Dogs fight over territory to guard their perceived pack and because of overstimulation. Despite how humans perceive it, dogs do not fight for no reason. And that’s why by following simple guidelines, you can prevent dog fights from happening in your home.
During a fight or an attack, dogs can do serious harm to each other. In some cases, the injuries can even result in death. If you meet yourself in a position of trying to stop dogs from fighting, resist the instinct to jump in physically, it will put you at risk. As a dog owner, you need to know some safe ways to stop the fight if you are ever in this situation.
Why do dogs fight?
Many dog fights are due to territories. When a strange dog enters your house yard, your dog can become a vicious fighter even though it is very friendly. Additionally, your dog will fight in an attempt to protect you and the rest of the family. It will also fight to secure its food or some valuable possessions.
Some dogs’ fights are a result of overstimulation. What may have begun as a friendly play can turn into a speedy fight. Redirected aggression is another cause of the fight between dogs. You will find dogs that are friendly or even live together fighting. When one dog becomes over frustrated or can’t get something it wants, maybe a toy or a bone, it is taken out on its best friend simply because it is the closest opponent.
How to Prevent dog fights
1. Avoid Crate Sharing
Some dog owners think that sharing the crate will make the dogs less lovely. Perhaps one dog has the anxiety of separation, or maybe space in the house is limited. It is typical for the dog owner to use one crate for all the puppies in the car due to limited space. Sharing a crate is not a good idea. Puppies may start playing in this small space. Generally, dogs need room to cut off rough play when it comes to excessive. That can’t happen in a crate, so that the rough latitude can result in a dog fight.
2. Avoid sharing of Beds
While it can be pleasing to see dogs piled on top of each other in a bed, at some point, some dogs won’t be happy with this arrangement, maybe due to illness, age, or just lowered tolerance. As your puppies advance in age, you will notice some resistance when it comes to bed-sharing. Some puppies will tend to take the entire bed space. Teaching your dogs to hang out on their beds is much safer.
3. Encourage possession ownership
The waste thing people do is allow their dogs to do something that can lead to dog fights, Grabbing bones or toys from other dogs. Different dogs will have completely different ways to steal items from other dogs. Some chase the other dog down, licking their mouth until they drop the item. Some lay in wait, staring down the other dog until that dog drops the item. Unfortunately, human plays with dogs strengthen thievery among dogs. For instance, humans play fetch with one toy and multiple dogs creating competition.
No matter which way, any thievery should be stopped by humans. It can be achieved by simply acquiring additional toys or bones and ensuring that there is something for the dogs in the environment when they are looking around.
If you have a dog that feels other dogs’ items are better than its items, you will need to take more action. This dog will always want what belongs to other dogs no matter what. You will need strong responses to cues like “leave it,” leashes, ” and strict supervision to break this nasty habit. Teach your dog to fetch its toy and leave the other dogs and toys alone.
4. Limit Wrestling Time to 5 Minutes
When new dogs arrive, there may have been happiness and joy for all. Play and Wrestling can be part of the norm. If not well supervised, wrestling matches can go on for longer and become more serious. This can spill over skirmishes or all-out dog fights. Limit the time of the play. Break up longer play sessions.
5. Deal with reactivity
If your dog is reactive on the fence or walks fights with neighbor dogs, most likely, you will see some aggression within your pack. Underlying reactivity or anxiety issues will bring negative emotions to your group. If your dogs get so worked up that they stop lunging or barking at each other, the likelihood of a fight in your home is high. Walk the dogs separately and plan to get a dog trainer to help you resolve the reactivity and anxiety problem.
6. Feed Your Dogs Separately
You will need to ensure that one dog doesn’t steal the other dog’s food. The problem comes when the supervision level becomes lax over time, and one dog starts bullying the other because they finished first. Using individual crates to feed is the safest way to prevent dog fights.
7. Choose the Dominant Dog
Many dog owner believes the most assertive dog is the dominant dog. They make that dog get everything first and feel that it will prevent fights. The problem is that it is not true that the dominant dog is the most assertive. So instead of worrying about who is dominant, watch for who is calm and reward that dog first.
8. Encourage Calm Departures and Arrivals
Dogs can get frustrated, excited, and competitive for attention, and these feelings are kindling for a major fight. Dog owners need a well-established management plan for departures and arrivals of humans. Having dogs swarming the door or jumping when people come in is not a good plan. You can use crates or baby gates to separate dogs. People should not pay attention to what will make the dogs jump, bark, or overexcite. If you come in, please ignore the dogs and get settled.
Final Thoughts
If dog fights are more frequent in your pack, you should consider Basic obedience training; it enables dogs to learn to listen to the owners better. When aggression is building before the fight, the owner may stop it by giving commands changing the dog’s focus. If dog fights are becoming more frequent, consult a veterinary behaviorist.
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