I REALLY need your help..pretty quick..

Debi

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#1
I mentioned that I have two dogs...Addie is a 3 yr. old husky mix, Hammie is a 5 mo. old German Shepard. Everything has been wonderful..until yesterday. I live in a very rural area and Addie seemed to love a new friend. They played and really enjoyed each other. I understand they will have 'off' days...but yesterday Addie became very, very aggressive...to the point of which I'd never seen toward Hammie. She seems to not want him anywhere near her. I've been very careful to not favor one over the other (hey, I've got grown children..know all about that) This just happened so suddenly..it seems bizarre. They have a fenced pen that is 20' by 32'....and I can't even put Hammie in without her becoming extremely mean...I mean to the point that someone is going to get hurt. Addie is female, spayed...Hammie a male...I thought that would be a better mix..was I wrong? I've kept Hammie in the house to avoid the conflict. I guess I just don't understand what happened???? Everything was so good. Perhaps it is because he is getter so much bigger..an alpha dog thing?? Seems the more he grows, the worse she gets. She so loved him as a puppy. I thought that two dogs would be companions.........HELP, please!! Thoughts?? Ideas?? What happened??
oops...see some typos....guess my brain works faster than my fingers!
 
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#2
I'd guess it's a combination of Addie deciding that the pen is HER territory and Hammie getting larger. You might want to put a dividing fence in the pen, giving them each their own space, maybe even with a few feet of it solid so they can have privacy from each other.

When Addie is overly aggressive with Hammie, let her know you don't allow that type of behavior, but do it moderately because you don't want to undermine her confidence. Confidence is a big part of dogs getting along together in a family. If one dog feels insecure it can either become very shy or overly aggressive.

Take some time to sit with both of them, on the couch or somewhere neutral, with one on each side of you. Make them stay with you for a good long time and make them behave themselves. Don't let Addie snap at Hammie, but don't let Hammie aggravate Addie. Of course, only do this if you feel confident that you can control the dogs without being bitten. It's just like dealing with two kids. You've done that; trust me, dogs are soooo much easier than teenagers.

My Bimmer will chastise the girls when they take too many liberties with him or when they're getting into something he doesn't think they should. By and large I let him go on it because he won't actually bite either one of them (or even the neighbor's Lab puppy who comes over to play) and because he needs to have that authority decided while they're young since both girls are going to be over twice his size. Even Stanley, the Lab pup, is going to be bigger than Bimmer, but Bimmer will always be the boss. When he speaks, everyone stops what they're doing and hits the floor. Kharma's the only one who can get by with reaching up and kissing him on the snoot to make up. She's got his number! It sounds truly awful when he gets after them, but it's all just noise.

I guess what I'm trying to say is don't leave Hammie where he can actually get hurt, but let Addie be the boss, at least until Hammie's grown and can (peacefully) take his place as the alpha dog if that's what he really is. Addie may remain dominant even after Hammie's grown, but having lived with GSDs since I was thirteen, I wouldn't bet on it!
 

Brattina88

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#3
Addie is probably feeling a little threatened by Hammie's increasing size and losing her precious Alpha title. He may be challenging her authority with little things that you may not notice. Eye contact. Walking through the dog first. It could be anything that set her off. You could reassure her that in your eyes she's the alpha dog, by feeding her first, putting her first ect... But often times its a thing that the dogs have to sort out. Has Hammie been neutered? Could be his hormones are kicking in and him wanting to be alpha, even without acting on it, and she doesn't like it.
Follow Renee's advice is what I'd suggest :D
 

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