Dog Suddenly Aggressive Towards Other Dog In the House

96 thoughts on “Dog Suddenly Aggressive Towards Other Dog In the House”

1. I just adopted a stray and he attacks my cats. I don’t want him to chase them out, and I won’t keep him if he continues to fight with them, The dog is very calm otherwise. He is about 6 months old, medium size, border collie, I think.

   Reply

   • Hi Victor, when you say he’s a Border Collie but you’re not sure does that mean he’s a mixed breed or could he be purebred? The Border Collie is a herding breed, so interaction with other animals is not so surprising.

     You have to consider that especially with strays, there will be a transition period and he might have a history with cats already. That being said, even if you had him since he’s a puppy, some dogs are just interested in cats more than others and training takes longer.

     How does the cat react? Most of the time, this goes both ways and the cat isn’t so friendly either. Is your pup just playfully chasing them or seriously attacking? It depends on the answer what the best way is from here. Playful chasing can be phased out with some positive reinforcement (when he’s not chasing) and clearly communicating when he’s doing what he shouldn’t do. If he’s attacking them, there’s most likely history with cats. Training will take some time and patience though, this dog most likely never learned how to interact with a cat (no matter if he’s playing or attacking).

     Very very few dogs instinctively know how to interact with the cat (most probably they’re not interested when you see a young dog not caring for a cat in your house at all).

     Getting out that excess energy with play, mental stimulation and walks can also work wonders. Check out my article on how to properly introduce a cat in your household (although with puppies, most tips should still help).

     Stay strong and be there for your new companion 🙂
     Danielle

     Reply

2. Hi Danielle,
   I have two westie girls. The older one is around 22months and the younger one is about 15 months. The younger one has recently started attacking my older one. The older one was attached by a pitfall when she was 6 months old, so she wants nothing to do with conflict and generally just tries to escape. Seeing all of this breaks my heart.
   I have already contacted trainers, and we started crate training and going to the mat. This isn’t helping me immediately and this is happening more frequent now. I’m so freaked out that my own energy is now full of anxiety. I can’t pinpoint what the issue exactly is since we did have a lot of changes in the last few months (my ex moved out of the house) and the older one has been having health issues. Some of the attack instances have included bones, a toy and overexcitement. I do feel like the young one has a hard time getting to rest if she’s tired and she definitely gets grumpy, so that may also have something to do with it.

   Any advice you can offer is appreciated.

   Thanks for this wonderful article.

   Reply

   • Hey Ania,

     I totally understand your frustration with the current situation cause pinpointing the issue can be really hard. It’s always extremely important to observe the body language of both dogs. What exactly is the situation, how does your younger dog approach the older one and how does he react? Dogs constantly communicate through their body language.

     Although overexcitement is a wildly better issue compared to real aggression, at nearly 1 1/2y old puppy behavior shouldn’t be as common anymore. Did this just develop or was this happening for quite some time? Anyway, it does make sense that resource guarding is starting at this age because your dog might be testing the limits with you and the other canine. Both dogs need to learn to respect each other and the existing dog must not lose trust.

     Crate/obedience training can be a good start. You can make sure that there are no resources to fight over. Be there to intervene when both are eating in peace and one of them tries to snag away the bone from the other one. Don’t leave toys around and make sure to involve them in play. Teach your dog to be calm in general (obedience training helps with that) and reward appropriate behavior by your older dog. Not all adult dogs give out corrections even though this can really help as it’s measured and comes from herself through clear body language. Most importantly, exercise both dogs properly. With enough exercise, there will be less excess energy and your younger Westie will be far more satisfied overall.

     It’s a process though and there are no quick fixes but it’s important to be there to make sure nothing serious happens and that your dog learns to differentiate between right and wrong because they have no inherent concept of that.

     Wish you the best with your two dogs,
     Danielle

     Reply

3. Hi Danielle –

   Our 11yo male lab shepherd mix has recently become aggressive towards our 1 1/2 yo female American Staffordshire Terrier. It happens when she is sitting with me or my husband even while he is sitting with the other one. The AST is a rescue who has lived with us for almost a year. There were isolated issues in the past with food, but we resolved those issues with different feeding times. This new behavior really has us worried.

