re OP - peppapug
Quote:
My 3-YO pug was spayed 10 days ago... There were complications... as there were some adhesions inside and (her) change of behaviour... suggests she may have been in some discomfort.
Her son is 10-MO. In the last week they (began) to fight. ...they appear to want to pin the other..., hackles up and staring.
(It begins with) both chasing a toy, then playing tug... then one (drops the toy and) just lays into the other. This... breed and (these) dogs... have no aggression so it is so odd.
...can (someone) explain what is happening here and what if anything I should do about it? Could it be something to do with the spay or his age, what is the dominance issue and why now???? i am hoping it won't escalate and feel i should let them sort it out (so long as) no one is getting hurt.
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hey, peppa! :--)
is her son intact, or desexed? if he is intact, i would be getting him snipped ASAP; it considerably reduces dog : dog aggro, and also any overall aggro from turf to RG to human interference with the dog, and their likelihood of reacting with teeth to an interruption, being lifted off the sofa, etc.
re the issue of potential for injury -
i would NOT let them quote, Sort it - pugs have very shallow eye sockets, with large + protuberant eyes! eye-injuries are the single most likely result of any sort of roughhousing, even in play, or jumping-off ANY surface that they cannot get onto in one jump - like a high bed, the BACK of the sofa, etc. i have seen a pug jump from a height, and in a second have the globe of the eye hanging on their cheek - it is horrifying and PAINFUL, and can blind the dog.
so skip the hands-off diplomacy, get in there + separate them Every Time.
a PILLOW or CUSHION or the top of a TV-tray, serving tray, etc, is far preferable to ones *hands* getting in the scrum!
re the toy - Are U throwing it, and they both chase it?
or does one dog toss the toy, and both pursue?
either way, teaching BOTH dogs to honor the others right to a turn, while awaiting their own fun, is easily possible; leash both dogs, have 2 toys (in case one fails to fetch the toy back), and STAND on the leash of whoever is sitting out this turn. tell them to WAIT -
cue the other dog, Ready? fetch!... and toss.
reward BOTH dogs when the fetching dog brings back the toy, and switch places - the dog that fetched sits or lies, the dog that was waiting gets a turn.
Always leave them wanting More!! do not burn the dogs out with fetch games till they sour on it... stop WHILE they still want to run eagerly!
as to Why there are fights now, any offspring given the option would --> leave, not stay on as adults; a certian amount of friction with siblings, parent + child, or other close relatives sharing the house, is IMO inevitable.
approx 12-MO is physically adult in a small breed - the pelvis is fully calcified, they are the approx-equiv of an 18-YO young-adult human.
if U really want to keep the son, U will need to work thru this, and it will be an ongoing process until the son hits around 24-MO, which is Social Maturity - everybody in dogdom now says U are a grown-up, there is no more leeway for pup-like rude behavior, and serious arguments are now possible.
making the presence of BOTH dogs a valuable, reliable indicator of Fun-To-Come is one way to make dam appreciate the presence of her son, + son glad for the presence of his dam.
re the *no aggro* claim -
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IMO this is balderdash - any animal with teeth can bite, and under the right set of circs, *Will Bite*. aggro is a perfectly normal facet of behavior, we speak of aggressive tennis-players or investors, for pitys sake, LOL -
as a matter of fact, it is part + parcel of why we pathetic, slow, thin-skinned, short-toothed omnivores teamed-up and (IMO) co-evolved with dom-dogs... BECAUSE they have big sharp teeth, greater speed, and can + will use them as a proxy for our own sorely-lacking physical characteristics, LOL.
that a Pug is less-likely to bite than a Corgi does NOT mean that no Pug will ever bite! i have been there when they did...
and natch, the first words of the owner were...
well, s/he Never! did THAT before...
words to live by, LOL... i should have them embroidered on a wall hanging.
cheers, and happy B-Mod,
--- terry