D and B in harmony (update)

D'sMom · #1 11th July 2003, 02:47 PM

Well it has been about a month now since there HUGE VICIOUS i-am-going-to-kill-you-fight.

Since then we have been seeing a boxer behaviorist and she is the greatest person in the world! She KNOWS boxers, their attitudes, their intelligence, and sense of humor. She has 7 females leaving together with her so she was more then knowledgable regarding female vs. female boxers. "Bitch Wars"

My girls are now enrolled in Obedience class starting the 2nd of August. They will be in school till they can no longer move! hehe

Seeing her has done wonders with our two..not only them but has helped us in what we where doing wrong! With her training US has helped D and B better understand us in what we want them to do.

A week after their fight we kept them seperate, they could not be together unless they where on a leash attached to a human. when we let them roam they where seperated by a baby gate, they got use to being seperate and even made up games to play with eachother while being seperated

D would have the lower floor and she would run upstairs by the gate and drop a ball off and bianca would grab it from under and run further up the stairs and they would keep doing this! It was cute to watch

.

Right now we let them roam together under constant eye, however we leave the leash on Bianca in case she "postures" on D so that i can quickly correct her. They can play together but when i see that it is getting to rough i immediately stop their playing and put them in a down-stay position. Its not a punishment just something that just calms them.

I am so happy that everything has worked out, I know that their may be times that a fight may break out but with consistancy and training I am hoping to manage it better. Since then i have only corrected B once for 'posturing' to D. (D is the dominant dog) I saw B put her chin over D and saw her hackles raise and saw that D was showing the whites of her eyes with her ears back. I immediately grabbed B by the leash and corrected her by pulling her leash and getting in her face and asking her in a low growl "just what the F#$% do you think you are doing?" (I was told that since i am the Boss in the litter the boss would correct them in a aggressive manner) i didnt hit her ( no need to ever hit) but she got the picture and new that wasnt' cool, I do not stay mad with her or hold a grudge. After a minute it was all normal again.

I haven't had another posturing incident since.

I am glad that we saw a behaviorist and i hope that if people do choose to get a second dog that they do realize that even though your female may be the greatest and friendlist dog in the world do realize that it is a possiblity in the end that two females together will fight when they reach adulthood. We do not regret getting two..I will NEVER give up one or the other because they will try to kill eachother. We made the mistake of not listening to some reputable breeders regarding female vs. female issues, that is our bad and now we have to make the proper and right adjustments that will make our girls happy

Thanks again for the support and the advice! It has helped me keep my sanity and kept me with hope!

cashisking · #2 11th July 2003, 02:52 PM

YAY!!! I am so glad to hear that you are going the extra step and getting the girls on the right track! youre an AWESOME boxer mommy!!!!

Jenn

SammynDqtz · #3 11th July 2003, 02:55 PM

Glad to hear things are getting better.

Bravo to you for not giving up on your girls!

diego's heart · #4 11th July 2003, 03:48 PM

BRAVO is right

! I'm happy to hear the behaviorist and techniques are working out. I know it takes your hard work and determination. Harmony is a beautiful

! Give yourself and the "girls" hugs from us! ~ Lisa and Diego

P.S. "We are Family" by Sister Sledge happens to be jammin' on the radio right now

!

Tulsa-Dan · #5 11th July 2003, 10:38 PM

My hat is off to you!! Congratulations. This is difficult work. The hardest work any behaviorist has to deal with are two females fighting in the same household. It is tremendously difficult to even MANAGE, let alone modify and change such behavior. So you must be working your pattootie off to see such great results. I again congratulate you. Well done.

And to others who may read this, PLEASE, no matter what the issue is with your dog, if you feel the issue is over your head, seek the help of a qualified behaviorist before abandoning hope. There is ALWAYS hope.

Keep up the good work.

basak · #6 14th July 2003, 02:30 AM

I do a standing ovation for you!!! I am so glad everything turned out to be fine.. You are strong for your babies and you are a good mother

basak

Bella'sMom · #7 14th July 2003, 06:23 AM

Good job, keep up the good work!

Rowdy Boys · #8 14th July 2003, 12:18 PM

Good Job!!

Way to be strong. It sounds like you're on the right track. They know you're the boss and that poor behavior will NOT be tolerated. Keep up the good work.

This is a great testimony to all those "advice" givers we all run into occasionally who tell us they "hit" their dog for correction. There is absolutely no need for it - a strong, firm leader like yourself is plenty. You have made a committment to your girls and it shows. You are a GREAT mommy.