Tippsy's gotten violent...

[Tippsy'smom]

On 2 occasions now, I've had to pull Tippsy off of Dixie. And she's literally was trying to attack her. Both times Dixie wasn't doing anything and they were both on leash in the house(I was trying to take them up to my room and leashes are the easiest way to get it done). The first time was Monday night, as then it was tonight. I don't know what's gotten into her, and I don't know how to stop it... Any ideas?

[Sarahloo]

Now that Tippsy's getting older and and Dixie is no longer a puppy, I imagine she is afraid for her position as pack leader.

[Tippsy'smom]

I'm beginning to think that this is what's causing the fighting.

[Sarahloo]

I hope somebody here can help. Personally, I have zero experience with this scenario.
I mean, it's not like you can just let them fight it out. Or can you? Really don't know! Sorry!

[Sarahloo]

I just found this tidbit:

Once bitches have fought they generally hate each other for life.

[Tippsy'smom]

I just found this tidbit:

Once bitches have fought they generally hate each other for life.

I REALLY don't think they "hate" each other... It's not like an ongoing thing. They'll share a bed and sleep side by side against each other, and it's not just Dixie who instigates these actions. Tippsy will lay next to Dixie. And they play together. I honestly think it's just Tippsy letting Dixie know she's still top dog.

[antoniokane]

get a male dog.

[IliamnasQuest]

I've found that when two dogs within a household are fighting, it's generally because the leadership is not quite strong enough for the personalities of the dogs. With some dogs you can be really lax and allow a lot of individuality in their behavior - with others you have to maintain a very rigid leadership to avoid the fights.

Fighting can start for a number of reasons. Changes in the group can cause it, such as adding in a new dog or a new person, or losing a member of the group. Dogs that are maturing and coming into their adult personalities (this can range from a year of age or sometimes younger, to 2 years old or a bit older) often pick fights in order to find their spot in the hierarchy. It's not unusual for a dog that is around 18 months or so to suddenly start acting up. This is normal behavior but certainly not desireable.

Some dogs start acting up due to a desire to guard their belongings, food or even other dogs or people. Resource guarding is also normal but not desireable. All of these problems can be traced back to one basic problem: the dogs are trying to be the leaders and trying to say what is allowed and what isn't, instead of leaving that up to the humans. Strong leadership is the key to creating a harmonious home.

So what I usually recommed is that those who are having dogs that are not getting along is to first maintain the situation so that no one gets hurt. This may mean having to separate the dogs at times, at least initially until things are changed a bit. Using gates, exercise pens and crates, it's not too hard to keep them separate but still allow them some interaction. In many cases the dogs can be left together when there's a person available to watch them but should be separated when they're left alone so as to avoid a bad fight when no one's around.

Once the maintenance is set up, the people in the household need to implement rules that everyone will follow (humans AND dogs). There are a lot of theory as to why the rules work but the reality is that it makes the humans aware of everything that their dogs do and makes them work to control all the behaviors, thereby raising their status to the dogs. These rules consist of basics like the following:

1. Dogs must wait at doorways until allowed to go through. Humans have the right to go first. This is taught by opening the door slightly and then closing it when the dog moves toward it (don't catch the dog in the door!). Do this until the dog stops trying to go forward. Dogs should automatically (without command!) wait at a doorway until told to go through.

2. Dogs must not go past people in stairways or tight hallways (this is a safety factor too).

3. Dogs must not get on furniture until requested by a human, and must get off immediately if told to get off. No dog should dictate to a human whether or not the human can be on the furniture!

4. Dogs must earn attention, food, play time, etc. This is a nice quick way to get your dog to focus on you. Take it literally - request a sit, a down, a trick, or just eye-to-eye attention before the dog gets anything. This is a good time to teach some new behaviors, too, so you have a nice variety of things to do! Just a simple "sit" before they get petted, or a quick paw shake before a treat, helps teach the dog that things aren't free and that the humans have the control.

