# My GSD Attacked our new dog...



## K.Creek (Apr 7, 2013)

Sadie is my 1.5 yr old GSD...she is dog reactive, but gets along fine with the dogs that are in our home. I took her to obedience classes and that's when I learned of her dog reactivity, well I thought I had her in check. We finished obedience school in April and have gone to one trial and trained off and on at home. She fractured her metacarpal so we had some time off, then we found out she had severe HD so we took some time off, and then I got sick...so we took some time off. 

Her metacarpal has healed, started on supplements for the HD and I finally got to the dr for my illness. So we have just recently started working again, her recall has improved, but it is by no means good. 
Long story short, Sadie has only been around a few outside dogs since school (trial, trips to pet smart, a couple private training classes) and about three weeks ago my husband and I found a greyhound in need of rescue, so we took her in. I knew it was going to be hard on Sadie. 

The initial introduction was AWFUL!! Sadie was violently barking, growling, jumping and not listening to me say NO! So I put her in timeout (pen) while our other dogs socialized normally. After about 15 minutes I brought Sadie out on her prong and lead and corrected every time she was aggressive. Time goes on and they seemingly adjust. There have been few moments since the first few days where Sadie has shown aggression. About a 1.5 weeks ago we began leaving them out together with our other greyhound while we are at work...up until today there have been no issues that we have seen. No bites from fighting, no aggression when we come home, all seemed to be well. Until today....

Thankfully my husband came home today to drop of a trailer and saw that Gypsy (the new greyhound) was bleeding. It wasn't until he got out of the vehicle that he saw how bad it was....there are lacerations on her hind legs, under her front leg, and a massive massive gaping gash on her side (baseball size in diameter). My husband put Sadie in the pen and had to go back to work. Gypsy was not bleeding anymore and my husband could not get her to a vet so he waited until I got home to evaluate her and determine what to do. I decided to get her to the vet first thing in the AM after talking with him. She should be ok...but I am devastated.
How did I let this happen? Was I wrong to leave them out together? What do I do to prevent this from ever, ever happening again? Sadie is incredibly hard headed and has always pushed back on obedience but I thought she was improving...I thought they were ok together...I was so wrong..

The scary thing is: we weren't here and when we are here there seem to be no aggression issues. Do I pen her up? I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around it....I just feel horrible....any suggestions are much appreciated.


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

I would do just what you said, when you can't supervise, someone gets penned up. I would NEVER trust them together unsupervised.


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## katieliz (Mar 29, 2007)

i'm sorry this happened but (imho) you were wrong to leave them out together unsupervised. even leaving dogs who are well known to get along with each other outdoors alone when you're gone to work is opening yourself up for lots of possible problems. back to what you can DO about this...you gate, crate, and rotate for the rest of the time you have these dogs, because especially if they are bitches, once they've gone after each other you can never be totally SURE that they won't do it again. you surely can NEVER, EVER leave them alone together, and if they're together when you're there you must watch them diligently and always have a clear plan for how you will separate them, should they get into it again. bitch fights are the worst. and greyhounds are no match for a sheppie, unless they can run. you can do the gate, crate and rotate thing, if you love all your dogs and you don't want to rehome any of them and you don't ever want this to happen again...you're gonna have to totally manage the environment. i'm sure there will be alot of training advice as well, but having had this happen myself, and living the GC&R life for YEARS now, i can tell you with pretty much 100% certainty, things will never be entirely safe for your dogs (no matter what kind of training you do), if you don't gate, crate & rotate. good luck!


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## katieliz (Mar 29, 2007)

just want to add...not your "fault" any of this happened, you just didn't know. but now you do. so don't feel "horrible" that it happened, feel "newly educated", lolol...seriously, good luck. man those bitch fights...i hope to NEVER see another.

miss sera-blue is an alpha and when miss jeni-take-a-ride came home, we did not know a more appropriate name might be miss jeni-from-the-hood. talk about a mess...and then the BOYS got into it, but only half-heartedly and in the heat of the moment. they were NOTHIN' to separate compared to the girls.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

They cannot be together without supervision anymore. This is my biggest fear with females, the horror stories I have heard and the fights that I have witnessed have convinced me to never have multiple females. I will never risk it.

3 Weeks is really a very short time to trust a new adult dog to be unsupervised with one of your dogs. Their true personality can take months to Pop up once they are comfortable and settled.


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## K.Creek (Apr 7, 2013)

Thanks guys! I'm purchasing another pen for the GSD as the one she was stationed in today belongs to our escape artist husky. 
The thing that makes me most upset it the life this greyhound had was terrible, she's underweight, timid....she was in a kennel stall for 23 hours a day. She had just started to open up and realize she is a dog and can do dog things, she didn't put up and fight and no way did she intentionally provoke Sadie.

I will say our other greyhound is a wild woman...our husky is the boss around here and she decided one day out of the blue to puff up at our older greyhound, Reno. There wasn't a growl more of a dominant stand "over you" hair fluffed up...and Reno said "oh heck no!" I've never seen a dog be that intense in a fight...she would not quit. My husband has the husky in his arms and Reno was jumping at her face and even as my husband was running away with the husky the greyhound was in pursuit. I'm not saying she could've taken Sadie but I assure Reno...is a tough broad.

