My dog killed my other dog

L
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Hi everyone,

I really need some advice. My 2-year-old Husky has killed my partner’s dog, a 3-year-old Jack Russell.

We have four dogs: three Jack Russells (one male and two females) and my Husky.

They usually live separately—the two female Jacks live outside in a pen, while the Husky and the male Jack (who is 7 months old) live in the house or outside depending on the weather and what they fancy.

They do have contact, though, as they can see and sniff each other through the wire of the pen.

My Husky is a bit of a tricky character; she’s fine with submissive dogs but she is definitely a dominant type, so as long as another dog doesn’t growl at her, she doesn’t bother them—at least when we're away from the house anyway.

With people, she’s very wary and will only let me and a few people she knows get near her, but even then, that's only at home. When we're out, it’s only me. I’ve had her since she was about 10 or 11 months old.

She’s never attacked other dogs before, except to defend one of mine that was being went for, and one other time when she pinned an off-lead dog that came charging at her growling.

On walks, we let them all out together off-lead and there’s never been a problem; they play together and so on...

My Husky has never had any issues with my male Jack or the other female Jack, except around mealtimes when she absolutely has to be left alone. However, she’s never really liked the female dog she killed; there were never any real fights though, except once when the Jack Russell actually snapped at her over a toy. I told her "no" and grabbed her, and she didn't retaliate.

But today, we let them all out into the yard to play together like we usually do, and my Husky stood over the other dog like she usually does to show she’s the boss. Normally she just does that, has a sniff, and then wanders off, but this time she grabbed her by the neck and shook her violently. I had a lot of trouble getting her to let go—she’s a big girl, over 4 and a half stone (66lbs)—but it was too late, she’d killed her... I could see she’d gone in for the kill; it was so violent and she even tried to go back at her.

What do you think? I’m terrified of letting her near the others now... and when we’re out, I usually have her off-lead (I go hunting and she comes tracking with me, so she’s never on a lead). Could this change her behaviour with other dogs?

I don’t understand why she did it; there was no food around, and the other dogs weren't even close by...

Sorry for the long post, I just wanted to give as much detail as possible.

Thanks in advance.

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35 answers
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    • L
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    Ganabysses: Thanks for your reply. Primitive breeds have always been used for hunting – that’s the case for Karelian Bear Dogs, Laikas, Elkhounds, and the like. My vet actually confirmed this when I had my previous Husky; he told me it's a great way to burn off their energy and doesn't increase their prey drive – they’ve already got that anyway. She’s never shown any aggression towards people; she just avoids them, that’s all. I’m always careful if she doesn’t want to be stroked – there’s no way I’d let anyone force it on her. I agree with you all, seeing a behaviourist is definitely the right call.
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    L
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    Mel1: I completely agree with you; the "it’s just because she’s a Husky" excuse is way too easy. I don’t blame her at all, actually. It’s not her fault, it’s mine for not recognising the signs she was giving me, but I never, ever thought she would go as far as killing... She doesn’t even realise she’s done anything wrong, judging by her behaviour afterwards. She was perfectly normal—wagging her tail and giving me licks. I think in her mind, she just "sorted out" a problem.
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    L
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    K9trainer: A muzzle would definitely be a good safety measure, I’ll look into that. Deep down, I know that keeping them apart isn’t the solution; my fear is telling me to do it, but I don’t think it would be the right thing to do. I’ve also been thinking about what you said—the other two are still puppies, 7 months and 10 months old, so maybe she doesn't see them as a 'threat' after all. Énergie solaire: Thank you so much... I’ll keep on loving her, of course—I couldn’t do anything else. I’m definitely going to get a behaviourist involved, that’s for sure.
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    Personally, I think taking a primitive breed hunting is already playing with fire (and I’ve got them at home too). I agree with the others as well; some temperaments are definitely more predisposed to this kind of thing. Plus, having a primitive breed off-lead is always a risk if they aren't perfectly trained (which certainly isn't the case for mine... he stays on the lead, full stop lol). I’d recommend looking for a behaviourist who works with "stooge dogs" or neutral helper dogs (doesn’t matter if they’re male or female); there are some really good ones out there who do brilliant work. You need to find someone quickly to help you correct this behaviour, otherwise, it’s bound to happen again, or even get worse (like an attack on a person). My heart goes out to you, I’m so sorry for what your little family is going through.
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    M
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    No, you shouldn't just say "it's their instinct, that's just the way it is" and leave it at that!