   Reply

   • Hi Tracey,

     what you’re describing could definitely mean your male dog is jealous of your female AST. It’s important to note the exact body language in behavior. Most of the time, the dog is not really acting “aggressive” but there can surely be a behavioral issue especially when your male is used to all the attention for himself.

     However, aggression from male to female is relatively rare and I’d recommend you have a look at the posture, tail, vocalisation, etc. of both dogs. Is he scooting over from the person currently petting him and barks, growls, bares his teeth, hackles or what is it? How is the female reacting? Licking lips, turning her head away or even going away or is she not putting up with it?

     It’s important for rescues to feel safe in their new environment and an older dog an really help build their character and also make socialisation easier, assuming things already work out inside the house.

     Depending on what’s happening exactly, I’d assume that the best way to go is desensitisation and counter-conditioning. Reward your dog if he stays while your female is petted by another person or whatnot. Never encourage bullying behavior through petting him if he chases off the female. Ultimately, he should be able to deal with that issue.

     Often, jealousy problems impact other activities too. What about toys, are there any problems? Are they playing harmoniously together? What’s the communication between them like? With more background information, it’s also easier to give an answer :).

     Cheers,
     Danielle

     Reply

     • Thank you.

       The AST has been with us for almost 11 months. Besides a little food aggression when she first moved it (which was modified by both us and AST) there have been no issues. They will play outside together, running in the backyard. No issue with toys because he never played with them. They are all here. We bought him some when we first bought her toys and he just ignored them. The aggression is when he sees her getting attention and petting even when he is getting attention and petting himself. As soon as he sees it he will low growl and then bark and lunge. The older dog has always been very low key and calm. And yes, the AST does recognize him as the Alpha and defers to him.

       Reply

     • Hi Danielle

       My dog Opal is about 18 months old. We got her from the local animal shelter at 6 months of age. She had been returned due to being able to jump a six foot fence and playing rough with other dogs. I had hope with lots of love and understanding she would develop better behavior. She has attacked or been attacked by now by three of my dogs. She tends to snap at the air and give the wrong social cues with other dogs. She is walked most times three times a day and crated when she is aggressive. I have to keep her separated from one of my dogs as well. I am thinking the next step is to muzzle her when she is out with the other dogs in the house. I just do want to return her to the shelter because she can be an excellent dog. I also do want her hurting any other dogs or people. Just not sure if her protective behavior and poor social skills can be fixed.

       Thanks

       Camille

       Reply

       • Hey Camille, wow there’s a lot of happening. First of all, it’s important to find out more about your dog’s history and what led to this point. Furthermore, it’s extremely important to know the body language Opal and the others are displaying. Is she really the aggressor or might the other dogs (or some of them) be at fault too?

         You’ve mentioned that she has been attacked by three dogs already, it’s not entirely clear how many dogs you have in total and whether or not they’re small/big, male/female, old/young, neutered or not, etc. Are they all well socialized and interact harmoniously or have there been problems among these dogs already? These are all essential points to consider.

         Walking her sufficiently and also providing mental exercise is the first step. Crating when she’s aggressive is never a good idea because you introduce the crate as punishment, you can read more about my crate article here. Separation also only works temporarily, it’s never a permanent fix. While love is very important for bonding, it almost never solves a behavioral issue and thinking that this will go away on its own is wishful thinking – it won’t go away without proper training.

         What your dog needs (apart from physical/mental exercise, a safe-haven space, etc.) is desensitization to other dogs and counter-conditioning. However, it’s hard to say what your next steps should be without knowing more about the background of these incidents.

         You can almost certainly fix your issue but it’ll require lots of time and commitment and maybe even help of a behaviorist. Having so many other dogs doesn’t make the challenge easier. There’s so much to consider in these situations.

         Hope it’ll work out with patience and training,
         Danielle

         Reply

4. Hello,

   I have an 8 year old Newfie/Shepherd (neutered male) and a 7 year old Newfie (spayed female) that have been inseparable together since he was 11 months old and we got her. They had a few “fights” when he would be too rough or try to mount her and she didn’t like it. Maybe 6 times in 7 years and never serious. The male is not great around other dogs, he doesn’t have good manners and barks, but has never hurt another dog. I would have said my female was the calmest dog in the world.

