Positive PetzineAggression issues
Hi,
I'm new to this forum. Has been interesting reading...
I have two australian terriers, a boy aged 12 and a girl aged 5. I got the boy when he was 8 and the girl when she was 5. They are generally great, however, every now and then have a rather vicious fight. It started originally as I used to let them sleep on the bed. I realised that I was the trigger there, so I removed myself from the night -time picture (no, they did not get the bed!).
This reduced the number of spats has not eliminated them entirely. Others have been caused by 1. the boy yelping (say when you step on him by mistake - bad enough already but then to get a gremlin attack you is not so good), 2. phone ringing while sitting in the lounge - haven't figured this one out. I have reduced the volume of the phone though. 3. letting them out from the laundry (where they sleep), where there must have been some look or something? Not sure.
There is generally no prewarning just a lunging and attack. She has drawn blood and I have not waited to see how long they would go for. generally he gets angry for being attacked and does not give in. I usually end up having to drag them apart - never a good thing.
I have tried a few different training theories, many discussed on this site, including Cesar;s methods (which worked to some extent), treat training (they love their food) but not sure if they see me as a leader or food-lady?, and even getting a trainer in who worked with a lead on their collar.
Any suggestions??
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re: Aggression issues
Hi Jackie05, it sounds like you have identified most if not all of the triggers. This is about what I would expect of a couple of terriers where fighting has been reported, exciting situations and a bit of adrenaline spilling over into a fight.
If there has been blood drawn and it wasn't accidental then best not to let them sort it out amongst themselves. In fact, I would suggest separating them when not supervised (but not if you are around). Crates can be very handy here, especially for sleeping arrangements and to give them somewhere to go if things are going to get a bit too exciting.
If I were working directly with you I would work on teaching them good manners and impulse control around each other. I would use positive reinforcement (mostly through food, but also attention if that is what they are looking for), and keep things very simple so they can't make too many mistakes along the way.
Reward polite, deferential behaviours when you see them. If you are giving one dog attention and the other is being polite and not butting in, make sure you acknowledge this with your attention.
Don't worry about being "seen" as the leader. Worry about actually being one! That is, the person who keeps things running smoothly, letting them know when they've done a good job, showing them what to do in situations where they need help and that sort of thing. Figure out some structure, particularly in the mornings. It may be the simplest thing you can do is crate train them then let them out individually when they are calm. When one has been out for a minute, have that one wait in the crate with the door open while you let the other out for their "turn" saying hello. Make it easy for them, lower the energy and excitement, teach them what you would like them to do, reward them for their efforts.
As for the phone, I like situations like this because they are easy to set up. Again we could use the crates here, maybe teach them to go to their crates when they hear the phone ring? The idea is to teach them what they should do through reinforcement.