HeathenMom Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 we have two miniture schnauzers. we've had the male, Gryphon, for a little over 3 years. he has been the best dog we've ever had; obedient and eager to please. so we decided to get him a little sister a few months ago. Cricket is a little girl and she's about 4 months old now. they have gotten along great, until this morning. the kids were playing in the back yard and i heard a commotion of screaming dogs and screaming kids. Gryphon had Cricket by the neck and was shaking her and trying to kill her! my youngest son was trying to intervene and got a small bite on his finger. Gryphon would not let go and my kids were both hysterical. i finally got him to let her go and she just laid there...she finally got up and went to her crate, it seems the bite was just under the jaw and not squarely on the neck. here's my dilemma: Gryphon has been the best dog, but now my kids are traumatized by his presence! but how fair is it to get rid of him and keep Cricket when he was here for years? also, my oldest son loves Gryphon more than anything, he's in his room crying over it right now. i don't know what to do! if i get Gryphon fixed can i be sure that there will be no more violent behavior toward the puppy? TIA! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 :grouphug: I have no idea, but :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kebo Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 I'm sorry you're having to face this. It would seriously traumatize my children,too. We had to get rid of a pet chicken because the puppy wouldn't get over the idea that she was a chew toy. We still miss Chicken Jane, and the dog is still a troublemaker. There's not always a perfect solution :sad: Neutering is certainly a good idea, but no, there is no guarantee that this will stop the aggression. Was there food involved? A favorite toy? Any known trigger? Most miniature schnauzers aren't prone to serious aggression with other dogs, but some are. It may not be possible to eliminate that tendency. I've known people who divided their house in half and allowed one dog on each side for this reason. And another who put the aggressive dog in a wire muzzle when around the other dog. But these are extreme solutions and I think I would look at rehoming, too. Especially with children around. Please get Cricket checked out, even if she seems "okay". Bite wounds to the neck (and bite wounds in general) can be deceptive. You may only see the slight puncture wounds (or nothing at all), not realizing there is serious damage below. And watch her very closely for any breathing difficulty or swelling. At the least she needs antibiotics. Fingers crossed for Cricket's recovery and :grouphug: for your tough decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
celticmom Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 I would separate the dogs for a period of time and work on Griffin being aware that the you and your children are dominant. Then I would only allow the two dogs to be together with very strict supervision. Be prepared to separate them immediately if a fight starts. I would also look into working with a trainer if possible. It seems unusual for a male to be fighting with a female. Has there been a recent disruption in the household? We had three miniature dachshunds when my daughter was born and they snapped at each other and fought occaisionally for about a month before things settled back down. I would say that getting the male fixed would be more likely to help if he was fighting with another male. Actually in my experience intact males seem to be more protective and less jealous of female dogs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dayle in Guatemala Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 :grouphug:Definitely get Cricket checked out. Poor little thing! We have a miniature schnauzer, Lola, and she's so tiny, I can't imagine her going through that and not being traumatized. I would definitely look into getting Gryphon fixed and see if that helps with the aggression, but, if he's never had this problem before, that's not likely it. We have a black lab as well and our 2 dogs get a long super--they love each other. It would break my heart to have to get rid of one of them or have something like this happen. So sorry.:grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephanieZ Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 Call your vet and get an appt ASAP with an "animal behaviorist" http://www.certifiedanimalbehaviorist.com/ This is an emergency. You'll either get it figured out with expert assistance, or both dogs will be dead in short order. I've seen the latter more than once through our vet hospital. (The aggressor kills the victim, then the aggressor is euthanized.) I have to say that the double euthanasia (one termially injured dog; one terminally aggressive dog) of two beloved family pets have been the most traumatic emergency calls my husband has had. He'd had two of them in a decade & I'll never forget them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeathenMom Posted February 21, 2011 Author Share Posted February 21, 2011 thank you all. there was no food involved or anything like that, although being a puppy Cricket tends to play too rough sometimes and likes to be dominant toward Gryphon. i can't believe it at all, he's always been a gentle, good dog. Cricket's been around since December, so it's not like he was feeling territorial towards her, he's used to her. we're going to work on him understanding who is dominant (he let go of her when i made it outside, he knows i'm the big dog) and get him fixed. i'm going to call the vet, thank you all for the good advice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeathenMom Posted February 21, 2011 Author Share Posted February 21, 2011 Call your vet and get an appt ASAP with an "animal behaviorist" http://www.certifiedanimalbehaviorist.com/ do you know of any other ways to find an animal behaviorist? the closest one on the list the website provided was in Austin...and that's not close! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephanieZ Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 do you know of any other ways to find an animal behaviorist? the closest one on the list the website provided was in Austin...and that's not close! Unfortunately, there are very few certified applied animal behaviorists . .. and they really are the very best option. Some vets are very competent in behavior, there are even board certified veterinary behaviorists. http://www.dacvb.org/ If you have one of those closer, it would be an ideal option. Talk to your vet. Your vet might be able to recommend someone. Don't leave them unsupervised until you have some resolution, as things could get worse fast. I'd put the aggressor literally on a short leash when with the other dog, so you can control quickly. Meanwhile, interact with them when they are solo. Be really careful about having them unsupervised with your kids around. A dog fight can easily get misdirected. . . and you don't want a child injured. (((hugs))) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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