Recently there was a comment from our blogville friend Melon regarding Callie on laundry day. Melon wondered if Callie could ever be in the same room with the others. Well, the answer is not really.
When it comes time for Callie to go outside or come inside, she is separated from the others for everyone's safety.
We use an exercise pen that is unfolded. There is lots of sniffing and tail wagging between the dogs but no actual contact. Just in case you're wondering if maybe they could be together....there was one evening a few months back where I had thought that Trail had gone into the living room after coming inside but he didn't. He was by the back door and I didn't see him. I arranged things for Callie to go out and she pounced on Trail and had him into the corner, biting him within a second of seeing him. Luckily, nobody was hurt but it sure scared the you-know-what out of me and Trail too.
If you've been following us for a long time, you may recall seeing pictures of Callie and some of the other members of the pack and some foster dogs too.
Over the past few years, Callie's tolerance of others has diminished. She has always been quick to "discipline" others and as she ages, she is more cranky. Way back when Hiker was first adopted, Callie was responsible for breaking Bill's leg. While Hiker and Bill were playing, Callie seemed to think they were getting a bit too rowdy and she got between them and bit Bill, resulting in his front leg being broken.
It wasn't an aggression action, just Callie taking charge.
 |
| Bill's orange cast. |
It wasn't an aggression action, just Callie taking charge.
Fast forward a few years and rather than take chances, it is just easier for Callie to have her own space. She can see the kitchen where we spend most of our time and gets the most one-on-one time of all the pack. Bonus - she never has to share her toys!
Sounds like a good solution.
ReplyDeleteI think you have a great solution to keep everyone safe and happy! A lot of people would have ditched her or the other dogs because of that - so my hat is off to you!
ReplyDeleteSounds like you have a set up that works for everyone. I agree with Blueberry's human - so many folks would ditch her or put her to sleep. I'm so glad she's with you!
ReplyDeleteI too agree that it is not necessarily game over for an aggressive dog or one who does not have dog social skills, but I also know the 'management' route is NOT easy on the humans and requires both skill and determination! So, like I said, very impressive. I'm sure every member of the pack benefits!
ReplyDeleteCookie's mum here: I have a kinda weird situation with Cookie: when I walk her around the complex and in our dog park, she has quite a bit of dog aggression; but when I take her to the public dog park (about a mile away) she is fine with ALL the dogs there. Cody was the same way when I first moved to this complex (we didn't have a dog park in the complex at the time); but she got really dog friendly after going to Udall Park (that is actually where we met Jack and Tall Guy and were introduced to Blogville!). Now that her Valley Fever seems to be improving (and I no longer have massive black eyes from my surgery) I plan on taking her to Udall Park. As a service dog for me, it does not work for her to be dog aggressive with some dogs!!
ReplyDeleteIs she leash reactive? I used to walk a Lab who was dog aggressive on lead and while I never tested this myself, her owners told me she was totally fine off-lead (like at the park or beach).
Delete