Introduction:
This blog examines the issue of canine aggression(dog fights) and provides advice on how to handle it. Treatment for aggression between domestic dogs can be challenging. Even though they are gregarious and like to hang out in packs, dogs would choose whatever pack to reside in if they were allowed to roam free. We should respect our dogs’ flexibility for being willing to let us choose their friends most of the time because most people could not live in harmony in a small group with people they were chosen by someone else.
Some canines, though, will just never get along. The first step in defining the prognosis, at least in the near term, is evaluating the severity of the threat and the likelihood of safety. To begin with we need to first understand the reasons for these fights.
Identifying the Causes of Dog Fights:
Between the ages of one and three, when the younger dog starts to socially mature, is when aggression amongst domestic dogs typically starts. A maturing young dog may pose a social danger and restrict an older dog’s access to advantageous resources from an evolutionary perspective. Even with an abundance of resources at home, some senior dogs display aggression in anticipation of this feared threat.
It’s possible that tension is to blame for a dog attacking another dog within the house. Identifying everything in your dog’s life that can be upsetting to him will help you handle aggression problems between your dogs. For example, if your dogs are fighting over a meaty bone. He is less likely to grind his teeth the more stressors you can remove from his environment.
Why do dogs from the same household fight? – The Reason
For a variety of reasons, dogs living in the same home might grow hostile to one another. Dominance-related, territorial, possessive, or motivated by fear or anxiety are some examples of aggression. So as their owner, you should identify the correct reason behind their aggressive behavior. Aggressive dogs frequently make threats or body language gestures such as intense staring, growling, barking, snarling, lunging, snapping, and/or biting.
There can be various types of aggressions that can be causing the violent behavior by your dogs;
– Fear Aggression:
When a dog exhibits fear aggression, they may adopt an aggressive position to separate themselves from the offending trigger, which could be a human they don’t like, another dog, a different pet, or a wild animal they’ve seen in the yard. By gradually introducing your dog to new situations, you can reduce fear aggression by teaching them that people, other animals, and other dogs aren’t always out to get them.
– Territorial Aggression:
Territorial aggressiveness frequently occurs when a strange human enters the dog’s house or yard. When you ask them to calm down, obedience training will make it easier for them to comply with your request. Rewarding calm conduct when guests arrive at your home and enrolling them in obedience training can help to reduce your dog’s territorial reaction.
– Idiopathic Aggression:
Idiopathic aggressiveness, which means “arising spontaneously with no recognized reason,” is the most hazardous kind since it cannot be predicted based on the dog’s environment. Idiopathic aggression can be severe, and your veterinarian should be consulted about it because there may be a neurological cause for the behavior.
– Predatory Aggression:
In most cases, only hunting dogs or dogs who have the propensity to chase prey exhibit predatory violence. Avoiding the environment that is motivating predatory violence is the only way to stop it.
– Intra-Household Aggression:
When two or more dogs live in the same home and multiple canines compete to be dominant, intra-household violence, also known as social-conflict aggression, is rather prevalent. By separating your dogs and gradually re-socializing them until their interactions are peaceful, you can reduce intra-household hostility.
– Control Aggression:
When dogs decide they don’t like the interactions they’ve been having with a particular individual, they’ll act aggressively to ward them off. Inexperienced, first-time dog owners are most likely to experience control-related aggressiveness, but this behavior is easily avoidable with the right dog owner’s education and training.
– Resource Guarding/Possession Aggression:
When a dog develops territorial behavior over things they believe to be solely theirs, such as food, rewards, toys, and their bed, resource-guarding aggression is manifest. Simply pick up your dog’s toys, food bowls, and other items while they’re not in use to control resource-guarding aggressiveness.
Check out some scary dog fights stats!
Suggestions for Avoiding Dog Fights:
- Owners require a comprehensive management strategy for the comings and goings of people. You can lessen the likelihood of a dog battle if you can enter, ignore the dogs, settle in, and only then go greet the pack.
- If necessary, walk the dogs separately until you employ a dog trainer to assist you in addressing the anxiety and reactivity issues.
- The safest technique to stop dog conflicts within the home is to use individual crates for feeding.
- Teach your pets to lounge on their beds so it is safer and easier for you.
- It is never a smart idea to share a crate. In this cramped area, puppies can begin to play. When physical play becomes too heated, dogs need a place to break it up. That cannot be done in a box so that rough play may result in dog fights.
Ways to End a Dog Fight:
- Occupy the dogs. Everything that diverts their attention increases the chance that your dog may escape or that you will be able to safely remove your dog.
- Put a pail of water on their heads or use a forceful hose to spray them.
- Try making a loud noise, such as blowing an air horn or hitting two metal pot lids against one another.
- Cover each dog with a blanket or jacket so they can’t see one another.
- Attempting to place each dog in a laundry basket or other container that you can drop from above is another option.
- The wheelbarrow method should only be used as a last option because it puts you most in danger. Each dog should be lifted by the hind legs until they are wheelbarrow-like and balanced on their front legs. The dogs should then be led rearward into separate locations while moving apart from one another. To prevent your dog from turning around and biting you, keep moving until the dogs are separated.
Seeking Medical Help:
Aggression requires time and effort to treat. The time it takes to observe results can range from weeks to months. Improvement is shown in 96% of patients with correct management, with a median improvement in aggression reported at 69%. Always consult your veterinarian with any health-related queries as they have evaluated your pet, are familiar with its medical history, and can provide the best advice for your pet.
Reading Suggestion: How to keep your house clean with dogs
Conclusion:
No matter how tiny the wounds appear to be, check your dog for injuries and call your veterinarian right once. The harm from dog bites should be inspected because it’s not often easy for the untrained eye to see.
Fighting can eventually be avoided by taking precautions, which entails being aware of your dog’s cues as well as those of other dogs. To alter the atmosphere, introduce distractions like rewards and instruction. Let the dogs calm down and think about preventing future confrontations between them.