[spiritnote]

A stray came onto our property two weeks ago. She is not spayed, recently had puppies, is about 20 lbs and appears to be a boston terrier, daschund, pit bull mix. Before I could isolate her, my boxer beagle mix (about 50 lbs, neutered male) charged her and the fight was on! It was pretty intense and resulted in a lot of blood and vet bills. We have kept them separated, but there was one other incident, fortunately lasting only a minute, but still some decent damage done. We do have a third dog, daschund beagle mix (neutered female about 25 lbs.) So far no fights, but not allowing them to mix either.

Obviously the introduction was not anywhere what it should have been. Is there any hope for bringing these dogs together? Working with a stray rescue organization in my area, but as with all of them, they have more dogs than homes.

[Marc]

If you're not attached to this new dog and there's no pressing reason why you should keep her, then I wouldn't push it. You're risking a lot of stress to your animals and the new dog. Some dogs will simply never get along. If you keep her, your dogs will not thrive and be their healthiest.

If you must keep her, there is a way to 'break' them. I say break them because you're forcing an unnatural behavior. Start by having another person hold her in the same room as your holding your dog. Love on your dog and the other person love on the new dog (pet, hug, give treats) but hold on tight so they cannot escape your grips. After a few days, trade. You hold the new dog, the other person holds your dog. Slowly move closer while doing this over the course of a week or so, spending at least an hour each day doing this. Finally, when you they may wtill be tense with each other but you don't think they will lunge at each other, sit down with one on each side of you. Have two people sitting on the ends to help control them. This is a long process, but it is a safe way to force them to tolerate each other. You cannot leave them alone until you see one submit and allowing the other to have dominance.

[german sheep]

As marc has already told you, it is in a way an unnatural behaviour for a dog to share the live with a totally strange individual. A dog which does not belong to the familar pack situation is always seen as rival.

And even if you have success with marcs idea of training, the risk of escalation will be always present, regarding the strenght of the stimuli and how important the ressource is for each dog. As long as every single resource is not important enough and the dog has understood that you have everything under your fully control, then maybe you will have luck, but is a ressource for one dof your dogs important enough to defend it by using aggression, then you will have bad luck and the fighting starts immediately.

So I totally agree with marcs first sentences:

If you're not attached to this new dog and there's no pressing reason why you should keep her, then I wouldn't push it.

LG
gs

[Lunareclipse]

She's prolly a bleeding heart like me. You know if I saw a stray, we'd have another dog in the house and I'd prolly be outside in the doghouse...

If you really want it to work, try going to a professional dog trainer. Not the kind at the pet store. Talk to your vet. They generally can refer you to someone that can help train dogs with behavioral problems. Also, try taking them for a walk together. and keep a can of marbles on hand. Shaking it might startle your dog out of that behavior. Never put yourself between the dogs if there is a fight. Use a broom handle or something like that.

[spiritnote]

Just to clarify. This stray is an absolute sweetheart! However, my reason for trying to get them to mix is that we just are not able to find a home for her at this time - as I said in the original post - more dogs than homes. The stray rescue organization is doing everything they can and the search is on. I am just trying to do my part. If I could find a loving home for her, I know it would be in her best interest, but so far no luck. And because she is a stray, APL won't take her and the pound will put her down after ten days to allow her owner to claim her. Can't let that happen. We have tested her with other dogs and the issue seems to be from my boxer, not from her.

[Josh Smith]

Hello,

Maybe I missed it, but it I didn't see any one clear aggressor. Which one was it?

Meantime, try this: Get a baby gate. Put it up. Put it up well. It may take nails

You're slowly introducing the animals to each other this way. Do not scold for fighting (or, with the gate up, growling at each other and barking). You want the animals to associate interaction with each other as a positive thing.

I'm going to suggest something which is not generally recommended: Stand in between the two (with the gate as backup, of course). You are the leader; it's up to you to regulate how the interaction goes.

Once the dogs have calmed down and you're between them, pet them. Not before - don't reward aggressive behavior. But praise them both equally once they get along.

Here's a story:

Each of us kids had a dog when we got to Wabash County. Shep was mine, the oldest. She was dominant over the others. Good German Shepherd rescue that saved my life a couple times (and would also chase bullets, but that's for another day).

Bambi was my sister's Golden. She was born at what I assume was a puppy mill. Either way, this dog was the most ill tempered Golden Retriever I have seen up until this point. No such thing as a bad dog, but such thing as a really dumb, inbred dog.

We rescued an Australian Shepherd that was going to be put down - Mercedes had a small imperfection on her nose and the show people didn't want her.

During the adjustment period, a fight broke out between Bambi and Mercedes. Before I could break it up, Shep, the dominant over both, came running up. She never flagged her tail before now, not that I had seen. She was always content to keep it down around me - good girl.

Anyway, she launched herself into the middle of the two, who immediately stopped fighting and backed away from Shep a bit.

Shep proceeded to bark once at Mercedes, and Mercedes left. Shep then barked several times at Bambi, and stared her down until she walked off.

Lesson #1,286 taught by Shep: How to resolve conflicts arising from objections over new pack members.

Josh

P.S. Make sure you feed them at the same time. One or the other will start waiting for the other to either begin eating first, or finish before digging in. The one who starts last will be the submissive one. Above all, stay calm. They're only dogs. J.S.