2 dogs, one house

[RD]

I think you are right to separate them.

I won't even leave my relatively passive Border Collie alone with my Papillon, because even if Dakota decided to PLAY with Ripley, he could hurt him badly. I don't trust either of them not to fight, and they're both breeds that are supposed to be tolerant of other dogs!

Like you said, better safe than sorry.

 

[APBT_Danno]

I think every situation is different. Different dogs, different personalities, different temperaments, different levels of aggression, etc...

I personally can't leave my two together unsupervised. I can't leave them together even supervised when there is excitement involved as the puppy WILL start a fight. We're getting into a crate and rotate routine right now as the puppies level of dog aggression is real strong.

 

[Bobbi_Harlow]

It would be really difficult crating any of the dogs at this point..the Chi is 9 yrs by the way, and the pit is 5.5 yrs. I'm also worried about the separation anxiety coming up again.
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If it were my dogs, I'd be more worried about the Chi smacking the pit around. We've got a chow mix and she's 9 year old, 50 pounds, and has yet to make a snack out of the little ones - 12 and 5 pounds, unfixed males. She'll growl at them, but they've got brainsand back off.

She did fight our 25 pound cocker a number of times, but Ginger started it, attacking the dog twice her size and half her age.


We never worry about Dixie killing the boys, we worry about the boys killing each other.


I've never had a pit, but I do think there's no blanket answer.

 

[Amstaffer]

I have two Pit Bulls (one Amstaff...Sal and one Pit Bull? rescue) and they have been together everyday for almost six years without a problem. I also visit my mother and other family members who all have dogs and have left my dogs alone with a cockapoo (many times) and Collielab, Lab, Aussies sheps, Shitzu and a mutt of unknown origins... and I have never had a problem with Sal or Athena.

I know my dogs well and I am convinced my dogs have little or no DA. Some will tell me I am crazy, all PBs have it. Well Athena is almost 10 so I highly doubt she will suddenly get DA. Sal is almost 6 and has never even remotely acted like he was DA towards any dog in the family. The Cockapoo is dominant male and Sal has totally accepted that.

I don't have any proof that they won't do anything but I trust my dogs as much as I trust anything in this world, it is just a feeling I have. Everyone in the family looks at Sal as the picture perfect gentleman. He even plays gentlier with smaller dogs.

Short version for advice....What does you gut tell you? I think Messina is tempered like Athena..from I what I have read in your threads. The only thing that would worry me is your Chi size, not Messina's breed.

 

[LuvinBullies]

Drat..I lost a thread that someone posted a few days ago..I asked a question in there but couldn't find the thread again to see if anyone answered..so I have to ask here.

As a pit owner..I'm aware that two dogs should never be left unsupervised...you cannot trust a pit not to fight, etc.

HOWEVER, I have two dogs..a pit and a chihuahua...I do leave them alone...only because they are accustomed to one another by now..both fixed..one male the other female...and the chihuahua is dominant...

I never leave food or toys around, and quite frankly, I trust both dogs very much around one another...

So, after saying this, I have to ask, who thinks I'm being irresponsible? Or, in opposition, who thinks this is perfectly fine even if there is a pit bull in the household? Should I be crating them/leaving them in separate rooms before I leave the house regardless of how long they've been together?

I also have to mention, when I first got the pit, I didn't leave them in the room together...and my pit had separation anxiety...as soon as I left them in the same area, the anxiety dissapeared...I came home and both were sleeping like babies together.

so...comments???

No - I wouldn't jump off and call you irresponsible, because you take special notice of your dogs' behavior, however I will offer you a story that may lend you some valuable info in this respect. I had a similar situation in my home...since I train my dogs as the housepets they are (running a tight ship) and for 2 solid years observed nothing but cordial behavior between my GSD and senior pit, I left them alone together for a long time. The senior pit was the head honcho, and my GSD respected that...until my GSD came into her own at about 2 1/2 years of age. At that point my GSD challenged my senior pit for "head honcho" status, and almost killed her. If I hadn't been there, she would have killed her.

How old are your dogs? Is the pit younger than the chihuahua? If so I'd probably separate them at least when you are not around. You never know when the pit may decide she/he is the dominant one, and that would be a horrible thing to come home to- especially if it's the chihuahua who wins
I'm joking, but how old are they?

 

[Laurelin]

I don't know.