5. Teach the dog to go to their bed. If you don't have a dog bed, use a small rug or blanket and teach your dog to go to their blanket and to lie down on it. This is a really handy behavior anyhow, but also helps enforce the concept that YOU are the leader.

6. Feed the dog by hand, expecting a behavior for each small handful of food. This is something that is really effective too. It does take a bit of time but is well worth it, and helps teach your dog focus AND (again) helps enforce the idea that you're the leader.

7. Obedience, obedience, obedience!! And no excuse that these are chows .. *L* .. these are extremely SMART dogs and well capable of learning anything that we choose to teach them. But do it in a happy, positive way (it won't even seem like obedience then!). Khana loves it when I get out the treats and say "training time!" - she runs over to the little bench I often use and puts her front feet up on it, looking over her shoulder at me in hopes that the treat is on the way to her mouth. All of my chows have really enjoyed learning because I really reward the behaviors I like, and they actually learn faster than my shepherds have. The more you do with them, the more they view you as the one in charge.

These rules can be expanded or shortened as needed for each particular situation. I highly recommend that if someone is having a problem with dogs fighting to do these with ALL the dogs in the household, not just the one that appears to be causing the problem. Sometimes the problem is being initiated quietly by another dog, and the dog with the most volatile personality is the one that appears to be creating the fight when it's actually a different dog.

Once the rules have been implemented, stick with them for a while - weeks at least. They do become automatic after a bit, and while it may seem like a lot to do it really isn't. The well-being of our dogs comes first, and these are simple ways to help the dogs (mentally) find the right behaviors. When the dogs start putting the humans at the top of the heirarchy - viewing them as the leaders, not general members of the group - then the humans have the ability to dictate the dogs' behaviors more successfully. Grumbling and tiffs may still happen but a quick "HEY!" or "Knock if off!" from the human should result in an immediate halt of the fighting behavior once the dogs are truly seeing the humans as the leaders. If, after implementing some of the rules for a couple of weeks, you are still seeing arguments between the dogs then more rules (and absolutely strictness to those rules by the humans) should be added.

Another trick to getting dogs (and cats, for that matter! *L*) to see you as a leader is an exercise I call "crowding". I've done this for some 20 years now and it's really effective. Simply put, you quickly and quietly crowd the dog out of the room. For example, if one of my dogs did something pushy that I didn't like, instead of scolding or correcting, I would simply walk into the dog and crowd her until I pushed her completely out of the room. I wouldn't shove her (most of the time there's no need to touch at all), but by getting into her space and continuing to get into her space, I move her to where I want her. It's a very mentally demanding exercise for the dog. Many will take it as playful at first, but as you continue and you are SILENT, they get less playful and start looking at you in a bit of a worried fashion. This is good because now they're thinking "woah, I need to pay attention!". It's good to practice this before it's actually needed - once a day or so, just crowd your dog out of the room. It's not harsh. Stand up straight, keep your face calm, keep your arms quiet, keep your mouth closed and simply crowd your dog until you've moved her to where you want to. Then go back to your chair or the couch and let her return. It's a mind game in a way, but very effective.

I know that a lot of people have trouble keeping bitches together, but I've kept up to five together (living in the house with me, free to move around each other - with one or two intact) without any real problems. There were occasional fights, I increased my leadership and the fights stopped. I never hesitated to bring another female into the household. I prefer females so that's what I have.

With a bit of commitment, you can get females to live together peacefully. It does help if you start the rules and behavior modifications early in life, but they work with adopted adult bitches too. Dora was more than a year old when I got her and she initially fought with Kylee, but once I set up rules and she learned who the true leader was, she was able to be a normal, happy member of the group. The little bit of time it took was worth it!

