Are there any of you out there that have dogs which don't get on that you have to keep seperately in your house?

We did and its not pleasant or easy.  95% of the time they could be together if supervised without too much problem but there was always an undercurrent of tension between them which we always felt could blow up at any moment.  They only once had a huge fight which was an awful experience as both very big dogs.  Our dogs live in the house with us as pets and after a year of this we decided we couldn't live like this anymore and had to make the awful decision to rehome the young one (he got on with the other 3 dogs fine), it was only last Friday we did it and I really miss him and there is a huge gap beside me now as he was always at my side.  He is in a super home and goes to work every day with his new owner and they just think he is wonderful. I still feel guilty for doing it ( and I cry like a fool when I think about him :( )but ultimately you really have to think about whether you want to live with the constant tension and worry that someone in the house might leave a door open by accident, and when we are in the house we like our dogs to be with us not one in one room and one in another. And think how much more pleasant it must be for all the dogs to live in a relaxed atmosphere rather than a tense one.

I had to rehome one of my bitches when she decided that she would start fights with her sister :( They had lived together for a few years, but eventually ended up hating one another. They would be fine for days and then I would come home to an atmosphere. If I spoke to the sister she would go ballistic. I couldn't live with the constant worry that one day I would come home to a very badly injured (or worse) dog. Once dogs start to fight there really isn't any peace until one is rehomed.

Yes many years ago I had two terrier bitches that went from best pals to arch ememies in a matter of mins. They just had to look at each other and they would start. IN the end we made the decision that we couldnt part with either so they had to be kept seperate the whole time. I have a tiny house so we got two cages and they took it in turns to be out. It worked really well and they knew when it was there turn in. We were lucky that once one was in the cage they were ok. No arguing through the bars.

It did make life very difficult. We couldnt walk them together, so no family days out with the dogs. If we did try walking them we couldnt let them of the lead for a run as they would instantly turn to the other and a fight would start. We had to walk a distance away from each other so not really a enjoyable walk. Both dogs were brill with other dogs just each other they hated.

Not something I want to go through again. If they were miserable we would of had to rehome one of them but they werent. Many a time we discussed it and couldnt decide who would go. Probably the younger one but we spent so much time on her turning her from a hooligan who wrecked our house in to a little darling. The older one was part of the furniture and she was my very first dog I had brought with my own money before I had met my hubby and had my kids so no way was I parting with her.

Wendy

Yes we have 3 separate lots of dogs in our house. However one set is only because they live in my MIL's granny flat to keep her company -not because anybody dislikes them. However Dandy my old Golden took a dislike to Rufus the Cavalier about 9 years ago and they've had to be kept 100 % separate ever since -a long time. I also keep the little dogs (the Cavalier and the Papillons) separate from the big dogs unless supervised because of the danger of the big size difference.

It might sound an awful lot of hassle but in reality it isn't. They all have their own areas, their own doors to go out through etc. Wouldn't work in a small house with just a back garden though! Our front garden is as big as the back.

As some of you know from my previous posts we had a staffie who now lives with my parents and HATES other dogs (she was trained to fight when she was a puppy!) and we have a little cavalier who lives with us. My staffie is very very important to me and if my parents hadn't taken her then i would never have given her up as i couldn't bear to part with her permenantly she was always there for me through a very bad time in my life. My question is if we ever had to take her back obviously she couldn't live with our boy but how difficult would it be to let them live their lives seperately in our house? Also do you think that when a dog has had the full roam of the house it would be detrimental to them to suddenly only be allowed access to part of it?

Its not something we ever envisage happening as my parents adore her but she is stil considered my dog and i always want to be in a position to take her back if needs be.

Its never an easy situation.  I have 7 dogs all living in the house, quite a big house now the kids are gone, and the watchword has to be vigilance.  Given that they range across the board age wise I have all the ups and downs of teenagers and grumpies right down to naughty babies.  We also have two different breeds and both sexes.

Yes there are times when they are separated, when we go out, when they are in season - not because they fight they haven't been given the opportunity to do so.  We are with them all the time they are loose in the house and garden.  Once a serious fight has occurred it is very difficult to get the dogs back on track and without the help of a specialised behaviourist, who would be with you during the dogs waking time until the problem is solved, you are probably best to separate them

We make the rules to suit ourselves, our dogs simply obey them (okay with some coaxing).  We have a dog free area, where we can have dog nervous visitors, and other than that the dogs all have the rest of the house to roam through.   We control thier movements with dog gates and closed doors.  Some dogs will have access to one area one day and another the next depending on the needs of the day.  They don't moap or get stressed when denied access.

It does help that they naturally pair up with others in the household and are happiest to be with them even in a closed room, in this way they have company.  Mostly however, they are all free to mix and play together.  We never allow any aggressive behaviour to escalate, but nether do we remove an agitated dog from the situation before they have calmed down and accepted our rules.  It may be luck because of the breeds we have and I am not suggesting it works for everyone.

My heart goes out to you that the poor staffie has been encouraged to fight before you had her, that is a terrible burden for her to bear and I cant say if she would easily be integrated back into your household.  If the situation arises, I am sure you will do your best for her.  Just bear in mind it is your home and you set the rules and boundaries for the sake of peace and harmony the dogs must fit in.

