Big Pet Families, Part 2

by Trish King

Having a happy relationship with your dog means learning how to work together. If there´s a topic you´d like to see Trish cover, email editors@fetchthepaper.com.

Editor´s note:

in a previous issue you read about how to adopt that new pack member. We hope everything went amazingly well. However, we know that problems can crop up, so read on for those problem solving tips you might need to get over the speed bumps to a peaceable kingdom in your home.

Sometimes two dogs who originally co-existed quite peacefully develop problems with each other. Here are some possible reasons and courses of action you may need to take:

Perceived lack of resources:

food, chew toys, space, or access to the owner. The best remedy is to have an excess of resources. Too much food, too many toys, lots of space, and equal access to the owner, all given only when the dogs ask politely. That´s a lot easier than trying to ration the resources, which you should only do if you have to.

Age, sex, rank.

The two fighting dogs are very close in age, sex, and/or rank, and one or both of them has reached social maturity (usually about 2 to 3 years of age, sometimes earlier), and is trying to take the leadership position. The best owner action is to demand obedience from both dogs regardless of their rank, and let them work out status at the lower levels. There is a big space between the leader (#1) and the lieutenant (#2), so for our purposes, we eliminate #2 and make all dogs #25. However, if the dogs can´t work it out on their own, the owner needs to help by reinforcing the more obvious leader (letting him or her have first access to food/toys/space/the owner). This can be quite problematic, so be careful. We often reinforce the wrong dog, since our perceptions are clouded by affection (see the next point).

Not recognizing the true leader.

The owner is reinforcing the wrong dog as higher in status. This is very common. As dogs get older, they lose ground to younger, more vital dogs. Owners don´t like this to happen and often give special treatment to their older dog. The young dog reacts by trying to take rank, while the older dog figures he´s got the backing of the owner (the real pack leader), so numbers are on his side. Fights, sometimes very serious, can be the result. The remedy is to make sure you´ve picked the right dog to reinforce as leader.

More, not merrier.

A third or fourth dog has been brought in, disrupting the pack and causing disharmony. Time, lots of long hikes, and minimal owner involvement can help this problem, although there are occasions when nothing helps except rehoming one of the dogs. Occasionally, a lower level dog (alpha wannabe) will feel like the new dog is backup for him or her, and begin to stalk or attack the alpha. This can lead to major aggression, with serious injuries.

Clumsy communication.

The new dog has poor communication skills, either due to socialization problems, genetic predisposition or a combination. For instance, some dogs (think labs!) seem to expect all other dogs to love them. Alternatively, some dogs (think terriers!) seem to think they can bully other dogs. Both lack the ability to introduce themselves slowly and with the proper respect. The owner can help teach this, but it takes time and effort and the assistance of a good trainer.

Hormones.

If one or more of the dogs is intact, serious difficulties can arise. A dominant intact female living with another female may suddenly become very aggressive, as she "prepares" to mate and have puppies. Intact males can be great with other dogs, but sometimes tend to pick fights. Your safest bet is to sterilize all the dogs in your pack.

Females vs. males.

There´s a saying in the dog training world that males fight for points, while females fight for keeps, and I´ve found this to be true. If two females begin to dislike each other, it´s often a far bigger deal than two males disliking each other.

Breaking up fights

We hope you never have a fight in your home, but just in case, here are some techniques that might help defuse or break up a confrontation.

The best scenario is one in which you can predict when a fight is likely to break out. For instance, you see the dogs begin to stare at each other, or one of them is obviously trying to get a valuable resource from the other. At that point you should intervene, and preferably in a controlled, authoritative manner (as though the dogs were two-year-old kids fighting over a toy). Most dogs only fight if their owners are present, and these techniques are geared for that scenario. If your dogs fight when you are not present, you´ll need to consult with an experienced trainer or counselor.

Both these intervention techniques work only if you see a fight coming, not if the dogs are already confronting each other. They also work best if you´ve practiced them often, maybe twice a day, while the dogs are playing or interacting in some way. That way they´ll understand what´s coming.

The "hot dog" cue

1. Stand up, and move either between them or very close to them, while saying loudly "Treats!" or "Hot Dogs!"
2. Don´t hurry, but do walk quickly into another room, like the kitchen, and do something predictable and wonderful – like open the refrigerator door.
3. Get each dog the best reinforcement you can think of, like a hot dog or piece of chicken; ask for a sit, and then feed them.

"Do it outside!"

Again, this technique should be used at the onset of the behavior, when you feel the tension rising.

1. Stand up, move into the dogs, and in a large, authoritative voice, tell them to stop the behavior.
2. Walk through the dogs, open the back door and go through it. If the dogs aren´t actually fighting, taking one or both by the collar could be a good idea.
3. Put or lead them both outside, and go back inside the house. The chances are very good that the dogs will just want to be with you, and will stop their arguing.

If your dogs are actually fighting, neither of the two techniques above will work. You can do the following:

1. Put a blanket over the dogs
2. Use a fire extinguisher
3. Drag them to a door, close it on them while pulling on one
4. Purchase or make a "break stick" which is used to pry the dog´s jaws open. Not fun, but sometimes necessary. Otherwise, you´ll need to work out solutions with a behavior consultant.