Gracie and Kiki have never been the best of friends. In the past, they have tolerated each other’s presence and kept an uneasy peace. Lately, Gracie has become a tad more aggressive toward Kiki which is concerning.
Gracie is my Velcro dog. She is happiest by my side. If I am sitting, she usually wants to sit in my lap (as she is now, while I write this post). If I am sleeping, she wants to snuggle close to me. This creates some tension with Kiki who previously held those posts. She was always the one by my side long before there was a Gracie. Now, she has been usurped….by a dog, no less!
In recent weeks, the situation has become tense. Kiki often slaps Gracie, for no reason at all, whenever Gracie walks by. Gracie has lunged at Kiki whenever she tried to approach me. She has barked at Kiki for sitting in my lap. For her part, Kiki has decided that she will sleep on the bed every night and will snuggle with me if she chooses – and there is nothing Gracie can do about it. Gracie usually tolerates this while we are sleeping but lunges at Kiki as soon as it appears we are awake.
I am on the verge of bringing in outside help. I seriously doubt Gracie would not hurt Kiki or Maddy. I am troubled by the jealousy, though. She reacts in the same manner as she does with the cats whenever we encounter other dogs on walks, regardless of the size of the dog. In the past, she was friendly to dogs who were the same size as she is. I am worried that a very bad behavior will take root and be harder to correct in the future, unless I nip this in the bud now. Do you have any suggestions?
Rescue Mommy
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