pyrless

hi matty! i agree with you completely, and actually having them separated has eased alot of the tension in the house and I know they can feel that. Muffin doesn't get the bed anymore, their crates are in separate rooms & that's where they eat, and we havent' given them anything to "guard" either, Basically trying to remove all of the stimulus that would start a fight. I am glad to hear that your boys worked it out! I am sure that Sasha and Muffin will learn to live together. I wish Muffin was bigger so they could just suss it out amongst themselves, but in the absence of that, it's more of an adjustment for me not having all three in the same room!

hello! My husband and I have decided to continue the NILIF and pack enforcement (Sasha on top), but also to keep the girls segregated. This is actually less nerve-wracking than constantly being tense and on-guard when they are loose together, because I am sure they can sense that. Everyone already seems happier. The reason we decided to do this, is that the bottom line is there are [i]no guarantees[/i] that one or the other isn't going to challenge the other one ever again be it due to adolescence/old age/food/attention, and whoever starts it, Muffin will end up injured again, or God forbid, dead. So yeah, this is a bit of a lifestyle change, but a much easier one than living entirely without one of them. Thanks again for your help and encouragement!

thank you! Lap time for NILIF, of course, I don't know why I never included that-(we just do, before they eat, before they go out, before they are let out of their crate, before they get petted). And you know, with the three personalities we've got, being Uberalpha (great term!) is really the only way to be. I REALLY appreciate your advice, that also goes for you, 3ofakind, and I will be back to let you know what is happening.

here i am again! the rescue remedy is a great idea too. Sasha does challenge taz, but only for his spot at the fence if they are barking. Apparently this is normal adolescent Pyr behaviour. He puts her in her place in about five seconds and she spends the rest of her time trotting along behind him doing whatever he does. It is night and day! We have thought about rehoming Muffin because of this but ultimately the thought of giving one up is too heartbreaking for us...

hi dog paddle, just read your post too! The option that makes the most sense to me is no one getting any rank but us. The pack order between the girls has never been obvious to me as it is with Taz. Muffin, despite her size, is no pushover and relishes things like couch time, esp. with my husband who up until this started happening, let her get away with murder. Would it be better to enforce [i]that?[/i] Separating them is definitely a viable option as both girls have crates (well, Muffin has a large crate, Sasha has an xpen). I think I will also see if the behaviourist that I spoke to will come to the house. I just want everyone to be happy and un-hurt. Thank you so much for your posts. ANYTHING anyone can think of will be well-received!

thank you for replying so quick! :D Taz is male, yes. And yes, female-female aggression can be an enormous problem with Pyrs, however that aggression is usually directed towards large, similar (working-type) breeds like Rottweilers, Malamutes, German shepherd dogs. I am fine with Sasha being above Muffin in the pack-she is younger, stronger, bigger and has a generally more "dominant" personality. Does this mean, however, that Muffin can no longer be a "lap dog"?/sleep on the couch, etc. Or does that [i]naturally [/i]make Muffin higher than Sasha in the pack, and therefore should we be enforcing [i]that[/i]? The reason this has me so upset is the immense size difference. Is it also possible that they just don't like each other, whatever that means in the dog brain?

We have been having an issue between our 16 month old 90 pound female Pyr and our ten year old, eleven pound Pomeranian. Everything was fine between the two until Sasha (the pyr) was about 8 months old. Suddenly she became protective of her food/treats/rawhides, around Muffin (the pom) only. My husband and I can take stuff from her, stick our hand in the bowl, whatever, nothing. Sasha is also not bothered by Taz, our 3 year old Elkhound, who is a true alpha. At any rate this progressed to the point where they first were separated, then crated, while eating, then while WE were eating, then to no rawhides/treats at all. Sasha attacked Muffin once and drew blood. I have talked to two behaviourists and a trainer who all say the same thing-it is a pack issue. So we started a strict feeding routine, brushed up on obedience and NILIF and everything was fine for like a month. Sasha went after Muffin again while we were cooking the other night. Going on the assumption that this is a food issue, we were like, okay, crate 'em while we're cooking. Then last night I was reading in bed, Muffin on one side and Sash on the other, like we have done a million times. Sasha laid her head on my chest, then a couple minutes later-BAM she's trying to get over me to get muffin! Clearly this is not a food issue. The only other thing I can think is Sasha is possessive of me-she is very bonded to me. We don't know what to do except keep them always separated. I am honestly in fear for Muffin's life-it's not like she can fight back. Does anyone have any insight on this? I am just too buried in it to think right. It is so upsetting!

