Something terrible happened right in front of my eyes last February and I’m looking for some answers about what went wrong, as I can't sleep and the images keep coming back to me. I had a Czechoslovakian Wolfdog, a one-year-old female who was due to be spayed four days after it happened... and she’d been in season the month before. I’m currently pregnant (maybe that was a factor?). My dog Latika was very sweet with no behaviour issues; I could even take her food bowl away while she was eating, and she followed me everywhere. Anyway, on Friday 10th February, I picked her up from the kennels. I hadn't been home on the Thursday night and had left Horus, my five-year-old neutered Jack Russell, at home. Once we got home on the Friday, Latika was happy to see Horus and everything seemed fine. Then, suddenly, as I was about to take them out, she grabbed him by the neck and killed him right in front of me! I tried everything to separate them but I couldn't do a thing!!! Afterwards, she dragged him into the garden and came back to the door 15 minutes later as if nothing had happened!!!! We had her put to sleep. Being pregnant and having seen that, I just couldn't trust her anymore. Especially since she wouldn't let go, even after I threw a chair at her. How do you explain this behaviour?
Was she trying to take the alpha position? Latika was 35kg (about 5 and a half stone) and Horus was 5kg (around 11 lbs). We are absolutely devastated because our dogs meant so much to us.
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That said, none of this rules out the possibility that your two dogs were clashing for a whole host of reasons.
In terms of what I think are the most likely theories, there’s:
- resource guarding (competing to get or keep hold of something)
- predatory play without proper bite inhibition
- aggressive impulses with no identifiable cause
In this last scenario, the dog isn’t showing "normal" (reactive) aggression, but rather tends to be proactive in starting a conflict, and it isn't always possible to pinpoint a specific trigger.
All dogs have aggressive impulses to some degree, both in terms of frequency and intensity. However, in rare cases, some dogs can be pathologically aggressive. This is often linked to what we call a psychogenic disorder.
As things stand, it seems pretty much impossible to really explain what happened between your dogs. At least, not with so little information about the context and the dogs themselves.
Of course, we could come up with all sorts of theories, but we’d never be able to say for sure that one is more likely than the others.
Did she want to take the afa's place?
I imagine you meant "alpha".
While it’s not possible to fully explain what might have happened, it is, however, possible to rule out certain ideas. The idea of a power struggle to become the "alpha" is one of them.
The term "alpha" doesn’t actually mean much when applied to wild wolves, and yet that’s exactly where it comes from.
By the admission of David Mech himself—a world-renowned expert in wolf research—the term "alpha" is misleading and tends to promote far too many misconceptions about what a pack actually is and how it is organised: essentially, as a family. Instead of "alpha", he prefers to speak of a father and/or mother to describe the individual or pair in charge of the family’s survival.
For more info on the subject: http://www.davemech.org/news.html
As for using that same term for domestic dogs, it makes even less sense. In fact, it makes no sense at all.
I’d also add that the idea of wanting to take the place of a neutered individual—who no longer has the biological drive to be "dominant" or claim that title—isn’t a theory worth exploring either. Only individuals capable of breeding, and therefore starting a family, can hold that role.
And we shouldn't confuse having a strong personality with being a dominant animal. They are two completely different things.
Tania28700, we waited five years to really get to know the Czechoslovakian Wolfdog breed before taking the plunge and getting one ourselves. The CSW is a wonderful companion, just like any other dog, really! But you have to be there for them constantly. They aren't like other dogs; the bond they form with their owner is incredibly intense and exclusive. My girl was very sweet but had a strong personality (just like some other dogs do). And I’m sorry to say it, but far too many people get these dogs for their stunning looks and are quickly overwhelmed by their quite difficult and destructive nature (if they’re left on their own). When we tell this story to other dog owners, the reaction is always: "They’re killer dogs!" What a load of rubbish! Even if I'd had two Jack Russells, it could have happened... we just didn't know how to read the warning signs. And it was in no way our dog's fault... but we still chose to have her put down for the various reasons mentioned above. My husband and I have always had dogs, and his mum even works at a vet clinic. I've come here because this tragedy is haunting me, and I’m looking for some answers regarding her behaviour, which caught me completely off guard. I suppose we’ll never truly know; I think it’s just nature, sadly!
Yeah, but big dogs always get the blame for everything... but the little ones are just as good at stirring things up. Obviously, a CSV’s bite is far more serious. We shouldn't be labelling CSVs as killers, though. Predators? Right, fair enough, and we manage that (chickens, cats... anything that runs), but I've rarely seen a CSV kill another dog for no reason.
The outcome might have been less tragic if your dog had gone after something her own size. You might have found her less cruel then, too.
