Why is my dog behaving this way?

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I have two dogs, an older one, and one who's a couple of years old. The older one is about thirteen years. They get along just fine, except when they are in the house. For some unknown reason, my younger dog sometimes just attacks my older one. As soon as he sees him moving, his ears go up, and he takes an aggressive stance and attacks. He started by getting him off his bed/blanket. The older one would get on their blanket, and the younger one would bark at him to get off. Now he's attacking him. Yet out in the yard they get along just fine. It's only in the house that's the problem. I just don't get it! Anyone know how perhaps I could do something? My older dog doesn't even go everywhere in the house, he stays in the kitchen. The younger one goes everywhere in the house. I'm not sure why he would begrudge him that small space.

Which one of them did you have first, and has one of them been added recently?
Sounds like a territorial thing.
Any idea why the older dog won't go anywhere but the kitchen? That's a bit unusual since most dogs will go wherever they can.

I'm kind of in the same boat regarding dogs but in my case it's separation anxiety.

I had the older one first. I'm not sure why he doesn't go anywhere. Even in our old house, he just stayed in the kitchen. We've had the younger one for a couple of years, since he was a puppy, and they've both gotten along fine until only a few months ago, that my younger one just started attacking him indoors. Like I said, they get along just fine outside. There's just that little problem when they're indoors.

Sounds like a good question for the dog whisperer.....

Perhaps, because they won't explain to me. Right now, the best I can do is when they have to be inside, like when my dad needs to have the gate open, is keep a close eye on my younger dog. As soon as his ears go up, he gets stiff, he doesn't take his eyes off the other dog, I immediately grab his collar. When I do, he doesn't attack me. He just looks pleadingly at me to let him go, and he also tries to jump at him.

How well trained, if at all, is the younger one? Come, sit, lie, stay? Train the little one on leash to stop as soon as he gives the sign he is going to get aggressive. Do a leash correction and sit, stay. Try spending some time doing this each day. You need to spend time at this. Every time the little one breaks stay do a leash correction. Try spending maybe thirty minutes at this and if he breaks stay consistently, try putting little one behind gate in one room where he can still see that the older one has run of the house. Play with this back and forth. It is going to require consistency and patience. You should be able to break this habit by doing this Make the little one earn his free run of the house. In between training sessions maybe muzzle the younger one until he learns what your expectations are. It is not going to happen overnight.

I've had him for a couple of years, and he does sit and stay and stuff. They get along just fine outdoors. He only started attacking him a few months ago.

Maybe, give them separate blankets?

They do have seperate blankets and everything. That's just what I'm so puzzled about. My younger one just started attacking my older one indoors for some unknown reason. They do just fine except that one little detail. They even get 'seperation anxiety' when they're not together. They're very attached to each other. I'm trying to see if I can get him to understand by whenever he shows sign like he's going to attacking him, then putting him outside for a while, so he learns that if he does this, he gets put outside, so it'll discourage him.

How are the changes working out? The sudden start of the aggression is unusual. The older dog needs a safe refuge and the younger dog sounds like he is testing. Can you fit in training sessions when walking them and with their beds and feeding times? Are their beds in the one area?

The younger dog sounds like it is becoming more territorial and perhaps trying to establish itself as top dog.

That it is location specific tells me its territorial. Bed spots are particularly sensitive, so I am not surprised it started there. Dogs are frequently only aggressive within their perceived territory and just fine and friendly outside of it. But for some reason the dog is maybe now viewing the whole house as it's territory.

But other then doing what you are doing, which is addressing good and bad behavior, I am stumped as to any insightful method on how to mend this.

If I was you I would try and get some advice on it by getting on some of the many dog and pet internet sites. Also do a search with key words like 'dog suddenly aggressive towards other dog', etc. I usually can find a wealth of specific information that way. You can also contact your vet about it. It is unusual but must have happened before quite a bit considering how many pet dogs there have been.

