[Dailydrool] Dog-on-dog aggression

[Pamela McQuade via Dailydrool]

OK, I admit I've only experienced minimal dog-on-dog aggression but our 
Abner was aggressive to me and nailed me three times.

I always had the feeling that there was a piece of the aggression puzzle 
that was missing, and it was up to me to find it. I watched Abs for a 
long time and never quite figured it out--it was so frustrating. 
Thankfully I was the only one he aggressed with.

Eventually we discovered what caused the problem when we went to a 
surgeon for cancer surgery on my boy. I started talking to the surgeon 
about Abs's back surgery because surgeons need to know that a dog has 
had it, otherwise they could move the dog in a way that might redamage 
the site. When I mentioned aggression, this vet (who was really good, 
unlike the guy who did the back surgery) explained to me that Abs might 
have bones that were rubbing together and giving him pain--signs of a 
botched surgery, I believe. This second surgeon suggested that we give 
Abs glucosamine and chondroitin, to make the bones more slippery. We did 
so, and my boy never again showed any aggression.

That's a long way to say that unidentified physical problems could be 
causing the aggression. I think that Abs connected me with the painful 
back surgery and took out his pain on me. He never so much as lunged at 
my husband (who would not have reacted as kindly as I did, if he had).

I wonder if Ginger is somehow connecting your other dog with pain or a 
bad experience that took place before you got her. Or she may now be 
experiencing a new pain that she associates with a dog, perhaps because 
it came at a time when a dog was near her. Have you had Ginger in for a 
checkup lately? You may need to seek out different causes, now that she 
is older and may have new, unidentified health issues.

Dealing with aggression is not easy. You have to be on your toes all the 
time, which is very draining. I hope you can find a solution for Ginger.

Pam, food slave to the Dashing Bassets