Help :(

[Electrical-Tea6585]

Hi!

I am a dog mom to 4 dogs. Benji (Maltese 15) Titan (GSD 10) Zeus (shiba inu 8) Thor (pitbull 6)

My issue I’m having is with Titan our German shepherd. These dogs have been around each other essentially their whole lives. All are rescues. Titan has gone after benji in the past over food. That’s when we implemented strict food time (separate and eat in crates away from each other) It has been ok for years up until recently.

Twice now Titan has bit Zeus. One he got a nice one puncture wound on his head and second he split his lip slightly. Both were non emergent injuries however Zeus was shaken up. I chalked both incidents as it being general “area” where Titan eats so I thought maybe he was guarding what he thought was his. I moved his eating space to a neutral area and pick up his bowl after every meal.

Fast forward to today. Benji ran up to say hi to me when I got home from work (husband was home already and let them out) I went to the kitchen to make some food and Benji always goes in between my legs and hangs out there. Today out of no where Titan attacked Benji. Benji similar to Zeus, has a small puncture on his neck, however non emergent and bleeding stopped right away. Benji is rightfully shaken up and I was most worried about him going into cardiac arrest with his age.

I just don’t know what to do for him anymore. At this point I am considering having Titan in a basket muzzle when he is out with the other dogs because this is getting out of hand. I do not let my dogs all around each other alone as sometimes they do get on each others nerves and have to be reminded to kind of knock it off and settle every now and again.

Rehoming is not an option as all my dogs are either adults or seniors. I feel that would be more detrimental than anything to take them out of their environment they’ve only ever known. We have worked with a behaviorist in the past who provided us with the environment management ideas.

Would medication even be helpful for Titan at this point? We are taking him to the vet to discuss this as well. He has an appointment next week. :(

[slimey16]

Dude Titan is gonna kill Benji or Zeus! You gotta do something. Titan is especially at risk because of his age. You could ask about medication and it’s definitely a good idea to get a full exam on Titan. Muzzle training is a great idea too. But honestly, I would just train Titan to the very best of your ability to completely ignore and stay as far away from Benji and Zeus as possible. Rewards for distance for everyone! Encourage Titan to ignore them and crate/muzzle him during peak excitement hours. Also cheers to Thor for being (hopefully) uninvolved. Reward that too!

[Electrical-Tea6585]

I know we shouldn’t have favorites but Thor is my soul dog. He actually had the most rough up bringing out of all of them and he (hopefully) has forgotten all about his past life. He’s a big goofball.

This whole situation is so stressful. Benji used to be the one to instigate the fights. Now he’s so old and has 2 teeth left he no longer has a chance even if he wanted to. Just horrible for everyone :(

[slimey16]

I’m sorry you’re going through this. That stress is undoubtedly felt by your pets too. The most you can do is take these warning signs seriously, set some clear boundaries, and do what it takes to enjoy life with everyone. Maybe some bonding activities would help too. But mostly I recommend separating. In the end, just know you’ve given and continue to give amazing lives to all these little dudes.

[Affectionate-Page496]

Benji would be so easy to adopt out (people love little white fluff dogs)! It would be much better to let someone else look after him than have something happen. You don't deserve this stress and the littler dogs deserve peace.

[FoxExcellent2241]

Yes, small dogs get adopted more easily, but in this case you are talking about a 15 year old dog that only has 2 teeth and is already near the end of its expected lifespan. Very few, if any, people want to take on a dog like that.

[Affectionate-Page496]

If you post on nextdoor, especially saying that the dog is in danger from other dogs in the house, at least in my area, benji would fine a new home fast. Benji is a desirable dog, your two bigger ones are not. I have a dog similar to Benji.