Ginger went after Bambi

Mavis · Dec 30, 2015

Ginger went after Bambi last night and got her pretty good. I was upstairs and John was in the basement. Horrible. John had just fed them and I can only assume it was over food. Bambi eats in her crate and Ginger goes in there to see what's left. She punctured her ear in one spot, she has a cut above her left eye, the sclera of her left eye is all red, she got a puncture under her chin and one by her nose. Took her immediately to the emergency vet - 7PM. It was mildly busy when we got there but crazy when we left. They dyed her eye and said it looked okay and gave us drops to put in three times a day, plus she has some pain med and antibiotic for the bite that she takes twice a day. We were so lucky that her eye is okay!!!! She has a cone, but John is off all week and he took it off of her and she is with him all of the time. This has never even remotely happened and now I am a wreck about putting them back together. We have kept them separated up until now. I told John that Bambi needs to be fed with her crate door shut and then the bowls removed and put on the shelf. I said whenever they are alone together, Bambi needs to be in her crate, but it is like pulling teeth. John thinks the crate is somehow a punishment. She loves her crate. Anyway, thank God that it wasn't any more than it was.

Today is Bambi's fourth birthday, for real.

MaplesMommy · Dec 30, 2015

Oh,that is horrible. Poor Bambi. And poor you! I can only imagine how scary this must be

I am sorry,Im not a big help because I dont know a lot about dog/ food aggression.But I hope you will be able to figure something out.
Sending positive thoughts!

KimB3384 · Dec 30, 2015

OK, first off - happy birthday, Bambi! Peace and hugs to you, cutie pie! Second, I'm so sorry you had to go through that, Mavis. I'd have been a basket case, so good on you for keeping your composure. I'm so glad that Bambi is okay - or, as okay as she can be after having gone through something like that. That animal world is a crazy, scary thing.

Is this a common thing with two dogs? Is it more common with two dogs of the same sex? I've really been thinking about adding a brother to our family, but this story concerns me. Beezy is very sweet but she's shown some diva-like tendencies. It's always been towards strangers and not to other dogs, but who knows? It's not like you can ask them how they're going to behave.

davidh · Dec 30, 2015

Well happy birthday to Bambi, and so happy both were not hurt worse than they were. They can be very territorial with their crates and even toys. I agree with feeding them in their crates and remove the bowls right after, that does help. Plus when you are not around, I would crate them, it's not cruel and they do like their crates after awhile, and sometimes will go in there just to be in a safe or quiet place. Sometimes they just need to figure out the pecking order and they are fine after that. Just watch them and look for signs of trouble, most of the time you can stop it before it even starts.

Mavis · Dec 30, 2015

I didn't see it, but I don't think Bambi really had a part in it. She doesn't ever posture aggressively. Ginger, on the other hand, can sometimes just "snap." The two of them have been perfect up until now. I am thinking it will return to that.
[MENTION=380]KimB3384[/MENTION], if you want another dog, I would get one. When Ginger passes, we will get another Frenchie. No more bigger breeds for us. Too much for us to manage. We have to think about the next dog matching where we are with our lifestyle. We need a dog who is extremely friendly, small, portable, etc. I think two frenchies together would be great, from what I see here. Maybe some folks can chime in.

Jakeyjake · Dec 30, 2015

I'm so glad Bambi is okay! Phew! So scary. We have to have supervised feedings in our home and bowls are picked up immediately. Stella has a history of food guarding. Jake will submit to her but when my daughter's Am. bulldog visits Stella is placed in a xpen for her own safety as Lexi has attacked her in the past.
Happy 4th Birthday Bambi. I'm sure you will get lots of extra tummy rubs and treats!

blushy · Dec 31, 2015

Aw poor Bambi! You sweet girl getting bit by your bigger sissy on your birthday of all days!

I think this was one of those "freak accidents" and I doubt it will happen again with your new changes regarding feeding and leaving them completely alone together.

I also think that she got her maybe worse because they were both in a small crate at the same time?

Isabelle gets a bit snappy around food, and guards her crate if there is food inside. I spray her with water in the face first dirty eye she gives. Shuts her down quickly.

