Greetings all. I have a slight problem that i did not foresee that what might become a problem. The thing is I have a Alaskan Malamute one year old now and she is wonderful in every way. She is obedient, incredibly kind social among people and other dogs, zero aggression towards other animals. The breeder i bought her from had some inconvenient life changes that resulted in she had to get her dog adopted (my dogs mother) and due to how good my Malamute turned out she asked if i could adopt her. The pup and the mother have met after i had received the pup,they remembered each other and had a wonderful time. So i thought why not, would be great company for them both and everyone would gain from it, the mother would get the best she could out of a bad situation by living with a loving family and with her daughter. and my pup would get another dogs company and it's even her mother. So i decided to go for it, when I go and get the mother to bring her home everything goes great, they play before we drive and are happy to see each other, but when we get to the car her mother suddenly becomes all too grumpy (not towards the people but her pup) and starts growling towards her (never showed teeth) but eventually we get home without any troubles. When we get home my girlfriend had food ready for them, Dry-food with added beef, and as soon as they enter the kitchen and smell it my pup attacks her mother, we broke up the fight instantly before any harm was done, and fed them in separate rooms (I know a rookie mistake but since they are related i kind of figured this wouldn't be a problem) Shortly after they start growling over my pup's toys and therefore they all got removed, Toys, bones and everything they might possibly fight over. A few hours later they have done nothing but walk in circles and occasionally walk to close to each other and the mother starts growling at the pup (the pup seems to be getting along with her as long as there isn't any food toys bones ect around) but still is very cautious and doesn't want her to close. But the mother can't stand her. Even when in separate rooms if she can see her though glass or even a reflection of her somewhere she growls. Soon we started telling her off for it, my girlfriend told her off for it by standing over her, looking her in the eyes and raising her voice as she tells her that's unacceptable and she starts growling at her, not in the way she was annoyed by it but more as a warning before she would bite, so i told her to back off from her and I separated the dogs in different rooms. (She is completely fine now and is not threatening in any way towards us) I am experienced with dogs but this is the first time that I have two under the same roof, and to tell the truth I am not completely sure how to tackle this properly without serious fights due to them both being female, or even if they will learn with time to get along and I'm over reacting ? Main reason I am concerned is cause she threatened a human, and while i work she needs to be with them both alone and i would like to avoid rushing home from work to drive her to the hospital. She will have them separated at all times when alone with them until this is sorted. Does anyone have any thoughts on the matter or advice ? It would be so greatly appreciated cause I am quite un-experienced in this matter and i accept responsibility that i did go into something I figured that would not be a problem which i should really not have done. Thanks in Advance.
Hello & welcome! i too have a 1yr old female Malamute...Mila. Sweet dog! Boy I'm not sure what to tell ya there! I'm no expert here but could it be a dominance thing going on? Like they both want to be dominant so they fight like that? I've read that malamutes r very stubborn & possessive of their things. I know with Mila she gets very upset & nervous...pacing around me whenever I handle her food/water bowls & clean that area up. Its like she doesn't want me fooling around with her stuff. Shes not mean in any way...just possessive. Hopefully someone will come along here & give u better advice! I hope your situation gets better!
Even though they are mother and daughter doesn’t mean they will get along, they are like strangers. Things have gotten off to a bad start it could get better or worse and could require life-long management, they could learn to tolerate each other, or you may have to keep them permanently separate, it’s impossible to tell. If things don’t improve between them it would be advisable to get a behaviorist, or consider giving the mother back. As for growling at your girlfriend she felt threatened, hence the warning.
