My Rottweiler attacks my Beagle when I'm not home. What can I do?

Question

I have a 6 year old Rottweiler that is having displaced aggression issues. When she gets very agitated she takes it out in my 5 year old very submissive beagle mix. It only happens when I'm not home. I keep them separate when I am not home as much as possible but if I need to be gone all day I can't in good Conscience crate one of them for that length of time. My Rott is a well behaved dog having competed in obedience. What can I do to help her not feel so frustrated and take it out on Chitsa. Pet's info: Dog | Rottweiler | 7 years and 2 months old

Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA · Accepted Answer

I'm sorry to hear that you're having this problem! It sounds like you're on the right track by separating them as much as possible when you're not home - with redirected aggression, managing the dogs to prevent situations like this from occurring is one of the most important parts of treatment. In some cases, it can be possible to teach both dogs to do something else (such as go to a mat) when exciting things happen to prevent Ophelia from becoming overly aroused and aggressive towards Chitsa, but this would really only be feasible when you are at home to manage things - so it wouldn't help much for things that happen when you're gone. I do understand your concerns about crating one of the dogs for long periods of time during the day. I would suggest trying to find a way to separate them that doesn't require using crates - perhaps by putting one of the dogs in a bedroom or other room with the door closed, or using a baby gate or other barrier to keep them apart. If there are certain things that trigger the dogs to become upset (such as seeing people pass by through the window, for example), you could also try using some type of barrier to keep them away from windows or other areas that tend to make them overly aroused. Finally, this behavior can sometimes be improved by prescription medication such as an SSRI like Prozac - you could certainly talk to your veterinarian to see if he/she feels that this might be helpful for Ophelia.

My Rottweiler attacks my Beagle when I'm not home. What can I do?

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