So, my dog likes biting off the other dog's whiskers . . .
jakabedy
17 years ago
IU'm normally at the decorating forum, but somehow I felt this was not the right subject matter for the folks over there. So, here I am!
We've got two dogs. A 2-year-old Cattle Dog/Spitz'ish spayed female, about 35 pounds (Tango), and a three-year-old Shepherd/Akita/BC/Lab(?) male, about 75 pounds, neutered (Kato).
Tango loves to herd Kato wherever she wants him to go, so at first we thought her nipping and nibbling was a herding thing. But I started really watching her, and she goes for his whiskers! He just sits/lies there, dare I say enjoying it, while she nips them away with quick little bites. She tried for his eyelashes last night, but that was apparently not as enjoyable for him, so he put a stop to it. Upon inspection, it was found that Kato's whiskers are significantly shorter than they should be, albeit still mostly present.
So, what is going on? Is this simply some sort of fetish and I should be glad these two have found each other? Or is there something more at work here?
(The beasts in their natural habitat):
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Comments (7)
mes444
17 years agomazer415
17 years agoRelated Discussions
Ideas on keeping neighbor's dog off my tables?
Comments (7)I forgot to mention the fence is old....plus, the dog digs. I hope we can replace it in a few years. I put in the concrete bricks to cover the hole....that may do it. I was just reading about soaking coffee filters in ammonia and letting them dry. I may do that and stuff them in the concrete bricks. The fence really needs to be replaced. I like the idea of mouse traps....thanks! I take it they just scare him...he is not likely to get his nose stuck, right? I would rather have a deterrent than actually cause more than just momentary pain....See MoreIs it always a dogs fault when they bite??
Comments (12)In my opinion, it is RARELY the dog's fault for biting. Here are the reasons why 1) Aggravating, abusing, cornering, or otherwise leaving a dog no choice but to bite 2) Approaching a strange dog 3) Owner's fault for not training it not to bite (not in OPs case obviously, but many people don't properly train their dogs) 4) Owner's fault for not properly restraining a dog that is currently in training, or is a known biter 5) Handler's fault for not understanding and respecting a dog's body language and adjusting their approach accordingly IMHO, it is partly the friend's fault in this case because Bailey "was in training for not biting" and had access to people. Even if the people were stupid kids with no business poking their hands through the fence, a known biter cannot have any access to people at all. Period. And that is the responsibility of the person in charge of the dog at the time. Now if Bailey was not a "known biter" then the friend is somewhat off the hook, as long as provisions are made immediately to not let that type of thing happen again. Unfortunately they chose to kill the dog instead of make other reasonable accomodations while training. Perhaps these friends were not in a position to properly care for and train Bailey. Which is a very unfortunate situation for your family. The parents of the children in this case also share some of the responsibility because kids ages 4 and 5, as you mentioned, have no business poking their hands through a fence. 4 and 5 year olds can be made to understand how to ask someone if it is OK to pet a dog, how to approach a dog (ONLY with an adult in control of the dog), and not to do things that will make a dog angry. Hopefully since the parents of the children were not capable of imparting this knowledge to them, at least perhaps the kids "learned the hard way" that aggavating dogs can hurt....See MoreWould my dogs be better off in a new home?
Comments (18)I am so sorry you are in this situation. It is definitely heartbreaking. And yes, you should rehome these dogs. I don't have to go into any explanation...Calliope's two posts say it all. I would like to add that I think a breed specific rescue is the way to go, for reasons mentioned above. I had a dog that I had to rehome because she needed way more exercise than I could ever hope to provide. I loved that dog, but knew I could not do right by her. At 18 months old, she was adopted by a family with 5 acres in a rural area, and is happier than she ever could have been with me. It was hard, but it was the absolute right thing to do. About 6 months later, I adopted a dog from the St. Louis Senior Dog Project. She is about 9 years old and such a wonderful girl. I just adore her, and I think the feeling is mutual :) I didn't go looking for a senior, she was at an adoption day with several different rescue groups. The dog I was wanting to see (a 3 year old mix) was already adopted. I looked around some more, and found no other dogs I was interested in. But, I felt sorry for this old dog in her cage, so I asked to see her just so she'd get some attention. I had been looking for a rescue dog for awhile, and for whatever reason, this dog and I crossed paths, and I took her home. What I'm trying to say is that I know how it is to feel you have failed at adoption. But the situation you are in now is not good for you or the dogs, and there is nothing wrong with finding them new homes. It is the right thing to do. You will find your dog(s) someday. Best of luck....See MoreMy dog attacked my other dog over food
Comments (19)Please do not leave the dogs alone together. It very likely will end very badly. tiffduke, training will help only to a certain extent. We have been through this. You never know when it will happen - and not just over food. vjtrees - I realize that your posting was from October 2017. I hope for your Dacshund's sake that the Mastiff is now back with your daughter. Please be aware that punctures on the back of the neck need to be checked out by a vet and perhaps meds prescribed to avoid blood poisoning. Dogs, whether they be big or small will go for the back of the neck to ensure that the dog being attacked is trapped. Two of our Dachshund's were attacked in this manner. My heart froze when I saw our big dog holding our Dachshund by the back of the neck and shaking him. There was no reason for it and I should already have left the house - fortunately I had not. The Dachshund was a major Alpha - much to the displeasure of our big dog, who was not alpha. I should point out that our Alpha Dachshund took care of all of his siblings and was not "bossy" with them. Jump forward a few years and we had the same situation - our then Alpha Dachshund was attacked by his Dachshund sibling - who wanted to be an Alpha. They finally seemed to work things out when the little troublemaker attacked our Alpha again. Yet our Alpha did not want to hurt the Alpha-want-to-be. And the attacker knew it. Also, never try to remove the innocent dog without him/her realizing it is you. My husband learned this the hard way - our innocent pup thought he was being attacked attacked on all sides. I hope all is well. We no longer have a Dachshund and I miss them every day....See Morejakabedy
17 years agocowgirl7689
8 years ago
spedigrees z4VT
8 years agoSteven Blunn
7 years agoMy dog bella a 9 month staffy does the same to my other dog buddy 4 year staffy. And as far as I know it's all to do with seasonal times of the female dog. She will try to stop your male dog giving off thier sent as well as stop them from finding other females to possibly mate with. As it said that dogs use there whikers to pick up and send out some kind of signal to find and sense where and when a female dog is in season. It's not a dominate thing. It's a smart female dog securing her mate I'd say
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