2 against 1
I feel like a dumb dog owner I don't know how to stop it. I've tried to take both Echo & Shamu and put them down on the ground after it happens, but that doesn't seem to work. Please help me I love them all so much. I feel so bad for poor Hershey. Why do they do that? ANything you guys could tell me would be much appreciated. Thanks  |
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| Some dogs just seem to be easier targets or maybe they show a weakness. My Border Collie-mix had been picked on the same way as your Hershey. I didn't know as much about dog behavior then. It was the death of the other dog due to cancer that allowed my BC-mix to blossom into a confident dog.
Quote: I feel like a dumb dog owner I don't know how to stop it.
You're NOT dumb... dogs just have that unique way of making us THINK we are sometimes. The following is hard to do because you have to be constantly vigilant but... Observe them and try to learn the body language that leads up to the problem. You want to watch for signals of an impending "confrontation" and stop the behavior before it happens either with a command or distraction. You mentioned "the Stare". My Schipperke-mix will give my OES the same look... but she gets her hackles up, head low, legs stiff, growling. As soon as I'd see the behavior start, I'd step in between them (ONLY because I know I can safely do this with these two knuckleheads) and send them in opposite directions with a "LEAVE IT!!" command. Now just a stern command is USUALLY enough to end it before anything can start. Since I can't tell who's the actual instigator, both dogs are reprimanded. Another thing that might help is to exercise the other two before you bring Hershey outside to play. Maybe if they're too pooped, they won't be so eager to pick on her. Dogs can be such sausage-brains sometimes.  Until you get a handle on the situation, I'd keep Hershey close so you can stand up for her. I wouldn't allow them the opportunity to hassle the ol' girl.
I'm NOT a professional trainer, just a lunatic with 6 dogs. Maybe none of this will actually make a difference for you but it did work for us upon acceptance of Panda-The-Outrageous to the herd. You may wish to contact a professional trainer to get faster results. Others here I'm sure will give you other ideas on how to handle this challenge. Please keep us posted on how she's doing. |
Thank you  I love your avator. I appreciate everything you've said. |
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