She does try to block the little dogs from my attention. TVMA However, some breeds by nature are not social butterflies, and this must be respected. Resources, therefore, can be both contextual and subjective. At times, when dogs are playing, the high arousal levels may also elicit a fight. My husband takes the 2 younger ones and I take the 7 year old. Then take the dog to another room or restrain on a leash when picking up the toy. The 6 year old is neutered, the 16 month old is not. Thinking it was a one time thing, we closed off the closet they were attempting to sleep in, separated the dogs for the night, and they seemed to be OK the next day. Answer: We may never know exactly why dogs sometimes act this way. When two dogs are highly aroused by a trigger heard or seen behind a fence this may elicit a fight. This behavior is often considered normal, but some dogs can become excessively aggressive due to learning and genetic factors. I have a male boxer (father) who is around 8 years old and a boxer/American bulldog (son) who is about 5 years old. In nature, spending lots of energy fighting on minor issues is counter-productive as animals must save their energy on more important issues such as hunting and survival. If they are calm, son enters and ignores them. We all want what we don’t have, dogs included. Once this is addressed, the difference is like night and day. Attempt to distract the dog with another toy, treat or food item thrown in the other direction. No more dog park but if you know some pals he gets along with that aren't into mounting or engaging in bully behaviors, have some play time with them under a controlled setting. It’s safe to say they were running the house and we just wanted peace and to keep them both. We are in a small town and don't have access to a behavioral consultant so after any help/advice would be great. Will snuggle up through the bars. Adrienne Farricelli (author) on November 25, 2019: These are difficult situations. I have two older dogs,one large male who is younger ,like 7 or 8,and one medium female like 8 or 9.The male is a lab, and the female is a begale.They don't fight all the time but when they do ,the female is usually left bleeding . Last year, I was attacked by a dog at my job, so I'm not sure if I'm just overthinking it when they start play fighting, but I think I focus more on how they play fight because of it, and to me, it has gotten more violent and I don't know what to do. I have 2 Pit Bulls, 1 is a Female about 5yrs old, and the other is a Male 1 in a half yrs old. We have a 9mth old blue staffy female, but for the last month or so she been attacking our older staffy male or 10yrs, sometimes these fights are horrendous to witness, we just dont know where its come from, they got on fabulous at first they would do everything together but since she came on heat for the first time, she's started attacking him, the other day she just attacked him for no reason whatsoever, we've as a family have never favoured one over the other both equally in everything we do and give. … My female passed recently and she was my 8yr old males best friend and also the leader of the pack… She always would break up any fuss … Between him and my male puppy who has just became two and matured and now the 8 yr old is constantly picking fights. The one that got attacked almost bleed in the eye twice. And it gets bad. They also went crazy if i only walk one dog. What can I do to rectify the situation? And SO, all of a sudden I hear a terrible growl under the table. Why Are my dogs fighting all of a sudden? Often a change in thyroid levels will trigger a behavior issue. we are very in tune to each other and spend almost all of our time together and this isn't how he would react unless he's pushed to his limit. In female dogs, the hormonal changes taking place during the estrus cycle and pregnancy may particularly elicit fights. I know because of this I have a bias but I want this to be fixed so badly that i'm trying my best to look at every reason why he would react this way and the main conclusion I have come to is that it's a team effort to fight and he feels like he has to in order to keep his rank. Sometimes the boxer starts it. I feel it happens more when the saluki sees me giving the lab attention or taking the lab for a walk or to play alone. I just hope that I can figure out what's going on and stop it. The other dog has quite a few puncture holes and was bleeding. I am a little less clear on how I might alleviate tension. This is why we often see fights in dogs of similar or equal rank when the ritualized displays are ignored. Surgery. After a week, I tried to make them get along by taking them for a walk, and make them interact, but it didn't work. They have never fought very often occasionally over food. I have read about breeding and packs and age but I am having trouble just getting a straight answer on what can be done to stop this or help with it besides keeping them separated all the time messing up a five year routine. He shows dominance by mounting my dog often especially when my boyfriend and I are play fighting. I break them up and try to stop the youngest from annoying him. Now as soon as they see each other it’s a fight, especially for one. I plan to fix both the female and pup, but can only afford to do one right now. This may mean in crates or in separate areas of the home where they can't reach each other. More distance may help, but crates would be the safest option. 