https://preview.redd.it/qffxl8bq9ds...bp&s=3c6feae71f80cb0fd5cacc0ca1a5a08d85d9e1ec
So I have these two dogs (don't mind the floor, it's impossible to keep it clean with these monsters). The top is a mini american shepherd named Chibi and the bottom is her bff of a mutt, Indy. Chibi is just barely a year old and Indy is a few months from being a year. They were besties up until yesterday. The only problem between them is that Chibi is a herd dog for ants, but a herd dog all the same, and she liked to herd Indy whenever they were getting ready to go outside. She's stupid though. So she thought herding meant 'run-at-my-best-friend-at-full-force-and-bite-her-ear'. And since Indy is a little baby, she'd scream and cry and cower away. Chibi would also bite Indy's ears when they were playing and she'd wait at the bottom of the steps for her when they go outside to get her, making it so Indy wouldn't want to go outside.
We'd try to help by telling Chibi no when she'd go after Indy. We'd hold her so the other dogs could go out first. We have given her things to do and enrichment and exercise to help her with those herding instincts (whoever decided to make a herding dog so small). Maybe we should get her chickens. Anyway, Indy never retaliated, never snapped. She'd just cower on the couch until someone picked Chibi up. (let me be clear, Chibi never actually hurt Indy. She just made going outside unpleasant and Indy is a big baby.) Plus, Chibi is my roommate's dog she paid a lot of money for and Indy is my dog. I am less comfortable disciplining someone else's dog. Not that my roommate let it happen. Neither of us would 'let' it happen. It's just that Chibi is a tiny, and speedy little rocket and it's impossible to hold her the entire time.
Yesterday, that changed. I guess Indy had finally had enough and snapped. She went after Chibi and the two of them got into a fight. My roommate told me not to pull them apart because Indy needed to correct Chibi. Fair enough. They finally split up, and neither were hurt, and we got them outside. I don't know who started the fight outside, but they got into it again. This time we pulled them apart. When we finally got them inside we found that Chibi had wounds on her face. They aren't too bad. Nothing that won't heal on their own. For the rest of the day there were no fights, but Chibi is terrified of Indy now. She doesn't like to be in the same room as her, she gives her a wide berth if they're near each other. She'll get up and leave if Indy comes close to her.
The problem is, Indy still loves her. She's wanting to play with her (we're being a little paranoid that she'll start another fight now that she's a little big for her britches, so we do make sure Indy doesn't stand over her or anything), but every time Indy gets too close, Chibi growls at her. I don't want this being permanent. I love both these girls and I want them to get along. We are just not dog trainers, and not super well versed in dog body language. We do our best. Our dogs are very well taken care of. So please try to be kind. We're just not sure where to go from here. Would the best course of action be to keep Chibi away from Indy since she's very obviously afraid of her and doesn't want her around, or to keep them together so Chibi will get over her fear and be friends with her again?
So I have these two dogs (don't mind the floor, it's impossible to keep it clean with these monsters). The top is a mini american shepherd named Chibi and the bottom is her bff of a mutt, Indy. Chibi is just barely a year old and Indy is a few months from being a year. They were besties up until yesterday. The only problem between them is that Chibi is a herd dog for ants, but a herd dog all the same, and she liked to herd Indy whenever they were getting ready to go outside. She's stupid though. So she thought herding meant 'run-at-my-best-friend-at-full-force-and-bite-her-ear'. And since Indy is a little baby, she'd scream and cry and cower away. Chibi would also bite Indy's ears when they were playing and she'd wait at the bottom of the steps for her when they go outside to get her, making it so Indy wouldn't want to go outside.
We'd try to help by telling Chibi no when she'd go after Indy. We'd hold her so the other dogs could go out first. We have given her things to do and enrichment and exercise to help her with those herding instincts (whoever decided to make a herding dog so small). Maybe we should get her chickens. Anyway, Indy never retaliated, never snapped. She'd just cower on the couch until someone picked Chibi up. (let me be clear, Chibi never actually hurt Indy. She just made going outside unpleasant and Indy is a big baby.) Plus, Chibi is my roommate's dog she paid a lot of money for and Indy is my dog. I am less comfortable disciplining someone else's dog. Not that my roommate let it happen. Neither of us would 'let' it happen. It's just that Chibi is a tiny, and speedy little rocket and it's impossible to hold her the entire time.
Yesterday, that changed. I guess Indy had finally had enough and snapped. She went after Chibi and the two of them got into a fight. My roommate told me not to pull them apart because Indy needed to correct Chibi. Fair enough. They finally split up, and neither were hurt, and we got them outside. I don't know who started the fight outside, but they got into it again. This time we pulled them apart. When we finally got them inside we found that Chibi had wounds on her face. They aren't too bad. Nothing that won't heal on their own. For the rest of the day there were no fights, but Chibi is terrified of Indy now. She doesn't like to be in the same room as her, she gives her a wide berth if they're near each other. She'll get up and leave if Indy comes close to her.
The problem is, Indy still loves her. She's wanting to play with her (we're being a little paranoid that she'll start another fight now that she's a little big for her britches, so we do make sure Indy doesn't stand over her or anything), but every time Indy gets too close, Chibi growls at her. I don't want this being permanent. I love both these girls and I want them to get along. We are just not dog trainers, and not super well versed in dog body language. We do our best. Our dogs are very well taken care of. So please try to be kind. We're just not sure where to go from here. Would the best course of action be to keep Chibi away from Indy since she's very obviously afraid of her and doesn't want her around, or to keep them together so Chibi will get over her fear and be friends with her again?