I would just monitor them, and keep them separate until Bambi is 100% back to normal with her booboos healed.

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2bullymama · Dec 31, 2015

Mavis said:
I didn't see it, but I don't think Bambi really had a part in it. She doesn't ever posture aggressively. Ginger, on the other hand, can sometimes just "snap." The two of them have been perfect up until now. I am thinking it will return to that.
@KimB3384, if you want another dog, I would get one. When Ginger passes, we will get another Frenchie. No more bigger breeds for us. Too much for us to manage. We have to think about the next dog matching where we are with our lifestyle. We need a dog who is extremely friendly, small, portable, etc. I think two frenchies together would be great, from what I see here. Maybe some folks can chime in.

Ginger sounds like my girl, Banks --- it was her world and we all got to participate in it! We had to keep on top of her at all times so she was a 9 yr training session -- 99.9% of the time she was great, but there would be times she would just 'snap' over the years we got to know her moves/posture and were able to stop her before she started.... it seems Ginger realized Momma is sick and took advantage of the situation knowing Daddy is not as watchful -- they know this stuff, it amazes me how the behavior changes based on which of us is in the room. Tell hubby to get on the program

hope you are felling better!

KimB3384 said:
OK, first off - happy birthday, Bambi! Peace and hugs to you, cutie pie! Second, I'm so sorry you had to go through that, Mavis. I'd have been a basket case, so good on you for keeping your composure. I'm so glad that Bambi is okay - or, as okay as she can be after having gone through something like that. That animal world is a crazy, scary thing.

Is this a common thing with two dogs? Is it more common with two dogs of the same sex? I've really been thinking about adding a brother to our family, but this story concerns me. Beezy is very sweet but she's shown some diva-like tendencies. It's always been towards strangers and not to other dogs, but who knows? It's not like you can ask them how they're going to behave.

It can happen with any two dogs, but tends to be more of an issue with same gender.... best thing to do when you have more than one dog is ALWAYS make sure you are training them and letting them know you are the pack leader -- they will work out pecking order within them, but it is up to you to make sure they follow you and not try to take that over. We always had a male/female, but the last year since Banks p[assed, we now have two males -- so far, they get along fantastic and when Cheli wants Lambeau to go away, he has a different rumble and Lambeau turns away and goes to the toy box for his favorite toy --- 'nothing in life is free' is a great tool to use to maintain this BUT every human in the house has to be on the same page or the dog will know who they can walk all over.

Squishy Walnuts · Dec 31, 2015

Poor you and Bambi!! I have never experienced 2 dogs fighting in our house that's not play fighting. I'm glad the injuries weren't any worse.

Mavis · Dec 31, 2015

Squishy Walnuts said:
Poor you and Bambi!! I have never experienced 2 dogs fighting in our house that's not play fighting. I'm glad the injuries weren't any worse.

Squishy, I hope you never have to. It is horrendous. Ginger became feral and like an animal in the wild. I'm sure Bambi did nothing - she is just a gentle, comical soul. I wish Ginger would have just postured but the fact that she was biting and wouldn't stop was so horrible.

Squishy Walnuts · Dec 31, 2015

Mavis said:
Squishy, I hope you never have to. It is horrendous. Ginger became feral and like an animal in the wild. I'm sure Bambi did nothing - she is just a gentle, comical soul. I wish Ginger would have just postured but the fact that she was biting and wouldn't stop was so horrible.

Poor Bambi. I hope it was just a one time thing.

blushy · Dec 31, 2015

2bullymama said:
Ginger sounds like my girl, Banks --- it was her world and we all got to participate in it! We had to keep on top of her at all times so she was a 9 yr training session -- 99.9% of the time she was great, but there would be times she would just 'snap' over the years we got to know her moves/posture and were able to stop her before she started.... it seems Ginger realized Momma is sick and took advantage of the situation knowing Daddy is not as watchful -- they know this stuff, it amazes me how the behavior changes based on which of us is in the room. Tell hubby to get on the program hope you are felling better!