   We got a new lab puppy three weeks ago, female, and it has gone better than I ever could have imagined. They are great with her, I am just careful because they are huge dogs and could hurt the puppy if they play too rough or sit on her. No resource guarding, no nothing.

   My male has become kind of quiet the last few days and two days ago all three were playing in the backyard with me supervising and my female newf attacked my male. Like a real attack. I pulled her off.

   Yesterday the male wasn’t anywhere near her, again outside, he started playing with the puppy a bit and I could FEEL the air change. My female newf got dead silent and was so still. I knew she was going to attack him again, and she did. He was 10 feet away and I tackled her. It was with intent, she was set on getting him.

   Then today, he was laying and I was holding the female again by the collar because she was still again. I slipped, let her go and she launched herself at him again. I got her and pulled her off. He isn’t even looking at her when this happens. Or even really defending himself.

   I have NO idea what is going on and it is scary. The puppy is fine and they aren’t showing any aggression towards her. They absolutely LOVED each other before this and in the house and 99% of the time they are fine together. What the heck is going on??
   Thanks for any insights.

   Reply

   • Hi Michelle,

     thanks for taking the time to describe your case. Totally understand that it might seem confusing or even scary to witness something like this. Good to know that your Newfies got along since your male is 1y old – little incidents here and there when the male mounts her or something like that are totally normal as long as it’s nothing serious. My female Rottie doesn’t put up with being mounted at all and funnily enough, I had a rescue here for some time and he too mounted in the beginning but surprisingly my female was very calm and he didn’t do it again after a couple of times. Maybe my dog knew it was excitement paired with the fact that she tends to be less harsh towards older males. Just a note on how circumstances change the situation.

     Since the only new addition in your case is the puppy, it probably has something to do with your female Lab. Apart from the third accident, your male always seemed to interact with both or at the very least with the pup. It could be various things including jealousy on part of your older female or maybe she feels like he’s playing too rough, especially if you say your male can have bad manners sometimes. While some females reject puppies from other dogs, there are female who become overly protective of them.

     It’s really hard to determine without seeing the fine nuances of the female’s body language. If you say the male is not looking, is he intentionally turning his head away to appease or is he just really not looking? What exactly is he doing with the pup when she attacks?

     Also, when you say she attacked him pretty seriously, did she break skin or what was the extent of the injury? Did he fight back? Sometimes we think something looks extremely serious when, in fact, there’s no real injury afterwards and it was just a harsh correction part of your female. That’s not to downplay these incidents becasuse they’re pretty serious and separating them when away or supervising when you’re is essential until you’ve figured this out.

     If all else fails, you might want to think about contacting a behaviorist and try to figure this out. The more information you have on these situations (maybe including video) the better a behaviorist (and the online community) can help in these situations.

     Glad it’s going well with the puppy though! Be careful that it’s not becoming a habit because puppies pick up on the adult’s behavior and can mirror it in some cases. The adult dogs can be great for socialization if done right :).

     Let me know how it goes,
     Danielle

     Reply

5. Hi, we have a dog that has just started showing aggression toward 2 of our other dogs. The aggressive dog is our largest male. It is very random and he will attack them in front of me or I hear it and run to where they are. We do not have a new puppy. It has been 3 years since we added a new dog to our home. No new people or babies. We are at a loss.

   Reply

   • Hey Elizabeth,

     sorry to hear you’re having this kind of stress currently, but unfortunately it’s really hard to offer advice without knowing the exact circumstances. Attacks very rarely happen out of nowhere (although it can certainly seem that way) and there’s some kind of warning/sign which could be connected to something that happened or at the very least, you can learn to read the signs when something is about to happen.

     Depending on the severity, you should definitely separate the larger dog when you can’t supervise as a temporary solution and look into hiring a real dog behaviorist.

     If nothing changed in the environment, it could be that your dog’s not feeling well – a vet appointment will clear that up. Even something like a poor diet can affect behavior so some other medical issues are definitely possible too.

     Apart from that, possible reasons include jealousy, resource guarding, too little exercise and it’s taken out on the other dogs, and much more.

