My two dogs have always gotten along great. They horseplay a lot, and there is some competition between them, but there has never been any real problems between them, until lately. Last night it escalated to a whole new level, and Im definitely worried!
To give a little background, we have a male Australian Shepherd mix and a female Border Collie mix, both about the same age (around 7 yrs), and we adopted both from the shelter within a year of each other. We have had her since she was about four months old and him about a year or so after that. Both have always been healthy and we have always kept up with their checkups and such.
Over the past few months, the Aussie has begun stalking the BC on occasion. He gets right up beside her, ears straight up at attention, and gets right in her face. She tries to get away but he truly does stalk her, staying right beside her as if theyre glued together. She comes to us for help, tail between her legs, and there are times when he is so intent on her that he doesnt hear us at all, and we must physically separate them for a while in separate rooms. The frequency of this seems to have increased lately, to the point where it seems to be happening several times a week. My DH thinks shes instigating it by trying to start the horseplay with him, but until the past several months, he has never reacted like this before. Hes always just ignored her or played with her, whichever he feels like.
I worry about this behavior because I know that dogs can get sick where it affects their brain somehow, and they become dangerous. After last night, I think I am probably right to worry.
Last night, for the first time ever, the Aussie bit the BC. He didnt break the skin, but I saw it happen, and he definitely did bite her, on her hip. She even had a bunch of dog saliva all over her fur in the spot where he bit. When he did it, she snarled at him and tried to get away, but that was it. No biting back or anything like that. Surprisingly, not a sound came from him. Not before, during, or after. So we separated them for quite a while, and then when we brought him back to join the family, he was on a leash, right next to me or DH, for the rest of the night.
So has anybody else had any experience with behavior changes like this? I would like to get some feedback!!
To give a little background, we have a male Australian Shepherd mix and a female Border Collie mix, both about the same age (around 7 yrs), and we adopted both from the shelter within a year of each other. We have had her since she was about four months old and him about a year or so after that. Both have always been healthy and we have always kept up with their checkups and such.
Over the past few months, the Aussie has begun stalking the BC on occasion. He gets right up beside her, ears straight up at attention, and gets right in her face. She tries to get away but he truly does stalk her, staying right beside her as if theyre glued together. She comes to us for help, tail between her legs, and there are times when he is so intent on her that he doesnt hear us at all, and we must physically separate them for a while in separate rooms. The frequency of this seems to have increased lately, to the point where it seems to be happening several times a week. My DH thinks shes instigating it by trying to start the horseplay with him, but until the past several months, he has never reacted like this before. Hes always just ignored her or played with her, whichever he feels like.
I worry about this behavior because I know that dogs can get sick where it affects their brain somehow, and they become dangerous. After last night, I think I am probably right to worry.
Last night, for the first time ever, the Aussie bit the BC. He didnt break the skin, but I saw it happen, and he definitely did bite her, on her hip. She even had a bunch of dog saliva all over her fur in the spot where he bit. When he did it, she snarled at him and tried to get away, but that was it. No biting back or anything like that. Surprisingly, not a sound came from him. Not before, during, or after. So we separated them for quite a while, and then when we brought him back to join the family, he was on a leash, right next to me or DH, for the rest of the night.
So has anybody else had any experience with behavior changes like this? I would like to get some feedback!!
