Dog on Dog agression after discipline

Hi, thanks for the prompt reply. To answer your questions: Roxie is a pretty typical Rottweiler to train or discipline, somewhat bull headed but smart. (I've had 6, half of them rescues). She feels safe with us- no cowering or fear, nor does she show us any agression. Except for her inability to trust other people she acts "normal", until now. Fine at the vets until they put a hand on her, then she shakes uncontrollably and growls; always wears a muzzle there. I'm her safety net-part of the problem maybe? If we go somewhere like Pet Smart she heels beautifully and ignores both dogs and people but she is in contact with my leg, leaning against it the whole time. It is a little out of her comfort zone.

I agree with the idea of separating them before disciplining and if I'm setting Riley up for training purposes I do that. What gets us into trouble is the ones you don't think about; that instictive, quick NO or some similar correction when someone comes to the door and they run in from outside or the cat teases them and Riley takes chase, etc. It can be as simple as saying "settle down" if the tone is firm. I can't make any correction or it might turn volital in one or two seconds. I have disfused things a few times by a quick "its ok, oh good girls" but talk about sending mixed messages! Both dogs live with us and usually have access to both the house and 2+ fenced acres but one or both have been put in the kennel as a time out. Have to be careful now about grabbing Riley to take her back to the kennel- that provoked an attack. I'm afraid that if I just put a muzzle on Rox and she tries to attack, Riley will kill her. She may be submissive but once attacked she fights for her life. I'm fairly strong but separating two 100 # dogs bent on killing each other by myself is no easy measure. Hence the 2 shock collars.

I don't believe it is a dog on dog dominance challenge. Riley defers to Roxie and looks at her to see how they should react to new things. We always feed Roxie first, etc. I often have two belly up dogs on the couch with me getting their bellies rubbed but we do interact with them individually too. Riley needs to be worn out so she plays ball while Roxie watches or sometimes joins in. Rox also lets Riley lead her around by the collar or drag her across the floor by her collar or jowells until she gets tired of it and makes a quick correction- not a vicous attack. They are great companions. I'm the problem (and my husband). I'm Alpha but Roxie feels the need to "help" me I guess??? I think I'll have my husband help me and do some leash work on both of them at the same time. Lots of sits, downs, stays, and leave its. He works a lot so I have always taken them to dog class or worked them individually.

Hi;

I hadn't thought about desensitizing for my voice when I say No, etc. I'm trying to say it with the least bit of emphasis possible so she doesn't react. When I give Roxie a similar command she shows no fear and generally does as asked-although now "leave it' does no good when she is bent on attacking Riley. I'll give anything a shot. I love these two and can't stand this! Everybody-dogs, cat, and us are on pins and needles all the time.

Things are escalating, I don't dare let the 2 of them be together unless they are both leashed. They fought again yesterday morning without any trigger other than both being very apprehensive around each other now. Guess it is now just plain dog agression. Roxie's got some pretty good wounds- punctures in her shoulder and a deep groove inside her ear from the previous fight so she is feeling vulnerable, which makes her more unsettled. I left her in the house yesterday and Riley in the backyard (reasonably unscathed) so she wouldn't have to spend 8+ hours in a kennel. When we got home Riley was out front- she had litterly chewed apart one gate and then scaled the other. She was shaking and definitely having separation anxiety- always been fine when we're gone but always been with Roxie. So now we've added another issue.

My husband sat in the truck with her and tried to calm her down while I dealt with Rox. She was her old self, happy to see us and settled right into the regular routine, helping me move llamas around and doing the feeding chores. She went back in the house and I played with Riley and did some obedience work with her while hub rebuilt the gate and Roxie watched through the glass doors. No particular reaction from Rox other than calmly watching what we were doing. I then left Riley outside for a few hours before putting Roxie in our bedroom and giving Riley access to the house. Both dogs have always slept in our room so only having one in there raises the anxiety for the other. When Roxie wanted to go out halfway through the night, I switched and let Riley in our room. Both of them are suffering from this change in routine but I don't know what else to do. I've never crated either one of them so don't want to add another variable at this time.