Do I need to keep my dogs separated if they only fight on occasion?
Dogs fighting in a home is the most complicated issue we address as behavior specialists because there are many reasons that dogs can fight, including poor social skills, damage to their relationship, guarding resources, medical issues, or inability to control themselves in exciting situations.
Here are some examples of situations we’ve heard:
Dogs in the home used to play as best friends but have recently started fighting and one gets injured.
Dogs have a fight and the owners can’t figure out the cause or trigger.
Each dog is with a toy or treat. One dog approaches the other dog and a fight ensues.
Dogs fight when the owner comes home.
Dogs are barking at the fence at a person walking past the house and then the dogs start fighting with each other.
A newly adopted dog comes into the home with an older dog and there is a fight.
Dogs have been put on shock collars* and the fights are escalating.
*The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior recommends that “only reward-based training methods be used for all dog training including the treatment of behavior problems.” and “[A trainer] should avoid any use of training tools that involve pain (choke chains, prong collars, or electronic shock collars.”
You may have a similar situation going on in your home. You may have a situation that isn’t noted here but your dogs are fighting and you’re looking for solutions. We know that no matter which scenario you may be facing, dogs fighting in a home is very stressful and scary. But there is help and it starts with a history.
The first step in addressing dogs fighting in the home is to figure out the triggers for the fights. As behavior specialists, this is where our keen understanding of typical and atypical dog behavior is most important. We gather information and look for patterns and we understand how to determine what the dog is learning from these fights and how that influences their relationship with each other. We review recent fights and collect details. What was the situation? Were the dogs lying under the table while the family ate dinner or did one dog jump up on the couch while the other was sleeping? Who was in the room? Sometimes no one was there to witness the fight. Did one dog appear to be the initiator of the fight? Do one or both dogs try to avoid the other? What type of injury resulted to the dogs or people involved? How easy or difficult was it to break up the fight? We obtain the socialization history of each dog. Does one dog have a play skill deficit? Did one dog never learn how to play appropriately with other dogs? The answers to these questions allow us to determine if a pattern of triggers can be discovered, if the dogs' relationship with each other is damaged, the ease or difficulty of preventing a fight from happening again, and the level of risk and injury that is at play for the dogs or people.
If we can narrow down the trigger for the fights and it is something that can be easily changed, then resolution for the fights can be a simple process. For example, if your dogs are fighting over food, treats or toys, then a management plan may consist of: 1) feeding the dogs in different areas, where the dogs are not aware of each other and can eat in peace 2) giving bones only when the dogs are kenneled, 3) putting away special toys or playing in the backyard with one dog at a time. The dogs can live comfortably together when these triggers are eliminated. Unfortunately, if we can’t narrow down the triggers for the fights or the triggers are difficult to control, such as when dogs are fighting over food and there are small children in the home who are prone to dropping food on the floor, the behavior modification plan for the dogs is more complicated.
Most plans start with at least a temporary separation of the dogs that can be inconvenient in some homes. The plan may require a trip to the veterinarian to determine if one of the dogs is ill. Maybe one dog is developing arthritis or has an injury and is more sensitive to being pushed during play. A plan may require very close monitoring of the dogs in an attempt to determine the triggers and then keeping the dogs separated anytime they can’t be closely monitored. Some plans require consultation with a veterinarian to consider psychotropic medication if one dog is showing signs of fearfulness and is therefore more likely to respond to minor disturbances with escalating threats or aggressive behavior. The plan may require training that builds a positive relationship and trust between the dogs again if that has been damaged by the fights between them. There is not an easy, one plan fits all, solution.
With a complicated behavior modification plan, safety procedures are a critical part of the plan. Safety procedures include how to keep the dogs separated, how to recognize when things might be escalating toward a fight, and how to break up a dog fight with the least harm to everyone (people and dogs) in case there is a failure in the plan. The plan may require training of one or both dogs to wear a muzzle before they can be in each other’s presence because the risk of extensive injury is high.
