Dogs Are Fighting

    • Puppy

    Dogs Are Fighting

    Hi I just joined this site. I have 3 dogs. My 2 oldest are about 3. My wife and I just moved about 3 weeks ago and they got in 2 bad fights. Actually sitting in the vet parking lot now while my one dogs gets stitches. They never fought like this till we moved. Any information on this would be very helpful. Some background: we are currently staying with her parents and they have 2 small dogs and a pit bull. Could the other dogs be causing them to fight? Thanks a lot. If more info is needed please ask

    H


    • Gold Top Dog

    Moving is stressful for everyone, humans and animals. I bet you and your wife maybe were short with each other during the move and the two of you can use words. The dogs can't. So, they express their stress the only way that they know how. Our worst fights with the GSD's was during times of upheaval. This is not unusual.

    For now, I would strongly suggest keeping the dogs separated by using crates. And keep them ALWAYS apart. Give each dog equal opportunities to spend time out with family, but never at the same time. You may want to try something natural like Valerian root which doesn't make them relax, but allows them to relax but I still wouldn't run the risk of having them out and about together. And, while the change in freedom and being crated, may add additional stress, at least they aren't harming one another.

    You might want to consider, down the road, outfitting both dogs with basket muzzles so that they can spend a little safe time together, but I'd sure be right on top of both of them at all times. And I would definitely keep those times very short..

    This is a tough situation, but at some point you may need to consider rehoming on of the dogs. For now, I'd just keep them safe from one another and see if they don't settle in before giving them a muzzled opportunity to be together. But, if they were my dogs, it would be a VERY long time before they got a chance to use their teeth again. No matter how much we consider them to be family members, they are still dogs, and as humans, we can't possibly understand the dog mindset. Where a human can say, "that really ticks me off when you do that" dogs are more likely to SHOW their displeasure and it doesn't always take much to set them off, especially when they are in a stressful situation.