Dog Aggression – The Hard Way (Part II)

What happened to those happy times when our two dogs got along together?

I was thankful Spot had some basic training at that critical time so I was able to command him. The dog stepped back as I approached his fallen opponent. I saw the Boxer rise. He had fought till he collapsed of exhaustion. Both dogs were sweaty, panting and dirty. Spot’s colorful coat was stained with mud in many places. Butchie was spent. But he was alive.

All I could think of at that moment was to give the two a quick hosing because I will not let them indoors. Surprisingly, both dogs allowed me to hose them down and dry them up. They entered the house and settled into their respective corners for the night.

The next day, one of our househelp remarked that Butchie Boy’s coat was “full of holes.” He compared it to the kind of hole a nail sized “no.2” makes. But the Boxer’s skin had no tears. He asked me what had happened. I said the dogs had a fight last night.

We checked Spot. Amazingly the dog was alright.

That fight, however, was the start of things to come. Later that morning, as our househelp prepared Butchie Boy for his morning walk, I saw the Boxer attack Spot who was just passing by. Chairs tumbled to the floor as Butchie Boy lunged at the Dalmatian and Spot, who had earned his boxing gloves only last night, went into the defense. It took the rest of the household to pull the two dogs apart and restore some peace.

The incident was clearly worrisome. What was going on? I had no understanding what was going on in the two dogs’ heads. But for a vicious fight to occur inside a civilized home -– that’s not the place for it. Something was going very wrong.

I placed an SOS to Spot’s trainer, Jonathan, who arrived, assuring me that he could train the two dogs to behave themselves. We took the two to a neutral territory and the two dogs behaved, Butchie Boy trembling in obedience as Jonathan commanded them to lie down side by side. He walked the two dogs together and they followed him obediently.

But something was missing in the link. What was causing all this? Back home, the two dogs had to be separated now, an unhappy state of things. Both dogs were never tied before. We were now in a state of tension. What if they fought again? How do we stop this behavior?

Once, when I came home from work, my household help reported that the two dogs had a fight again. I found Spot with a bloodied ear that needed stitching at a nearby vet clinic.

As usual, my researches on dog aggression online and advice from a local dog “expert” (I hadn’t met Fred Alimusa yet) were varied and often clashing. Some gave suggestions on how to deal with a dog fight itself, while others advocated letting the dogs settle out the issue among themselves. The best may be the last one, but I couldn’t afford the vet bills in case it happened too often.

Confused, I could not find a solution that related to our situation. Until I found the cause, I would not be able to solve our dilemma.. Meanwhile, our two dogs lived tied in separate areas at home – and could not be friends at all. The tension was clearly affecting us too. We were always on our toes. What happened to those happy times?

One night, Jonathan arrived again, to repeat the training procedure he had done on the two dogs a few days earlier. The two performed as commanded, but as I watched the exercise a question rose in my mind. Sure, Jonathan could make them obey and they do. What about us? How sure are we they will obey us?

Jonathan's reply to this was that the training was still "on-going." I presumed he will teach us when the dogs have learned to obey? But I was not satisfied. We were on red alert. What do we do while the dogs were in the killing mode?

After the exercise, Jonathan tied the two dogs within viewing distance of each other (“to make them get used to seeing each other close”) but made sure their leashes prevented them from reaching each other. Then he left. In his absence, the dogs threw menacing glares at each other and exchanged growls. But they remained in their places.

Before turning in for the night, the dogs have to do their bathroom call. By now, some enlightenment had already entered my mind due to some reading I had been doing. Dr. Nicholas Dodman’s book, Dogs Behaving Badly (Bantam Books, 1999, USA) had talked of his client with dogs who kept fighting because the owner was unaware of their canine social hierarchy. I realized now Butchie Boy was the senior dog. He was entitled to be collared first and taken outside for a walk. I did so accordingly.

A few minutes later, I was back in the house, entering through the back door with Butchie Boy, and approached the grilled window where he was to be leashed for the night. Then I saw it happen.

I was in the process of coiling the Boxer’s leash around the grill when I saw Spot approach dangerously close to the Boxer. He was tied to a leg of the solid wood dining table but the leash had loosened. I saw the spotted dog launch a sneak attack on Butchie Boy from behind. 

 

A young Spot playfully nips at Butchie Boy's hind legs while Butchie looks at the camera. The two dogs were not yet opponents at the time of this photo.

I yelled at Spot but he was focused on the Boxer. Now the aggressor, he pounced on Butchie Boy. I yelled for help while I held the Boxer by the collar tightly in my hands. Butchie yelped and fought to be released by me. I held firm because he was not yet tied to the window. Suddenly I felt the pang of a needle prick the base of my palm. Surprised at the sharp pain, I let go and the Boxer turned towards his attacker. Another doggy brawl ensued inches away from me. 

Our househelp immediately rallied to the scene and in seconds, the dogs were separated. As the scene cleared, we saw on the white tiled floor bright red drops of glistening blood. They were mine. Butchie Boy had bitten me.

(to be continued)