Christine]

Unless you guys have some good suggestions....

I have two dogs: A beagle/hound mix who is about 45 lbs (female) and a teeny, tiny Jack Russell terrier (10 lbs, also female). The JRT is just the sweetest thing you can imagine. The beagle is too, but larger dog and more aggressive. The two dogs have been together for almost 3 years (they are about a year apart in age). The beagle is definitely the alpha dog and the JRT submits. No problem.

Until recently. I went on vacation and the dogs were being cared for by my parents. I don't know what happened (maybe just separation anxiety) but the bigger dog attacked the JRT while they were eating. My dad tried to break up the fight and he had to get 5 stitches in his hand. The JRT had to get for abdominal stitches. We chalked it all up to anxiety on the part of the dogs and my dad not handling the fight well. A week later, I was feeding the dogs. The JRT doesn't really want to eat with the other dog now. So the beagle finishes her meal and I let her outside. The JRT did not finish and she heads upstairs with me. Pretty soon, the beagle is DYING to get inside. I let her in and she makes a beeline for the basement. At this point, something clicks in my head and I think "she KNOWS the food is not finished." It was like a slow motion nightmare. Beagle running downstairs, JRT running after her. I reach the dogs and they are squaring off. The JRT, submissive as she is, does not back down. Beagle attacks again. I manage to break them up and no stitches are required but my JRT has sustained several good wounds again. Since then, I've been doing a lot of research and it seems that once "food aggression" starts between dogs, it just escalates. Now the beagle does seem to be getting aggressive to the other dog in more situations. I am very afraid now that the JRT will be killed.

My only option is to give her to my MIL/FIL. But this just makes me sick. First off, my in-laws are good to their animals but I don't agree with what they do to their pets. They constantly feed them from the table and prepare them meals of "people food." I just know that my little 10-lb sweetie will look like a giant, fat swollen tick in a year!! They also keep their dogs in a garage at night (heated and cooled) but my baby is such a princess!!!! I can't bear the thoughts of it. Also, my in-laws live on a farm environment. No fences, no nothing. I've never been able to get the JRT to come under total recall (JRTs are FAMOUS for running off). I'm terrified she'll be killed there.

My in-laws just lost one of their dogs to old age. They have a 125-lb Newfoundland that is a real "gentle giant." My JRT seems to love him at the times they have been together, but I thought my two like each other two. Do I have to worry about the Newfoundland (male) killing her eventually?

I'm just sick about this and don't know what the right thing is to do. Any ideas?

Edited to add: It is not really an option to get rid of the beagle mix because of her aggressive nature. I don't thing she would be a good candidate.

 

[luvwinnie]

We had a similar problem with our baby, a very spoiled Eng. bulldog, going after our 10 yr old cocker spaniel who we took in when my MIL had to move and couldn't take her. This was getting quite ugly and expensive...one time Lady needed stitches in her mouth and another time she had a tooth knocked out.
First of all, feed the dogs in separate rooms...
Second, we hired a professional dog trainer to work with Winnie to get her to realize that while she may be Alpha to LADY she is NOT Alpha to us...does the beagle seem confused about this issue? Trainer explained she was going after Lady because of confusion about being Alpha and trying to prove it...but once she learned her place better, the fighting stopped. I will tell you, however, that we NEVER left them alone after that. We put a gate between the kitchen/dr and the rest of the house and Lady stayed in the kitchen.
Lady passed away in June and Winnie was actually quite depressed. Go figure!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Do you have children/grandchildren/kids coming in contact with this dog? Perhaps something is going wrong medically in the brain. The beagle/mix could attack a child.

If the dog is not around kids than I would go with your plan. If it is he would be the one to go.

We just had an attack happen by one of the neighbors dog. It was a cocker and out of the blue it went after the kids face. She had to go to the hospital and get stitches. It was the third time it attacked a child without warning. They had to get rid of the dog.

So I guess I would assess the health & mental health of the beagle mix first.

 

[Hillbeans]

I don't have any advice christine, but Hugs to you.

 

[phillybeth]

I have a food-aggressive dog (she is a rescue and was starved as a pup/young adult). They way I handle it is this: ALL food, treats, etc, are given with all dogs crated. No one is let out of the crates until everyone is done eating. Then they are let out one at a time and the bowls are removed. I could never free-feed, and hand-feeding or feeding at the table is out of the question.

