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Post by adoptapitbull on Jan 5, 2012 19:29:33 GMT -5
I'm worried about that, too. I don't want them to act up because they're wearing one, when they may have been fine without one.
Maybe I'll just do some more crate walk by exercises and see what their reactions are to each other and re-introduce over the weekend when I'm less stressed.
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Post by maryellen on Jan 5, 2012 22:24:32 GMT -5
the sneaky ones you really have to watch... dave found out sunday at the hike at the end.. rufus pretended he wanted to come see dave for some kisses.... yet his intent was sedona the whole time.... sneak over, pretend to want to see dave.... all the while eye up sedona ... meanwhile i am watching rufus's body language.. yep, there it goes.... all he wanted to do was hump sedona... he didnt care about dave, he didnt care about being pet, his intent was to get close enough to sedona to hump her... as soon as i saw his body language change i pulled him away and said no humping..... luckily sedona had no clue what rufus had in store.... (he used to do this to her when i had her, someone would be over, and he would use that as an excuse to start humping her.... she didnt mind it then as she would turn and hump him, but i wasnt going to chance it as they have not been together since i had her and i didnt want her to get riled up )
allison if you are going to be home alone for a while i would get them used to the muzzles (basket type) and this way it will be easier for you to break up anything with a muzzle on them ... once hubby comes home you wont have to use them .. but being home alone with both, i would definitely use the muzzles..
muzzles dont mask a problem, they protect the dogs involved from serious injury... DA is DA, you cant train it out and can only manage it to a degree..
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Post by maryellen on Jan 5, 2012 22:26:24 GMT -5
oh dave, off topic but you are gonna love sundays hike, we are going back to stony lake, there is an awesome lake there and its gonna be in the 40;s so weather is looking great for the hike!! bring your camera!!!
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Post by bubsy on Jan 6, 2012 1:02:04 GMT -5
I'm so sorry that your boys got into it, glad to hear that they are both OK. So scary. I gotta give props to multiple dog people, I don't know if I could do it. I like having 2 dogs, but that's the limit...and I'm really ok with just one dog and the cats.
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Post by adoptapitbull on Jan 6, 2012 7:43:24 GMT -5
I think I'm going to stop at Petco and grab two, just to see.
They're both back to themselves now. They're not shaking and acting afraid like they were that night and yesterday morning. I bet once I grab the muzzles, they'll be back to bed together in no time.
I think I need to invest in body doubles or something. We've never had a real fight between those two when we were both around.
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pitbullmamaliz
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Liz & Inara CGC, TD, TT, B.A., M.A., Ph.D., CW-SR
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Post by pitbullmamaliz on Jan 6, 2012 11:02:54 GMT -5
Petco only sells the mesh muzzles and those wouldn't be appropriate for more than very short-term wear (few minutes here and there). If you're going to rely on muzzles you need to buy some heavy duty basket muzzles. The Baskerville Ultra (I think that's what it's called) is very popular and heavy duty and I haven't heard of dogs being able to get them off if properly fitted.
Honestly though, why take the chance? Are you going to muzzle them every time they're out together and keep them muzzled the whole time? That means no toys, no chewies, nothing. You may want to consider just crating & rotating until hubby comes home, just to be safe.
Edited to add: You also can't just get muzzles and throw them on - you need to acclimate them to them over time.
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Post by adoptapitbull on Jan 6, 2012 16:42:43 GMT -5
I was only going to muzzle for first re-introduction. Whenever they had a fight before, I separated them for a little while, then re-introduced with no problems. They just "forgot" it seemed.
I may just C&R for now. I'm afraid that they'll get worked up even with muzzles on and then I'll be a wreck.
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pitbullmamaliz
I Love RPBF!
Liz & Inara CGC, TD, TT, B.A., M.A., Ph.D., CW-SR
Posts: 360
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Post by pitbullmamaliz on Jan 6, 2012 18:53:34 GMT -5
Thank you for not taking my post in a negative way. I reread it and it sounds kind of snarky, and I didn't mean it that way!
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Post by adoptapitbull on Jan 7, 2012 9:14:15 GMT -5
Thank you for not taking my post in a negative way. I reread it and it sounds kind of snarky, and I didn't mean it that way! Nah, not snarky. Don't you hate when you do that, though? You re-read and you're thinking....Wow...kinda sounded like a jerk, but I really didn't mean to be! I do that a lot on my soap forums. After having each dog crated in the same room so they could see each other all day (no issues), I let each out while the other was crated. No reaction from Cappy when Mav walked by. When Cappy walked by Mav, Mav started barking at me to play. Then Cappy started barking to play. I didn't let them out because it was the arousal levels that got us in trouble the other night. Not going to fool me! This morning when Cappy was in bed, I let Mav into the room. Mav jumped up on bed, saw Cappy, and started to shake. I stood there and watched for any red flags. Cappy got up, sniffed Mav, and then went back to his spot and laid back down. They both seemed to be a little scared, but neither were fear aggressive. If anything, I think Cappy became a little afraid since he saw that Mav was afraid. After about 10 minutes together, I crated them both in the same room again and let them be. I feel much better now. I didn't want to have to wait several months for them to be together again, because they might react worse when re-introduced because of that long separation. While it's just me here, I think I will only have them out together during very calm times. I may alternate who gets to sleep in bed with me, because that might trigger some jealousy over me. |
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mhaze
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Post by mhaze on Jan 9, 2012 16:34:26 GMT -5
I've remained lucky, but I'm diligent. Can someone post a link to something about what to do if and when it happens? I've broken up dog fights (not with my current crew). I feel like I know what to do, but others might not; and there's probably something I can learn for the just in case category that I haven't considered.
