HUGE fight between Har & Zoe & I got bit!!! (looong)

[harley'smama]

So...after 1 year we've had another fight!! Actually 3 fights in one night. I've decided that Harley gets too stressed because they fought 2x's when my friend & her Ridgebacks were over last night. Harley will have a bone/toy & her dog Grace will nudge @ him trying to steal it & he lets her get away with it. When Zoe tries to steal it &/or play with him he snaps & they fight! So we won't be playing with her dogs for quite awhile. Now all toys are picked up and they are having no contact. They can't even hardly be in the same room now. Harley literally shakes when Zoe gets near him. That's how the 3rd fight began! Harley was walking in the hallway & Zoe walked past him & looked @ him & he attacked again. Now I guess they're just both traumatized & stressed still.
My question now is how long do I let this go on?? My BF was afraid to let them sleep together with us so I slept with Zoe & him with Harley...probably a mistake I know! How long will it be that they can't even look at each other without growling or fighting? Is there something I can do or shouldn't do to help them get over this??? Since Zoe has been the instigator recently I've been keeping her on a leash with me. Harley has just now come out of the bedroom since I began typing this & one is laying on each side of the chair so maybe that's a start!!!

 

[haleyandmark]

I am sorry that you have to be experiencing this - seems like there is always a lot of tension right before the Holidays...maybe dogs experience it, too! It seems like some people here have given you some really good advice! I wouldn't know what to do during a dog fight, especially if it were between two of my own - I'm sorry you had to be bit, that had to be scary!

Good luck with your situation! We'll be thinking of ya

 

[courtney323]

Hi Shannon,

I went through the exact same issue with my male and female (both 2-3 yrs old). You ABSOLUTELY cannot give them toys or bones to share (especially bones). They are just far too valuable to your dogs and have a tendency to start HUGE fights. Feeding both at the same time & place would set my 2 off as well... We had to do musical chairs and feed them seperately.

As for the fighting, unfortunately your female probably holds a grudge against Harley at this point. If she does, she will ALWAYS hold that grudge and remember the fights (boys usually forgive and forget). But this doesnt mean that they can't live in harmony. It will just take A LOT of work on your part, and I would suggest working with a behaviorist.

As for my situation, our male was a foster and we decided that he would be best in a single-dog househld (my parents!). He and Maddie still see each other occasionally and play, but rarely fight.

Good luck -- and really try to remove anything (bones, food) that could potentially set them off.

I understand your frustration -- we've had several trips to the ER (both doggy and people ERs) with our 2

 

[harley'smama]

I actually didn't get bit this time, that was last year but didn't want to start another post about the same topic! We were able to break them up with me grabbing Harley's back legs & spinning him away from Zoe. Unfortunately Zoe wouldn't give up!!!
Thanks for the site sullivanspop...I printed the part on how to break up a fight when you're alone!!!

 

[harley'smama]

Definately atleast 2 drinks after something like that
They're getting along ok now...after over 24 hours of them not being able to walk past each other & me keeping the apart they must have "talked" it out while I was @ work last night!!!

 

[1CRAZYBXRLVR]

Stressful times like Christmas seem to bring out the worst in my dogs also. Christmas morning a dog fight erupted between my female and my male and the male had her by the ear and wouldn't let go. I was outside parking the car and my son came running out to get me. He had thrown water on them and it did no good but to make the tile slippery so I had trouble grabbing and holding the back legs. We finally got them separated and fortunately not too much damage was done. Last year at this time they got into it on Christmas too. I think they pick up on our stress. One reason your two may still be fighting is because now you are stressed and afraid that they will fight again and they pick up on that and feel they have to protect you from whatever is upsetting you. Just a thought. I know that the less I get involved when I'm feeling they are "on edge" the better it ends up but if I try to butt in, it usually ends in a fight.