We leave 3 out of 4 of our dogs out when we go- albeit that ours are all small- 5lbs(but he gets put up),7 lbs, 19 lbs and 25 lbs (but she's fat). Nikki and Trey are really old and just sleep and Beau is fine out by himself. He sleeps or entertains himself with a toy. We don't trust the puppy to leave the others alone (or the rest of the house) so he gets put up. Plus, Nikki is the only remotely aggressive one and she's arthritic and very slow these days. Nikki and Trey have been left together for going on 11 years and never have had a problem. Though none are dog aggressive and there is a very clearly established heirarchy set in place. I dunno, I'd say you should know your dogs better than we do. I'd be careful leaving a small dog out with a dog that is a lot bigger than it, though.

 

[LuvinBullies]

No - I wouldn't jump off and call you irresponsible, because you take special notice of your dogs' behavior, however I will offer you a story that may lend you some valuable info in this respect. I had a similar situation in my home...since I train my dogs as the housepets they are (running a tight ship) and for 2 solid years observed nothing but cordial behavior between my GSD and senior pit, I left them alone together for a long time. The senior pit was the head honcho, and my GSD respected that...until my GSD came into her own at about 2 1/2 years of age. At that point my GSD challenged my senior pit for "head honcho" status, and almost killed her. If I hadn't been there, she would have killed her.

How old are your dogs? Is the pit younger than the chihuahua? If so I'd probably separate them at least when you are not around. You never know when the pit may decide she/he is the dominant one, and that would be a horrible thing to come home to- especially if it's the chihuahua who wins
I'm joking, but how old are they?

Yikes...just realized you answered my question already about the ages. Your pit is past usual age for an alpha challenge...but I have known them to change their tune much later in life as well. There is a gamble here, no doubt. The best solution IMO is to crate them in the same room so they can see each other if you are worried about separation anxiety. Anything can spark a fight- even between the most bosom buddy dogs, regardless of breed. Some readjusting now could possibly save you from awful heartache...and that alone would be worth it. It's an issue of implementing an inconvienent safety precaution vs. enjoying a convenience which may come with a price. They can still be best friends...when you are home.

 

[2nd2none]

Personally, I would always error on the side of caution. Better to be safe than sorry. All's it takes is the definition of a split second for a fight to ensue. Many variables can be factured into any given situation, and tho, up to this point, yes, you know your dogs, and they have been fine together, I live by the "golden "pit bull" rule, and I say it a LOT, "Never trust your "pit bulls" not to fight". Once a fight occurs and you're not there, it will be too late. Then, how will you feel....
I, again, error on the side of caution, but that's just me...

 

[DanL]

My gut feeling is it's a bad idea to leave them alone. Not because of the pit, but because the chi is so small. I have the same concerns with my GSD and our Pug, who is a solid 25lber. When no one is home, the pug is crated for his own safety. I see what the GSD does to him while they are playing. He'll literally force him to the ground by placing his forearm on the pugs back and leaning down, he'll grab his back leg and hold it, he grabs him by the skin on his chest, among other things. Not that the pug doesn't dish it out too, biting ears and lips, I've heard Gunnar yelp more than I've heard the pug yelp during play. With the GSD being so much bigger and stronger now that he's maturing, it's in our best interest to separate them when we're out to prevent things from escalating past rough play.

 

[Pomp]

I have two beagles, brother and sister. They love each other very much, but I have learned from experience that they should be separated when I'm not home. They have sent each other to the dog hospital twice when they were not separated.

I use a baby gate which divides my apartment in half. They can still see each other.

 

[Miakoda]

I'm happy to see that the majority of people agree that living 2 dogs alone (especially a "pit bull" & another dog or a large dog & a small dog) is not a wise idea.

I had 2 APBTs that miraculously got along as both were pretty DA. They did well with supervised time together for a little over 5 years. Then one day, while I was in the kictchen cooking, I heard muffled growling. I heard them playing, or what I thought was them playing as I didn't turn around b/c I was making a roux, but when I did, I was horrified. Both dogs were already covered in blood & were going at it. APBTs are really vocal dogs & most never make a sound except for some low whines or growls. It took me about20 minutes to safely get them apart. From that day forward, whenever they saw each other, it was on. I was stupid in that I got comfortable & turned my back, but thankfully I was just in the kitchen (which was open to the living room) & not at the store or something.

And as a vet tech, dog fights b/n housemates are oh so common. And rarely is there a "pit bull" involved. We had one lady rush her 3 Yorkies in to us, but sadly one of them was taking it's last breath. Seems something happened & the other two ganged up on that one & killed it. I also had to euthanize a Chihuahua that a Collie attacked & left for dead. When the owner came home, the Collie was on the couch & she noticed the Chi didn't come running as usual. She found the Chi on her bedroom floor barely clinging to life. And then we had the 2 Great Danes that ripped each other to shreds. But we did have a girl who left her 2 "pit bulls" in the backyard together while she ran to the store. She said she was only gone about 30 minutes, but when she came hom, she noticed 1 dog lying on the back porch but the other was out towards the back fence & not moving. That dog barely made it as he spent about 5 weeks with us. She then rehomed that dog.

