Source
r/dogs•
DifferentPassenger

[Help] Our PTSD pup has started attacking our other dog for seemingly no reason

Help!

My girlfriend and I moved in together about two years ago. I brought my dog, and she already had two rescues: Monnie, a spayed female Pitt/Catahoula mix, 40 lbs, has bad anxiety issues and serious PTSD, and Noah, a relatively easygoing lab/rott mix, about 60 lbs. Monnie is prescribed sedatives. We don’t give them to her every day, but we usually sedate her for thunderstorms, fireworks, guests coming over, etc.

Last summer out of the blue Monnie attacked Noah in our backyard. There was nothing out of the ordinary, all of the dogs were playing and then suddenly Monnie attacked Noah. There was a sudden thunderclap, and since she hates thunder, we thought maybe she was triggered. Unfortunately I was inside and didn’t hear my girlfriend yelling at first, by the time I got out there both dogs were bloody and my girlfriend had a pretty serious bite on her hand.

We started separating them whenever possible and got Monnie on some stronger sedatives. Everything was okay for a few months, but the other week it happened again. It happened after our friend brought her dog over, another (not spayed) female. All the dogs were playing in the backyard and Monnie attacked Noah again. We assumed it was some territorial stuff based on the new dog and asked our friend not to bring her over anymore.

But again today it happened even when we were both outside with the dogs. Everything was normal, and then Monnie just lunged for Noah’s throat. Because of their size it is impossible to separate them when it is just one of us. It is extremely difficult even with two of us.

I don’t really know what to do at this point. I brought up rehoming, but my girlfriend obviously doesn’t want to give up either of her dogs. She had them for years before this issue surfaced. And at the moment we can’t really afford a dog behavioralist to help us sort this out. I am very worried about this escalating even further. Monnie has displayed no aggression toward our other pets, but it seems like her behavior is getting more and more unpredictable?

What are our options if one dog keeps having sudden outbursts of aggression like this?

Posted Feb 27, 2020, 9:30 PM UTC

37
bloodhoundghost26•

Keep Monnie completely separate from the other dogs at all times. It’s called “crate and rotate.”

https://www.pbrc.net/crate-and-rotate.html

https://badrap.org/crate-rotate-how-make-it-work

7
DifferentPassengerOP•

Thank you I will send this to my gf!

1
ActuallyTheMothmanStella: Bully Breed Mix•

Crate and rotate and consult a professional trainer. Dogs always bite for a reason, whatever that reason may be

2
XelaNiba•

Crate and rotate to prevent the possibility of a fight, if you can't rehome

Also, please ask your girlfriend not to try to break up a dogfight. I know it's instinct to jump in there and protect them from each other, but with 2 dogs of this size & strength, all it takes is a little predatory drift and she could be very seriously injured.

Same for you of course.

Stay safe, I hope you're able to find a livable solution for all in the household.

1
dog_hair_dinnerBen: border collie/lab, Peach: GSD/lab, Rex: rottie/pit•

I have a dog with severe anxiety. He was attacking one of my other dogs and I couldn't tell why. I hired a veterinary behaviourist. It took a few sessions, but we have been fight free for 2.5 years now. The only times the dogs fought after the initial behaviourist visit were because we trusted a friend to take care of our dogs and he did not follow the rules we gave him.

When searching for a behaviourist, ask your vet if he/she knows a good one to refer you too. If you find one on your own, show your vet what you've found and he/she can verify if the person is a proper behaviourist.

There are people who say they are behaviourists and charge the same prices, but they are not behaviourists.

1
ilikefluffypuppies•

It’s just Noah that she does this to? Not your dog?

I’m assuming when you got stronger sedatives, you talked to the vet?

0
DifferentPassengerOP•

Yes just Noah, which is weird because she and my dog love to play fight but it has never escalated. Whereas she and Noah do not really interact that much except for these fights.

Yes we talked to the vet but they did not have much to say besides sedatives. This was after the first fight though, we have not been back for these last two incidents since there were not any serious injuries.

1