It's possible that the human-food diet at your parents trigger the food agression in your beagle. Beagles and terriers are both known to be highly food-focused breeds.

 

[Pin Wizard]

Did you get the dogs at the same time or was one there first? I had my retriever first. The little one picks fights all the time and he's put in his place!! Thank goodness my retriever is so sweet and puts up with the boxer/lab's garbage. If he didn't, the little one would be gone!! My "first" one is the one to stay.

Then again, the boxer/lab ruined my carpeting by ripping it and better watch his step as it is.

 

[vettechick99]

Originally posted by phillybeth


It's possible that the human-food diet at your parents trigger the food agression in your beagle. Beagles and terriers are both known to be highly food-focused breeds.

That's a good thought. My dog, a basset/beagle mix, is normally passive and shy. Not at all food agressive with her regular bones, treats or her Iams...but who wants that bland food anway . But if you get anywhere near her and the special treat du jour (pig ear/steak bone/ham hock), watch out!

If you can, find a dog trainer who is familiar with aggression issues to come over and consult (some do it for free). If things were fine once, and just now they are out of whack, it seems like it's something you can fix.

Good luck!

 

[Christine]

I guess I was confusing in my first post.

I went on vacation. The dogs stayed at my house (their own home). My parents stayed there or came over for long periods. They were fed their own food, in their usual manner. It is my in-laws (who I am thinking of giving the JRT too who use human food) But, I think the beagle was very anxious while we were gone. We got the beagle from the shelter when she was 6 months old. She had not been abused but had been left there by two separate families because they had young children and she was jumping on them. Nothing aggressive, no biting, etc. The beagle has always been very sweet with us and has been a very good dog. She is very regimented and routine-oriented though. She gets very *uptight* when we change our routine. That is why I thought that our vacation was upsetting to her. One time (before I had the other dog), I went away for the weekend and the dog stayed at my parents house. She was very nervous the whole time, my mother reported to me. Could never get comfortable.

Pin Wizard - We got the beagle first. When she was about 1.5 years old we got the Jack (who was 4 months old at the time).

I have taken both dogs to obedience training. Actually, during obedience training we noted that she exhibited some aggresssion towards *some* of the other dogs. There was a German Shepherd there and my dog could just not stand this dog. They could hardly walk past each other. I was so embarrassed because it was obviously my dog that was having *issues*. So, I think there is an inherent aggressiveness in this dog.

Kids - I have an almost 10 year old son and a 13 year old daughter. So far, she is very submissive with us. The only one she shows any real strangeness to is my son. I don't think she views him as a dominant figure. He was only 6/7 when we got her and I think she has always been threatened by him because he jumps around alot and has probably stepped on her feet or something. She treats my DD like one of her superiors.

I am not too concerned about the kids, although I will never 100% trust a dog. But, I am trying to stop the aggression from progressing.

I don't know if I mentioned it in my other post, but we are starting to see the beagle becoming more aggressive to the Jack in other situations now (ever since the food fight). They used to both chace the squirrels in the yard, but now the beagle is getting threatened when the Jack runs along side her and is growling at her. It is all very puzzling.

 

[miste76]

I strongly suggest working with a trainer on this. Not only for the food aggression, but also for training with your son.
Dogs usually do not see children (and a lot of women) as alphas. It sounds like it can be changed at this point.
One of the dogs that I currently have was extremely dog aggressive when I got her (and a little human aggressive.) Infact, the reason that I got her was because there were no other dogs in my house at the time. After about a year of training and my constant reminding of how to behave... she may still growl, but she has not attacked another dog and doesn't even think of looking at me the wrong way (this was over 2 years ago.) Only a professional dog trainer will be able to determine whether or not this dog is going to be able to turn around.
Either way, I would never let one of my babies be forced outside of the home to sleep at night. They are like children to me.
If you are concerned about the over-feeding... you may want to also run this by your mil/fil... a person that is supposed to weigh 100 lbs is considered very unhealthy at 150 lbs. It becomes a serious health concern at that point. The same goes for a dog that is supposed to weigh 10 lbs... but is now weighing 15 lbs. It's the same ratio and is equally detrimental to their health. This comparison usually helps people understand better what the extra weight is doing to their dog's health.
Hope this helps!!!