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Post by suziriot on Jan 9, 2012 22:57:05 GMT -5
Well, sure enough tonight Otis and Brandy went at it. She's been here 1 1/2 years now without any incidents, but never underestimate them. I still have no idea what triggered it. It happened about 15 minutes after I got home from work. I was putting laundry in the wash and they were in the kitchen. A partial wall meant that they were not in my line of sight. Suddenly I hear snarling and they're going at it in the kitchen. Then Dharma comes running in and almost jumps in but I quickly got her in the spare crate in the kitchen (thank god we've kept it there) and then used a broom that was right there to break them up. Luckily they were not latched on to each other and they separated right away. Got Otis then Brandy into crates. Checked them all out, and Brandy's eye was bleeding. Called my vet and told them I was on my way. She got lucky and only her lower lid is lacerated. They stained the eye and no actual eye damage. Otis has a small puncture on his head, and his face is very scratched and bruised. I still have no idea what triggered it. There was no food out anywhere, no toys, etc. No weird noises. They had not been excited or aroused right before. It could have been anything. Maybe Otis tried to hump her and she snapped at him. Maybe there was some crumb of food that they both wanted. Just goes to show that fights can happen completely out of the blue with no immediately obvious triggers. They've always gotten along well. I was honestly keeping an eye out for Dharma and Brandy to have issues, both being female and Dharma being so pushy. I'm really upset because if Brandy and Otis have to be separated, then we will have to rehome her. We already have Lebowski on C&R, and we just can't realistically do that with two dogs. We'll see what the next few days bring. Ugh.
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Post by emilys on Jan 9, 2012 23:14:57 GMT -5
ohgeez suz, that just sucks.
Without a doubt, pit bulls are assholes
sometimes
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Post by catstina on Jan 9, 2012 23:50:28 GMT -5
I'm so sorry, Suzi!! I hope that it works out with Brandy!
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Post by melonie on Jan 9, 2012 23:52:55 GMT -5
Hopefully everyone calms down and can get along. Maybe all the dogs are experiencing a seasonal snaking disorder?
Glad the dogs weren't seriously injured.
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Post by bubsy on Jan 10, 2012 0:59:47 GMT -5
Oh no, I'm sorry that Otis and Brandy got into it. Hope everyone's dogs just chill out from now on.
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Post by suziriot on Jan 10, 2012 1:16:35 GMT -5
Yep, look what I wrote just the other day in this very thread.   I'm so sorry Allison. I hope Mav and Cappy are doing okay. And that you are okay as well. I live in fear of having aggression develop between Otis, Brandy, or Dharma. I most worry about Dharma and Brandy, as the two females. And Dharma can be such a little bitch. |
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Post by bubsy on Jan 10, 2012 1:21:06 GMT -5
^Aww, Suzi...I would be most worried about the same sex dogs myself. I probably wouldn't have been concerned about Otis and one of the girls getting into it. I never used to worry about Murphy reacting to girls, it was always males he had issues with...but now as he is getting old he is an equal opportunity grump :-(
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Post by adoptapitbull on Jan 10, 2012 7:54:36 GMT -5
No way, Suzi, really?! Otis and Brandy? Wow...I'm so sorry!
Glad everyone is OK...but sheesh, enough, dogs, just enough!
When it rains, it pours.....
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Post by adoptapitbull on Jan 10, 2012 8:04:25 GMT -5
I've remained lucky, but I'm diligent. Can someone post a link to something about what to do if and when it happens? I've broken up dog fights (not with my current crew). I feel like I know what to do, but others might not; and there's probably something I can learn for the just in case category that I haven't considered. Have two people there! But seriously, if they're both not letting go, it is extremely difficult. You can use a break stick, or something that mimics a break stick, to try to open their mouths. It's hard if you have two dogs engaged, though. Much easier if one is engaged and the other is just taking it. If there are two of us here, first thing we try to do is stabilize their heads so they can't thrash and rip skin. Usually they let go within a few seconds. We've even lifted them up so all their paws were off the ground and that helped for us. When it was just me, I just grabbed each collar, pulled like heck, and got right near a doorway so that when they broke, one could be tossed in a room. Sometimes you can break them with a loud noise or a bucket of water, yet I've never had time to stand by the sink a fill a bucket while they were trying to kill each other. Seemed pointless to me. Most importantly, never, ever get your body near their mouths. They will bite you a midst the craziness. Almost lost a finger that way 2 years ago. I got a little bite the other night on my leg, but it didn't even break skin. They realized quickly that it was me and not a dog. Even still, it hurts and is a big honker of a bruise. I think there's a thread on fight here, too, Mike, so try and search for it. I'm sure others will chime in as well. It's just not a fun thing to learn from experience! |
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Post by johnr on Jan 10, 2012 9:33:47 GMT -5
^Yes, "two dogs engaged, one breakstick" is not a great ratio. But better one than none.
Sorry so many are having so much trouble. Makes my problems with Pumpkin and Angel look small. All aggression sucks, but when you can break them with your voice, that's a lot easier than having to physically break them up!
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