rubenunez

Thank you for the information. We had to travel and leave them in the pet hotel (yeah, more stress...). They referred us to a behaviorist, I'll let guys know about our case.

She lives in Orlando, FL.

We already accepted that rehoming might be the best option. However, we have not idea how those shelters works and we cannot give away our dog to a stranger. She needs a family which is willing to have a BC (yes, we decided to keep the GSD), because we all know that this breed has special requirements. Additionally, we don't want that the "new family" face the same situation in the future. I brought the BC to my house (I'm temporarily relocated due to work), she will be safe here. Yet, I don't have the space and the time to give her the attention and commitment she needs. We are going to spay them anyway, maybe that in tandem with her "vacations" at my place help to alleviate the tension at least while we find her a new home. It's not I'm not listening to you guys. Even when this is the best solution you don't wan't to break up your family like that. I think it's natural to exhaust every possibility before doing such thing. Of course, I won't put her life in danger whatsoever and I don't want her living under such a stressful environment either.

The GSD hasn't been spayed because she has hip dysplasia and the vet didn't recommend doing that because she might gain weight and that will be bad for her hips. We must keep an eye on her weight. We already scheduled an appointment for spaying the BC and get the vet's opinion about this problem.

What do you mean by why are they intact? They release a lot of stress at the dog park, that's the only chance we have to socialize them with other dogs. I'm telling you, the border collie is really scared at home, at the dog park she was extremely happy and relaxed.

Hi guys, thank you for your comments. I noticed something today. We have kept them separated and nothing have happened. We went to the dog park yesterday. We kept them separated there as well. They smelled each other for a moment and nothing happened between them or with any other dog. However, we went to the dog part again this morning, and a lot of dogs tried to hump the BC. We had to leave the dog park. So, the BC had her first cycle a months ago, and she stopped bleeding like 10 days ago. I thought her cycle was already over but apparently not. The GSD had her second cycle right after the BC had hers. She stopped bleeding 10 days ago as well. Is it possible that all this fighting is due to their hormones rush? Unfortunately, keep them separated has been very sad. The BC is in panic, she's being miserable. Everytime she enter to a room we can tell how scared she is of facing the GSD.

Oops, I meant neutered.

Hi guys, Another fight just happened. We were playing (GSD, BC and me). I was giving affection to the GSD, and I ordered the BC to stay away. She was calm, in a submissive position. However, the GSD was the bully this time. I saw the GSD show her teeth for no reason while I was petting her. The BC went crazy after this. I had to put myself in the middle, it was really hard to break up the fight. I don't know how they didn't bite me. The GSD never cooled down. We separated them and the GSD kept growling and barking through the gate. I have done some research, and apparently all this nightmare is due to the fact that the BC had her first cycle last month. They are following their instincts, and there is not coexistence possible. Apparently, male dogs fight until one acknowledge the other as the leader. Bitches fight to death. We should have nurtured them before their first cycle. I've read about so many cases, one even consulted one of the best behaviorist in Texas and they gave up after two (super expensive) sessions. They ended up rehoming one of them. It's very hard to even think which one should we rehome. I regret not doing a good research before getting a second bitch. Now, we all have to pay the price of my ignorance. This is devastating.

Don't get me wrong, I really value your input guys. However, I just cannot go back home this afternoon with the solution of rehoming one of the dogs. I need to gather all feasible suggestions and ideas before making a decision like that.

Wow! Thank you all for your comments, now I'm worried you all agreed in rehome one of the dogs. Let me give you more details. They aren't aggressive on regular basis. We play everyday and they get along pretty good. The GSD sometimes eats the BC's food and nothing bad happens. The BC always take the toys away from the GSD mouth and nothing happens. They play tug, they play like puppies (like if they were fighting), they take naps really close, almost cuddling,etc. My wife noticed that the fights caused by herding occur when the GSD is very excited. For instance, when they know that kids are coming, the GSD gets over excited and that bothers the BC, and there is when the GSD fights back. Another situation is when a racoon breaks into the backyard and the GSD goes crazy and starts chasing him. If the GSD is not excited, she can "tolerate" the herding thing. Additionally, when the GSD is excited, the herding comes with nipping and barking from the BC. I guess that's why the GSD reacts. As we all know, BC are extremely smart. . I'll take your advice of separate them while we aren't at home. However, I'll try to correct that behavior and I'm confident Kira (BC) will learn. I'll try everything before considering rehome one of them. Any other suggestion given this new information? I appreciate all your inputs.

Hello there! I’m having some serious troubles with my border collie and I’ll really appreciate your help with this situation. I have two bitches, an 18 months old German shepherd and a 12 months old border collie. They aren’t aggressive whatsoever, they get along pretty good with people and other dogs. However, the BC is kind of territorial, since her was a little puppy she growls and shows her teeth every time the GSD “invades” her space. When she is resting below a chair or bench (at home or at the dog park), she can’t be bothered by ANY dog. Otherwise, she will growl, bark and show her teeth. Fortunately, other dogs get the message and leave her alone. I considered this as normal and acceptable. However, the BC has become a bully. Believe it or not, the BC tries to herd the GSD. The BC uses her hypnotizing eyes to control the GSD. Sometimes the BC doesn’t let the GSD move at all, even if I call her (the GSD), the BC will step in front of her and she will paralyze her with her eyes. Even though the GSD is very noble and permissive, her patience has a limit, and we all know what happens when you upset a big dog. There have been around 4 fights in the last month, in the last two, the BC ended bleeding through her mouth and with a couple of small scars in her head. The fights are usually triggered by the BC bullying (herding), but today’s fight was triggered by jealousy. The BC was laid down in my feet and I had the bad idea of petting the GSD. That was HORRIBLE! I’ve never seen the GSD so mad before. I got really scared, because I realized how much damage could a GSD cause and how easily she can beat the BC ass down. After I broke up the fight and isolated both of them for 10 minutes, I put them back together. The GSD left the fight behind, but the BC still wanted to “fight”. She was still growling, it took me like 4 minutes of corrections to make her stop and be kind again. Of course, I’m very worried for the BC. She can get really hurt, I don’t even want to think what would have happened if I couldn’t have break up the fight. How can I correct this kind of behavior? The herding usually happens when I’m not around, that’s my greatest fear. Thank you in advance!