Two very different dogs having to live together. How do we handle aggression and boundaries?
Currently, we have a family member’s dog staying with us, and I’m struggling to figure out how to manage the situation between him and our family dog.
Our dog (Maggie) is about 45 pounds and is extremely hyper, friendly, and loves absolutely everyone and everything. Honestly, to a fault. She can be a huge pain in the ass because she doesn’t understand boundaries. My parents are older and adore her, but they’ve also spoiled her quite a bit. I recognize she needs more training, and I fully intend to work on that.
Our family member’s dog (Charlie) is about 70 pounds and is the complete opposite. He’s relatively calm, can go to parks and cafés without issues, and is generally well-behaved. However, he has a history of biting another dog and is very possessive of food and toys.
Since staying with us, Charlie has lunged, growled, and snapped at Maggie on a few occasions. Maggie usually backs down and hides, but shortly afterward, she’s back to her usual hyper self, wanting to interact with everyone.
We’ve noticed that Charlie’s aggression seems to be mainly related to food and toys. For example, he once growled and nipped at Maggie simply because they were sitting near someone eating, and he seemed to think she was going to get some food.
We try our best to prevent these situations by making sure there are no toys or food around whenever they’re together. Interestingly, without those triggers, they coexist pretty peacefully and can relax in the same room without issues.
Maggie has never shown possessiveness over food or toys. I can take a bone directly out of her mouth without any reaction, whereas Charlie will growl.
Today, however, Charlie bit Maggie hard enough that she was bleeding near her eye. This really scared me and has made me increasingly uncomfortable with the situation.
I understand that Maggie needs to learn boundaries and that her behavior can be frustrating for another dog. However, I also feel that Charlie’s owners tend to downplay or excuse his aggression, which worries me given his history.
I love Charlie, too, and know he’s brought a lot of companionship to our family member. I don’t think he’s a bad dog, but I also don’t think it’s fair for Maggie to be at risk of getting hurt. I’ve never had two dogs living together before, so I’m genuinely unsure what’s normal and what isn’t.
My main questions are: How do you manage two dogs when one doesn’t understand boundaries and the other has resource-guarding tendencies? Is peaceful coexistence realistic with proper training? And how concerning is Charlie’s behavior, especially now that he’s drawn blood?
For now, we’re keeping them separated. I know both dogs have things to work on, but I want to make sure we’re handling this responsibly. I’d really appreciate advice from anyone who’s dealt with something similar.