Storytime:

I got my first dog as an adult ~6 years ago when I was 30. Got him off craigslist. Lab mix. Amazing dog. Easily trainable(I didn't realize how easily...). Good off leash. Barks but stops when told to(or tricked with a treat).

He changed my life. I've always loved dogs. Had em as a kid. Finally realized 6 years ago that I was in a situation where I could get one, so I did. Absolutely love him.

I wanted to get him a brother. What's better than 1 dog? 2 dogs, right? Back to craigslist. Waited months for the right rescue to pop up. I've always been a fan of hounds. ~7 months ago a hound litter pops up on craigslist and after going back and forth I go out to meet him(knowing full well I'm gonna bring him home with me), and I do. He was ~5 months old at a horse rescue organization and had been living in a stable with his siblings.

Initially he's super subservient to the older dog. Older dog doesn't know what to do with him though and doesn't assert any sort of dominance, so the younger one slowly takes over, which is fine.

Came to find out that I didn't know jack about hound dogs personalities and training. Much more difficult to train, can't go offleash(always following his nose), barks enough to need a bark collar(and still barks through that when he sees other dogs while we're walking). He's super cuddly and friendly to other people. I think he's generally OK with other dogs but I can't get close enough to them to tell. He normally stops barking and goes into play mode on the few chances the other dogs have actually gotten closer, but that's only happened a couple times.

I can deal with all that just fine. What I can't deal with his how absolutely miserable he's making my older dog. They initially got along, but slowly over the course of the last few months the hound is getting more aggressive and starting more fights. I tried to stay mostly out of it to let them sort it out, but blood's been drawn a couple of times, so I break it up when it starts to get serious and I see teeth contacting skin. They only ever seem to fight at certain times when I'm around. I can't pin it down. Sometimes it's when we're about to go for a walk, sometimes it's in the kitchen. Earlier today it was right when I got home from dinner and came in the door.

I've spent 7 months trying to train the pup to be good, but I'm at my wits end and I think my only option is to adopt him to someone else. I feel like I've failed as a dog owner right from the beginning not doing my research. I think one of the big things is that he doesn't get enough exercise. I don't have a fenced in yard for him to run around in, and when I bring them both out for exercise every day he just mopes around and sniffs stiff while the older dog runs himself into the ground chasing his ball. I've trained him as much as I can. He knows most of the same commands as my older dog, but doesn't necessarily always listen the first time. He's housebroken. He's affectionate and cuddly. He used to chew on a lot of stuff, but recently he's been good and it's maybe one sock a week. I leave him in the living room to look out the window while I'm not at home He's ok about going into his crate, but once he realizes he's being left alone in the crate he barks and howls non-stop until I get home and let him out. This hasn't been a problem recently as I don't have to crate him anymore while I'm gone.

My older dog is at the point when he's stopped eating and won't leave the room with me. He won't come downstairs in order to eat or be let out unless I physically walk him downstairs. I'm scared to leave them together while I'm not there to break up any fight that may happen while I'm gone.

I tried looking for agencies that would take him for training. I found one that was promising, but they never responded. The other I found was much too expensive. I tried contacting a hound rescue, but they won't take turn-ins(?). I'm finally posting here hoping someone on SF who's experienced with hounds and happens to be looking for a new dog.

I truly love the little bugger, but I can't and won't tolerate how he treats my other dog. I think he's a good dog in the wrong place.

If anyone thinks they're interested, please email me. I'm willing to make any arrangements necessary and I'll take him back if he doesn't work out. I'll pay for 3 years of wellness plan or health insurance for him. I've seen SigForum move a lot of dogs around, but I'm not necessarily hopeful regarding a problem puppy. I really just don't want to bring him to the pound and turn him over. That's the nuclear option.

He's ~70 lbs and his name is Argos. He's definitely a hound mix, but I have no idea what he's mixed with. Some of his siblings were grey with black spots, so I'm thinking beagle/leopard hound?

He looks like a treeing walker.

This is your problem:

"I tried to stay mostly out of it to let them sort it out, "

Dogs are pack animals. There needs to be an alpha dog (you) to keep order in the pack. Your hound is assuming the role that neither your old dog or you are taking on. When the pup gets aggressive with the older dog you need to step in and squash it aggressively. Let the pup know your the boss and no picking on the old dog will be tolerated.

You are the alpha. The young dog is running you.
Find a dog training school. At this point Petco and Petsmart would do.
Spend money. Yes, training will cost money.
You committed to having a dog for 14-15 years. There's no backing out.
What about reading up on the breed? Next time learn about the breed before committing.
My new pup is now two. She's been in a training class since Basic puppy and loves rally work. My daughter and the breeder chose her for me (long story) as she'd "Be a challenge for you."

I understand that I am the alpha. It is also my understanding that the non-alphas need to establish their order in the pack between themselves. They're both trained better than what petco or petsmart offer. That's not the issue. Also, as I said above, I looked for a place to take him to give him the kind of training he needs, but the one I could afford didn't respond. The other one is over 1k/week.

Beautiful dog. Looks an awful lot like the 10 month old Treeing Walker we rescued from the SPCA.

Maya turned into a GREAT dog, but it took 2 and a half years. She passed about a year ago, and is greatly missed.

My wife & I thought we knew dogs; but we didn't know Walkers! Smart, stubborn and very high energy in their first 5 years. We were taking her for 2 walks per day 2 to 3 miles each. We could never let her off leash; she was so food motivated that she'd run off to try to find food at someone else's house, bird feeder or trash pile. She very much wanted to meet other dogs - her size (85 lbs) and enthusiasm put many dogs and their owners off. Only aggression she showed was to black dogs - I just thought it was a racist thing, probably from her SPCA past (-:

I did have to show her I was the Alpha, not by beating her, but by "taking her down" in the Dog Whisperer way - pinning her on the ground until she submitted while speaking in a loud voice.