     Reply

6. Hi Danielle

   I have a MBT & and a fox terrier mix,
   Here is a post I sent into a support group

   a little back story. I got my MBT in October 2019 @10wks, I had 2 female terrier mixes at home (i know crazy) all 3 got along fine for 9 weeks, my 5 yr old mix attacked the BT a few times, at 4 months old the BT finally decided to show her who was boss and latched on for this first time. My daughter had to choke till release, the BT. Over the next 4 months they continued to fight and it was more frequent and more latching on. It was awful rotating them.
   Thru all this my older 11 yr old and my BT had a totally different dynamic and never a problem. I actually chose to rehome my 5 yr old mix who was the instigator.
   Fast forward to Saturday when my BT attacked & latched onto my poor 11 yr old totally submissive senior dog.
   Had to be choked till release again & she is much stronger now. Reintroduced the next day, all good, then tonight attacked her again. I am devastated. I love this BT like no other dog, but this attacking is simply a flaw of the breed 😭, more owners need to realize that. Yes, they will attack for no reason. Don’t know what to do? Please any suggestions, no hate please

   EDIT; MBT is 20months now, she is spayed after her 2nd heat.
   She does not think she is alpha with the humans in our house or my senior until 6 days ago. She has attacked again and latched on bad.

   I am so devastated

   Reply

   • Hey Heath, first of all: After the first incident, you should never leave your dogs alone unsupervised or when you do, separate them. Also, a muzzle at all times inside the home might be required to prevent anything serious from happening from now on. Instead of choking your dog out which in itself poses a health risk, you should think about a break stick to interrupt any biting.

     Rehoming the 5yr old dog might not have been the best choice, considering both sides had issues and it was just a matter of time when those issues would resurface. Having 3 females is also a recipe for disaster in most cases. There have been countless studies on breed-specific legislation and how useless it is but what you mean are the genetics which is different to condemning a whole breed, not considering their exact genes and working purpose (fighting for some breeding lines, unfortunately). If this dog’s specific genetic pool consists of aggressive behavior then that’s definitely deeply rooted in the dog. However, this should not be the case if you’ve got the dog from a responsible breeder and did your research. These breeds definitely are strong-willed though and paired with past negative experiences is also an accident waiting to happen.

     Your MBT probably needs a lot of time and patience to get back on track with the right training and help of a behaviorist or other professional. If you’re committed to doing that, it might just work in the long-run but there’s no guarantee for your senior dog and you’ll always have to take precautions. Whatever you do, please do not reintroduce another dog or whatnot in hopes of solving the problem or starting fresh, there’s a reason these behaviors developed and the canine body language can be very subtle at times but there are nearly always some kind of signs.

     Reply

7. Hello! Our dog Harper has recently become somewhat aggressive towards our dog Loki. Loki is much bigger than she is, but he is still clearly stressed around her. She growls slightly when they approach sometimes and he tries to stay clear of her. They got into a mild fight that was quickly dispersed and no dog was harmed. She has been food anxious since we got her since she was a stray before. She won’t growl or nip at you or other dogs near her food, but she does try to eat as quickly as possible. We got her a special bowl to slow her down. She also is very demanding of being pet. Once you start to pet her, if you stop, she will crawl on you and nuzzle your hand and paw at you until you pet her again. I believe it is some form of claiming of myself or my girlfriend that is instigating this, but I’m not sure how to calm her down. Using treats for training is difficult since she wants the treats so bad that nothing else matters to her. She knows how to sit and I’ve been slowly teaching her to wait for my command until she eats her food, but progress is slow and I’m untrained in this area. Any advice you can provide would be greatly appreciated!

   Reply

   • Hi Matt,

     how long have the two known each other? Although she isn’t food aggressive it would still help her if you would work on the steps outlined here to become more comfortable with you being around her food.
     Letting her wait for your command to eat is a great start. That way you are showing her that you provide access to food so there is nothing to fear from you. Be patient but consistent. Don’t let her eat a single time before you have told her to.
     Regarding the pet demands, try to completely ignore her crawling in the future as she is being reinforced every time you actually pet her in response to the demands. If this doesn’t work, simply leave the room for 15 seconds or until she calms down and leaves you alone. You can also combine this with a command like “no pet” and then leave the room immediately.
     You can try using more low-value treats or toys but the most important thing is that she should be listening to you whether you have treats or not. I use treats very rarely so the training won’t depend on them.