Some dogs get really worked up when they see small animals scurrying about. And the more they move, the more the dog's excitement builds. This level of arousal can lead the dog to grab the animal in question. They do it simply to release all the built-up tension rather than out of a survival instinct, as once the poor thing has breathed its last, the dog won't try to eat it.
From this, I can see a pattern in your dog's behaviour: she is easily over-excited.
Once you got home and decided to take them out, your dog got worked up and took all that energy out on your Jack. It was just like the cat she caught. Given that she hadn't seen you for a long time and perhaps hadn't had much exercise while staying at the kennels, she’d built up far too much energy and redirected it onto the Jack.
There's no point dwelling on the past because nothing can change this tragedy now, but some dogs are just more difficult than others. Sometimes, when dogs live together, you have to be constantly on your guard. Especially when there’s a big dog and a little one involved.
Thanks again for all the messages. Yes, I'd really like a pro's opinion. I wanted to clarify that yes, we did take the decision to have Latika put down for several reasons. We know she wasn't mean, far from it... but rehoming her would have been difficult because if she'd done it again, we would have felt terrible and wouldn't have been able to do anything about it then. As far as we were concerned, it would still have been our responsibility. The vets who looked after her (my mother-in-law works at the vet surgery) said she likely would have attacked something bigger eventually... she was very dominant and wasn't afraid to go after horses, cows, or sheep. She had already killed several chickens and a cat that got into the garden. And I'll say it again, she was lovely, but she had a very high prey drive. When Horus and Latika played together, we stepped in several times because Latika would often grab him by the neck as if to lift him up – she never realised her own strength. Never to hurt him, of course. But we preferred to keep an eye on things. Clearly, though, it didn't make a difference. I hope you don't judge us for having her put to sleep; it was a heart-breaking decision but one we felt we had to make. Being responsible sometimes means making that call. How many dogs end up in a rescue like the RSPCA after similar situations and just get passed from owner to owner? And yet, after our baby is born, we want to get another dog as soon as possible, because living without a dog at home is so hard. But we'll never be able to replace them.
No, she wouldn't necessarily have behaved the same way; a Czechoslovakian Wolfdog is a special breed that you need to know inside out. Why would she have been passed from owner to owner? The RSPCA and other rescues are very careful when rehoming these types of dogs nowadays. It just makes me so sad, for you and for your dogs. We always think everything will be easy, but no, life is very complicated.
🙂
I completely understand your decision; many people won't agree, but sometimes you have to make these kinds of calls for the safety of other pets and people.
As for the rest, it’s likely down to the kennels, to be honest. Either something happened while they were there and/or they just really struggled with being away from you.
Thanks again for all these messages. Yes, I'd really like to get a professional’s opinion. I wanted to point out that, yes, we did make the decision to have Latika put to sleep for several reasons. We know she wasn't a mean dog, far from it... but rehoming her would have been difficult because if she’d done it again, we would have still felt awful and there wouldn't have been anything we could do about it then. As far as we’re concerned, it would have still been our responsibility. The vets who looked after her (my mother-in-law works at a vet practice) said she likely would have attacked something bigger eventually... she was a very dominant dog and wasn't afraid of taking on horses, cows or sheep... she'd already killed several chickens and a cat that came into the garden. I’ll say it again, she was lovely, but she had a very strong hunting instinct. When Horus and Latika played together, we intervened several times because Latika would often grab him by the scruff of the neck as if to lift him up; she never realised her own strength. It was never to hurt him, of course, but we preferred to keep a close eye on them. Clearly, though, it didn't help. I hope you don't judge us for having our dog put down; it was a very tough decision to make, but for us, it was the right one. Sometimes being responsible means making those calls. How many dogs end up in rescue centres following similar situations and just get passed from owner to owner? And yet, after our baby is born, we want to get another dog as soon as possible, because living without a dog in the house is very hard. But we'll never be able to replace them.
Mosse39, I am so incredibly sorry for your heartbreaking loss, especially after the unimaginable trauma you’ve been through, and whilst being pregnant as well.
Incidents where one dog suddenly kills another are probably more common than we realise. I’ve only been a dog owner for eight months and I’ve already witnessed one myself.
Unfortunately, I’d be very surprised if any "experts" stepped in to give you any real answers; they’re far too busy denying that any kind of dominance or hierarchy exists in domestic dogs.
Both your theory and Tanya’s seem sensible to me. I’m leaning slightly more towards yours, though, even if what Tanya suggested might have made the problem worse. If that Jack Russell was used to ruling the roost, it’s not impossible that the other dog just decided enough was enough.
