Mia
Both little dogs got on beautifully until Coco matured and then the conflict started – with a fight over a chew. Things escalated until tiny Mia was badly injured. They are now enemies.
The dogs have to be kept apart.
Tiny miniature Yorkie Mia, left, is now 6. When she was three years old they got a puppy – Wire Haired Dachshund Coco. They are much loved little dogs.
Coco lives with the couple and their young children, and Mia lives next door with the lady’s parents. They dogs used to have a special hole in the fence so that they could go freely from one house to the other, but no more. Their hole is now blocked.
Coco
Whenever Mia is out in her garden, she runs up and down by the fence, in a frenzy of barking and trying to dig under it to get to Coco. if she succeeded there would be a fight.
It’s very similar to behaviour she does when the air blower is on. I videoed it. http://youtu.be/jUr_x1Lj79U. They thought Mia enjoyed the action because her tail is wagging and she looks up at them. I feel, to this tiny dog, it’s like a puffing monster at nose level behind the wall, and she is frantic to make it go away; she is looking at them for help.
A wagging tail
People often think that tail wagging means happy but it’s not necessarily so. It means aroused in some way. Another misreading is when Coco lies on her back with the little 2-year-old boy. They think she is asking for him to tickle her tummy. She is much more likely to be saying ‘I give in, I’ve had enough’.
A lot of problems can be averted if we learn to read our dogs.
Getting the dogs back together without a fight
We have a plan to get the two dogs back together. Everyone knows that it could take a long time and they are up for the effort and self-sacrifice. Both little dogs are extremely excitable and think it’s their job to protect their homes and gardens. This needs to be addressed.
They need to value food more so that it can be used for working with them (not left down all the time). Over time they will learn to come whenever they are called and to be each side of the fence calmly.
The plan is that eventually two much calmer dogs who no longer feel that guard duty is their responsibility will meet out on neutral territory. They will start with walking parallel at a comfortable distance away form home. We will take it from there.
Calming down
Over-exciting and hands-on play with a dog would equate to tickling and ruffling a young child who would doubtless end up in tears. Egging a child on in the way people wind up their dogs, wrongly believing they find it fun, would probably end in a temper tantrum with a child.
Just as good parents create a reasonably calm, safe and controlled atmosphere for their kids, we need to do the same for our dogs.
I am sure the eventual outcome will be the two dogs back together. But their humans must never go back to their old ways or so will the dogs who will then fight again.
A couple of months later: Both coco and Mia are much better together and at following our instructions when we call them back etc. overall we are very pleased with the progress they have made