Good luck with everything.

I wouldn't even contemplate it Angels2.

We all have days when we make mistakes, when we loose concentration, get distracted it's human.

Segregation can be hard work, everything has to be done routinely and systematically to avoid them being together or being able to get to each other. Doors get left open, dog gates may be forgotten to be closed there will always be the day when something will happen, when something will get forgotten.

If that day should happen, your Cav will stand no chance, it would be a bit like living with a man with a knife ready to attack you, who you have to do your best to avoid at all times, mistakes may happen and you'll have a dead or badly injured Cav. Not to even mention the unsettlement that your Cav may feel knowing your Staff is in the house.

Myself I wouldn't contemplate it, sorry! :-(

I have to agree with you on that Carrington people make mistakes leave doors open get distracted.  If you are looking after a large number of dogs you have to be vigilant only the two of us have control of ours, and my son when he is here, but we all know the rules a closed door is closed for a reason.  It is the same when we go away, I expect people think we are barmy but we always announce our arrival at the motor-home door so that the person left inside knows we're coming in.  In this way we can have control of any loose dogs inside.  It is a well oiled machine and if anyone new steps into the equation, visitors for example, you cannot be sure that they will follow your rules, hence the dog free visitor area.  It can be done but it isn't something I am advocating it takes round the clock control. 

That said it becomes second nature to us and I am sure other people who keep more than two dogs, you simply treat is as you would a job of work and don't get distracted, always finish what you are doing first.

I can see where Angels2 is coming from though, it would break my heart if I found myself in a position where I needed to take a dog back and couldn't do so.  It it were me and there was the remotest possibility I would be making enquires now to find the right home for this little creature but I am guessing her parents are not going to part with her and she is in the best possible place.

I only have 2 dogs and they have to be kept seperated. My old girl Tara (nearly 12) is very intolerant of other dogs including my 7 month puppy. We are coping quite well with them seperated at the moment. When puppy has his sleep in his crate, then Tara has the run of the garden. Tara lives in the living room, puppy in the kitchen. Meals are in their own rooms and when we let them out 1st thing in the morning, then Tara goes out 1st when Charlie is still in his crate and when she comes in it's his turn to go out. A lot of messing about but so far it works for us and the main thing is that Tara is not pounced on by Charlie.

We can walk them together now off lead and Tara is getting quite good with Charlie but in the confines of the house I think she just feels she has nowhere to run from him and so chooses to fight instead. No blood drawn so far and only been one incidence where she has made Charlie yelp, but it does take constant vigilence that the dog gate is shut or Charlie is in his crate. Both of them seem happy with this arrangement but if anything changes, if puppy is attacked or if one seems miserable with being seperated then I would have to think about rehoming the puppy.

Yes it would be a very difficult situation it was a very hard choice to even let her live with my parents and i often fly to the uk just to see her and spend time with her as she means so much to me! I still pay for her food vets etc etc and luckily being with my parents she is still very much part of the family. It wouldn't just be the worry of leaving doors open but when she can smell another dog she goes mad, we have had numerous behaviour experts who have all said she is never going to change and get on with other dogs but she can sometimes tolerate them at a distance. Its a horrible situation and one that makes me very sad that i couldn't make her better as i'm sure all dogs would love to have other canine friends

In the same respect i would not want to put my cavvie in a situation where he was at risk!

Just was thinking about it all last night and pondering the what ifs..:rolleyes:

To me, what matters the most is if there are kids around and/or frequent visitors. They are the ones most likely to make a mistake. My own kids learnt soon, but when I met my current husband, one weekend his kids were staying with us, and the youngest then was only about 12. He was playing hide and seek and accidentally let the Cavaliers out into the same room as Dandy the Golden. (At that time I had 3 Cavaliers.) Dandy picked Rufus up by the neck and shook him and it was just sheer luck that he didn't kill him. I was so angry and after that nobody ever made a mistake again, they learnt their lesson -both from watching a 40 kg dog shaking a screaming Cavalier in his mouth, and from watching me screaming in anger verging on hysterical, threatening all sorts -being so angry I couldn't even remember English but started shouting in Swedish. It could all have ended that day.

Now, after 9 years, it is all second nature to us, and as the years have gone by, we have moved house etc, we have been able to improve on the situation and make things safer, easier etc, but even so, the vigilance must be constant.

Oh Marianne, that must have been terrifying! My Cav boy and my American cocker boy fell out when they were about 3 1/2 years old, possibly due to my 5 month old bitch puppy (though she wasn't coming in season or anything), possible due to my OH going away with the Yankee for a weekend so each male got used to being 'only boy'. They had several nasty fights, with blood drawn, and we were given very bad advice from a 'behaviourist', and now we just keep them separate most of the time. I don't feel any atmosphere, they are happy to lie near each other separated by the stair gate, and if I'm grooming one the other one can be out without objecting, and if I have one on my lap on the sofa the other one will come and sit next to us for a few minutes. It's just that I would never dare leave them unattended in case they started.

In your case I really wouldn't risk it, a fighting trained Staffie and a Cavalier would be a terrible accident just waiting to happen. :-(

Yes not a great combination!

My parents have reassured me tonight that this will never happen, they wouldn't part with her but they also wouldn't put me in that position!