I have a 6yo doxie who is fear-agressive towards other dogs. I got him at 5 weeks, which I know is too early, but I didn't have much of a choice. The breeder started separating the pups from their mother and giving them away at 4 weeks!!! I wanted him to be socialized, but seeing that he was going to end up all by himself anyway, I went ahead and took him home. While he was a puppy, I let him meet other dogs on walks but we didn't have a dog park around where we lived, so he really didn't get the socialization he needed growing up. He's great with people, but is petrified of other dogs (he'll bark, growl, snap, etc. if one even tries to come up to him and sniff him).
Well, my husband has wanted a pit bull all his life and we finally got one last year. We have trained her and she's well behaved, but over the past year she has asserted herself as the alpha. We've read that we shouldn't force the pack order among the dogs, so over time we have treated her as the dominant one of the two, but we still make sure she doesn't cross the line with him and we give him the same amount of attention. We initially thought that it would just take time and consistency for the doxie to fall in line, but it hasn't worked. He has learned he can't "win" with her, but now he has become extremely anxious and fearful. He'll whine and jump to come out of his crate to go outside, and I'll open the door and say very calmly "come on," but then he'll cower in the corner of his crate (even if she's not there) and he'll pee all over himself. I try to get on his level, and not make eye contact, but that doesn't work. It has probably been 18 months since we got our pit bull, and the doxie is still so timid and aggressive towards her. We try walking them together and we keep them both behind us, and they'll be fine on the walk but as soon as we get home it's right back to where they left off.
It's not just the PB; he acts the same around other dogs, too. I have tried taking him to the dog park where we live now, but he walks off on his own and wants nothing to do with the other dogs.
Can someone PLEASE help us? We love both of our dogs, and want to keep them so we will do whatever it takes. We don't have the money for classes right now, so at-home methods would be preferable. I just hate to see him like this, and I don't know how to help him. :(
Thanks in advance-
BM