There are these gates that the Foster and Smith catalog sells that are as tall as a double-stacked baby gate (we had to do that once and it was just too much of an operation for me! :lol: ) that also swing open for your convenience, and can be removed when not in use. I don't know their exact web site, but if you type in "Foster and Smith" it should come up. What saved us was using an exercise pen as a crate, for our Elkie mix it kept him out of trouble as a puppy, and for our Pyr it gives her more room during the day but still keeps her confined. They come as tall as 4 feet.

I don't want to show my Pyr, but I am now a member of the Great Pyrenees club in my area, and keep hearing terms like "Regional Specialty" and "National Specialty" and all of that. Can someone explain kind of how the dog show "circuit" works, and how dogs get their points and "CH" 's and go on to Westminster, etc? I am mainly curious about it and was thinking maybe I could help the club out at some of the shows.

is she a pyr? :D

what a great place! it [i]is[/i] true about the training thing at home too, but at least you will be working with a puppy who is confident and socialized and i would imagine, more focused than one who has been alone all day... :D puppies. they are waaayyyy to easy to spoil, aren't they! i can't even imagine with a teeny one like yours! we got our pyr Sasha at four months and thirty five pounds and I was still all "ooooooh, loook at my baaaaaaby!" :wink:

Hi! I love that you named a yorkie Peanut, that is perfect! Our Elkhound mix was just an awful mouther as a puppy and the only thing that worked was to spray Bitter Apple directly in his mouth while saying "NO". Even at that it took a couple of weeks! :roll: Humping is usually a dominance thing and once he gets the idea that you are "top dog" that will probably stop. I would just tell him no and walk away for a few minutes. Hope this helps, congrats on your new puppy!

i definitely feel your pain! :lol: good luck-it does get better as they get older, and i know that is not much help right now...

hi dog paddle! i use a Comfort Wrap harness which is really strong but easy to adjust. i am not familiar with the type you are describing. The D-Rings for the leash on the Comfort Wrap end up almost in the middle of the dog's back, so I think this helps with redistributing the weight. It is also a pretty heavy nylon harness, not to the point of being uncomfortable, but for some reason I think that helps? I don't think you are doing anything wrong! Have you tried the changing directions thing for getting them to stop pulling, ie if they pull one way, you turn and go the other? This really helped with my Pyr and only took about a week for her to catch on. Hope this helps!

Hi! I like the Comfort Wrap harness, i have the Large one for my Pyr and it is hella tough thick webbed nylon, it is also adjustable separately in two spots-the part that goes between the dog's front legs and the part that wraps around their back. It comes in alot of colors too! It is also really easy to put on, they kind of "step into" it. I love the harness for pullers 'cause it redistributes the weight at the end of the leash and gives you more control so you can teach leash manners AND they don't try to choke themselves! :wink: For my Pyr I used the "change directions" method-if she started to pull one way, I would turn around and go the other way. Mind you this looks a little ridiculous 'cause at first you are just going in circles! But she caught on in a couple days, and now trots along beside me. (she's 90 lbs.) Good luck!! :D

Hi! well your household sounds ordinary to me-i have a year-old Pyr and a two year old elkhound mix and they play very similarly, it sounds like, to your dogs (the elkie being the instigator!) The best thing I have found is to separate them when it gets out of control or you get annoyed-there is no reason that you have to put up with that 24-7. Just crate one or both of them, take one for a walk, play with one in the yard while someone else plays with the other inside...things like that. My Pyr holds her ground when playing and does growl but alot of that is play-growling and dog-dog communication. She is still sweet as pie to other dogs and people. Good luck-hope this helps!