4 of which are rescues. They are both fixed and they are taken to the vet for checkups. Ouchy. both have trips to the vet in a few days just to check all the bases and make sure there isn't anything going in internally. Countless dog owners deal with them and sometimes even on a daily basis. Never feed two dogs next to each other. She plays great with village dog. Luckily, there is an explanation for this shift. This is one of the biggest problems affecting owners of multiple dogs, and sadly one of the most difficult to manage. There is some evidence that dogs involved in aggressive situations with the dogs they live with do have a tendency to show aggression in other situations. Im 4 months pregnant and in the past month have had to break up a few fights on my own as my partner was at work (works later than me) and I’ve got bitten in the process of breaking them up. Tell your daughter to move out, Something about these pits don’t like these bulldogs lol. The last fight has brought me to tears and I felt like I was going to pass out and thank God my dad was there to stop them or I don’t know what would have happened. This is because the older dog may have helped to maintain a stable relationship amongst all dogs and now they are trying to establish new positions. The fights were scary and I am very anxious about getting them back together! Trying to make the dogs "sort things out" is not recommended. also my lab is my service dog and has never done something like this before even though he is the dominant dog of the house. Keep especially desired toys out of reach. Likewise, the visitor dog may try to dominate their new surroundings. The older dog has weak back legs and often has a hard time standing and often has to be helped. Many fights are territorial, such as when a strange dog enters your yard. Young female and adult male pits usually play well together, and when somehing relatively srerious breaks out it usually is over in a minute or two. I am at a point where i have even considered rehoming, but they are like family. Other possibilities for two household dogs fighting include pain/injury, illness, territorial aggression, or maternal aggression. The female is around 5 years and the male is about 2 1/2. I have 6 dogs total. indeed, they are masters in ritualized aggression. My fear is if something was to happen to the baby and one of the males got put down and it was all because i selfishly wanted to keep him when I know there was risk factors there. The English Bull Dog was a gift from my deceased husband that died this past March & I love him. In the wild, there is a separate hierarchy structure for males and females within a pack, so a male and a female together in the same home are potentially more likely to maintain harmony as they are both maintaining their own separate “top dog” statuses. I'm very concerned about both dogs and want to do what's best for both of them. Depending on the severity and cause, surgery may slow down the effects or even correct your pet’s paralysis. He has also started showing fear toward strangers who approach us and will growl at them. She turns on her side as you rub her belly, and she kneads her paws in contentment. I am having to take turns locking each one in a kennel while the other is out. Great hub. The 2 year old has suddenly started to attack the are older girl while out walking. But they are still having the odd fight which puts us on edge. Thanks! I have a french bull dog female and a yorkie female. Recently our golden and our beagle have began fighting. Complications from bite wounds can lead to severe pain and infection and permanent tissue damage, sometimes even requiring plastic surgery. Please help. my current resident dog, he is 3 and usually very soppy caring, wouldn’t say boo to a goose kind of dog but he keeps going for the new puppy, I’ve never seen him be like this and I’ve had him since 8 weeks old. We do not want to have to get rid of either dog because we don’t know anyone who can take them but we can’t not have them fight. Thanks. About the growling of others, it's hard to say what may have started it, but you can work on it, by finding a trainer who uses positive training techniques based on countercondiitoinng and desensitization. We’ve been trying to keep them separate at their most active time of the day (when most of the fights have broken out) but the older male has been starting the fights when we let the younger male in from going to the bathroom outside so we began playing musical dogs by placing them all in separate rooms to try and reduce the problem but I don’t want to do this forever. Every dollar makes Answer: You have several options: You can keep them separated all of the time, rehoming one or consulting with a behavior professional. A few months would past and then another fight and it’s been a continued cycle for 2and a half years. Family vacations mean a lot of people and potentially multiple dogs that are unfamiliar with each other in the same house. Also, remember that not everyone at a dog park has the same consideration, and even a docile dog can become involved in a fight. 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