Very Aggressive

[Cathy1]

I adopted Duchess a spitz/whippet last Wednesday. She is 1 yrs. old. We were told that she hates cats but is fine with dogs. On Friday she started playing with my other dog Duke Shepherd/Collie and all of a sudden Duchess went nuts and clamped onto Duke's lips and would not let go. She kept shaking her head back and forth and took everything I had to get her to let go, and bit me in the process. I called the humane society where I got her and they told me to use a crate for time out so I did but she started howling and banging her face on the door. When I let her out she attacked me and put a gash in my hand. We put Duchess in a separate room for about 30 min. and let her back in and everything was fine until Duke tried to play with his toys and she ran over and bit him again. She steals food out of Duke's mouth and he will let her. He won't fight back he is very gentle, he just walks away with his head down. When ever we try to correct her she constantly bites us. Today Duke was laying in his bed she ran over and bit him once again. She wants everything to herself. When we give them treats she will steal Duke's and hide them then go back and eat hers. She has no fear what so ever. Duke will not go near her now and will not go outside if she is out there. The humane society suggested that I bring her back Monday and try another dog. I don't want to hurt her by giving up and taking her back but I have no choice she definitely cannot live with other dogs. Knowing that she bites when being corrected would the OSPCA put her to sleep? They also told us that the other people gave her up because she was constantly urinating on the floor but has never done it here. I think they were lying about the dog. Other than the aggression she is a very good girl. If she was our only dog I would keep her but I will not give up Duke because she has a problem.

[t.pettet]

This dog should been seen by a behaviorist and someone that can advise you how to handle her. 5 days is not enough time for her to get her bearings or to settle in to this new environment. If you take her back to the shelter she'll be called aggressive and not house trained, I can't see anyone else adopting her with that track record. She's needs a 2nd. chance.

[Lissa]

I am so sorry you are dealing with this! I can't imagine how torn you must feel... I can't offer any advice - although I think I would be doing the same as you. I wouldn't sacrifice Dodger's sanity for a new dog and I don't know how I would handle being bit numerous times either.

[kuroguro]

Cathy,

I'm so sorry to hear you and your household are going through this. I've had my eye on Dutchess for awhile now on Petfinder and hoped she would go to a good home. She looks so much like my first dog and so I have had a soft spot for her. Can the OSCPA provide a behaviourist to assess her and maybe give you some advice on whether she can integrate or not? I know the Toronto Humane Society have called on Adam Stone to rehabilitate hard-to-house dogs. This seems only in everyone's best interest.

Carrie

[Cathy1]

I have no choice but to send her back. We tried letting the 2 dogs in the same room but she clamped onto his lip and tore it. He never even bit her back. He weighs 97 lbs. and she weighs about 22 lbs. He could really hurt her and that scares me. She has bitten me 3 times and twice drew blood. The humane society said they would try to place her in a home without other animals but that is not going to help with her problem. Even taking her for a walk is terrible especially if she sees a cat. She gets up on her hind legs and runs after it. If you try to stop her she turns on us. Other than the aggression she is very sweet. I don't want to return her but I cannot have her hurting Duke. Duke cannot even sleep in his own bed she will go after him, biting and growling until he leaves then she goes back to her bed. I won't tolerate this behavior. When I discussed her problems with the humane society they didn't offer any solutions. They said they couldn't get outside help because of funding.

[Lucky Rescue]

5 days is not enough time for her to get her bearings or to settle in to this new environment

I agree. This dog should never have been given freedom of the house so quickly. It no doubt overwhelmed and over excited her.

A new dog in the home should be confined to one room (bathroom, laundry) and should only gradually earn more freedom by good behavior. This gives everyone a chance to get used to the new arrival and the new dog learns the pecking order and that everyone in the household, including other dogs, OWN the house and not her.

[tenderfoot]

Before you take that drive - put her on the leash attached to you. Start walking around the house and take her with you. I am talking whenever she is out in the house with the other dog she is on the leash attached to you. You are going to have to start reading her subtle cues that she is giving which mean that she is thinking about getting nasty. She needs to be corrected for her bad choices. Now if she goes for you - you have the leash to keep her at bay. Tell her 'no' in a firm and low tone - don't hesitate to sound nasty but try not to escalate the energy. Then quickly tell her to 'sit' and 'stay'. Look at her only when you are correcting her and then look away and take a breath. Calm down. See what she does. Does she calm down too? or does she want to have the last word?
This little girl has probably never had any boundaries and has gotten away with murder. It could be that she doesn't have much experience with other dogs and thinks she has to attack first before she gets attacked. I am not excusing any of it but if we can test her and see what works with her then we have a chance to see if she can be changed.
Some little dogs get away with so much cr-p (sorry about the language) but its true. No one takes the time to teach them or correct them because 22lbs isn't as obnoxious as 80lbs when its jumping on you or pulling on the leash.
You might find that with the right amount of leadership she calms right down and learns how to be civilized.
Your other dog is an angel for putting up with this nasty behavior. We certainly don't want to ruin his life because of her. But if he sees you taking charge and correcting her then he will feel better too.
The key here is to create situations for her to learn and make a better choice. Say she hated cats, well we would work with cats until she at least learned to have manners with them - out of respect for you.
Right now she respects no one and believes no one is looking out for her safety. So she resorts to getting nasty with everyone to survive. She has probably had a few homes, who knows how people treated her and now she feels alone in the world with only her own wits to save her. Granted this nasty attitude lives in her somewhere and it will potentially always be something you have to beware of - she may never be the angel your present dog is. But if she had started her life out with a caring family and an angelic partner maybe she would never have felt the need to be the nasty thing she has become.