Having aggression problems with my two dogs

[BlamoHammer]

I've got two Jack Russell Terriers and for the past year they have had relatively few issues with aggression towards each other. Lately, however, they have been getting into some pretty fearsome fights with each other at night. We've had them for over a year now and for their entire lives they have slept with each other in their crate. Occasionally they have small squabbles, but usually nothing that can't be stopped with a sharp whistle or "NO!". Three separate times over the past two nights I have had to get up and physically pull them apart from each other, teeth gripped to th other in most cases.

What can I do to quell this gorwing problem?

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Gender?

Any of them have a bone/chewtoy in there?

- M4H

 

[Sundog]

Lop off the nads.....settles'em right down.

 

[BlamoHammer]

Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire
Gender?

Any of them have a bone/chewtoy in there?

- M4H

Both males. No there is no toy in there. I purposely make sure they have nothing to fight about while crated.

 

[BlamoHammer]

Originally posted by: Sundog
Lop off the nads.....settles'em right down.

Both are already neutered.

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Originally posted by: BlamoHammer

Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire
Gender?

Any of them have a bone/chewtoy in there?

- M4H

Both males. No there is no toy in there. I purposely make sure they have nothing to fight about while crated.

Neutered or no?

Edit - Hold on, they still sleep locked in the crate? Small wonder they're going ass-mad crazy. You have two Jack Russells. Those things have enough hyperactivity individually to solve California's energy crisis, and you throw two of them in a cage and lock it?

Let them run loose in a room at least.

- M4H

 

[BlamoHammer]

Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire

Originally posted by: BlamoHammer

Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire
Gender?

Any of them have a bone/chewtoy in there?

- M4H

Both males. No there is no toy in there. I purposely make sure they have nothing to fight about while crated.

Neutered or no?

- M4H

See above post.

 

[Ausm]

Originally posted by: Sundog
Lop off the nads.....settles'em right down.

Daaayyyuuum the way you put that made me flinch

Ausm

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Originally posted by: Ausm

Originally posted by: Sundog
Lop off the nads.....settles'em right down.

Daaayyyuuum the way you put that made me flinch

Ausm

Yeah, it's kinda like marriage. No sex, no carousing, no nothing. :Q

- M4H

 

[rahvin]

Every dog I've known has gotten crankier as it got older. You may want to consider seperate crates as the joint den thing doesn't seem to be working anymore.

 

[BlamoHammer]

Originally posted by: rahvin
Every dog I've known has gotten crankier as it got older. You may want to consider seperate crates as the joint den thing doesn't seem to be working anymore.

I had thought the same thing, Im just wondering if this will cause as much if not more unrest at night since they are of course quite attached to each other.

I had thought of getting the largest crate possible and trying that...any opinions on that course of action?

 

[rahvin]

Originally posted by: BlamoHammer

Originally posted by: rahvin
Every dog I've known has gotten crankier as it got older. You may want to consider seperate crates as the joint den thing doesn't seem to be working anymore.

I had thought the same thing, Im just wondering if this will cause as much if not more unrest at night since they are of course quite attached to each other.

I had thought of getting the largest crate possible and trying that...any opinions on that course of action?

If they are latching their teeth onto each other at night they obviously don't like sleeping together anymore. I would get two seperate crates and crate them seperately, if they whine and want to be together you can still do it. If you buy one big one you don't have the fallback of being crated seperately. I would imagine it's just going to get worse as they get older, and get more aches and pains. Older dogs generally like to sleep alone.

 

[GroundZero]

lop off their heads.

 

[BlueWeasel]

Originally posted by: GroundZero
lop off their heads.

Cat Lover!

 

[Dogmeat]

Stop feeding them table screps that cause gas


My Jill Russel and her Toy Poodle accomplice tend to have similar issues, though it never gets to a "damaging" stage. For them it's usually territorial. They sllep with my wife & I on the bed and they don't like sharing the space very well.

Even though your Jacks have been raised together, my bet is that the first one in the crate is saying "this is my territory" and the other one is saying "No, I'm the biggest, baddest dog in the world" (Jack Russels have no idea they are not the biggest dogs in the world).

Watch the behavior, especially when they are going to the "Crate" for the night to see if you can pinpoint what it is that is leading to their dispute. Seperate crates might not be a bad idea but may also lead to them fighting over who gets which crate (I'd get 2 new ones so the old, established one is not an issue).

Good luck, they are great dogs, and BTW, I can't watch the end of My Dog Skip. I'm already in tears just thinking of whats coming up.

 

[Azraele]

What are their places on the pack? You are obviously pack leader, but they might be confused as to the rest of the pecking order. Does one always eat before the other? Or does ne eat first sometimes and then the other? If it's the latter, then maintain consistency in pack order. Always feed the same one before the other.

As for other causes,..???