Problem:
Terrier aggression
We
purchased a Bull Terrier puppy (@ 6 weeks) earlier this
year from a breeder. He is now 11 months old.
For
9 months, or so, we lived in a townhouse, but decided
to move into a house with a much larger yard, especially
for the dogs. We have 5 dogs in total: the Bully, 2
cross Jack Russell males & 2 very small breed females.
We've
had a pretty peaceful environment in the family, that
is up to about a month ago. Twice in one week it happened
that the Bully attacked one of the cross Jack males
for what seemed to have been for no reason whatsoever.
They have both been wonderful buddies up to that point,
always playing together or just walking/running together.
Then
last week we got home, and the same Jack male had a
fractured leg, puncture wounds to the same leg, and
the bully's face had been bitten. We assume another
fight, but we doubt if it was another attack, as the
previous two times the Bully refused to let go. We believe
if it was an attack the last time, with us not being
there, the Jack might have been killed, which he wasn't.
We
have phoned around, done some research on the Internet
and even bought some Bully books, have heard terms like
"misguided aggression", etc. etc., and have
done our utmost to try and eliminate as many stress
points in and around the house to avoid this happening
again. We cannot, however, shake the feeling that this
might not have been the last time, and that we might
get home either today or tomorrow, and our worst fears
become a reality, that the Jack doesn't survive the
next "disagreement".
We
both work, have a very difficult time taking off work
to see an animal behaviourist, so we've relied on every
piece of information we can get our hands on.
My
question is, what can we do to firstly establish WHAT
the problem is, and secondly, how to avoid this happening
in future. Are we doing something wrong? Our dogs are
all loved, they sleep with us in the house, we feed
them really good food, so they are never lacking. The
Bully is an amazing dog, and what's happening between
the two of them is really a mystery, purely because
they are such good friends, and like I said, the Bully
has an amazing character.
TERRIER
BLUES
--------------------------------------------------
Dear
Terrier Blues,
Thank you for your submission. I have read through your
letter a number of times and while I wish I had good
news for you, I am afraid to say that the future looks
bleak indeed.
In a nutshell your Bull Terrier is maturing and is in
the middle of the socio-sexual aggression phase.
This phase occurs in a couple of stages starting with
heightened possessive behaviour over resources such
as food. The next stage coincides with the activation
of increased testosterone levels and manifests with
territorial aggression. Juvenile dogs in this stage
may start having ambitions for top dog status. A mentally
strong alpha dog will respond by relegating the juvenile
to the fringe of the group thereby thwarting the juvenile's
normally clumsy attempts at a takeover. In an otherwise
stable pack with a strong alpha dog, the juvenile's
course through the socio-sexual phase may result in
a couple of scuffles and ritualised aggression, but
with no serious injuries.
However, when there is an existing situation of imbalance
- such as you have - this phase can cause major problems.
It would appear that your Jack Russell has neither the
mental nor physical ability to be the alpha dog. What
your Bull Terrier is doing is simply moving up the ladder.
A pack is not a democracy and in an artificial environment
dogs are not able to leave a pack as may happen in a
natural environment.
A pack does not rely on friendships or "buddy relationships".
A pack relies on each member being able to occupy a
role and be of value. There is no space for equals in
a pack. It may sound harsh, but it is extremely efficient
and that is what nature is all about. Deadweight drains
resources, so is not tolerated.
With any other breeds you may find that a couple of
scuffles may result in a shift in status with relative
peace thereafter. However Terriers do not seem to be
able to make these shifts with ease. A breed that was
bred to work within a pack structure - such as hounds
- are often much better equipped and more tolerant in
terms of social changes.
I am sure your Bull Terrier is an amazing dog, but that
is precisely what he is. A dog. He is not a human being
with sentiment and sophisticated emotions. Apart from
applying human emotions to your dogs I cannot say that
you are doing anything wrong. Some may say that letting
the dogs sleep in the house and not following a strict
hierarchy could cause this problem. But, if that were
the case then we would see this problem in virtually
every household in South Africa.
There is very little I can suggest to you in this forum,
so I would strongly recommend that you consult an accredited
animal behaviourist www.animal-behaviour.org.za.
The injuries to your Jack Russell were very severe and
the chances of two Terrier
males spontaneously resolving a dispute such at this
are slim indeed.
Shannon