Our previous male GSD and our pit/catahoula mix had it out one day and that by far was the worst thing I'd ever seen....

I appreciate your advice...still breaks my heart.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

crate. problems solved.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

K.Creek

How many dogs do you have? Are they all female? Are they all free in the house?


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## ten3zro (Jul 13, 2013)

Perhaps you're not equipped to have so many pets. Sounds like constant problems and most likely these will only get worse. I would find other homes for these animals. Sorry.


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## mebully21 (Nov 18, 2011)

Are you sure sadie started the fight? Since no one was home when it happened you cant blame one dog. It very well could have been your other dogs that attacked the new dog


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## K.Creek (Apr 7, 2013)

LaRen616 said:


> K.Creek
> 
> How many dogs do you have? Are they all female? Are they all free in the house?


We have a chi weenie (male, neutered), husky mix (female), GSD (female), greyhound (Reno, female, spayed), greyhound (gypsy, female)...total of 5.

We live on 2.5 acres and during the day only the Reno, gypsy and Sadie are free roaming. Chi weenie is inside, husky is in pen. 
I will purchase another large pen, just like the one for the husky for Sadie during the day. 
When we come home they are all free roaming when we are both outside (which is a lot) when only one of us it outside everyone is split up. Reno and Sadie come in with me or husky and both greyhounds, etc. 

Our older greyhound, Reno, will unfortunately have to be PTS soon possibly after the first of the year. She suffers from severe arthritis in her ankles and back, we've had her on supplements for two years and they have helped, but we cannot stop the progression of her arthritis. 







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## K.Creek (Apr 7, 2013)

mebully21 said:


> Are you sure sadie started the fight? Since no one was home when it happened you cant blame one dog. It very well could have been your other dogs that attacked the new dog


Well the only ones out were Sadie (GSD), Reno (older greyhound) and Gypsy (new greyhound). The older greyhound has never initiated a fight. She has never been aggressive, dog nor people. She has such severe arthritis she is sleeping about 22 hours a day. So I doubt she did it. 

The younger greyhound may have been playing too rough, or something that set Sadie off...I don't know. You're right we weren't home, but I can make a decent assumption.

We don't keep dogs beds or food outside so I don't think that was it....I will never know. But I will never let it happen again.



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## K.Creek (Apr 7, 2013)

ten3zro said:


> Perhaps you're not equipped to have so many pets. Sounds like constant problems and most likely these will only get worse. I would find other homes for these animals. Sorry.


Thanks but no thanks 


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## katieliz (Mar 29, 2007)

"but i will never let it happen again"...is exactly what you have to do!


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

As well as getting another crate is there anyway to separate your old girl too? Maybe keep her in her own room? Regardless of which dog started the fight, both dogs were involved in it so I think I'd be worried about leaving either dog out with your old girl, just a precaution. Some dogs target weak, sick older dogs and both dogs have fought. Not saying that these things are tied in together or that it's going to happen. Just an idea, I am paranoid.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

Get a private trainer to unravel the dynamics. I think the problem is too many females. This can also get you hurt. Do they get training and exercise? Try not to add dogs before everything is well under control. Sounds like an explosive situation.


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## mebully21 (Nov 18, 2011)

ah ok, i thought all the dogs were loose.. if it was the old dog and sadie and new dog then it could very well be sadie.
with the old dog do not let her be loose with the young dogs.. keep her separated when no one is home to protect her. and separate new dog too


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## pets4life (Feb 22, 2011)

hey i dont think gsd's mix with sitehounds twice I have seen gsds brutally attack them. Once a gsd attacked 3 salukis and ripped into them like they were a bunch of antelope or something. Another time I saw a gsd maul a pair of grey hounds. 


I have seen gsds show unhealthy interest in afgans and greyhounds many times. THey have very thin skin and when they run they act like prey and it drives a lot of gsds wild. The grey hounds have human like skin and can easily die of blood loss from nasty lacerations of a gsd. JMHO


Shes 1.5 years old shes a puppy eventually shes probably going to kill one . No trainer is going to change anything sorry. Again JMHO. But I feel getting a trainer is just going to prolong all your greyhounds suffering and pain and danger. They are not made to take this amount of punishment. I have helped out with greyhound rescue before they are calm sweet dogs I don't think they should have to deal with a gsd, alone thats torture.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

i had a Grey Hound and everything was fine between the dogs. i think
the GSD's you witness attacking sight hounds were not trained and
properly socialized and not leashed.



pets4life said:


> >>>>> hey i dont think gsd's mix with sitehounds twice I have seen gsds brutally attack them. <<<<<
> 
> Once a gsd attacked 3 salukis and ripped into them like they were a bunch of antelope or something. Another time I saw a gsd maul a pair of grey hounds.
> 
> ...


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## Arlene/Archer (Mar 7, 2013)

doggiedad said:


> i had a Grey Hound and everything was fine between the dogs. i think
> the GSD's you witness attacking sight hounds were not trained and
> properly socialized and not leashed.


Exactly this, two of Archer's best dog pals are greyhounds, and he has a lot of lurcher friends. No issue at all with aggression.


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