That was a great article on dog fights. Since Christmas I have been worried about what would happen if my son was alone when they started fighting. He's 13. I told him that under no circumstances was he to try to break it up by himself. I'd rather he let them fight to the death if he couldn't find someone to help grab the back legs. That would kill me but I couldn't forgive myself if something happened to him. The leash was a great idea. Good luck.
I know how stressful and upsetting watching your dogs fight can be.

Andrea

 

[lisabethshaw]

Will I know if they're fighting rather than playing?

This thread has been very interesting. Thank you all for all of the information!

My question is: Will I know if they're seriously fighting? When my two play, its rough. Shiva (male - 1 yr.) really wants to play with Kali (female - 11 wks.) and will steal her toys to get her to chase him and play. Of course, he's the one who ends up with little scrapes from those puppy teeth!

It sounds to me like she gets so mad at him sometimes that she is trying to attack him viciously. I know Boxer play is vocal. Shiva has never let Kali know that he doesn't feel like playing anymore - because he always wants to play more! And sometimes she will even back him up for a minute with her growl.

Can you tell when playing begins escalating into a fight? (I was hoping to be able to preventatively separate or distract them!) Should I definitely expect a serious fight when Kali usurps Shiva's power? She's so young now - anyone have any idea when this coup may occur? Oh, and should I be doing anything now to teach Kali not to be toy-aggressive?

Thanks!

Lisa

 

[mancin]

I think you'll be able to tell the difference between fighting and playing. I have a boxer and rottweiler and they play pretty rough, but when they fight, they FIGHT. They are both pretty vocal when they are playing, and very vocal when they fight, but it's the pitch that first clued me in. They have deep growls and barks when playing, and very high pitched (almost frantic) growls and barks when fighting. It was also obvious to me that they were trying to tear each other to pieces when they first fought.
Sometimes one or the other will give a warning before the fight begins. They usually stare each other right in the eyes, the hackles raise, a loooooong growl, and then it's on. Most of the time if I catch them in time before the fight begins, I am able to distract them w/ a loud toy that rattles (I've heard some people use bells or whistles to get their attention). Once the fight starts, nothing I say or do will get them to stop.
If fights do occur, hopefully you'll notice a pattern. For example, my pups fight when it's meal time, so I try and avoid this by feeding them locked in their crates, or in separate rooms.
HTH.

 

[xenaprincess]

Lisa, you will most definately know if they are fighting or playing! Yes, boxer play is very vocal and rough, but the body language is very different when they are actually fighting! Play fighting, their bodies are more relaxed...aloof, I guess. Actual fighting, their hair stands up, their bodies are much more rigid and they will bite to inflict pain...even drawing blood!
My mother has 2 boxers and at one time a pointer/lab mix. I would bring Xena over for visits with her sister and the mix was always the more dominant one. All 4 dogs would get into one heck of a scrap, and usually because the mix did not like another dog coming into the pack...his territory. He would start the fight with his body language...hackles on his neck..baring his teeth...growling, etc. The weird thing about it was that if he started something with Xena, the other 2 boxers would attack him and he would have all 3 boxers on him at once biting him!!! My mothers companion at the time made the mistake of trying to seperate them and was bitten by the mix bad enough to have 10 stitches to close the wound! I find WATER works best to seperate fighting dogs...COLD water!
I don't think you need to worry yet about an 11wk old pup being dominant over the 1yr old. In the future, and I hope it never happens, trust me, you will know if they are play fighting or actually fighting!

 

[jaimie]

WOW, Sorry you are going through this. I guess what I have to say is not much different from anyone else. I would put them in "boot camp" do you crate them? If you do I would put them both in their crate and give them out time, and alternate between the 2. Let them sniff each other between the crate bars. They kinda need to become reaquainted, but not face to face. One other thing I wanted to add, to break up a fight (obviously you have already figured this out) but never grab the collar! Grab ahold of a leg and drag the dog back. I had to do this with my friends dogs, NOT FUN but it worked. They ended up fighting over a stuffed toy. Good Luck, I hope things work out for you!