So I went to the pet store to buy a muzzle . . . . .
Our geriatric border collie has shown herself to be a VERY crotchety old lady. If she were a quart of milk, we'd be checking her expiration date. She had infected the whole house with a fair bit of negative energy ever since the new GSD arrived. For her part, the GSD, a normally sweet dog who has no dog aggression issues at all, reacts as anyone might when attacked. She fights back. Thus far, each dog has a wound near an eye, each has one muzzle bite and one head bite, all with broken skin.
We pretty good at separating them without getting between them. (THAT is too, too dangerous with these two.) Once separated, it is over. Until the next time. This has happened three times in the week the GSD has been here.
When the GSD has encountered other dogs (by my estimate, at least 50) on our many walks here and at the park a few miles away, she is almost completely non-reactive, staying, instead, in "heel" with her ear almost touching the outside of my knee. She pretty much ignores other dogs except to glance at them as they pass. On the rare occasion one has barked at her, she does bark, but stops immediately when I tell her to.
Anyway, all of that is the long way around to say the old dog is a problem and is upsetting the whole house. I decided to try a soft muzzle to get a little peace.
The lady at the pet store asked why I wanted a muzzle. I explained. She knows our dogs and suggested the right size for Ms. Thang. Once that was done, she said she wanted to suggest perhaps a more effective, and far less burdensome solution.
This:
It is a diffuser that emits the pheromone (not sure if real or synthetic) a mother dog gives off when nursing a litter. The purpose is to keep the pups calm at this tender time. Turns out, this stuff works on dogs of any age. Not all dogs, but enough that it is worth a try.
So I bought one, along with the muzzle. One way or another, there were going to be no more doggie dust-ups started by DivaDawg.
The damned thing WORKS! The dogs are all calm. Really. I know I sound like an infomercial, but the facts are the facts. Since plugging it in there hasn't been one growl, one evil eye, one sneer or snarl. Toys are being shared.
It is as if the cosmos snatched our geriatric psycho dog and replaced her with her old self.
If you have a need to keep a dog (or dogs) calm, please investigate this. As I said, and as the product itself says, it doesn't work on all dogs, but for those on whom it works, it is very effective. And you have nothing to lose. It has a 30 day money back guarantee. The lady at the store was quick to point out that no one, so far, has returned one. At fifty bucks, if it didn't work, I'd expect someone to want their money back.
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Hope it works out.
Our old (14 year old) beagle mix has always been testy but is now just dead damned sure whoever she is after is going to die before she lets go. Our Standard Poodles take it in stride and have figured out how to calm her down by making it into a game. This dog has never played with anyone nor was she ever interested in toys she was only interested in running things 
We are driving across several states this weekend with the Poodles to go to a reunion of sorts but we have to take little miss I RULE THE WORLD too. <---please don't take that wrong, we love her with all our hearts but she is the destroyer of all good times. Staying in a hotel with them has us nervous and this could help but mostly it might help in general at home.
Since she has always been this way I doubt it will work 100% however 20% would go a long way to making things easier.
Yup, I have scars from getting in between her and another dog. She never means to bite me but I stick my arm there.......
Thanks, great timing for you to post this as far as I go.
