Dog bite?

[CoreyR]

We have three dogs. Kind of. I have a Border Collie/English Setter cross. Great dog, he and I are like peas and carrots. My wife has always said, "that dog can do no wrong, he can get away with anything with you." I love that dog and he is all over me whenever I get home. My wife has a tiny little, yappy little, annoying little Yorkie dog crossed with Satans offspring. I've never seen so many large issues packed in such a small bundle before. Finally, my dog has a pet. Because of my bad legs, I cannot run with him, and he can RUN, so I got him another border collie mix aaaaaand there is the problem. They do NOT get along like peas and carrots.
Oh, they do play and, while outside, they run and jump and do dog things. When they come inside though....Boy howdy. Spotty (my good old boy) gets SUPER jealous of Spot Boy (the new kid, nicknamed "Big Head"). To top it off, Big Head is SUPER defensive of his toys and food and EVERYTHING is HIS! He is not big on this "sharing" concept.
I have been working on trying to get them to get along but, I think, it is not working out.
Anywho, last night, in the middle of the night, I hear a ruckus. SPotty and Spot (yes, it is confusing at times) are growling and carrying on over a rawhide bone. It was Spottys bone but, of course, EVERYTHING is Big Heads sooooooo, GRRRRRRRR Bark Bark!!!! SNAP!!!! I separated them, gave the bone back to Spotty, gave Big Head his bone, went back to bed.
An hour or so later I got up to use the bathroom. Spotty was laying beside the bed, on the rug, guarding his bone. When I set my feet on the floor my best buddy bit he ever loving snot out of my foot! I mean he chomped me HARD. Didn't break skin though. I was angry as I could be and snapped on the light, ready to knock the fire outta somebody. What do I see? A Horrified Border Collie, rolled up in a ball and shaking like a leaf. He had a terrified expression on his face. "Oh dear God, I bit dad!"
Now, a few month back I got bit by another dog. My response? A fist across his jaw and racked him up against the wall, then threw him in a crate. No Ifs ands or buts. Spotty bites me? I've got him on the bed, hugging him and asking, "what's wrong boy, what's the matter?" I look over at my wife and she is shaking her head, "I told you that dog can do no wrong, she said, "he could burn down the house and you would be making sure his fur isn't singed."
What can I say, Spotty has been a GREAT dog. When I tripped in a hole in the front yard and fell down, that 50 pound dog tried to pick me up! He stood with me and faced down a bear. He is a great dog and I am not one who believes that "one oh crap!" wipes out a life time of "good doggys." Last night he got to cash in a pile of "good doggy" but, I reckon, he still has a pile to his credit and I owe it to him to take care of what caused the problem in the first place.

[beeftip]

How are Spotty and Big Head fed? Do they share a bowl, or do they have their own bowls? Are they fed on a schedule, or do you free feed? When you feed, do you make a big deal out of it, or do you just fling food into the bowl(s) and walk away?

How old was Big Head when you brought him home?

It sounds like the two boys have made up their own set of rules about how things are going to go around the house. Or, at least, they're fighting about who's set of rules are going to be followed.

Can you call either of the dogs off of a toy, or bone, with a "Leave it" command? If you can call them off of something on command, then it may just "jog" their brains into not placing so much value on objects.

"Drop it" might be good to start teaching too.

I'm not a professional dog trainer, so the proverbial grain of salt is recommended. I have, however, worked my dogs with a few professional trainers and it has made all of the difference in the world. I'd avoid the "Purely Positive" folks though. It just seems ridiculous to not correct a dog when the dog knows better. But that's a whole other discussion.

[Ruffinogold]

My wife is very much into dog behavior . I'll try to see if she'll pop in . She might have suggestions

[oldbill]

