Can anyone out there give me ideas on how to work on getting 2 female dachshies to get along? There is just certain times when one doesn't want the other one around! :pray:
My experience is mostly with male dogs, but typically they will eventually sort it out on their own once pack order is established.
Zora is the only female dachsie I've had. She is really funny. She is the most submissive dachshund when it comes to humans and other dogs, but she constantly puts Zeke, who clearly has a strong Alpha personality, in his place time and again.
Of course, the funniest trait that I see more in female dachshunds than males is the "If I don't look at you, you no longer exist". If I try to call Zora to go outside on a wet day, she turns her head away.
david that is so Amy, and she also at the same time does the bottom down if you ask her to go girlies and she has been, and you have had the absolute cheeck to ask her to go again.
On the 2 females its just who eventually comes out as top dog.
What we found with Emma who was BIG ALPHA was to bath everyone so they all smelt the same, and that did help.
Roberta
Good one, Roberta! I wonder if spritzing all the females with the same dog or human cologne behind the ears would work, too?
Having intact females (3 of them now!) and one spayed girl, I know from experiences (mine and others) that the girls are the absolute worst when it comes to fighting among each other. If one is clearly submissive to the other, you can keep the peace most of the time, but it's important with females that they have a well established pack order. Anything that disturbs that can cause fights. Reilly is the dominant girl in my house right now (other than me), Millie is clearly submissive, and the puppies are too young to really challenge her, but anytime something happens with Millie, usually an injury, Reilly goes after her with a vengeance. I've twice now had to crate Reilly for a few hours to calm down when Millie got a piece of stick caught in her upper jaw and Reilly attacked her while she was panicking. The thing I've found helps is to crate the attacker, and then BATHE the attackee. What happens is in the panick, the scared one let their anal glands go and then they're a target because they smell of fear. Once bathed, she doesn't smell of fear anymore and they get over it much faster.
The main thing to do is to make sure you're top dog. The girls don't fight if I'm in the room, because I'm the "alpha [censored]". If I'm not around, it's a different story. If they're fighting when you're not around, I would say they should be crated separately. Girls are moodier and more hormonal naturally, and some alone time won't hurt either one. If one of them is always starting it, you need to work with her, try the NILF method (no food, no toys, no getting on the furniture unless they do something for you first, even if it's just a "sit"-it establishes that you're in control). If they alternate, both girls get the NILF treatment and crate them when you can't watch them closely until everything settles back down.
Quote from: Kathleen on January 06, 2011, 08:25:13 AM
The main thing to do is to make sure you're top dog. The girls don't fight if I'm in the room, because I'm the "alpha [censored]".
I heard [censored] stands for "Being In Total Control Here" Which, actually, should apply here, if not in other situations. :crazyeyes:
And yes, you should be pack leader!!!
I'm sorry to hear this is happening Kelly, you got some good tips here. I'm sure you can make things better but I don't think you will ever be able to trust them 100% so I agree that you should not leave them home alone together just to be on the safe side. Hopefully things will settle with time, who are the 2 duking it out?
NILF is a must when you have a pack situation reinforces you are the boss & you will not put up with any subornation from lower members of the pack.Seperation is a good thing also Good Luck.
Aha! Kathleen, very insightful. When we had both Bonnie and Madderoo-and remember, Maddie was here LONG before The Bon Bon, Bonnie was by far the alpha dog. Once when I had a kitchen accident (remember when I burned my hand badly?) Maddie was wearing a sweater but some of the scalding water fell on her (sweater) (didn't hurt her) and she yelped. Bonnie went into attack mode! Or if Maddie squeeked, Bonnie would chastise her. If Maddie did anything out of the norm, Bonnie would be there to correct her. When we had Dolly and Maddie, there was never any trouble because both girls were a bit on the submissive side with Dolly being a wee bit less so.
I hope that Kelly's girls can sort things out.
Thanks everybody! So far since I posted in here about the girls there's been no more problems!
Don't you know they read your post knowing you were getting reinforcement ideas so they know they had to behave. I'm sure that is what happened they know far more than we think they know.