     Hope this helps,
     Danielle

     Reply

8. We have 3 dogs. 2 are terrier mix litter mates (boy and girl) and the other one is an older female Shepard/lab mix. They have always gotten along for the past 6 years. This week the lil ones are being aggressive towards the Shep/lab when she gets scared from the thunder. The terrier mixes snapped at her, and got in a lil scuffle with her. One follows her and growls like she is herding her. I’m heart broken. What can I do?🐕😩🐕🐕

   Reply

   • Hey Stephanie, it’s pretty hard to tell from afar why your Shep/Lab’s fear is causing the two others to pile on. Maybe they’re not totally confident and the redirect their own fear or they sense the “weakness”. Dogs can definitely be ruthless but it’s pretty uncommon for this behavior to happen out of nowhere.

     Have all your dogs been properly socialized? Have you worked on the thunder issue with desensitization? Of course, it’s really bad if your Shep mix is already afraid and the other two dogs worsen the situation. It’s pretty common for insecure dogs to follow the actions of others (hence why your second Terrier joins in).

     I suggest you find the root of this problem and avoid any accidents that could damage the bond further in the meantime. The exact body language is key which is why it’s often a good idea to consult a trainer/behaviorist to have an outside opinion.

     Cheers,
     Danielle

     Reply

9. Hi! I just ran into this post and I really hope you respond because I’m a bit desperate. Here’s my situation. We adopted a 2 yo female Old English Sheepdog that is spayed. We already had 2 male maltipoos of the same age also spayed and even though they struggled at the beginning, they’re good and playful with each other. The OES was in the hospital for 8 days straight after swallowing a rock and three days after she returned home she got into a fight with one of the maltipoos. Usually when they play and one of the little ones wants to stop, they growl or throw little bites at her and she stops but rarely engages, and even when she rarely does they’d stop as soon as I tell them. But this time she did engage and didn’t stop. She had him from the neck and shook him badly to the point where I thought she had killed him. The other maltipoo came to the rescue and tried to defend his brother. Long story short after minutes of battling her to let go of one or the other I finally contained the situation. One of the dogs needed stitches and a tube to drain liquid from the injury but thankfully he’s fine. I’ve had them separated ever since but there was another situation 3 days later where the dogs heard noise outside and started barking through the window. The OES jumped through the baby door I had placed and proceed to bark to the window as well but landed on the dog she had initially hurt which upset him and made him bark at her (and maybe try to bite her, idk I couldn’t see) to which she responded by attacking him again. This time I was able to get her to let go off him pretty soon without having the other dog interfere but as soon as I did he ran to his crate terrified and wouldn’t come out and when he did he was shaking and you could see the fear in his face. Ive kept them in separate rooms now and I’ve also contacted a trainer but we start training in a week. I contacted her previous owner and she told me she’s always been the sweetest and that her other OES bullied her and she never defended herself or acted aggressive towards her other dogs. I would like your take on the situation If you can. I’m always watching them when they’re in the same room and at moments she seems to want to play with them, and they seem to be getting familiar with each other but sometimes I feel like she’s going to attack them. I don’t know if it’s fear that’s making me see things because they haven’t growled or shown teeth at each other or shown any type of aggressiveness. My fear after the second time she attacked him is that she’s going to be snapping like that every time they “disagree” and that she now knows she’s superior to them therefore will go straight to attacking them when she doesn’t like how they’re acting. I’m just so anxious all the time at the thought of her attacking them again. I just would like to know if you think this is something that can be corrected or prevented to happen again. Again, I would really appreciate if you responded. Thanks!

   Reply

   • Hi Valerie, thanks for the description of what’s going on, I totally understand that you’re feeling anxious right now. A little side not to keep in mind is that our energy can transfer onto the dogs and while it’s hard to contain your feelings, it’s important not to freak out because that too can prompt the mood to turn sour.

     The fact that her previous owner said that she was “bullied” is not an indication that this behavior comes out of nowhere now, but I’d rather take it as a sign of why she’s finally standing up for herself. You say that the OES usually doesn’t engage, but that means that she tried to initiate play and the little one wasn’t having it and growled so the OES responded, right?