    That’s completely wrong. You only have to read the previous replies from people who really know dogs and their behaviour.

    A dog doesn't just act at random. Instinct or not, there is always a reason for their behaviour.

    And to solve the problem, it’s much better to look for the root cause rather than just saying "it's instinct" and that's that.

    There were almost certainly "preliminaries" — warning signs that you missed (because we don't speak dog). And then, the tragedy happened.

    It is really important now to see someone who can explain your dog’s body language and show you what signs to watch out for.

    But you're right, it’s not just a Husky thing.

    I remember my grandad's dogs; they were hunting dogs (beagles, griffons, and crosses) that always lived together. But it happened several times that a few of them would gang up on one to kill it! My grandad would find one ripped open, even though they all "apparently" got on really well...

    I also have the example of a friend's dog (a Lab cross). He was lovely, social, and not at all dominant. Until the day he came across a dog he just didn't like the look of and he went for the kill. My friend really struggled to get him to let go, even though the dog was normally so sociable (he spent his first few years as a stray, wandering the streets and meeting everyone).

    Another example: my old dog, a Dogo Argentino. He was very sweet and loved everyone. Until the day he met someone he didn't like (my uncle) and he tried to go for him the second he saw him. Why? No idea! He never did it again with anyone else; he was actually pretty friendly with everyone (and a bit of a scrounger whenever he could get away with it, lol).

    Anyway, I don't think we should just stop at saying "it's a Husky, it's normal."

    No! It's a dog! And we need to understand why.

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    Docline
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    Every person I’ve ever come across whose dog was killed by another dog – it’s always been Huskies. What’s more, they were usually best mates with the victim. Then one day, something just snaps. No warning whatsoever... it’s just their instinct.
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    Energiesolaire
    Energiesolaire Icon representing the flag French
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    Sorry for the wall of text, I wanted to give as much detail as possible.

    Thanks in advance.

    It’s a complex situation, and as you can imagine, advice from the internet can only go so far.

    I’d recommend hiring a dog behaviourist, with the specific brief of eliminating any kind of fear and improving her behaviour around other dogs.

    I also want to send my sincerest condolences, both for the loss of your pet and for the stress this is all causing. Keep giving your girl plenty of love, but do start some behavioural therapy.

    As for the living situation: it’s quite simple, really—any animal that is smaller or older can cause issues. As a general rule, and it’s a very well-documented one, dominance increases with age. Your Husky didn’t like the older Jack Russell because the Jack probably tried to put her in her place from time to time. Being a year older, that was her prerogative. Unfortunately, the little one just didn’t have the physical strength to back up her ambitions.

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    ?
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    If your dog plays, behaves well with other dogs and interacts nicely with them, that should continue. I can't give you a definitive answer since I haven't seen her interact with the others myself. However, it's likely that the Jack Russell had a strong personality, and there was probably more to it for your dog to have wanted to drive her out of the pack. I completely understand that you’re in shock, as dog fights are often incredibly violent. You could either separate them for a bit (though that isn't usually recommended), or look into getting some muzzles—either custom-fit ones like a Baskerville type or a steel cage muzzle (which is sturdier). Even if you aren't a fan of muzzles, they will keep all your dogs safe and prevent this kind of accident from happening again. That said, you absolutely must muzzle all the dogs; a muzzle won't stop your dog from trying to attack, but it would leave her vulnerable if one of the others decided to fight back (I'm telling you this from experience).
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    L
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    @K9trainer: Thank you for taking the time to get back to me. I did know that he didn't get on with them particularly well, but I never would have imagined something like this happening... Especially since we were right there; I’d never have left him alone with the other two on his own... But as you say, it only took a split second and it was too late. I've definitely learned my lesson, but sadly it’s too late for her.

    Are you saying, though, that his behaviour won't change towards the other two? That's what I'm really worried about...

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    ?
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    Yeah, it’s definitely a tricky one...

    On one hand, your instinct is to keep her separate from the dogs for safety's sake while you wait and see, but on the other, that could actually make things worse and make her relationship with the other dogs feel like a bigger deal than it needs to be...

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