Russell and Ice, Problems...

[Karen Kwei]

Hi,

I just adopted a Brittany named Ice, he is not neutered (please dun ask me to get him neutered as he is a show dog), 4 years old. I have a mutt named Russell. Russell has been with me for 4 years and when i adopted him, he was aggressive towards humans and dogs and now he is better, he does not bite humans now and he sort of ignores most dogs except those FEW that he likes. Russell is neutered but still unpredictable sometimes around male dogs.

Now i have a problem. We introduced them on neutral ground. All seemed fine. Russell wanted to play with Ice. (Ice is a Brittany who is not playful, the rare case, he does not play with toys. I knew Ice for two years already and Ice was quite attached to me whenever i go to my friend's place). Ice does not play with him but Russell does not mind. When we put them in my front yard, all seemed fine at first. However, later that time, Russell went over to Ice and snarled. I did not really see what happened but i just grabbed Russell cos i heard lots of whining. Ice was scared and he was acting submissive. Ice was not injured. Two more such incidents happened today. I am wondering: When will Russell stop trying to scare Ice? No doubt Russell is not happy but i guess Russell knows that Ice is willing to submit to him already!!


Another problem. Ice seems to pee whenever he is excited. I believed that it is because he drank too much water. Seriously, i believed he drank 3 liters of water after i brought him for a half hour walk. and Ice will drink water for the fun of it.

Russell is outside trained and i wish that Ice can be outside trained too. But i brought Ice out four times today but i still ended up cleaning his pee for three times today

I will appreciate any advice. Thanks in advance

[Luciann]

Karen,

I would suggest you invest in some puppy pads so that Ice if nothing else can be trained to use them if he won't go outside. As for the aggressive behavior from Russell i will leave that to someone with more experience.

good luck

[Karen Kwei]

Hi Luciann,

I feel that it is because Ice is bascially not a very confident dog, which is why he pee when he is excited. I brought him out four times yesterday. Is there anyone who has a dog who drinks lots of water everyday that drinking water is almost like a hobby? :confused: :confused:

I will try pee pads to see if Ice will use them. If so it will be great!

[Lesly Stevens]

With all that water drinking, I'd do a vet check. A 4-yr. old dog peeing in the house isn't normal, unless his previous owner let him use the house as a toilet! Are you sure he's not marking? It may be submissive peeing - if so, don't react, as this can and often does make it worse. In either case, you need to get him checked by the vet, and then start potty training 101, as if he were a puppy. Supervise him at all times, and when you can't, crate him or put him in a room with a baby gate, so he doesn't soil your carpeting, and keep going back.

You said Ice isn't neutered and to not tell you to have him neutered because he's a show dog. Ok, he's a show dog, but you said he's 4 yrs. old. Has he not finished yet? Are you going to continue to show him? If not, I'd consider getting him neutered. You've brought him into a home with a resident dog who has a history of aggression toward other dogs. You'll want to do whatever you can to eliminate any triggers. Bringing in an unaltred male can be risky, especially if you don't have a plan of action to encourage a good relationship between the two.

When integrating a new dog into the family, it's often best to go about it gradually, keeping the new dog in one area of the house, and not allowing him the freedom to roam the house. It sounds like you need to wait awhile before letting them outside together. I prefer being proactive rather than reactive, because it's easier in the long run. Prevent a fight from happening in the first place. Again, using a crate or baby gates to keep the two separated when you can't supervise, will be most helpful in the transition for both dogs, AND for you!

Lesly, Maddy, & Bo





Hi,

I just adopted a Brittany named Ice, he is not neutered (please dun ask me to get him neutered as he is a show dog), 4 years old. I have a mutt named Russell. Russell has been with me for 4 years and when i adopted him, he was aggressive towards humans and dogs and now he is better, he does not bite humans now and he sort of ignores most dogs except those FEW that he likes. Russell is neutered but still unpredictable sometimes around male dogs.

Now i have a problem. We introduced them on neutral ground. All seemed fine. Russell wanted to play with Ice. (Ice is a Brittany who is not playful, the rare case, he does not play with toys. I knew Ice for two years already and Ice was quite attached to me whenever i go to my friend's place). Ice does not play with him but Russell does not mind. When we put them in my front yard, all seemed fine at first. However, later that time, Russell went over to Ice and snarled. I did not really see what happened but i just grabbed Russell cos i heard lots of whining. Ice was scared and he was acting submissive. Ice was not injured. Two more such incidents happened today. I am wondering: When will Russell stop trying to scare Ice? No doubt Russell is not happy but i guess Russell knows that Ice is willing to submit to him already!!


Another problem. Ice seems to pee whenever he is excited. I believed that it is because he drank too much water. Seriously, i believed he drank 3 liters of water after i brought him for a half hour walk. and Ice will drink water for the fun of it.

Russell is outside trained and i wish that Ice can be outside trained too. But i brought Ice out four times today but i still ended up cleaning his pee for three times today

I will appreciate any advice. Thanks in advance

[Karen Kwei]

Hi

I got good news. The situation is improving.

Russell and Ice got along peacefully. Russell lied down very near Ice to sleep last night and they got along fine. I managed to bring both for 3km walks together twice. I learnt that Russell is fine as long as i pet him first and when i pet him, Ice does not try to demand for attention! Mealtimes are ok. Ice is aware that Russell eats slowly and Ice will just lie down by the door after he finished eating. Russell did growl when Ice tried to get out of the house first when i am bringing both for a walk but he stopped at that. I am reinforcing the concept of NILF concept and getting Russell to work for his food and walks. Exercise also does wonders. Give Russell his two walks daily and he will sleep like a log. :-P :-P


As for Ice's urine problem, i observed that Ice is scared of my second brother because he is really tall and he tried to play rough with Ice the first time he saw Ice. My brother is used to throwing a softtoy at Russell to induce him to play. Ice was freaked out by that. I guess i need to get my brother to treat Ice gently. Ice only peed whenever he saw my brother returning home. I guess it was submissive peeing cos he never lift his leg and his body was crouched down low when he saw my brother. I ordered a crate for Ice and i was thinking that i will crate Ice whenever there are visitors for him to get used to the comings and goings at my house. I was just thinking when should i crate him?? i was thinking of crating him during sundays when there are visitors. Is crating him for 4 to 5 hours bad? :confused:

You said Ice isn't neutered and to not tell you to have him neutered because he's a show dog. Ok, he's a show dog, but you said he's 4 yrs. old. Has he not finished yet? Are you going to continue to show him? If not, I'd consider getting him neutered. You've brought him into a home with a resident dog who has a history of aggression toward other dogs. You'll want to do whatever you can to eliminate any triggers. Bringing in an unaltred male can be risky, especially if you don't have a plan of action to encourage a good relationship between the two.

Stevens, i appreciate your reply. this got me to really observe and to pinpoint the problem. Neutering did reduced Russell's tendacies to escape but i guess neutering is not for Ice as i am still going to show him as both of us enjoy going to the show ring! Ice has finished already but we are going in as Ice loves the attention that he gets. I am afraid neutering is not an option for us.