Which dogs cause the most problems? The first thing that might be surprising to most people is that female dogs are more often involved in such fights than are males. Only 32 percent of the aggressive incidents involved conflict between two males, while in the remaining 68 percent, females were active participants.
Fights between female canines over breeding rights and rank can turn very damaging for the two parties leaving them severely injured. You trying to stop a clash that's underway will only leave you with a bite or two from the raging canines.
Before settling on a breed, think about the gender of the dog. For the happiest dogs and the safest household, opposite sex dogs almost always do best together. Many same-sex combinations of dogs will fight, sometimes to the death. Those who work out a dominance order may not fare much better.
These fights occur most often between dogs of near equal ability and motivation and often, but not always, dogs of the same sex, and seem to be most severe between female dogs.
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.
Don't Let the Dogs “Work It Out”
Years ago, people used to believe in letting dogs fight to work it out between them. This is dangerous for both dogs and for nearby people. Also, the dogs may never get along after such a fight.
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. Shyan-Norwalt has observed dogs in the same family who did not reconcile but instead separated after every conflict.
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”.
Dominate behavior can occur in any breed of dog and it can occur in both males and females, though it's more common in males. In most cases, dominant behavior occurs when a dog has reached maturity, somewhere between one and three years old.
Two alpha females can get along just fine if the owners are true leaders or they may fight if the owners are not. On the other hand even two submissive-follower type females can begin to fight if the humans are weak pack leaders. Dogs can also begin to fight if the humans allow the pack to become unstable.
Fights can last just a few minutes or several hours. Both animals may suffer injuries, including puncture wounds, lacerations, blood loss, crushing injuries and broken bones. Although fights are not usually to the death, many dogs succumb to their injuries later.
Both male and female dogs have the ability to show aggression but the statistics show that “entire” (not neutered) male dogs are more likely to show aggression than female dogs or neutered males.
Your Dog Follows You
According to the pack code, alphas are at the front of the line, betas are in the middle, and omegas are in the back and double as lookouts. If your dog follows you, this indicates it sees you as the pack leader and is exhibiting the instinctive behavior of walking behind the alpha.
❖ How dominance is established: Dogs usually establish their dominance hierarchies through a series of ritualized behaviors that include body postures and vocalizations that don't result in injury. One dog may "stand over" another by placing his paws or neck on the shoulders of the other.
Dogs fight over territory, to protect their perceived pack, and because of overstimulation. Despite how it may seem to humans, dogs do not fight for no reason at all. Dogs can do serious harm to each other during a fight or attack. In some cases, the injuries can even lead to death.
Environmental Causes of Dominant Dog Behavior
Some pet owners provide their dogs with too much leeway at home which can cause dominance aggression to develop. In addition, pet parents that do not discipline their dogs when they are aggressive towards submissive animals may unintentionally intensify dominant behaviors.
It's useful to desensitize both dogs to a muzzle over the period you're desensitizing them to each other (in separate sessions), so the first time you're ready for them to actually interact together you can muzzle them and be confident they can't hurt each other.
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.
Many serious injuries seen with dog fights are internal and dogs can have critical injuries with no outward signs of trauma at all. Anytime a dog has been in a fight they should see a veterinarian to look for pain/wounds or signs of serious internal injury.
You have to stay as calm as you possibly can. Don't: Panic or yell. Panic will do to a fight what gasoline does to fire - intensify it quickly. The slower you move the more clearly you will think and the easier you will “see” the fight and make good decisions.