It can happen with any two dogs, but tends to be more of an issue with same gender.... best thing to do when you have more than one dog is ALWAYS make sure you are training them and letting them know you are the pack leader -- they will work out pecking order within them, but it is up to you to make sure they follow you and not try to take that over. We always had a male/female, but the last year since Banks p[assed, we now have two males -- so far, they get along fantastic and when Cheli wants Lambeau to go away, he has a different rumble and Lambeau turns away and goes to the toy box for his favorite toy --- 'nothing in life is free' is a great tool to use to maintain this BUT every human in the house has to be on the same page or the dog will know who they can walk all over.

Isabelle walks all over her dad. She literally listens to the 4 year old more than him. Daddy is lowest on the totem pole. It's usually hilarious actually. She never tries me, only daddy. She's actually meaner to him than T! I shouldn't laugh but he's hopelessly terrible with consistency & im home with them more, so I've given up on that.

I've noticed many female dogs just have a mean streak more than males...
Our pit bull was either a loving cuddle bug or an aggressive monster. There was no in between . Monster won out in the end causing major tragedy in our lives and we had to put her down. It's terrible but taught me a LOT, and reality was she was always trying to be alpha dog.

I agree about them knowing instantly when someone isn't headstrong in the room. Isabelle will take advantage as soon as I walk away if it's just her dad. Sneaky little munchkins!

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Mavis · Dec 31, 2015

[MENTION=894]blushy[/MENTION], that is so funny about Isabelle and your husband.

John is the lowest rung on the totem pole, too - which is saying a lot because Bambi is pretty simple. He just is clueless.

blushy · Dec 31, 2015

Mavis said:
[MENTION=894]blushy[/MENTION], that is so funny about Isabelle and your husband. John is the lowest rung on the totem pole, too - which is saying a lot because Bambi is pretty simple. He just is clueless.

Yes! I try and try, he never clicked with the "pack" mindset so I gave up! They aren't vicious dogs so I'm not worried if they're alone with him, so I guess that's why I see a comical side!

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MamaAndi · Jan 1, 2016

Would it help if both dogs were crated for about 15 to 20 minutes after the bowls were removed from the crates? I don't know about your pack but there is some high energy here after the dogs eat....it's like a race to finish first! That way they can cool down and after they come out I would shut the crate door so there is no nosing around for food pieces.

Good luck, I know it's nerve wracking after two dogs fight. Just establish a feeding routine that they can't deviate from and make sure they know who's boss! Lol

Mavis · Jan 1, 2016

[MENTION=24]MamaAndi[/MENTION], unfortunately, Ginger isn't crate trained to have the door shut. She loves her crate but would totally stress if we closed the door. Bambi on the other hand is perfectly comfortable with her door shut and will sit or lay silently until we open the door. (so thankful to the breeder!) We do keep Bambi's door shut now while she eats and remove both bowls immediately. I have John put Ginger in the great room with the gate up while we let Bambi loose in the kitchen for a little while after she eats her dinner. You are right; I think it does decompress them until the ritual of "dinner" is over. They have been fine ever since it happened. I am not going to expect another incident, but I keep a very watchful eye.

Another thing, Bambi would harass Ginger terribly whenever Ginger was laying in her crate (she can be quite the Little Missy) until Ginger would vacate (even though Bambi is dwarfed in it and her own crate is way more than she needs). I'd come down in the morning or go by there throughout the day and poor Ginger would be squished in Bambi's crate and Bambi would be cuddled up in the middle of Ginger's crate looking tiny. Now, "I" (it is a fight with John) insist that Bambi be in her own crate with the door shut when we are doing stuff around the house and they are reclining, or at night when we go to bed. They used to sleep with us until several months ago, but Ginger "leaks" and all I was doing was going to the Laundromat and washing king sized bedding (2-hour trek). It's better this way, I think, even though I did love them on the bed.

Chiana · Jan 4, 2016

Oh my

hmy: poor Bambi. We have two males, one is soon 2 yrs and another 6 months. That is my ultimate fear as well if they start fighting. So far as they are both more on the puppy side things has rolled out well, but I'm aware that at some point when they get older, there might be some territorial issues. It is truly scary when you see dogs going for each other.
I would also like to think that it was a freak accident and things are back to normal, But I also can relate to your concern since now you have witnessed it once...keeping them separated while feeding sounds like a good advise.

How did you manage to break them apart?