I have a BC (rescue) and a Wire Haired Pointing Griffon (also a Beagle, but she is not an issue whatsoever). My BC has a very strong (but very sweet) personality. That said, there are times when he lowers his body position and looks "intense" and then nips the hind end/leg of the Griffon. Of course, this rarely ends well. We have had many a fight in our house (mostly with only pinched skin, occasionally battle scars, but always sounding horrible!) and I want it to stop. I've started researching intensely and found some very useful information, and I determined that I need to start at square ONE with the BC in obedience training. I have no idea of his history before I got him except that he did know tricks (shake, down, sit, etc). He's very bull headed, but trainable. Some tricks take literally minutes to learn. But keeping him out of the kitchen is impossible. So, that said, I've begun positive reinforcement training for BOTH dogs. Treating them equally to show each one that it's a level playing field. This seems to wear them out mentally, which helps a lot! But I still have a long road ahead. So, the top two issues are:
1. Unwanted nipping by the BC at the Griffon (it's NEVER at anyone/thing else)
2. Charging the front door when people come/doorbell rings (this is a small space where fights are likely)
I have contacted a trainer that specialized in herding dogs (she has BCs and Aussies). She is going to do an in home consult to begin with.
Suggestions are appreciated...thank you!
Amy