i just wanted to say that i really like reading everyone's opinion and the fact that you all are respectful of one another. i think it not only depends on the dog, but on what you want to accomplish with the dog. i have used the choke collar (after being taught how to properly put it on the dog and how to "snap" it as a correction) on two dogs that were particularly stubborn but ONLY as a correction, and coupled with "No". ie when they were doing something that they were not supposed to, as opposed to snapping the collar if they refused to sit for example. It's a fine distinction, I know. But I have had dogs who were so easy going that a simple "No" would do. Also I tend to gravitate towards "stubborn" or "independent" dogs :roll: and have a pretty realistic expectation that they are not going to heel or do a long down-stay, which is ok with me as long as they know the basics. I find body harnesses great for walking, by the way, it redistributes their weight at the end of the leash so there is less pulling, and you don't get the assumption from some of the more ignorant folks, that the halti is a muzzle and your dog is "dangerous". Anyway, that is my 4 or 5 cents! Good luck to all!

wow, i know this is a frustrating one, especially the toe-biting, good Lord that's awful! :o when my Elkhound mix was a puppy he would actually ambush us like a cat...anyway, i think folks here have given you some really good advice. if the bitter spray doesn't work (and it didn't on my crazy pooch!) something citrus-flavored might, most dogs and cats have an aversion to that for some reason. At any rate I just wanted to give you some encouragement. This DOES stop eventually! Good luck! :P

that dog is an absolute doll! what do you think about a soft-coated wheaten terrier/cross?

i think that is a leonberger/or cross...hth!

thank you so much! you are much appreciated! :D

actually, no, sasha is my fourth! casey our collie died. taz is 2 years old, Elkhound mix, I trained him myself and if I do say so he is beautifully behaved! then we have Muffin who is a rescue Pom, 9 years so she kind of came pre-trained, and now Sasha. And yes, these are professional trainers blowing me off... :agrue: Thank you for that link, I will try it. I am just so frustrated! She really does behave quite well except for selective deafness (ie "not now, mom"), pulling on lead and refusing to get her ears cleaned :wink: , but everyone says take her to class, take her to class, because she is big and dominant over my other 2.

please help? does any one in this country teach a "fun" obedience class? Sasha is 8 months now and getting to her adolescent, iron-willed stage, and she knows the basics of obedience (which i taught her) but I would like to just strengthen our bond to get through this rough time by working on her focus. She is going to be about 90 pounds so I want to learn to handle her better, too. First off everyone I have talked to so far blows off the fact that I started training her myself, then they go on about how much the dogs "heel" in the class and all this off-leash work they do, etc. You can't let a Pyr offleash anywhere except your own back yard, they have a hardwired wanderlust and a tendency to want to patrol BIG territories. SO then I ask if anyone teaching the class has experience with the big working breeds and they blow that off too. I am really frustrated so I guess maybe I am just venting but if anyone could share their experinces I would be grateful.

absolutely! taz (my elkhound) always lets us know what's up. well, he lets me know-he doesn't really go to my husband. anyway. if the cat gets out the back door he herds him back up the steps and holds him there til we figure out what's up. if sasha (our pyr) has gotten sick or gotten into the trash can or something he actually comes up to me and leads me to her. if she needs to come in she doesn't bark to come in, he does it for her. If Timmy falls down the well... :lol: seriously. Some dogs are just excellent communicators with the human race and understand and tune into all our verbal nonsense. God bless 'em!

it's good to hear from you guys who love this breed too!!! Sherry01, do you also have a Pom? I think we may have discussed on another forum! :D Nea, I love that photo-it looks alot like Sash. I do have photos but no digital ones...sorry! maybe some day i will drag myself into the information age! :roll: anyways. Sasha now has a huge cone on her head 'cause she just got fixed and won't stop messing with her stitches. big dog+big cone=alot of stuff getting knocked over! Sasha is 60 lbs. now, bigger than my Elkhound and slowly taking over the "pack"... Keep writing, you guys!