Take the growl as a warning. Do not stare at or try to dominate the mother. She is likely to be disoriented by all the changes in her life, and this is just adding to her stress. I would take away all toys, chews etc., and have them in separate rooms while you mix and serve their food. Exercise them together, partly to use up some energy, and partly so they learn that it is fun having another dog around. Beware of throwing or ball games though. There is no way of knowing whether this situation will work out. My current pair, (opposite sexes, one a housedog and one kennel reared), had a scary food fight the first week, but the situation had resolved itself within a couple of weeks. Three years later, and they are joined at the hip, but I still have to be careful with ball games - it generates too much excitement and competitive spirit. My worst ever experience was with a father and son pairing, which was like living on eggshells, and did not end happily. Sometimes dogs just refuse to settle their differences, and bitches do have a reputation for having more serious fights than males. If you are in any doubt whether they are going to settle together, consult a positive methodology behaviourist now, before you have tried and failed using other methods. Best wishes.
Thank you all for your replies. I will bare all these things in mind I have consulted with a two different dog trainers now and they told me complete different things. One said they simply have to fight it out to see who'll turn out the alpha, and afterwards i will feed that dog first, give him a treat first ect ect ect. I'm not fond of that idea since they're both female and it'll probably be very bloody and possibly fatal. The other told me exercise them together outdoor, no toys or chew toys close to them when they're together, and in a few weeks time they'll probably get along although only time will tell. She has no aggression towards us anymore since this morning i was simply forced to take her down and hold her until she submitted since she had smelled the drawer we keep their food and rewarding snacks and wouldn't let me close to it. After that incident she has been very lovely and a lot more relaxed and always want's to be around. But she still doesn't want her daughter around. Also the pup has submitted to her, but that didn't change the behavior of the mother towards her. I will try to exercise them together since they don't have any problem's outdoor it's only indoor they don't get along and hopefully it'll sort it self out with time and they'll learn to get along. I don't feel like returning her unless I know I've tried everything else. I am still very open to suggestions though. Thank you all.
The first trainer sounds very old school. Alpha theory has been discredited for some years now. Please do not take her down and force her to submit. This Milan-ish technique might appear to work in the short term, but it can create resentment which could erupt as greater agression. It could be time to ask yourself just how badly do you want this dog? Re-reading your initial post, it seems you had the perfect pup. She is already submissive to her mother, and you and your girlfriend look to have a host of handling problems ahead of you. I'm afraid that @Chris B 's advice is increasingly looking to be the best option. If so, it would be much easier to return her straight away, than have to look for a home for her at some future date.
From my experience thus far and from reading around the breed: Everest is generally a very calm and playful dog but is extremely food possessive, we made a mistake of giving her a bone to keep her occupied in a social setting once and her demeanour changed dramatically....became very possessive and growly toward other dogs who approached (had we not moved the other dog it would have ended in a fight i am sure), minus bone she was back to being usual calm, friendly self. I have read that they can be same sex aggressive though i am at odds with this as they would have been team dogs and would have had to get along with team mates but this would have been a working and long term relationship rather than an introduction like you have here but worth noting. They "play" rough, to an untrained eye (which i dont profess to have) it looks like they are trying to kill each other and i have been pretty shocked by how violent it looks but ends in nothing more than 2 tired dogs sleeping side by side.....though i am not advocating a let them sort it out approach BTW. Apparently the Canadian Police tried to use them as police dogs in the past and found that although they take much more provocation to "attack" when they do they go straight for the throat and cannot be called off, having to be physically restrained and they hold a grudge, particularly females......worth thinking about when using pinning training techniques. Having said that Everest is very placid, even when provoked by other dogs, she will play violently with one of her own but less so with other dogs. Food possessive - absolutely Same sex dog aggressive - not so much feeding time may always be the hot button issue for you and they may require separate feeding forever. i have read also that continually separating them can entrench the issue they have with each particularly if one appears (from the dog POV) to be ostracised (either intentionally or unintentionally) from the rest of the family. Also im personally very reluctant to scold a growl, i wouldnt want Everest to stop growling and just bite so i tend to acknowledge her warnings, let her know they are not acceptable but we appreciate her letting us know kind of thing. beyond that i dont have any advice as to a prescribed course of action but the above points might help you inform your next moves....
