Question:
I have 2 Jack Russells. Jake, 9 years old and Jenny, 4 years old. We have had them both since they were puppies. Jenny has always had some food aggression ONLY towards Jake. She will attack him if he has food and she wants it and I MEAN ATTACK!!! I have noticed she has been getting worse with the aggression recently. Yesterday, we came home to find Jake's ear bloody and he was sitting in the corner. She has really been going after him and when she does, he only tries to get away from her and he never fights back. It is really sad. I don't know what to do!:( Do I need to get rid of her?

Answer:
No, but you may need to seperate them, and only allow play time when someone is watching. Keep them seperate when it comes to food time. Sounds like you were just watching it escalate until it got this bad. It should have been delt with along time ago. P.S Is she spayed ?

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If I were you I would crate train one or both for when you aren't at home.

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They are now separated during the day now. They are both fixed. And, no, I wasn't just watching this behavior until it got this bad-whenever Jenny would start growling at Jake, I would remove her from the room and if I wasn't quick enough to get to her before she began attacking Jake, I would rip her off of Jake and discipline her immediately. Nothing worked! My question is, is there something I can be doing now that will stop her aggression towards Jake?

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to be honest I do not think so. It seems that she is the dominant female, and if he does not submit within seconds she gets him....You may just have to keep them seperated. No biggie, they are small enough you can do that

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It is just so sad to see Jake so totally submissive to her. It is so strange, she is great with us, it is just Jake she picks on.

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Originally Posted by denastege
Do I need to get rid of her?

No, but you do need to get her some training. You need to teach her that behavior is not acceptable. I would keep them seperated as the other's have said, feed them in seperate rooms so there are no food issues, and work on Jenny's aggression. It would probably be in your best interest to go to training classes and work directly with a trainer, or maybe even a behaviorist.

Keeping them seperate will ease the attacks, but will not solve the problem. If I were you, I'd work on solving it, instead of just avoiding it. (although for now, if they can't be supervised, they should be seperate)

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Jacks are sort of known for this type of behavior... Is it only around food? If it is, can you completely remove the food when you aren't watching?

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My son has a JRT(Kita) and she accepts just about any dog,when he took in a 13yr old Sheltie(Trixie)Kita did not even flinch.
She is very even tempered,but of course loads of energy.
Here she is..

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You will need to ensure that they are always separated when you are not at home. Also, watch for attacks when you are at home - can happen unexpectedly. Pay close attention of Jenny goes for neck with canine teeth -if puncture occurs, pup will have to go to vet to prevent blood poisoning. I know how hard this is going to be - I have been through it. In my case though the true Alpha was benevolent and did not want to retaliate - something the little bully used to his advantage. You will find it hard when you are home alone - say even getting into the tub - one of the worst attacks happened under such circumstances. I wish you well. In the end I started to put the want-to-be alpha bully into a Graco playpen - where he was very happy and felt very safe even though the true Alpha could have bitten through the mesh in a second. When our Alpha had a surgical procedure and had to be kept quiet for the night, I put him in the playpen while I was cooking dinner. The little bully attacked him through the mesh - and wouldn't let go. So it can escalate. You might want to consider a playpen - dogs weighed 10 12 lbs. for times when you are alone.

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It's a breed trait for many terriers to be dog aggressive, and JRTs are no exception. In fact, it's something they are known for. It's just a fact of life and you will have to manage it.

You should not be "getting rid" of her, since she cannot be blamed for this. It's up to us to find out about a breed of dog before we bring them home.

You will just have to separate them, since the fights can be deadly.

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Thanks everyone for your helpful replies. I am definately going to think about getting Jenny some professional training. Let's hope the training works I could never get rid of Jenny-I love her too much!

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chico2- Your JRT is so adorable!

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Yes,Kita is cute,but not mine...she's my sons.She is my grand-doggy
Good luck with Penny!

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Grand-doggy-how cute! Thanks, I will need all the help in the world with her!

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