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Advice Please On Smokey & Wollie


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So, since you guys gave such good advice there's only been a few problems...

Since you mostly said to leave them alone, I did that and Smokey is really pushing her luck imo!

Apart from a scrape/bite on her back leg (little blood, nothing running or serious) and I think Wollie got a nick in her ear since there's a little blood crust she scratches (but she could have scratched herself I didn't see him do anything).

So this one friend told me that if he bit her like that, he will 'kill her'... :rolleyes:

I know what you guys said, but I'm hoping for a little more reassurance please!

When Smokey gets into the room (bedroom, considered as W's room...) Wollie will either leave the room ignoring her or if she gets close or onto the bed, he will get off and leave the room. Same procedure in other rooms or outside... she enters, he exits! I have been ignoring this since I thought that meant they are getting along? Or at least ignoring each other :D only time he will bare teeth is when she gets in her 'on-top-of-the-world' mood and tries to get onto him or in his face ;) he doesn't have any patience I guess for puppiness ;)

I have to mention she is getting a little bit into that irritating phase, where she latches onto everything and chews... I think he will not exactly tolerate that like a Golden Retriever for example does!

Also the little bugger goes for all his toys and only wants to drink from HIS water bowl... :shrug:

Toys I pick up left & right, but he doesn't mind her drinking from his bowl, he just then refuses to drink from it himself until I go wash it with soap!!!

Is she establishing dominance??? Is that why he avoids her and leaves the room? Or does this sound like dangerous behaviour??

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Smokey can not possibly establish dominance. She's just a little baby. I do think the food bowls should be separated and every dog should be taught that stealing is a no-no. I don't know what makes Smokey attracted to Wollie's bowl. Maybe its color? :shrug: anyways I'd be a little worried if one of the dogs are basically stealing the other dog's possession. If Wollie decided to snap and tell Smoke once and for all to back off, he won't be in the wrong since it's HIS water and he has every right to defend it. If Smokey won't drink from her own bowl, try baiting the water. Meaning putting a snack inside the water bowl so she'd drink from there. Feed them in separate rooms, too.

 

I don't think there's anything wrong with Wollie's preference to have his alone time. However if your bedroom is basically Wollie's comfort zone, I'd limit Smokey's access to it for now. Wollie needs a place where he can get away from his annoying little sister and that place needs to be somewhere Smoke isn't allowed to/can't enter. You'd need it too if you have a toddler in your home :D

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Haha she's getting more terrible than a toddler these days!

It's just the water bowl, not his food bowl... and they're both the same white plastic ones :shrug:

She's never left alone with him in the bedroom... only about an hour a day with me there ;) otherwise she's outside or with me (alone) or crated ;)

She has a very bossy attitude with all dogs she meets... I wouldn't mind her being dominant, and I guess if W doesn't confront her he won't mind either?

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Well I have no other ideas regarding the bowl issue, but personally I won't let this behavior to continue. Might cause problems later on, or with another dog who has stronger sense of resource guarding.

 

I think it's important to remember that Wollie does not understand nor wanted Smokey to be there in the first place. Right now, with Smokey only being there for several short weeks, he's probably still thinking "who are you and what are you doing here?". That is why I suggest to limit Smokey's access to your bedroom for now, since it's basically Wollie's bedroom as well. Imagine being Wollie. You're cuddling up with your human in your favorite room, and then this little annoying sharp-teethed toddler waltzed in uninvited. How would you feel? I don't know about you, but I'd want to leave as well :)

 

In regards to her bossy attitude, I think it's hard to judge when I don't see it myself. Maybe it's just her being obnoxious. At such a young age, puppies don't really understand, establish, nor possess dominance.

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I'd call it borderline irritating :D she's now fully into the nippy stage :( I've even considered biting her back! :D:rofl:

Wollie's always shared water bowls before with other dogs, outside as well, but I guess I'll get her a pink one (or other shape) so she can see a difference and try putting something in it like you suggested.

W was never allowed to guard food or water, still today I can take his food away with me hands... only thing he guards is his rawhide chews, but *I* can still take them away too :P I hope I can teach Smokey that as well, since she has a tendency to want to growl when I take her food away. Also, they are fed seperately ;) and I won't give rawhides to him when she's near ;)

While I think you're right W doesn't understand WHY she's here, he hasn't even objected to her crate being in my room sometimes! He doesn't even bother to go near it as well :shrug: he's not really defensive or territorial about the room, I'm just always careful with people or pets since it is pretty much 'his' room as he spends 90% of his time there...

Also, I get the opinion W might be scared of her... that's why I thought she was acting dominant ;)

Sometimes he would run away tail between legs! I think when she's older she would totally 'own' him :D:rofl:

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I have a special feeding ritual I do with my 4 dogs that, IMO, tests and prevents the food aggression. I believe in facing issues head on and nipping them in the bud before they even begin!

I have all 4 come in the kitchen and sit while I mix up their food and put it in bowls. I'll then put the bowls of food down and tell them "leave it." This way they know who is in charge of the food and it's structured and disciplined.

I will make them wait a few minutes then I'll tell them "okay!" And move their bowls out to them but still very close together. I sit down with my big spoon and mess around with their food so they stay used to me in their food and never get tempted to growl at me or each other. As they finish, I pick up their bowl and send them off to play. I never let them sniff or try to eat from another dogs bowl. They never show food aggression but I pay close attention. If they started to lift those lips or even pause and look like they're going to get aggressive, I'd see it and correct immediately since I'm on the floor right with them!

My methods and theories are a bit different than other peoples' and I'm learning quickly that a lot of people disagree with me LOL but that's ok bc that's what a forum is for and we can't all agree right? :)

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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