Not Getting Along

[abbysmom]

I have been a member here for quite awhile, but have not posted very much. I read alot and have learned a ton. Now.. it's time for me to ask a question or two. I have Abby, a Pit mix. I adopted her when she was about 3 months old. She is now 2 1/2 years old. I also have a 15 year old Cairn Terrier. We have had no problems with Abby other than some possession aggression when she was around 7 months old. We had a trainer/behaviorist come and we keep in contact with her still. We live by NILF. I keep Abby and Ozzy seperated all the time. They used to be together but when she got bigger and bigger I thought it would be safer for Ozzy (He is 17 pounds, Abby is 55 pounds). They never ate together and had seperate play rooms. They did go outside together but I caught Abby pinning Ozzy twice in our yard so now they go outside seperately too. Now the trouble is that they lunge at the baby gate in the house and growl, hackles up and bark, etc. Is there something I should be doing or not doing? Any pointers or advice would be appreciated. She is not aggressive to my husband or I or any visitors. She does fine with the dogs when she goes to the vet. It just seems like her and Ozzy are not liking each other anymore. Thank you.

[perfectpit]

At 2 1/2 Abby is probably starting to show signs of DA. My Mastiff showed signs of DA at 7y/o, my APBT still hasn't shown any signs and he is 3. Are they spayed/neutered? If not I would do it soon. I live the C&R lifestyle also with baby gates. Many here may tell you baby gates don't work for them, they use grates. When I introduced baby gates I taught them it was a "no go area". I would gate one and have them sit/stay and treated. Then slowly I introduced the other dog by having him pass the gate on a leash with my foot on the gate...just in case and if they stayed I treated. If they moved too close to the gate I would tell them to back up and when they did I would treat. It took about 3 mths doing this. Now either one can jump or push the gate with their weight if they wanted. I always keep an ear out (my house is small) if i heard a sound and didn't see one of them. I knew one was passing by and I would say back up. Now they respect the gate. You have to be consistent and praise them for good behavior. Along with that excerise and spend equal time 1:1 with them. I know other's will voice how they separate their dogs. Everyone uses what works for them and you may find crating may be a safer way to keep them separate. Good luck.

[maryellen]

i would double gate and put a towel or something up so they cant see each other anymore