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My dogs dont get along at all!

19 11:27:05

Question
We adopted Bella, a corgi mix, 4 yrs ago. She was 6 weeks old when we got her, and she has been great.
Back in June we decided to adopt another puppy, Zoey. She is a beagle corgi mix. They we ok at first but then Zoey started jumping on Bella. Bella knew she was a puppy and let it go.
Now 5 months later, they have full out fights all the time. Zoey is a little bigger than Bella and still jumps on top of her and bites her.
For the past 5 months we have been trying to get them to get along, trying training method after training method. Nothing has worked. We have to kept them separated. We want to be able to have them both out in the house or in the backyard at the same time but they just don't get along.
We love them both and don't want to give Zoey up. We called the rescue and the lady was really mean and was saying that if we couldn't take care of her why did we get her?
Zoey is completely up to date on all of her shots and isn't yet spayed because she is just a little bit too young.We really love her and if we have to give her away we want to make sure that she is in a loving home and is being taken care of.
We can't live with two dogs that don't get along. We just don't know what to do.... Please help us or head us in the right direction.
If you know of any inexpensive trainers in the Albany, NY area who can help please let us know.
Thank You in advance.

Answer
Samantha, I'm sorry the lady at the rescue was so rude. That is uncalled for. >:^(

Part of the problem could be because Bella was separated from her litter mates too early. The period of time between 6 and 8-10 weeks is pretty vital as far as socialization and learning manners goes. Often, dogs who are taken away from their siblings before 8 weeks can have problems interacting with dogs when they become adults, since they missed out on the part of their lives where they should have learned proper doggie etiquette.

Without seeing exactly what is taking place between the two dogs, it's hard for me to say what you should do. Have you tried just letting them 'fight it out' on their own? Sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn't.

I don't know any trainers in New York, so I'd suggest that you look in the phone book and just start calling around. You want a trainer that can come to your house and work with you one-on-one with this issue, and the person should preferably have experience dealing with dog-aggressive dogs.

If you've had Zoey for 5 months, she's certainly old enough to be spayed. I'd be for getting her an appointment soon, before she comes into heat for the first time.