Can dogs live together after fighting? The answer is, most of the time, YES. There are times when dogs may be like an incompatible couple and need to divorce, but in general, there are things you can do to help combative pups get along.
Some have recommended that the dogs not be anywhere near one another for at least 48 hours following the fight, even if they live in the same household, while others recommend that getting a positive interaction between the two animals as soon as possible is the best course of action -- at the end of the day, however, ...
Forgiveness brings stress relief.
Both tended to spend more time together after the conflict regardless of if they had an existing relationship. While it seems dogs do forgive after a fight, there's still a lot more to learn about reconciliation in dogs. In some multi-dog households, it doesn't always work out.
In short, the answer is yes, a dog can be traumatised after a dog attack. Alongside the physical scars of the wounds they have gained, the dog may be emotionally scarred from the traumatic event, and you will need to be on the lookout for behaviour that might indicate your dog has been affected in this way.
They don't hold grudges and once the fight has passed the dogs have moved on. It's really quite remarkable how quickly they move past. Don't: Isolate the dogs from one another. If you don't get the dogs back together after a fight a bit of scar tissue develops in their mind, and in your emotions.
If your pet is breathing heavily, or faster than 40 breaths per minute, or if their gums are pale/blue/purple you should seek emergency veterinary care immediately. If your dog is limping or unable to walk, they need to see an emergency veterinarian. Dogs can be stoic and hide their pain very well.
In a real fight, the dogs will target the stomach, throat, and front legs and the victim of the attack will often retaliate by grabbing a hold of the other dog's neck. If your dog is involved in such a fight and receives severe injuries, take him to the vet immediately.
It is now a well-known fact that, like us humans, even our four-legged friends remember other dogs very well and manage to identify those of their own kind that they have already met, even months later.
Pups play fight constantly, even with an older dog. Unless the older dog is showing it needs a time out let them play. If both dogs are adult no you should not allow them to fight. Reinforce the alpha position of the older dog, feed it first while the other dog watches, put on a leash and hold it off.
Throw a blanket or jacket over each dog so they can no longer see each other. Or spray the dogs' faces with citronella spray, lemon juice spray, or a vinegar spray. Use an object to separate the dogs. Be certain to keep your hands and face as far from the dogs' mouths as possible.
Here's some things you can do stop dogs in the same household from fighting: Supervise interactions, provide them plenty of resources and remove ones causing competition. Give each dog individual attention away from one another, and develop a training plan that aims for them to be comfortable around each other.
Let your dogs sniff each other and greet each other normally. Give them positive reinforcement through calm verbal affirmations. After letting them play for a while, put both dogs in a “sit” or “stay”, then let them interact again. Finally, take them on walks together, allowing them to sniff each other along the way.
Dogs may fight for a number of reasons. Even dogs that live together or are related can and will fight. Unfortunately, some fighting dogs will not stop fighting until an injury occurs that results in one dog backing off. However, some triggers are easily identified and can be avoided.
Under these circumstances, a previously subordinate dog may begin to challenge his former leader and attempt to usurp his social position. This type of aggression will usually resolve in fairly short order (2-3 weeks) as long as people do not interfere with what is the course of nature.
Dogs in the same household can become aggressive toward each other for a variety of different reasons. Aggression may be dominance-related, territorial, possessive, or caused by fear/anxiety. Some dogs have “alliance aggression”.
Dogs use actions called "play bows" to ask other individuals to play and also while they're playing to punctuate play bouts to admit they're wrong and say something like, “Sorry I bit you so hard—this is still play regardless of what I just did.
"Dogs often fight over access to a resource that is perceived to be valuable." Some dogs fight when moving through or contained within a tight space or during rough play. This aggression may be excitement-related or related to frustration or fear.
Punishment should be avoided. The dog-dog relationship will not be improved if you scold, punish or hold down a dog as punishment; in fact you may make it worse by punishing the dog for signaling and communicating their aggressive intentions.
If your dog has been in a fight with another animal, take him to your veterinarian for an examination as soon as possible. If you can see obvious bite wounds, you should seek immediate veterinary attention.
Don't use physical punishment or agitate the canines. Just use as much force as you need to separate the dogs. At this stage, you may use a verbal cue for correcting bad behavior if you have introduced one before.
If you are fighting with someone and you are upset, angry, and agitated, your dog will feel similar emotions as well. Therefore, it is safe to say that as long as dogs have been connected to humans in such a deep way, dogs have been able to sense when fights were happening and if their humans were angry and upset.