ok, as most of you will have read by now ive just taken on a lil westie. Have never had 2 dogs together before so really have no clue how to deal with things (good job i can bug on here lol).

It has only been like 5 days but already kara is trying to excert her authority over holly - standing over her, erm... sitting on her!! and generally making sure that holly isnt in her space etc.

As can be expected though, there are a few scuffles from time to time and im unsure of how to deal with them..... I have been allowing them to continue until things look like they are going to take a bad turn.

Is it best to as ive heard before let them sort it out or should they be prevented completely?

sooo many questions lol

Andy

If they are only making noise then leave them but if they are acctully biting then seperate them ASAP.  Two bitches will fight to the death if they want and can do serious damage.  Normally I will make noise if it gets nosie and very carefully pull away the more dominent one by the coller.

Never get your hand in between and if there is a chance that you will get seriously injurded DON'T PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE WAY!!!!!!!

Rox

thanks, thats pretty much how i have been dealing with it - never need to actually seperate them - ive got the most evil roaring shout youve ever heard so that tends to suffice lol.

No advice,

Just good luck :)

Karen

thanks kazz, think ill need it lol.

Bitches can fight to the death, but it's not uncommon for them to have a spate and for both to survive, so don't think that as soon as blood is drawn they are going to fight to the death.  And most fights will end with maybe a puncture wound or two (which should be carefully watched incase of infection) but rarely needs vet treatment.  Personally I'd leave them to it, they are far more efficient at sorting things out than we could ever hope to be, although with experience you will learn what are potential 'flash points' (for me it was my son paying attention to our oldest dog) - there was never a problem with food, as my oldest dog established early on that her foor was HERS and nobody elses........ It will probably take 10 - 14 days for them to sort themselves out, my girls now sleep in the same bed :)

Good luck with your Westie. I have always had westies and they can make a lot of noise when they are playing
Happy New Year

Jean

thanks :)

very friendly bunch on here :D

think im a little more cautious than that digger lol - have found a few scrapes on kara, nothing too major though and eating and sleeping are done seperatly. Mainly because kara will never leave holly be and i dont wanna find pieces of fur all over my house one day

You just mind that westie doesn't bully the lovely Kara ;)

If the new dog is now trying to be top dog stop it asap.Ecourage the dog you have had the longest to assert her position as top dog and do not take any crap from the new dog.Retha.

I'm sorry I don't agree with humans interveening in doggie politics - the dogs WILL sort out their own differences, and there is very little humans can do to alter it, infact if it looks like things are going the new dogs way a little management from humans can accelerate the elevation and lead to less blood shed in the long run.........

No one cares what you believe we only care about the wellbeing of the dogs and humans and keeping the original top dog on top is the best way to go.Yes, they might sort it out by themselves with one or both ending in the grave!Retha.

Retha, can you not discuss a point rather than just shouting people down? We all have our views and are entitled to our opinions.

A tad jumpy there Retha ???
Digger actually offers good advice
Lel

I went through the same thing with my two.  When we first got Tundra, we were told to make sure that Nanuk made it clear who was ' Top Dog'.  We were told to pet Nanuk before Tundra, let her out through doors first and all things like that.  Nanuk did her best to excert her authority over him.  Yes, this meant sitting on him, standing over him, pushing him, dragging him over the wooden floor by the scruff if his neck...etc!!  This was all very well then as he was a lot smaller but now he is bigger than her, she is having trouble!!  I don't really know if it helped or not.  Nanuk doesn't seem that fussed about him, I think she prefered life before he came along!!  They will work it out themselves as Digger quoted.  Just keep on eye on them both.  Female's have a tendency to fight more than opposite sex dogs and the results are generally not very nice.

Hope it all works out for you!!

Charlene

Sorry, but this is nonsense, Retha.  If you have one dog and then get another, either of the two may decide to be top dog.  There is no doggy rule that it has to be the original dog - it depends on the dogs themselves.  Most (but not all) sort it out without seriously fighting. As a human, the worse thing you can do is interfere in pack ranking between dogs.  So much damage is done by trying to promote the 'wrong' dog.

this is incorrect. you cannot create a top dog.
the dog with the more dominent character will assume alpha position regardless of who has lived ther longer!!

Yeah, I agree with what most are saying...you cannot manufacture the top dog, regardless of what you want!

Sorry Retha, but Digger is talking sense there....

You cant sort out doggy politics by force, you have to let them decide.....and to mess about with it yourself, by favouring the underling can often create a LOT more hassle for the poor dogs!

Em