The moral of the story is that dog's fight. Anything can trigger a fight & anything will. To believe that your dog isn't capable of participating in such a "horrifying" activity is naive & one day one of your dog's will pay the price for your inability to accept that dogs aren't humans so therefore they can't reason out there differences with words. I just hope I don't have to be the one who gets hysterically yelled at because I can't save the loser of the fight.

 

[Zoom]

When Virgo was here, I kept her crated and let Sawyer roam free. Mainly it was because she didn't have house privledges yet, but I'd heard her give low growls over toys before and I wasn't going to risk it. She outweighed him. Now Sawyer and Aubrey I never gave a second thought about leaving alone together...Aubrey is totally submissive to Sawyer and Sawyer just doesn't have it in him to start a fight or continue it. It's kind of a moot point anymore because the only time they see each other is at work, but they do get to share the same room after daycare and they love to curl up together.

 

[elegy]

And as a vet tech, dog fights b/n housemates are oh so common.

yup. we had one in just this morning. golden retriever/bc mix lost to a golden retriever.

the worst housemate fight i ever saw the results of was a beagle who lost to a lab. that beagle was in BAD shape. second worst was a bitch fight between two female pit bulls.

 

[J's crew]

I'm happy to see that the majority of people agree that living 2 dogs alone (especially a "pit bull" & another dog or a large dog & a small dog) is not a wise idea.

I had 2 APBTs that miraculously got along as both were pretty DA. They did well with supervised time together for a little over 5 years. Then one day, while I was in the kictchen cooking, I heard muffled growling. I heard them playing, or what I thought was them playing as I didn't turn around b/c I was making a roux, but when I did, I was horrified. Both dogs were already covered in blood & were going at it. APBTs are really vocal dogs & most never make a sound except for some low whines or growls. It took me about20 minutes to safely get them apart. From that day forward, whenever they saw each other, it was on. I was stupid in that I got comfortable & turned my back, but thankfully I was just in the kitchen (which was open to the living room) & not at the store or something.

And as a vet tech, dog fights b/n housemates are oh so common. And rarely is there a "pit bull" involved. We had one lady rush her 3 Yorkies in to us, but sadly one of them was taking it's last breath. Seems something happened & the other two ganged up on that one & killed it. I also had to euthanize a Chihuahua that a Collie attacked & left for dead. When the owner came home, the Collie was on the couch & she noticed the Chi didn't come running as usual. She found the Chi on her bedroom floor barely clinging to life. And then we had the 2 Great Danes that ripped each other to shreds. But we did have a girl who left her 2 "pit bulls" in the backyard together while she ran to the store. She said she was only gone about 30 minutes, but when she came hom, she noticed 1 dog lying on the back porch but the other was out towards the back fence & not moving. That dog barely made it as he spent about 5 weeks with us. She then rehomed that dog.

The moral of the story is that dog's fight. Anything can trigger a fight & anything will. To believe that your dog isn't capable of participating in such a "horrifying" activity is naive & one day one of your dog's will pay the price for your inability to accept that dogs aren't humans so therefore they can't reason out there differences with words. I just hope I don't have to be the one who gets hysterically yelled at because I can't save the loser of the fight.

Very well said.

Thinking about this still hurts very much. Years ago I had 2 male Rottweilers. One that I had from a pup and the other I rescued as an adult. They were the first dogs I had owned that were truly mine. I did not understand the seriousness of DA or the consequences.

Everything was fine with them for about a year. I noticed the signs of a power play starting. Now when I look back on it I know they should have been seperated, but in my foolishness they were not. I didn't understand how serious it was. I didn't research the breed enough or understand it like I do now.

I let them out in the backyard one night to go potty before bed and after a few minutes heard what I can only describe as screaming. It is a sound I will never forget. I ran as fast as I could outside in the pitch black to find my rescue trying to kill my other boy. He was on his back and just couldn't compete with a younger more healthy dog.

The fight actually didn't kill him right away. I took him to the Vet, he got stitches and antibiotics. 3 days later he had several seizures which resulted in his having to be PTS. From what I understand the meds he was on for HD had depleted his immune system so much that even the antibiotics didn't help.

The main point I wanted to make is that so many people don't recongnize the signs of dog agression or realize the seriousness until it is to late. PLEASE don't take the chance, the risks are way to high and the price you will pay is not worth it.