     It’s important to find out which dog crossed the line. Did the Maltipoo give a reasonable correction and your OES just wasn’t accepting that correction, thus overstepping her boundary with an attack. Or was it more like the Maltipoo snapped at her and the OES might have perceived it as attack?

     While it may seem unreasonable that the OES shakes her so hard (and it’s certainly a serious situation) dogs can be savages when it comes to this, especially when the correction given by the Maltipoo was unfair and unjustified and the Maltipoo just wouldn’t let it go.

     That being said, no matter who really started, the “fights” often look more devastating than they really are. I’m not trying to defend the OES’s actions, but usually dogs have a good sense of how much damage they inflict. The fact that she just came back from the hospital can definitely contribute to the short fuse.

     That being said, separating them for now and contacting a trainer/behaviorist is definitely the right step. Make sure to find somebody who specializes in aggression and asks the right questions and suggests actionable but also reasonable measures and training methods. With work and patience, you might get their relationship to work again.

     Wish all four of you the best,
     Danielle

     Reply

10. Hi. We have 3 dogs who have been together for many years. They have always been the best of friends…until the last 3 weeks. Our youngest dog has begun sniffing the oldest and smallest dog then attacking her. Full on attack without a seeming warning. Both dogs behave normally otherwise. Last time I saw this one of the dogs had cancer. Thoughts?

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    • Hey Darlen, sorry you’re having this situation in your home, it’s certainly unpleasant to see our dog who seemingly loved each other all the time go at each other now, especially if it’s one of them starting the fight.

      Do you mean the last time you saw this somewhere else the dog had cancer or was it your own dog? Anyway, a medical issue could definitely be the reason behind this so I’d suggest having your dog checked out by a vet.

      Dogs often don’t display pain but it can definitely be a cause of aggression. Depending on your dog’s age, hormonal changes are definitely possible too. Maybe something happened that you didn’t catch, there are so many moving parts but I’d definitely get the health checked out first.

      Body language and finding the cause of any attack is key to solve the issue.

      Reply

11. Hi! we have two female boxers that have been raised together. Just yesterday the youngest, Persie, (3 yo) started attacking the older one, Penny (10 yo). I want to say it’s protecting my aunt, who literally just got here yesterday for a visit, it seems to be the only trigger i can tell. Persie does not want Penny anywhere near my aunt, and she’ll pretty much sit on my aunt as if “guarding” her. but it’s not constant either. Sometimes they are totally normal and fine together and play… then, she’s wanting to rip the other’s face off. Suggestions? (other than get rid of my aunt, lol) Thank you!

    Reply

    • Hi Vanessa, your situation depends a lot on what exactly your dog is doing to the other, is it really an attack or just a stern warning like a growl, raised hackles, etc.? Has there ever been guarding of any kind – resources like toys, food or is she generally territorial? Also, it’s important whether or not your dog has shown jealous behavior before and how the overall behavior with your aunt has been and is currently.

      A lot of moving parts, but of course, your primary focus should be avoiding attacks. You need to establish that it’s okay for all dogs to be around your aunt and that your youngest needs to respect that. However, it’s important to find the real cause first and I’d suggest watching her behavior closely and if you’re really worried, consult a dog behaviorist to help.

      Hope this helps,
      Danielle

      Reply

12. Hello! I moved in with my boyfriend and his cattle dog about 8 months ago. I have a big goofy Airedale terrier I brought with me. The cattle dog was notoriously sassy and my dog is notoriously overbearing (he always wants to play). So for months it was getting them used to eachother, teaching the Airedale to chill a bit and respect space and teaching the cattle dog not to snap immediately. Well, as of two weeks ago, everything changed on a dime and we have no idea why. Oscar is now very aggressive back, unprovoked, and only towards the cattle dog. He has never been like this towards any living thing, he plays with many other dogs, even cats, I have no idea why he has now changed and is attacking the cattle dog. My only guess is it may have something to do with a friends dog we were dog sitting for. A female golden stayed with us for two weeks and the Airedale LOVES her. They played and hung out constantly. But amidst that, the Airedale is now super aggressive towards the cattle dog. Started out looking like he was protecting the golden, but now she’s gone and it’s still constant. HELP!