We have three dogs. Kind of. I have a Border Collie/English Setter cross. Great dog, he and I are like peas and carrots. My wife has always said, "that dog can do no wrong, he can get away with anything with you." I love that dog and he is all over me whenever I get home. My wife has a tiny little, yappy little, annoying little Yorkie dog crossed with Satans offspring. I've never seen so many large issues packed in such a small bundle before. Finally, my dog has a pet. Because of my bad legs, I cannot run with him, and he can RUN, so I got him another border collie mix aaaaaand there is the problem. They do NOT get along like peas and carrots.
Oh, they do play and, while outside, they run and jump and do dog things. When they come inside though....Boy howdy. Spotty (my good old boy) gets SUPER jealous of Spot Boy (the new kid, nicknamed "Big Head"). To top it off, Big Head is SUPER defensive of his toys and food and EVERYTHING is HIS! He is not big on this "sharing" concept.
I have been working on trying to get them to get along but, I think, it is not working out.
Anywho, last night, in the middle of the night, I hear a ruckus. SPotty and Spot (yes, it is confusing at times) are growling and carrying on over a rawhide bone. It was Spottys bone but, of course, EVERYTHING is Big Heads sooooooo, GRRRRRRRR Bark Bark!!!! SNAP!!!! I separated them, gave the bone back to Spotty, gave Big Head his bone, went back to bed.
An hour or so later I got up to use the bathroom. Spotty was laying beside the bed, on the rug, guarding his bone. When I set my feet on the floor my best buddy bit he ever loving snot out of my foot! I mean he chomped me HARD. Didn't break skin though. I was angry as I could be and snapped on the light, ready to knock the fire outta somebody. What do I see? A Horrified Border Collie, rolled up in a ball and shaking like a leaf. He had a terrified expression on his face. "Oh dear God, I bit dad!"
Now, a few month back I got bit by another dog. My response? A fist across his jaw and racked him up against the wall, then threw him in a crate. No Ifs ands or buts. Spotty bites me? I've got him on the bed, hugging him and asking, "what's wrong boy, what's the matter?" I look over at my wife and she is shaking her head, "I told you that dog can do no wrong, she said, "he could burn down the house and you would be making sure his fur isn't singed."
What can I say, Spotty has been a GREAT dog. When I tripped in a hole in the front yard and fell down, that 50 pound dog tried to pick me up! He stood with me and faced down a bear. He is a great dog and I am not one who believes that "one oh crap!" wipes out a life time of "good doggys." Last night he got to cash in a pile of "good doggy" but, I reckon, he still has a pile to his credit and I owe it to him to take care of what caused the problem in the first place.

LOL!I can relate. As a life time multiple dog owner (as many as 5 at a time because I find it very difficult to turn away a hungry stray) I've had many a situation such as you've described. I've mostly had Labs but a couple of years ago I ended up with a small mix breed that thinks he owns everything and everyone in the house. Somehow a male Beagle got into the same yard with a female Chihuahua (which is a cross between a rat and a vampire bat) and created a little hellion that is extremely smart but also very possessive. He likes his toys but LOVES the other dog's toys (even though they're the same kind of toys) and manages to take what he feels belongs to him, getting himself into trouble with much larger teeth than his own. First there's a small growl and snap, then a big growl when the other dog has had enough and then I'm potentially prying his stupid little arse out of a bigger dog's mouth!
I love Little Cujo,... (yes that's his real name and he lives up to it) as he is for the most part a sweet little dog but he is the biggest challenge I've ever had, especially when he's playing with the family while other dogs are present. My other dogs are constantly looking over their shoulder when they pick up a toy, waiting for Cujo to come charging and their carefree playfulness has become somewhat subdued. I've never been bit or snapped at but if one of my larger dogs ever did I'd have a pretty good idea of why they'd display that behavior.
Sooo cute!

[CoreyR]

How are Spotty and Big Head fed? Do they share a bowl, or do they have their own bowls? Are they fed on a schedule, or do you free feed? When you feed, do you make a big deal out of it, or do you just fling food into the bowl(s) and walk away?

How old was Big Head when you brought him home?

It sounds like the two boys have made up their own set of rules about how things are going to go around the house. Or, at least, they're fighting about who's set of rules are going to be followed.

Can you call either of the dogs off of a toy, or bone, with a "Leave it" command? If you can call them off of something on command, then it may just "jog" their brains into not placing so much value on objects.

"Drop it" might be good to start teaching too.

I'm not a professional dog trainer, so the proverbial grain of salt is recommended. I have, however, worked my dogs with a few professional trainers and it has made all of the difference in the world. I'd avoid the "Purely Positive" folks though. It just seems ridiculous to not correct a dog when the dog knows better. But that's a whole other discussion.

Let's see, Big Head was two, when we got him. He seems to have had some affection issues though. I feed them separately. Spotty is older and has run of the house when we are gone, Big Head and Molly are crate trained and, frankly, both seem happier in their crates while we are away so we feed them in the crates. This way each dog has time to eat without any worries about the other dogs getting to "their" food and without being rushed. I also make certain they have a good chew toy with them.
Spotty will do as I tell him. Big Head? He is like a very stubborn private with a dishonorable discharge wish. He will obey but only after I drop deep into "infantry Sgt." mode. ...and he will challenge me. I am actually looking for a new home for him. One without other pets or kids. I really think he would be a great dog IF he were an ONLY dog. A little affection goes a long, long way with him but he gets really defensive about "his" stuff.