Fighting

August 3, 2003 - Our rescue male Spikey has been with us for more than a month now and we sadly have to conclude that it doesn't seem like Attila will accept him. After a prior improvement in the situation a few fierce incidents took place that have shocked quite a bit.

They started a first tough fight when they were in the kitchen and Mascha out of her (naive) enthusiasm thought the pack fights were settled and tried to give them a treat. WRONG, WRONG. As a result Attila attacks Spike, who can't turn away in the small space like he would do in the garden. So he feels himself forced to fight back.

Second mistake: Mascha grabs their collars in an attempt to pull the dogs apart and stop the fight and ends up with a large bite in her leg and hand. Edmond, coming to her rescue, also meets a few dogs teeth. The dogs are not aiming for us, we're just being bitten coming in between the two. So, we have to go to the ER for stitches. The dogs are hurt on their snouts as well.

Similar incidents have a happened a few times since, fortunately with less consequences for us, but of course with damage for the two hooligans. Spike gets hurt on his eyebrow and front leg and develops an understandable fear for Attila. We decide we have to put a stop to this, even more so as Belukha will come in heat soon, causing an extra incentive to fight.

We keep the two males apart and contact Monique de Roeck, the dog trainer of Attila's puppy classes. She is a very experienced dog behavior trainer, f.i. often asked for her expert opinion by authorities in cases of serious biting incidents. She also trains police- and guidance dogs.

Unfortunately Monique is going on a holiday the next coming weeks and with Belukha in heat we do not have a normal situation anyway to try and improve the relationship between the dogs through training. The last week of August we are on holiday ourselves and things go well. Attila and Spike remain separated at all times, but we go on walks with the two and the growling diminishes clearly.

Of course, this is outside their garden territory. At home the situation stays that way: outside the garden they're quite and don't even seem very interested in each other, but once inside the fences Attila growls at Spikey as soon as he sees Spikey do something he doesn't approve of. Spikey occassionaly growls back: fear-based agression we think it is.

Monique will return to work in the week of September 15th. With her help we will actively try to improve the situation. Should nothing work, we will simply have to accept that. Spikey stays anyway. We have taken him in and besides from this problem he obviously is very happy here. We will be forced to keep them apart, but hope that they can at least be in one team. Given their behavior outside the garden this should work.

Preliminary conclusion: after the very succesful adoption of Skachonka we might have had too high expectations this time and underestimated the rivalry between two grown males. Meet the other side of the adorable Malamute! To be continued...