Dog fight~ they usually love each other~what can I do to prevent?

[86121]

It sounds like a witch fight, with one lady determined to be the top.
Training will help, however from my 12 years of dog training, animal control, and dog raising experience, and from my mothers 20+ years of raising AKC Show boxer's and then beagles, we have both come to an agreement that you may always have a problem. Like I said, training will help. However when you are not home crate one of your dogs. Do not leave them alone together no mater what. Last thing you need is a witch fight like we had, we trusted my mothers two show beagles out together when we were not home and came home to a blood bath! Floor to ceiling, and then a 200$ vet bill to stitch the both of them back up.
When you are home until you see a trainer, keep a very close eye on them. Stay calm and relaxed, or they might get tense from that, but keep an eye on them and watch there body language.
And even after the training I would not trust them but thats just me, back in the day my mother had two boxer's Abby and Rose. It started off with a little tussle here and there, and then full blown fights for the status of "Alpha girl" it got so bad, that even with training my mother had to place Rose in a whole other home. Sometimes two dogs, just like two people, absolutely hate each other and there is nothing you can do about it.
Definitely seek training before it gets to bad! Dont trust them until you do, and keep one crated when you are not home!
Best of luck to you, and I hope this gets resolved for you without problems!

 

[carolinagirl58]

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It's a breed thing mostly, but there are a LOT of breeds in which it is common. I have 2 intact female chihuahuas and never a second of fighting has happened between them(one is 10 and the other is 7). My 3rd dog is a female pit bull and she has never had any disagreements with them either (although she hates other female dogs). It is more common among females, but it can also be bad between males. This type of thing is really common among terriers (pretty much all of them), GSD (and really any breed genetically closer to wolves), any of the large powerful guard or watch dog breeds (rotties, pits, doberman, etc). You will probably never see it in hunting dogs (labs, bird dogs, hounds, etc) because they have been bred for generations to work as a group. It's most certainly a breed thing.

 

[Windrider]

Quote:
Thanks... I was gonna say, what the heck?! I've had dogs all my life, always females and usually two or three at a time and never a fight amongst them ever (not to say there isn't dominance going on, they just are more subtle about it). All my dog-owning friends have multiple females too, and they don't have fights either. But we all have herding breeds - I've had collies and shelties, and my friends mostly have Aussies and collies. In fact, the collie breeders around here will let all their breeding stock run together except for females in heat or with young puppies, and there are no fights. They like to brag that they can even have males together without fighting when there is a female in heat nearby.

All this doesn't help the OP, but I find it interesting how some wolf behaviors are almost completely bred out of some breeds while other wolf behaviors are retained (such as the drive for herding).

 

[carolinagirl58]

Quote:
Yep....it's pretty darn hard to fight genetics. Look how some dog adore water and other hate it. Some dogs love to roam and some are home bodies. Some dogs want to herd sheep, some want to protect them, and some want to eat them. And then you have some that like to kick doggie butt and fight for dominance. I don't like that my female pit bull is so dog aggressive but she is only doing what generations of breeding has taught her to do.

 

[punk-a-doodle]

Whew, that helps put my mind at ease Windrunner. Hoping to get a second cattle dog in two years or so, and all this talk of fighting females was making me reconsider. I guess I shouldn't be so paranoid, cause our girl is super submissive around any dog...but that just sounds like a heartbreaking situation when dogs do fight.

 

[MiniatureCochin]

If you don't want to find a new home for one of your dogs, you could consider this: Crate & Rotate. (Or block them off from eachother in different rooms w/baby gates)
It's not a permanent fix, but it works until you can sort things out with your dogs

Good luck,


MiniatureCochin

 

[Kyle241]

Sorry to read about this as dog fights can be very scary and can happen quickly. My suggestion is muzzle them while you are away and I know some people will not like this but a good muzzle is not a bad thing as it allows them to breath and drink water without issues. It also will possibly save one of your pup's lives as they cannot do damage to each other. We muzzle our Greyhounds when we leave the house always as you will be surprised what can happen while you are not there. The best of friends can sometimes turn on each other. In your case I believe your issue is your Pit Bull who is older is concerned with being pushed aside by your younger GSD who sounds like she has alpha characteristics. Dogs have their own communication and ways that we cannot understand easily. I hope you can find a good solution that works for you.