Good luck to any who are dealing with these behavior problems -

Melanie and the girls in Alaska
Khana CD RE SD (Chow - Ranked #1 in rally rankings 2007)
Tazer (GSD)
And always in my heart:
Dora NA NAJ CGC (Chow)
Kylee 4CDs, CDX NA NAJ NJC NAC BH HIC CGC (Chow - #1 Chow in AKC obedience 1993 & 1995)
Trick 3CDs, RE NAP NJP HIC CGC (GSD)
Dawson 2 CDs, UD HIC CGC (GSD)
Lady 2 CDs, UD STDs CGC (Aussie - #6 Novice Aussie 1995-6)

[Tippsy'smom]

get a male dog.

We have 2 males in our household... And 3 females.

I've found that when two dogs within a household are fighting, it's generally because the leadership is not quite strong enough for the personalities of the dogs. With some dogs you can be really lax and allow a lot of individuality in their behavior - with others you have to maintain a very rigid leadership to avoid the fights.

Fighting can start for a number of reasons. Changes in the group can cause it, such as adding in a new dog or a new person, or losing a member of the group. Dogs that are maturing and coming into their adult personalities (this can range from a year of age or sometimes younger, to 2 years old or a bit older) often pick fights in order to find their spot in the hierarchy. It's not unusual for a dog that is around 18 months or so to suddenly start acting up. This is normal behavior but certainly not desireable.

Some dogs start acting up due to a desire to guard their belongings, food or even other dogs or people. Resource guarding is also normal but not desireable. All of these problems can be traced back to one basic problem: the dogs are trying to be the leaders and trying to say what is allowed and what isn't, instead of leaving that up to the humans. Strong leadership is the key to creating a harmonious home.

So what I usually recommed is that those who are having dogs that are not getting along is to first maintain the situation so that no one gets hurt. This may mean having to separate the dogs at times, at least initially until things are changed a bit. Using gates, exercise pens and crates, it's not too hard to keep them separate but still allow them some interaction. In many cases the dogs can be left together when there's a person available to watch them but should be separated when they're left alone so as to avoid a bad fight when no one's around.

Once the maintenance is set up, the people in the household need to implement rules that everyone will follow (humans AND dogs). There are a lot of theory as to why the rules work but the reality is that it makes the humans aware of everything that their dogs do and makes them work to control all the behaviors, thereby raising their status to the dogs. These rules consist of basics like the following:

1. Dogs must wait at doorways until allowed to go through. Humans have the right to go first. This is taught by opening the door slightly and then closing it when the dog moves toward it (don't catch the dog in the door!). Do this until the dog stops trying to go forward. Dogs should automatically (without command!) wait at a doorway until told to go through.

2. Dogs must not go past people in stairways or tight hallways (this is a safety factor too).

3. Dogs must not get on furniture until requested by a human, and must get off immediately if told to get off. No dog should dictate to a human whether or not the human can be on the furniture!

4. Dogs must earn attention, food, play time, etc. This is a nice quick way to get your dog to focus on you. Take it literally - request a sit, a down, a trick, or just eye-to-eye attention before the dog gets anything. This is a good time to teach some new behaviors, too, so you have a nice variety of things to do! Just a simple "sit" before they get petted, or a quick paw shake before a treat, helps teach the dog that things aren't free and that the humans have the control.

5. Teach the dog to go to their bed. If you don't have a dog bed, use a small rug or blanket and teach your dog to go to their blanket and to lie down on it. This is a really handy behavior anyhow, but also helps enforce the concept that YOU are the leader.

6. Feed the dog by hand, expecting a behavior for each small handful of food. This is something that is really effective too. It does take a bit of time but is well worth it, and helps teach your dog focus AND (again) helps enforce the idea that you're the leader.

7. Obedience, obedience, obedience!! And no excuse that these are chows .. *L* .. these are extremely SMART dogs and well capable of learning anything that we choose to teach them. But do it in a happy, positive way (it won't even seem like obedience then!). Khana loves it when I get out the treats and say "training time!" - she runs over to the little bench I often use and puts her front feet up on it, looking over her shoulder at me in hopes that the treat is on the way to her mouth. All of my chows have really enjoyed learning because I really reward the behaviors I like, and they actually learn faster than my shepherds have. The more you do with them, the more they view you as the one in charge.