Hope your boy works out for you - they are very sweet dogs; but high energy and pack animals.

quote:

Originally posted by Icabod:

You committed to having a dog for 14-15 years. There's no backing out

Oh nonsense.

I am also a guy who has had dogs all of his life, but always just one at a time. Years ago I made the mistake of getting a young shepherd just to keep my older shepherd company. Big mistake. Nothing but grief for both me and the older dog.

Long story made short is I got rid of the younger dog a year later and things got right with the world almost immediately.

quote:

Originally posted by Balzé Halzé:

quote:

Originally posted by Icabod:

You committed to having a dog for 14-15 years. There's no backing out

Oh nonsense.

Agreed.

Sometimes, it just doesn't work. I adopted a retired racing Greyhound, Camille, when I got back from my deployment.

Everything was great for about three months until I started working again...she was a very cuddly, people-oriented dog and I'm a single guy with no family connections who ended up working 10-16 hours/day...

She got destructive (not her fault), and I surrendered her back to the greyhound shelter after a lengthy discussion with them and the agreement that she should only be adopted out to a family.

She was sort of a special case for a Grey, but it was the right thing to do.

Yes, I committed, but it wasn't fair to her to basically keep her heavily medicated whenever I wasn't around (what the vet and shelter both wanted to do) when the easiest and best solution for her was to place her with a family where someone would always be around for her.

I've given up on a dog for now because as much as I love them, my life right now just doesn't allow for one.



To the OP: Do what you need to do. If you feel your best/only option is to find a new home for the dog, do so, and I would take care to find one well suited to him!

Call the dog whisperer, be on TV, problem solved :-)

Check your email.

On my 5th Basset Hound....Lovable, smart...stubborn, hard to train unless he wants to do it for food...100& scent motivated and follows tracks I can't even see...great tracker. His ears drag on the ground and get filthy and he's 14 inches tall at the should.er...but 4 feet tall when he stands up to sniff tables/counter tops/crouchs. They can be trained. But it takes a while, and a hound is a hound...dominated by his nose and tracking heritage. Enjoy...they are faithfull companions and love to cuddle. Mine was bought as a pet and ending up winning his AKC Championship and the open division for Bassets at the AKC Nationals a few years back.

I understand you possibly needed to put the dog up for adoption. Unlike others here who think thats the end of the world and you should bear any burden, pay any price to keep a dog - I don't follow that line of thinking, although I think it should be a last resort. Your first dog is miserable and you can't tolerate them seriously fighting.

As the owner of two large Danes and having some of the issues you describe (younger dog taking over with some fighting), people forget that dogs need an Alpha and some breeds really need to be RULED. Not abused, not hurt, but seriously fucking ruled. Discipline, routine, crating, etc.

People think dogs are people sometimes, which can be very bad for all involved.

Good luck and don't feel bad if you need to find him a new home, where hopefully he will thrive.

quote:

Originally posted by Jester814:
I understand that I am the alpha. It is also my understanding that the non-alphas need to establish their order in the pack between themselves.

True, but it is the Alphas job to squash any behavior towards any pack member that is never acceptable.
When the new pup is aggressive towards any member of the pack YOU as the Alpha need to let pup know immediately and sometimes quite forcefully that is unacceptable.

When I brought home a pit bull rescue my GSD was a bit aggressive.and this was something she had not done with visiting dogs. The first few times I told her no and she stopped but would do it again a short time later. I then grabbed her by the scruff and gave her a light shake with a stern NO. That work for a short time too but the aggression continued. Being that it was an unacceptable behavior she did it again I grabbed her put her on her back held her down got right in her face and yelled no and held her there till she went submissive. Took about 3 of those over the course of 2 months and she never pulled that again.
Not fun but it is part of the game. Though your pup may take longer as the behavior has been allowed for awhile now.

quote:

Originally posted by drshame:
On my 5th Basset Hound....Lovable, smart...stubborn, hard to train unless he wants to do it for food...100& scent motivated and follows tracks I can't even see...great tracker. His ears drag on the ground and get filthy and he's 14 inches tall at the should.er...but 4 feet tall when he stands up to sniff tables/counter tops/crouchs. They can be trained. But it takes a while, and a hound is a hound...dominated by his nose and tracking heritage. Enjoy...they are faithfull companions and love to cuddle.

Same with my Beagle pup. She's now 10 months old, and quite a handful. She is trainable, but her hound instincts are hard to overcome.

We hear from people all the time "a beagle is an outside dog". Well, ours is an inside dog.

She sleeps with us. One of my friends said "you might be a redneck if you sleep with a beagle".

I hear you. I didn’t understand hounds, either, when we brought home my rescue Plott. Had dogs my whole life, too.
Sweet with me, but battled with my jrt/cattle dog regularly. And any other dog that was foolish enough to mess with her..

I distinctly remember those two getting in an argument one day and my husband went to pull the Plott off the cattle dog, and while he was doing it the cattle dog interpreted it as piling on and went after the Plott WHILE he was still trying to separate them- good grief, those two. Unlike your pup, I was able to determine what things would start a disagreement and nip it in the bud, and without question, she was routinely crated once I realized what a dominant bitch she was.
Great dog, very big personality.
You do what you need to do. Training, rehoming, whatever. No need for your older dog to suffer through that kind of bullying. Sounds like it’s terrified.
Best of luck.

Thanks for the responses guys. I've started breaking up any aggression he shows towards the older dog immediately.

I'm very familiar with the "alpha roll". I don't hesitate to be aggressive with my dogs when it's warranted(hasn't been warranted on the older dog pretty much ever).