Help......Sam's getting very agressive!!

First off, Misstrouble -- don't let an adult blow you off.  As everyone is saying they CAN access the records, they just don't want to bother.  So call the county animal services and tell them you have a rabies tag number but need duplicat paperwork, HOW do you get it in your county?

Next -- You've made some changes in Sam's life in the last few weeks.  He's been "promoted" to house dog in a sense -- so now he and Taz have to find their boundaries.  Taz, being small, is likely up on things (like the sofa or whatever, and Sam is getting mixed messages all over the place. 

You *and your folks* need to read up on this stuff.  Because otherwise they will inadvertently cause fights just because they don't realize what dog-language signals the two dogs are giving out that they aren't seeing.

Like treats like bones or rawhide are EASY To spark major problems -- they are way way up there in terms of "high value" and most dogs will fight over them!!

So you can just give one to each and turn your back.  I would only give a high value treat like a rawhide or bone IN A CRATE.  Then everyone is safe. 

But you guys also need to figure out who is top dog and TREAT THEM THAT WAY.  Taz is older and used to being the "alpha" IN the house.  Sam is younger and unneutered (and that, in dog-dom, is usually "I WIN" -- because an unneutered male is nearly always going to try to dominate an older neutered male).

So everyone has to learn. 

There's a super good book -- "How to Speak Dog" by Stanley Coren -- you can probably get it at the library.  But it's really good and Mom and Dad should look at sections of it too.  It will help them learn the dogs' body language to know what Taz and Sam are really saying BEFORE a confrontation erupts.

calliecritturs

But you guys also need to figure out who is top dog and TREAT THEM THAT WAY.  Taz is older and used to being the "alpha" IN the house.  Sam is younger and unneutered (and that, in dog-dom, is usually "I WIN" -- because an unneutered male is nearly always going to try to dominate an older neutered male)..

Taz is younger and neutered. Sam is older and unneutered. Taz is 1, and Sam is 3.

calliecritturs

There's a super good book -- "How to Speak Dog" by Stanley Coren -- you can probably get it at the library.  But it's really good and Mom and Dad should look at sections of it too.  It will help them learn the dogs' body language to know what Taz and Sam are really saying BEFORE a confrontation erupts.

I need to run by the library soon, I'm out of books.....Would it be sold at Petsmart or Barns and Noble's? I'd like to have things like that in my personal mini-library, it'd probably come in handy....

misstrouble

calliecritturs

But you guys also need to figure out who is top dog and TREAT THEM THAT WAY.  Taz is older and used to being the "alpha" IN the house.  Sam is younger and unneutered (and that, in dog-dom, is usually "I WIN" -- because an unneutered male is nearly always going to try to dominate an older neutered male)..

Taz is younger and neutered. Sam is older and unneutered. Taz is 1, and Sam is 3.

Frankly?  NOT your decision.  It's the dogs who decide that.  It's not a "fair" thing -- it's a DOG thing.  And right now Sam doesn't get that **at all**.  And if he thinks HE hasn't made his point (particularly if Taz is acting a bit submissive to him) then Sam will think he has to DEMONSTRATE the point **in front of the humans** repeatedly.

Remember, these are d-o-g-s!!!  You have to learn to speak their language.  Frankly, you humans have to be #1.  Then the other two.  Now you **can** insist a more dominant dog be easy around another dog.  But it has to be because YOU have set the stage and made sure there aren't things around (like toys, treats, food, or YOU) that will cause a tussle, and that you've also physically set the stage so Sam doesn't feel inadvertently dominated.

For example -- if Taz is allowed on the furniture and Sam is not -- the DOG is **not** going to understand "You're bigger and you're dirty stay down!" -- A) you need to keep both dogs on the floor!!! (why?  So Sam doesn't get the message that Taz is one up on him when Taz has already told Sam, perhaps, "Hey buddy you're the boss!!"

 We humans want this to be about "fairness' (Taz was here first, and he's small and neutered so HE is top dog -- nope, there is not even one little tiny part of that "true" in dog-ese!!).  It's not -- it's about how the dogs deal with each other

misstrouble

Would it be sold at Petsmart or Barns and Noble's? I'd like to have things like that in my personal mini-library, it'd probably come in handy....

Sure would -- and the paperback one is fine.  Good book.  One of my favorites is a diagram that will help you 'read' the dog's body posture to know what signals they're giving off (dominant, submissive, angry, fearful, etc.)

I don't think it's important to figure out who is "top dog"; mostly because people frequently get it totally wrong and thus upset the dogs by "supporting" the dominance of the wrong dog. Just treat them all more or less equally. Dogs who are polite, quiet, and follow the household rules get attention and goodies; dogs who are rude, pushy, or obnoxious don't. Also I doubt neutering will fix the fights over things like rawhides- you need to start thinking like a multi-dog household. You keep any and all resources that may trigger a dispute up and out of the way- common fight triggers include toys, treats, bones, food, chewies, beds, and human laps. Chewies are given in crates or separate rooms or teach the dogs to only chew in certain places.

your lost rabies info ...................

the vet // clinic // hospital that did the rabies shot/s will have the record .................

contact them for a duplicate of the information  

I agree with mudpuppy on the figuring out who is dominant issue.  Even if you do get it right, dogs position in the pack changes all the time and it really is just a term humans like to use to try and figure out why dogs are doing certain things.  Just because this never happened before doesn't really mean anything either.  People do new and different things all the time why wouldn't dogs? 

If the Vet clinic is giving you a hard time just remind them that YOU paid for the certificate.  I had trouble at one place that had vaccinated a dog I adopted.  They wanted me to drive thirty miles to get the certificate.  A letter to the Veterinarian solved the problem in no time.  Sometimes the staff get a little power crazy I guess.

Dog parks are a great place for dogs to get into fights.  I never go and never will.  Too many idiot dog owners. Present company excluded, of course.