Behavior Thoughts Please

motherslittlehelper · 01-29-2013, 05:15 PM

Finn has always gone after Augie with trying to lick his private areas or trying to hump him. As he has gotten older, he has gotten better about leaving him be - usually a 'Finn, off or leave it' will stop him. Except after Augie has a bath, and then he just goes after Augie and nothing short of physically removing him works and then separating the two of them into different areas. What is it about a bath that makes Augie so irresistible - is it because he no longer smells like Augie? And he is checking him out or trying to get his (Finn's scent back on Augie, or ???? If Augie wasn't so good about cleaning himself after going potty, I would be tempted to spray bitter apple on him! I try to put off bathing Augie as long as possible as I know we will have this issue. If Finn was a cat, Augie would be the equivalent of his catnip.

davetgabby · 01-29-2013, 06:56 PM

good one Linda. Unique. Dogs even when they know each other will frequently inspect the other especially if the scent has changed. In this case he's a little over the top with the sudden change lol. If it gets to where one of them becomes rude in the other dogs opinion, and they don't settle it on their own then you're doing the right thing by separating them. Bit of a nuisance ehh lol. Dogs will really inspect one another if one has come home from the vets.

Pipersmom · 01-29-2013, 08:24 PM

That Finn is a rascal. I don't have any advice but thanks for the laugh.

Piper empathizes with Augie, she has a very similar little brother.

motherslittlehelper · 01-29-2013, 09:10 PM

That, he is, Julie - a rascal, for sure! I kind of try to let Augie handle it until it is obvious he wants Finn to leave him alone and jumps up next to me on the couch or in the chair. But Finn is persistent.

Dave, I was wondering if Finn felt Augie is his, and he had him all marked up with his scent and I removed it when I bathed him? Is that possible? Or more likely that he just smells very different. I don't think Finn actually marked him - at least he doesn't smell icky or anything. And good thing Augie stays clean a long time. I probably give Finn 3-4 baths in the same space of time that Augie gets one. Finn is mellowing lately - a bit - in the last month or so - he will sit and he will take naps occasionally. He and I are going to CGC classes. I had mentioned to our trainer on a few occasions what a handful he has been. But he has been a model citizen at class - makes me look like a storyteller! And I kept hearing "He is sooooo cute!" Hahaha - the thing that has saved his bacon. I am sure that when he turns into a sedentary old man, there will be days I miss that rascally puppy, but wowza - there are days he wears me out!

So Julie, are you saying Riley is a handful too? He pesters Piper?

Pipersmom · 01-29-2013, 10:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by motherslittlehelper

So Julie, are you saying Riley is a handful too? He pesters Piper?

Yes, he's like a little hurricane-always moving and always into something. He somehow squished himself under a 2" gap in my neighbors fence the other night. One minute he was there, the next gone. We ran into the front yard and luckily he was there barking his little head off at the two big dogs across the street. Piper never did things like that so I am not used to being on constant alert. He follows Piper everywhere and wants to constantly play and take her things. She gets really annoyed with him and I try not to step in but sometimes I know she needs a break.

motherslittlehelper · 01-29-2013, 10:19 PM

Oh, that is scary! Squeezing through such a narrow space! Finn has to have an eye on him at all times. And when I can't be watching him, he goes in his crate - for his safety. I keep saying, if he was my first dog, we would have been a one-dog house. Finn wants to constantly play and Augie will for awhile. Usually, Augie gives up the toy to Finn. If it is something he highly prizes, however, he will fight for it and Finn seems to recognize when Augie means business as he will back off.

davetgabby · 01-30-2013, 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by motherslittlehelper

That, he is, Julie - a rascal, for sure! I kind of try to let Augie handle it until it is obvious he wants Finn to leave him alone and jumps up next to me on the couch or in the chair. But Finn is persistent.

Dave, I was wondering if Finn felt Augie is his, and he had him all marked up with his scent and I removed it when I bathed him? Is that possible? Or more likely that he just smells very different. I don't think Finn actually marked him - at least he doesn't smell icky or anything. And good thing Augie stays clean a long time. I probably give Finn 3-4 baths in the same space of time that Augie gets one. Finn is mellowing lately - a bit - in the last month or so - he will sit and he will take naps occasionally. He and I are going to CGC classes. I had mentioned to our trainer on a few occasions what a handful he has been. But he has been a model citizen at class - makes me look like a storyteller! And I kept hearing "He is sooooo cute!" Hahaha - the thing that has saved his bacon. I am sure that when he turns into a sedentary old man, there will be days I miss that rascally puppy, but wowza - there are days he wears me out!

So Julie, are you saying Riley is a handful too? He pesters Piper?

yeah Linda ,dogs don't mark other dogs. ,it's just that he smells different. They're all about smelling .Smelling tells them everything and they remember smells extremely well. They can differentiate identical twins.