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How can you stop two family dogs from fighting each other?
We have two dogs that have lived together since last November, but all of a sudden they have been fighting. I mean really fighting, drawing blood and everything. We have to keep them separated. One is a 6 year old spade husky lab and the other is a 1 year old american bulldog purebread. Please help!!!
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Hi, This is a difficult situation for you and the dogs. If blood has already been drawn, you might need to call in some reinforcements.
Any Changes in your Household:
My first question for you is - What has changed? If everything was "ok" before and all of a sudden things are different - something must have changed to cause this behavior - perhaps a new family member has arrived or has someone left, have the dynamics in your household changed?
Spay/Neuter:
If the younger is now 'mature' he is now 'of age' and this could be causing the aggression between them. Please consider neutering your intact male - it will help him have a healthier life, he won't accidentally bring any more cute little pups into the already overcrowded dog population, and this will likely help with his over aggressive tendencies in general.
Hire a Behavior Expert / Enroll Dogs in an Obedience Class:
If nothing else has changed, then I would say that this has been building up and that you may have not noticed the warning signs of the dogs becoming possessive/aggressive/dominant.
The breeds you mention are 'stronger' breeds - they are working and guarding breeds - so solving this with these guys will be different than the same situation between a Pomeranians for example :-)
I'd really suggest calling a behavior expert/dog trainer with some solid experience working with problem solving of this kind. You may be (unknowingly) part of the issue and it helps to have a 'neutral' person who has knowledge of dogs to help you.
If you have not yet, and if the behavior trainer feels that the dogs are not too aggressive to participate, try enrolling your dogs (separately) in obedience classes. This will allow them to become polite canines - and to meet new dogs and learn good doggy social manners. You'll have fun spending time with each of them individually too.
It's hard to experience your beloved family dogs fighting each other, I'd urge you to ask for some outside training help if this continues to be a serious problem, good luck.
Any Changes in your Household:
My first question for you is - What has changed? If everything was "ok" before and all of a sudden things are different - something must have changed to cause this behavior - perhaps a new family member has arrived or has someone left, have the dynamics in your household changed?
Spay/Neuter:
If the younger is now 'mature' he is now 'of age' and this could be causing the aggression between them. Please consider neutering your intact male - it will help him have a healthier life, he won't accidentally bring any more cute little pups into the already overcrowded dog population, and this will likely help with his over aggressive tendencies in general.
Hire a Behavior Expert / Enroll Dogs in an Obedience Class:
If nothing else has changed, then I would say that this has been building up and that you may have not noticed the warning signs of the dogs becoming possessive/aggressive/dominant.
The breeds you mention are 'stronger' breeds - they are working and guarding breeds - so solving this with these guys will be different than the same situation between a Pomeranians for example :-)
I'd really suggest calling a behavior expert/dog trainer with some solid experience working with problem solving of this kind. You may be (unknowingly) part of the issue and it helps to have a 'neutral' person who has knowledge of dogs to help you.
If you have not yet, and if the behavior trainer feels that the dogs are not too aggressive to participate, try enrolling your dogs (separately) in obedience classes. This will allow them to become polite canines - and to meet new dogs and learn good doggy social manners. You'll have fun spending time with each of them individually too.
It's hard to experience your beloved family dogs fighting each other, I'd urge you to ask for some outside training help if this continues to be a serious problem, good luck.
source(s):
I have rescued and trained mixed and pure breeds in both basic obedience and problem resolution situations. With one dog I adopted, I worked with an ex police dog trainer for months to help her overcome her aggressive anti-social behavior.
I have rescued and trained mixed and pure breeds in both basic obedience and problem resolution situations. With one dog I adopted, I worked with an ex police dog trainer for months to help her overcome her aggressive anti-social behavior.
voted helpful: jeffhoard
Voted as best: yagelski, bunnyphuphu
I must say that much of the advice I gave was originally from Hillo, who helped me with my own situation, and it was quite useful.
Tip mrnemo for this comment
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I went through this situation recently. Unfortunately, your situation sounds a bit less common. Generally, dogs behave this way when they are first introduced to the same household. When do they fight? Dinner time? Inside or outside? Has the older dog been instigating the fights?
Without these details, the most I can say is, you need to show these dogs who's boss:
1. Have crates for each one of them. Put one in the crate for about an hour and then switch the dogs (if you have this luxury).
2. If they bark or complain when the other one is out, say "NO" firmly, and stare the dog down and don't look away. Or, conversely, if the dog is barking, DON'T look him and simply ignore the barking until the dog realizes it doesn't generate any type of response (this may take a while - "NO!" is probably a better solution). Do not begin treating the senior dog more roughly than in the past or he may attribute it to your fondness of the other dog and be even angrier.
3. Before you eat dinner, put both dogs in their cages and eat. When you are done, let the senior dog eat first and put him back in the cage, and then let the less aggressive dog eat.
4. After about a week of dog switch-a-roo (they get so jealous), have one person take one dog out on the leash, and then take the other dog out on the leash. Walk them together. They should generally be OK.
5. If they seem to be doing OK together on leashes on walks, you could take them to an off-leash dog park and they may end up playing together.
6. Back in the house (at least this is where the trouble usually is), do the same thing - one in, one out of the crate. The point is to control the dogs' lives. You need to let them know you are in charge and you aren't going to take their crap. Use treats to encourage them to mind (reward them for getting in their crates on command).
