[OneRiffTooMany]

I have 2 dogs the elder a male desexed kelpie/staffy 6 yrs of age and the younger an aussie bulldog female 2 yrs old getting desexed next week.
they hadnt had a fight in seven months and i guess i got a bit laxed but they had a nasty fight a couple of days ago which led to dexy the elder male spending the night at the vet to get his leg sown up.
i was wondering if anyone had experienced similar problem ?
will the younger female getting desexed change her personality ?
oh and also he has started every fight i have ever broken up ?

[kitty004567]

My dogs fight too...my vet put my "aggressor" dog on prozac. It made her lethargic and didn't help with the attitude problem. I've had mild success with Bach flower remedies "rescue remedy" pet formulation, especially if I give it when I begin to see aggression. I also bought a training system called "the perfect dog" which teaches your dogs to see you as the alpha and thus they should have no more dominance issues and no reason to fight. That seemed to help some too.

However the best thing I found? (and please no one jump my case for "abusing" my dogs. There have been too many overnight visits to the vet and too many stitches.) When they start fighting I put on a shoe and give them a swift upward kick in the jaw, generally I can get both dogs with one kick because their mouthes are close together. That stops them in their tracks and I send them to opposite corners. After several administrations of that I could see them stop and think before they started fighting. It may not be the most humane method but it worked.

Also, should the injuries be milder and you don't think they require stitches you can treat the injured area (but not around the eye) with hydrogen peroxide (flush the injury well; also remember that hydrogen peroxide will bleach carpet and fabric) and triple antibiotic ointment (use a tiny bit on a q-tip and rub in because the dog's going to lick it). You can also give them aspirin for the pain or benedryl to get them to sleep/relax. You can ask your vet for the appropriate dosages for your dog.

[racee]

love staffy's their such kids and warm hearted...ok well my expierence working with animals my whole life (but i am not an expert here just an opinion) this especially applies to the stafford. some of them tend to be more dog aggresive...and it can start at any time. change in invironment no matter how small can also be agravating yer dog. one more thing you said he is part kelpie?? they are hearding...working dogs correct?? they need to be put to use if not ofr hearding they need to run they need to have a purpose (it's in their blood) he might calm down if he gets his 'excersize'...just a few thoughts

[racee]

kitty...benedryl works wonders at times lifesaver....(for kids and dogs...lol) and i don't look at you like you are abusing your animal...you adjust your tactics on how to deal with a dog depending on the animal i had to deal with many 150lb and over pure muscle dogs and a lil tap on the nose ain't gonna phase them animals

[OneRiffTooMany]

much respect for your valuable insight peoples. i feel i have a few tricks up my sleeve thanks so much again. btw dexter is healing well he was close to having permanent nerve damage, but seems as if he will make a very substantial recovery, tell you what though I think he is more stressed out about the lampshade over his head than his wound. lavinia is booked in to be nueted in a couple of days so she will most likely have the lampshade. hehhe
cheers again

[kitty004567]

I'm glad both your dogs came out alright :-)

and thank you racee for not jumping on me for the kick to the dog.. she's a 60 lb blue heeler (Australian cattle dog) and very stout and hard headed. lol she runs into the wall chasing her ball and it doesn't phase her one bit.

[OneRiffTooMany]

sounds like my aussie bull, shes a bit of a boof head, barks at blue items that are new to the household, developed a phobia of one of those little child swimming pools (blue aswell).
she was nueted today shes been on heat 3 times and she got really sad and sorry for a few weeks each time. were renting and not in a position for her to have a litter.
so nursing to hounds at the mo lol