Of course, specific training is also an important part of a behavior modification plan. Once safety and separation procedures are put in place, the goal of any behavior modification plan shifts to training. First, if the relationship between the dogs has been damaged so one or both of them are afraid of the other, this needs to be changed. Dogs will not be able to learn well if they are living with fear. We typically design activities the dogs can do with each other that builds a positive emotional association between them. This allows them to start trusting each other again. Then we teach the dogs new skills that give the owner better control. Some of the common behaviors we teach are:
Wait (keep front feet planted even if you want something)
Leave it (turn away from something you want)
Go to a Station such as a bed or crate
It is only after training that we start to re-introduce the dogs in a safe environment. Sometimes we use muzzles, safety gates where the dogs can see each other, or leashes to slowly reintroduce the dogs using their new skills. This process can take weeks or months, depending on many of the factors noted above. We have found that those families that are patient and willing to go at the dogs’ pace have the greatest success at reintroducing the dogs.
Some common mistakes we see:
For dogs that fight when treats or affection is being given out, owners often try treating the dogs equal. They try giving treats to the dogs at the same time or petting the dogs at the same time, believing this will help the dog who is instigating fights to learn that he can share. This often does not work. If a dog is guarding treats or affection from another dog, the goal of training is to teach that dog to wait his turn for those wonderful delights. This isn’t accomplished if the dog is distracted by eating a treat at the same time as his brother.
Failing to keep the dogs separated because the trigger for the fight is not known and the dogs are only fighting occasionally. It seems intuitive that if the dogs are only fighting occasionally and get along the rest of the time, that they should be allowed to be unsupervised with each other most of the time. This strategy poses the risk of damaging the dogs’ relationship. If they mostly get along then each time they have another fight, their relationship can be damaged with one dog becoming more fearful or distrusting of the other dog, making resolution of the fighting behavior more complicated.
Failing to keep the dogs separated because the owner believes this causes stress to one or both dogs. We have never heard of dogs' relationships to each other becoming damaged because they were separated from each other. The separation often reduces stress for both dogs, especially when one or both dogs are showing active avoidance of each other. Keeping the dogs separated also reduces stress for the people living in the home. They don’t have to constantly wonder if a fight is going to start this time. This decompression period at the beginning of any behavior modification plan sets the dogs up for success by bringing down the stress in the home.
Failing to keep the dogs separated because it is inconvenient. It’s never easy to live with two or more dogs that have to live separately in a home. Each home is built differently so accomplishing the separation can be very difficult in some homes, such as those with open concept features or homes that have small square footage. But if separation is a part of the behavior modification plan for the dogs, then figuring out a safe way to separate the dogs will be crucial. We have had clients come up with incredibly creative solutions including use of door locks, dog kennels, separated areas in the backyard, safety gates, and window film.
Sending the dogs to boarding school to learn obedience. Sending the dogs to any training to learn obedience skills (sit, stay, come, etc.) will not solve dog fighting issues in the home. If there is not an analysis of the triggers for the fights, medical conditions that may contribute to fights, understanding of play skill deficits for some dogs, and a remediation of the dogs’ feelings toward each other, no amount of obedience training will solve this issue.
Even though there are many complicated reasons that dogs fight in a home, this is an issue that can be resolved in many households. A dog that was attacking his sister became a wonderful brother to her once her abscessed tooth was removed. The dog who was attacking his brother anytime the brother wanted affection from the owner, learned to wait his turn and live with his brother as a playful companion. These are the ideal goals. We attempt to get the dogs to a place of comfort, living peacefully with each other. When this is not possible, there are 3 other possible outcomes:
The dogs are kept separated or closely supervised anytime they are together for the remainder of their lives. Sometimes the potential risk of injury (physical or emotional) is too great to have them live together. Sometimes the triggers are not easy to control so the safest option is to keep the dogs separated. Some dogs may have poor social skills and not be suitable for living with other dogs.
One dog is rehomed so it can enjoy a better quality of life. The dog that is rehomed is often the dog who is not instigating fights or the one who has not caused injury.
One dog is euthanized for behavior. When a dog is not safe to continue living in the home and also cannot be safely rehomed, behavioral euthanasia is considered.
Dogs fighting in a home is the most complicated issue any behavior professional will encounter. But a qualified professional will help you come up with safe options for keeping the dogs in the home, will be realistic about the potential risks for you and your family, and will create a plan that takes your dogs’ unique issues into account. The key is patience and finding a qualified professional.
About the author: Dr. Lorraine Martinez is the founder of LOMA Behavior and Training LLC and has been helping dogs and their people since 2002. She earned a PhD in psychology from the University of Washington and went on to graduate with distinction from the Karen Pryor Academy for Animal Training. She is a Behavior Consultant affiliated with the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior and is a Fear Free Certified Professional.
