When your dogs get in a fight

[GR8DAME]

Merlin & Strider play fight all the time, sounds terrible, looks awful but totally benign. Raven, on the other hand, will periodically take on my Mom's shepard mix, Lady, on one of her frequent visits. It will start over nothing, just walking past each other, and one doesn't like the others look, I guess. I have to break it up, because the other two will decide to step in and then I have a four-way fight to handle. There has been one trip each to the vet for stitches, and one trip to the ER for me for stitches when I did't move fast enough to intervene in the situation. After I got slashed by a stray tooth, I totally lost it and sent everyone cowering into corners. (They were still there when we returned from the ER) Since then there has only been one serious altercation, and I stopped that with a loud "KNOCK IT OFF!!!" and a glare.
Stella

[Anky]

The boys are never really that bad.  Occasionally Sanity will over step and Hobo'll grab him by the throat for a little bit then let go.  Araby is ATROCIOUS!  Moni and Andi have both heard her over the phone and she sounds like she's killing something.  Sometimes she'll do it when she's standing by herself, but most of the time, she's going after the boys, jumping, snapping, snarling, gnawing, grabbing onto them and dragging them around the yard (And yes the 30 pound Setter drags around the 150 pound Dane.  Or at least tugs.)  Someone once told me, "If you don't know if they're playing or not, it means they're playing.  When it's a real fight you'll know it"

Ang

[Anakalia]

Well Koby's 170lbs. and Ramsey is 7lbs so we don't have many fights here.  Ramsey has been known to start fights but it ends very quick!  I've seen it happen about 3 different times and it ends the same every time...... Ramsey will go up to Koby and snarl and growl and sound vicious....... Koby goes up and slaps Ramsey in the face with his paw (Koby's paw is the size of Ramsey's head).....Ramsey then licks Koby's nose and voila the fight is over!  Ramsey is in constant fight for dominance (he's got mental issues) but yet he's very submissive at the same time so I'm confused, but as long as they don't hurt each other then I don't worry about it too much.  I think the neutering will take care of some of the fighting but that's JMO! 

Andi

[Kermit]

...I am talking watching my sweet little Pippin turn into a killer dog right before my eyes & tries to rip Sam's face off...

I know exactly what you are talking about here! Zoot had been my precious loving sweet-sweet for years, and then Nigel moved in with us. One time over a tiny piece of kibble on the floor, Zoot totally did that werewolf thing and bit a hole through Nigel's ear. I was apalled! I had never seen that side of him! Back then, Nigel was smaller than Zoot so Zoot established dominance. Well, I'm not sure if Nigel knows it yet, but he is bigger than Zoot now and I have a feeling the fights are going to start back up again. It's hard to think about not intervening, I had to step in that time with the ear-piercing but it was too late. I was able to doctor Nigel up by myself luckily. It is scary to see your babies fight, it's hard to explain the emotional feeling after it happens- it feels like heartbreak. I get really depressed when my dogs have disputes. Can't we all just get along, boys???
My landlords have something like 13 dogs so I asked them how things go at their house, and they say the dogs work things out on their own, with an occasional small wound. They said the same thing a lot of others said on here, that if it is a serious fight, you will know it, and the adrenaline takes over and you do whatever it takes to get them apart.
 
I really hope something gets worked out between your boys, I know how hard it is to cope with!!!

[GYPSY JAZMINE]

Ty everyone for all the input!...It's just hard watching my sweet natured boys turn into snarling, snarfing, lunging dogs...I got alot of good advise on thsi thread though & that helps!...Lisa, Pippin will be 7 months old on the 19th I think it is (my memory is totally not cooperating today!) & it's the same day he gets neutered...Wha t a happy b-day huh?

[DixieSugarBear]

That is almost the same age that Dixie was sure she could beat Sugar Bear up.  As funny as it sounds I worry more about Dixie hurting Sugar Bear than the other way around.  I did find it over and done with if I do not get in and stop it.  When I would stop it they would give each other "the look" for about the next 30 min.  When I leave them alone when it is over it is over.  I hate watching them get into it.  It has only been a few time but that is enough for me.  There has never been any blood.


Lisa

Ty everyone for all the input!...It's just hard watching my sweet natured boys turn into snarling, snarfing, lunging dogs...I got alot of good advise on thsi thread though & that helps!...Lisa, Pippin will be 7 months old on the 19th I think it is (my memory is totally not cooperating today!) & it's the same day he gets neutered...Wha t a happy b-day huh?

[Joji]

Our pair, an akita and a shiba, have gone at it a couple times and I *always* break them up (even though the shiba is 70 pounds lighter than the akita, his tenacity to win the fight is unbelievable).  Right or wrong, I take the approach that I'm the alpha and I decide who fights who.  Generally speaking, I ward off confrontations with distraction ... I watch my pair's interaction close enough that I usually recognize preceding fight behavior and can intercede with distractions (toys, treats or even just going outside for 5 minutes). My favorite knuckleheads have poor short-term memory and don't remember being miffed afterward. 

[GYPSY JAZMINE]

That is almost the same age that Dixie was sure she could beat Sugar Bear up.  As funny as it sounds I worry more about Dixie hurting Sugar Bear than the other way around.  I did find it over and done with if I do not get in and stop it.  When I would stop it they would give each other "the look" for about the next 30 min.  When I leave them alone when it is over it is over.  I hate watching them get into it.  It has only been a few time but that is enough for me.  There has never been any blood.


Lisa

Same here...I'm sure Pippin would clean Sammy's clock!

[Newf Lover]

I'm the alpha dog here, When I wade into a fight yelling and stomping, the fight ends RIGHT THEN!

This works EVERY TIME!  Whether at home or at the dog park.  Gotta let them know who's boss.  I read someone say to let them fight or it leaves things unresolved, uh that's stupid.  So you let your dog get injured because you're afraid if you break up the fight they will plot and sceme an even worse fight?  Uh, DUH!  They're dogs, as smart as they are, they aren't THAT cognitive.  We are the Alpha and what we says goes or we lose control.

[GrumpyBunny]

Ty everyone for all the input!...It's just hard watching my sweet natured boys turn into snarling, snarfing, lunging dogs...I got alot of good advise on thsi thread though & that helps!...Lisa, Pippin will be 7 months old on the 19th I think it is (my memory is totally not cooperating today!) & it's the same day he gets neutered...Wha t a happy b-day huh?

It IS so hard to, as doghealer puts it, watch your "precious, loving sweet-sweets" go at each other.  But I think it is always important to remember that it is a normal part of being a dog.  It doesn't mean that they are bad dogs, or mean dogs, or that there is something "wrong" with them.  They are just being dogs, and that is their normal, natural way of communicating and working things out. 

I always have to remind myself of that when our guys are being butts to each other, and I want to scream "Why can't you just BE GOOD?" at them...