dog fights

[raiders1luv]

hi im hoping someone will be able to give me any info as to what led to my unfortunate evnt. i have 2 rotts, male 15month,s female 11 months, i've had both since they were 3 months, male's temperment is excellent, i could not ask more from him, the female had an issue with nipping at first but with consistent training, she was fine, i also have a 4 year female chihuahua, they all got along great, no fights, the chihuahua was older so she did not put up with the playfulness of the female, and she was the alpha female. both are not fixed, last sunday when we returned home from being out for about 2 hours, i went too check on them as usual, my male was in his house fine, but my female was crouched infront of something & eating it, little did i know it was the chihuahua, dead, completely ripped open her head was the only body part intact, she quickly ran under a bush, when my husband came out and seen her she was whimpering very loudly, a sound i had never heard before. my question is if anyone knows if this is a common behavior in this breed? or all dogs, what may have caused this especially since we did not c this coming.i'm trying to find an answer to this.

[Nishasmom]

So sorry for your loss

I don't think it is normal or common for a dog (of any breed) to eat his family member. Did you purchase your dog from a COE breeder? If not, maybe it has some bad temperament issues. I would seek advice from a certified pet trainer; also take her into the vet for a check up. Maybe something weird is going on with her hormones/brain?

[Zumie05]

This definately does not sound normal. Even if this were an attack, the chihuahua would be dead...but the rottie should not be eating the other dog. Very abnormal, definately get her to a vet.

[Kandi]

So very sorry for your loss.
I assume that the dogs were all loose in the house while you were gone? My guess would be a fight for the alpha bitch role, your Rottie won, considering the considerable differences in their sizes, they should never have been left alone.

[brunie's mom]

This would be an awful thing to come home to. Why it's never a good idea to leave two females together or/and a tiny small dog unsupervised with a large dog.

Your Rottweilers are intact? was the Chi intact too? Were either of the females in heat? or coming into heat?

I have heard of people coming home and finding that one dog (usually smaller) has been killed by a larger dog....but never of one eating it. Maybe she saw the Chi as prey? The dog would have weighed 5-6 lbs?

In all honesty, I don't think I could live with a dog that killed my other dog and ate it....it would have been at the vets and euthanized.

Gina

[Shelby427]

I too would never, ever leave two females together alone, unsupervised, regardless of temperament. This is so sad and I'm so sorry for your loss, but I wouldn't be able to live with a dog that ate my other pet.

[princessmom]

OMG Raiders, I am so so sad to hear this. I would be beyond consolation here. What a horrific experience for all involved. I too have never heard of the "eating" part except when either the dog/bitch was starved or unstable. If she is that unstable I agree with Brunie's mom and would not be able to live with her either. Maybe you can, and you still love her and want to help her. She would need some serious help and then I wonder if you would EVER trust her?
Poor babies, all around. I am so sorry for all. Please let us know what happens and how you ultimately deal with this? Thanks.

[moz205]

Oh my goodness! What a tragic thing to have happen. Fighting I could see especially when the young female wants to up her status but the rest is just uncomprehendable to me. I also don't think I would be able to keep this dog. How sad....

[shybird]

I am sorry about the loss of your Chi.

I am guessing that either a fight occurred or a game of chase got out of hand. I do believe that the prey instinct took over and that caused her to eat the chi. Just as it would if it were a squirrel or a rabbit and there was no one there to stop it. I think it is more normal of a behavior than we would like to believe/admit our pets are capable of. We tend to believe they no longer have those traits that their ancestors had because we feed them and they don't need those skills any longer. My human emotions would make it hard for me to look lovingly at one of my dogs if they killed and ate the other one. But, I do not think the dog should be euthanized because of it. It may have to be re-homed (with no small animals) as the owner may not be able to forgive the act.

[Zumie05]

Originally Posted by shybird

I am sorry about the loss of your Chi.

I am guessing that either a fight occurred or a game of chase got out of hand. I do believe that the prey instinct took over and that caused her to eat the chi. Just as it would if it were a squirrel or a rabbit and there was no one there to stop it. I think it is more normal of a behavior than we would like to believe/admit our pets are capable of. We tend to believe they no longer have those traits that their ancestors had because we feed them and they don't need those skills any longer. My human emotions would make it hard for me to look lovingly at one of my dogs if they killed and ate the other one. But, I do not think the dog should be euthanized because of it. It may have to be re-homed (with no small animals) as the owner may not be able to forgive the act.

When Zumi kills rats/squirrels she never eats them. She breaks their necks, but has never tried to eat them.

[moondog]

I'm wondering if the OP knows for a fact the dog was eating the Chi, or if that was just an assumption being made at the time due to the way it appeared. The description of the whimpering sounds to me like this dog was as upset and confused by the event as everyone else was.

And no, it's not a breed thing. You likely didn't see it coming because you are unfamiliar with what to look for. I highly doubt it was "out of the blue", but a conflict between the two females that had been brewing for some time.

[FilosFolks]

Originally Posted by moondog

And no, it's not a breed thing. You likely didn't see it coming because you are unfamiliar with what to look for. I highly doubt it was "out of the blue", but a conflict between the two females that had been brewing for some time.

I agree the behavior must have had some sort of markers along the eight or so months it's been now. Chasing? Growling? Snapping?

I hate to sound gross and I am very sorry for your loss and your family's trauma through this whole experience but the typical head shake could have caused this. Perhaps she was not actually consuming, rather trying to revive...it's too hard to tell from the description of their relationship. She is still a puppy, and if she's like my kids have been they have no clue how big or strong they are.

Again, I am so sorry this happened. Please give us some more info we're here to help.

Ailee

[rubyhunz]

wow, a chiuhaua (sp) should never be left alone with 2 rottweilers, no matter how much theyget along when you are around. So sorry about this but you should consider euthanizing her..

[princessmom]

I disagree with euthanizing her...unless it would be the best thing for the dog. It seems as if she is generally a good girl but I know I wouldn't be able to live with her after this happened. I still think her life is worth living and agree with Shybird, she should be placed in a home with no small animals and probably no children. She will need extensive training and lots of excercise and attention.

[jlhnokc]

I am very sorry for your loss...And I completely disagree with the advice to euthanize your dog. Although I can say I would understand if you decided to rehome her. In your original post you say the chi did not put up the with playfulness from the female. I would more than likely guess your rott was trying to play and the chi acted agressively which caused your rott to react and like several others have responded didn't realize her own actions...Or a battle for the alpha roll which the rottie is obviously going to win if it gets physical. When I was young we had a similar situation. We had a bulldog and had taken in our cousin's boston terrier. Well the boston terrier continued to try to be dominant over our bulldog. We came home one day and the Boston was dead on the porch with a toothmark through her chest. It was sad, but I never held it against my bulldog. (Hindsight is 20/20, so looking back we should not have left them alone together in the backyard).