7. When you have two strong people around, put the more aggressive dog on the leash and let the less aggressive dog wander around (this worked for me, but I have seen the opposite advice before, but I can't imagine letting the more aggressive dog walk around freely). Get some treats and tell the aggressive dog to look at the weaker dog and say the weaker dog's name. Here, we are trying to get the aggressive dog to identify the other dog and "treats," so a positive connection is made between the two. If one of the dogs tries to growl or gives "the stare," yank on their leash and give them a firm "NO." It is key to do it when they give "the stare," or if you see them putting their chins over the other dog's shoulder. That is the moment that needs adjustment. After, well, you're wasting your time. They are in dog mode.
8. I am sure one is the aggressor and one is not. One of them may seem to attack, but this is out of fear. Keep focusing on the fact that three dogs is a pack, so you are the third dog. You need to make them listen by controlling their every move, rewarding good behavior, adjusting bad behavior, and feeding them after you. You need to establish the pecking order. You may invest in a trainer to get you on the road to success. Always rely on the advice of a professional trainer if there is a possibility of personal danger. You may even need to get muzzles while you re-associate the dogs, so they cannot hurt one another, or you. Make sure their nails are trimmed, too, as this can draw blood and leave permanent scars on each dog or on you.
Warning: You need to be careful if they fight. If you have only one on a leash, you need to have a plan where you can separate the dogs, like a bathroom where you can pull the dog on the leash to. NEVER PULL THE DOGS AWAY FROM ONE ANOTHER BY THE COLLAR, or you could end up in the hospital. I've seen it happen. It is better for your two dogs to fight than it is for you to end up seriously injured, as scary as it is. You need two people to really be successful at breaking up a dog fight, and you have to be strong for your larger dog. One way is to take their back legs and then rotate your body in a circle so the dog has to keep moving to stay on his feet (he can't bite if he is fighting to stay up). This is pretty tough in a small area, but the point is, you need to get one of the dogs out of the room. You may need a prong collar for the dogs to yank on them and make them stop. Just stay away from their faces.
Without these details, the most I can say is, you need to show these dogs who's boss:
1. Have crates for each one of them. Put one in the crate for about an hour and then switch the dogs (if you have this luxury).
2. If they bark or complain when the other one is out, say "NO" firmly, and stare the dog down and don't look away. Or, conversely, if the dog is barking, DON'T look him and simply ignore the barking until the dog realizes it doesn't generate any type of response (this may take a while - "NO!" is probably a better solution). Do not begin treating the senior dog more roughly than in the past or he may attribute it to your fondness of the other dog and be even angrier.
3. Before you eat dinner, put both dogs in their cages and eat. When you are done, let the senior dog eat first and put him back in the cage, and then let the less aggressive dog eat.
4. After about a week of dog switch-a-roo (they get so jealous), have one person take one dog out on the leash, and then take the other dog out on the leash. Walk them together. They should generally be OK.
5. If they seem to be doing OK together on leashes on walks, you could take them to an off-leash dog park and they may end up playing together.
6. Back in the house (at least this is where the trouble usually is), do the same thing - one in, one out of the crate. The point is to control the dogs' lives. You need to let them know you are in charge and you aren't going to take their crap. Use treats to encourage them to mind (reward them for getting in their crates on command).
7. When you have two strong people around, put the more aggressive dog on the leash and let the less aggressive dog wander around (this worked for me, but I have seen the opposite advice before, but I can't imagine letting the more aggressive dog walk around freely). Get some treats and tell the aggressive dog to look at the weaker dog and say the weaker dog's name. Here, we are trying to get the aggressive dog to identify the other dog and "treats," so a positive connection is made between the two. If one of the dogs tries to growl or gives "the stare," yank on their leash and give them a firm "NO." It is key to do it when they give "the stare," or if you see them putting their chins over the other dog's shoulder. That is the moment that needs adjustment. After, well, you're wasting your time. They are in dog mode.
8. I am sure one is the aggressor and one is not. One of them may seem to attack, but this is out of fear. Keep focusing on the fact that three dogs is a pack, so you are the third dog. You need to make them listen by controlling their every move, rewarding good behavior, adjusting bad behavior, and feeding them after you. You need to establish the pecking order. You may invest in a trainer to get you on the road to success. Always rely on the advice of a professional trainer if there is a possibility of personal danger. You may even need to get muzzles while you re-associate the dogs, so they cannot hurt one another, or you. Make sure their nails are trimmed, too, as this can draw blood and leave permanent scars on each dog or on you.
Warning: You need to be careful if they fight. If you have only one on a leash, you need to have a plan where you can separate the dogs, like a bathroom where you can pull the dog on the leash to. NEVER PULL THE DOGS AWAY FROM ONE ANOTHER BY THE COLLAR, or you could end up in the hospital. I've seen it happen. It is better for your two dogs to fight than it is for you to end up seriously injured, as scary as it is. You need two people to really be successful at breaking up a dog fight, and you have to be strong for your larger dog. One way is to take their back legs and then rotate your body in a circle so the dog has to keep moving to stay on his feet (he can't bite if he is fighting to stay up). This is pretty tough in a small area, but the point is, you need to get one of the dogs out of the room. You may need a prong collar for the dogs to yank on them and make them stop. Just stay away from their faces.
voted helpful: jeffhoard
Voted as best: lesliec
Nice tips. No. 8 especially.
Please consult a certified dog trainer for advice on how to properly use a muzzle for assisting in training aggressive dogs.
A muzzle is an important part of every dog owners doggy bag (also good to have in case your dog gets injured and as you assist them they try to lash out in pain - most vets use muzzles even on mellow dogs just in case).
Please consult a certified dog trainer for advice on how to properly use a muzzle for assisting in training aggressive dogs.
A muzzle is an important part of every dog owners doggy bag (also good to have in case your dog gets injured and as you assist them they try to lash out in pain - most vets use muzzles even on mellow dogs just in case).
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