Just as an aside, dogs can be prescribed meds just like us, and in fact dogs are often given the same meds as us, as they have been found to work the same for them. Dogs and people have some really basic similiarities.

So it sounds like you have two males...right?

But are either of them altered? Your younger dog may be becoming sexually mature
in which case it's not unusual for one dog to continually reinforce his dominance.

Perhaps give the older male a little wire fence around his bed (or something?) to escape the
continual harassment or to keep the other at "arms length?" He'll love you for it.

Has your older dog become ill? Also how do you react when this happens it sounds as though the younger dog is guarding the beds as if he has the right to dictate (in his mind) where the other should be indoors. Outdoors he may see as neutral ground. You could try not acknowledging the younger one at all when he does it but just remove him to another part of the house and let him calm down. Before letting him return and to keep doing this everyte me until he learns that you are in charge of who sits where.

Have you changed and food or treats or any part of their routines?

They're beds are next to each other. Sometimes they like to sleep together, especially if it's cold. When it's not, they each pick a different spot, sometimes on the beds, sometimes in other areas on the porch.

The territorial one does make some sense. Except for the house, he's very friendly not only with my older dog, but also other dogs. When we take them for walks, he gets really excited when he sees other dogs. He starts barking his 'play with me' bark, and starts pulling on his leash. I pull it back, and though he follows me, he's looking towards the other dogs. Once another dog got out and ran up to him, and they just began to play. He was so enthusiastic, I had a bit of trouble at getting him to stop. He's always trying to make friends.

My younger dog is neutered, the older one is not. Although now that you mention it, I have noticed that before, my older dog would be looking in the areas where the younger one urinated and would urinate over it. Now he doesn't anymore. Even though he's neutered, my younger dog is the one who does that more often. He's actually started marking on vertical surfaces, as well. I know that they still grow up and don't live in eternal puppyhood so to speak, but do altered males still develop dominance and everything? Even if they do, one thing's for sure, there'll never be any doubt in either one's mind that when my dad is around, he's the one in charge, indoors, in the yard, anywhere. My cat is spayed, and she's also pretty territorial, but she's also the only cat and has always been treated like a little princess. She sometimes seems like she's more dominant than me.

The older dog is more my parents' dog than mine, but he is not in the best of health. He has catacts, he's lost some teeth, his hearing isn't the best anymore, and he's developing arthritis among other things. I'd be willing to pay to have him neutered, the vet has recommended this, as he's developed some problems due to that, but my parents insist that I shouldn't because he's old anyway. I pay for his Rimadyl to help him with the pain.

The only change in their routine is that they eat a bit earlier, due to the fact that the sun sets earlier and they get hungry earlier, and as the weather is no longer three digits, they spend more time outside in the nice weather. The only changes in their treats is each month for their heartworm meds.

What breed of dogs do you have? It sounds as though the younger is making a play for top dog within the pack and is letting the older know that he is in charge now that he can no longer fill that roll. When he is going for your other dog is any damage being done or is it just noise? Is there any way you could post video? My partner works for a major canine charity in the UK so I could ask her to show it to a behaviourist.
As for the urination most species of animal in the wild will try to get their scent as high as possible so it makes them appear bigger. For example a taller dog would naturally mark higher with ease. This is probably just apart of your dog reaching maturity and trying to find his place in the neighbourhood and let all the other dogs know that he is young, healthy and leadership worthy, as long as he is not showing any aggression and happily playing I wouldn't be concerned about that. I have actually seen dogs stand on their front legs to mark higher up a tree.
It may be worth trying to place the older dogs food bowl down first to try and assert his role to the younger. I also am not convinced that getting him neutered would make any difference now and if he is not in the best health the anestetic would put him under a great deal of stress.

My (much) better half suggests you can train your younger dog.

Does he understand NO! or will he avoid something if you make an appropriately negative sound?

My wife suggests using a water spray bottle, to reinforce your displeasure with his actions, if needed.

Dogs learn fast if you take a firm hand.