Rescued Rotweiller

Question
Hello,

I recently rescued a Rottie that had been a stray for a couple of months and tied up before that, neglected, etc.  I had 2 Rotts before her that I rescued.  This Rot is very sweet and so appreciative of having a good home.  However, she has been extremely aggressive toward my cat.  I figure that with time, like the other Rotts, she will eventually get used to her and accept her as one of the family.  


The question I have concerns a strange deviation in her behavior right after she got into my cat's litter box and ate all the feces.  Not too long thereafter, she was in her cage, which she likes to go into, and she suddenly lunged and growled at my mom the same way she reacts to the cat.  It only lasted a couple of seconds and then she was ok.  Early the next morning while I was getting ready for work, she did the same thing to me.  

I am thinking that the cat feces had something to do with it and that it might have affected her hormones.  I haven't had the Rott spayed yet as the vet is waiting until after her heartworm treatment is complete.  She is getting shots for the heartworms, which might affect her behavior too but only in conjunction with the feces.   

Have you ever heard of cat feces causing unusual aggressive behavior in dogs?

Thanks for your consideration.

Valerie

Answer

Hi Valerie,

It's extremely unlikely that your cat's feces had anything to do with the outburst of aggression your dog had. It's far more likely, the dog has issues of possession over her crate.

You can work with your dog to gradually desensitize her to somebody getting near her crate.  Read about the desensitizing process here: http://www.ddfl.org/behavior/fearful-dog.pdf

Best of luck,

Patti