These rules can be expanded or shortened as needed for each particular situation. I highly recommend that if someone is having a problem with dogs fighting to do these with ALL the dogs in the household, not just the one that appears to be causing the problem. Sometimes the problem is being initiated quietly by another dog, and the dog with the most volatile personality is the one that appears to be creating the fight when it's actually a different dog.

Once the rules have been implemented, stick with them for a while - weeks at least. They do become automatic after a bit, and while it may seem like a lot to do it really isn't. The well-being of our dogs comes first, and these are simple ways to help the dogs (mentally) find the right behaviors. When the dogs start putting the humans at the top of the heirarchy - viewing them as the leaders, not general members of the group - then the humans have the ability to dictate the dogs' behaviors more successfully. Grumbling and tiffs may still happen but a quick "HEY!" or "Knock if off!" from the human should result in an immediate halt of the fighting behavior once the dogs are truly seeing the humans as the leaders. If, after implementing some of the rules for a couple of weeks, you are still seeing arguments between the dogs then more rules (and absolutely strictness to those rules by the humans) should be added.

Another trick to getting dogs (and cats, for that matter! *L*) to see you as a leader is an exercise I call "crowding". I've done this for some 20 years now and it's really effective. Simply put, you quickly and quietly crowd the dog out of the room. For example, if one of my dogs did something pushy that I didn't like, instead of scolding or correcting, I would simply walk into the dog and crowd her until I pushed her completely out of the room. I wouldn't shove her (most of the time there's no need to touch at all), but by getting into her space and continuing to get into her space, I move her to where I want her. It's a very mentally demanding exercise for the dog. Many will take it as playful at first, but as you continue and you are SILENT, they get less playful and start looking at you in a bit of a worried fashion. This is good because now they're thinking "woah, I need to pay attention!". It's good to practice this before it's actually needed - once a day or so, just crowd your dog out of the room. It's not harsh. Stand up straight, keep your face calm, keep your arms quiet, keep your mouth closed and simply crowd your dog until you've moved her to where you want to. Then go back to your chair or the couch and let her return. It's a mind game in a way, but very effective.

I know that a lot of people have trouble keeping bitches together, but I've kept up to five together (living in the house with me, free to move around each other - with one or two intact) without any real problems. There were occasional fights, I increased my leadership and the fights stopped. I never hesitated to bring another female into the household. I prefer females so that's what I have.

With a bit of commitment, you can get females to live together peacefully. It does help if you start the rules and behavior modifications early in life, but they work with adopted adult bitches too. Dora was more than a year old when I got her and she initially fought with Kylee, but once I set up rules and she learned who the true leader was, she was able to be a normal, happy member of the group. The little bit of time it took was worth it!

Good luck to any who are dealing with these behavior problems -

Melanie and the girls in Alaska
Khana CD RE SD (Chow - Ranked #1 in rally rankings 2007)
Tazer (GSD)
And always in my heart:
Dora NA NAJ CGC (Chow)
Kylee 4CDs, CDX NA NAJ NJC NAC BH HIC CGC (Chow - #1 Chow in AKC obedience 1993 & 1995)
Trick 3CDs, RE NAP NJP HIC CGC (GSD)
Dawson 2 CDs, UD HIC CGC (GSD)
Lady 2 CDs, UD STDs CGC (Aussie - #6 Novice Aussie 1995-6)

Thanks Melanie! The fighting actually has stopped. I corrected Tippsy when she lunged at Dixie both times it happened, and she hasn't done it since. But I HIGHLY believe since Dixie is 8 months old, Tippsy (who's 10, 11 in May) started feeling that her position as beta was being threatened. But I've got everything under control now and everyone is well adjusted and happy.