    Reply

    • Hi Rachel, it can definitely happen that the sassy dog starts this behavior after the last drop causes the glass to overflow meaning that all the previous warnings have been ignored. However, from what you’re describing it sounds like you took care of that not happening even though it may depend on one dog’s specific temper and how much they’re willing to take. It could be that the Airedale is just not taking to the warnings/corrections and now the mood has turned sour. May have been the accumulation of events or one big event that set it off. Could it be that something happened along the lines of what I previously mentioned with the Cattle dog having enough of it and correcting the Airedale who was not accepting it at all and perceived it as an attack?

      How is the Cattle dog taking it? What’s the nature of the attacks? Growls, harsh but justified correction? Unjustified? Perhaps even attacks without any provocation at all? Beware that the signs can be really subtle and it may just look like your Airedale is going off for no reason, even though I can’t really imagine the provocation if, as you say, the Cattle dog is keeping to him/her.

      In regards to him/her – if your Cattle dog is also a male it could very well be that your Airedale is fighting over the female Golden, so to speak. If that’s not it, I wouldn’t know any obvious reason related to the Golden because your dog only seemed to have fun when the Cattle dog was present, so it’s a neutral connection at best.

      Hard to tell with these cases and if you need to look deeper into this, I’d suggest hiring a professional to take a look. Sometimes it’s easier for a third person to evaluate body language and so on.

      Danielle

      Reply

13. Hi, Danielle,
    I have a 5 year old beagle mix. I have had her since she was 4 weeks old (I bottle fed her to get her out of a neglect situation). I also have a catahoula mix that has lived with said beagle for over 4 years now. In addition to these 2 (they’re my main problem) we have a pitty mix, a Great Pyrenees, and a heeler. All girls except for the heeler. We live on a farm and have a huge yard fenced off for the dogs that covers about 3/4 of an acre. Over the past year, my beagle mix and the catahoula have started fighting. We separate them quickly and keep them apart for a day or less to give them space to calm down. It seems like my beagle is the one starting it (which breaks my heart) but maybe the catahoulas body language could be starting it? They used to be the best of friends and I hate that they don’t seem to get along anymore. I don’t want to get rid of either of them. But my beagle has been hurt before from their fights. Not enough to need stitches but she has gotten a small tooth hole in her face before. My beagle is high strung. She barks at everything/everyone. She doesn’t really growl, but barks a lot. The catahoula seems to be laid back. She’s a big cuddler. They both get attention. I snuggle with my beagle mix every day when I get home from work and my husband is always snuggling with the catahoula as she’s his baby. It breaks my heart to see my girl get hurt. Idk what to do to fix the situation. Again, getting rid of them is not an option as the beagle is my heart dog and the catahoula is my husband’s. What can I do to fix it? I’ve thought about getting my beagle put on anti anxiety meds to see if it helps?

    Reply

    • Hey Wenger, getting rid of either one of the dogs is not necessary in most cases, especially if it worked before. Also, our canines are like family, and working through the problem is the start so let’s get started :).

      While medication can help, it’s very rarely necessary (as in there are chemical issues in a dog’s brain). However, they won’t treat the underlying cause of the attacks. Separating them is necessary to break up the fight, but prolonged separation also won’t address the issue and possibly make it even worse. You mentioned a huge yard, can you be really sure you’re that you’re witnessing every interaction between your dogs?

      You also mentioned that the Catahoula dog is laid back while the Beagle mix is high-strung and seemingly starting the fights. It could still be that the other dog is starting the fights, especially if you don’t see every interaction, but for now it seems to be that your Beagle is the cause. Have you ruled out medical issues? Pain can cause dogs to react like this. It does seem odd that your Beagle is singling out the other dog though. Any signs why? Is she specifically seeking her out while the other dogs are around and just as easy of a target? Have you witnessed the Beagle start the fight (it’s odd that only she seems to walk away with injuries)?

      I’d suggest noticing the exact behavior and then take it from there. Before suggesting medication or even something drastic like re-homing, I’d definitely try to consult a professional dog behaviorist to check it out and help you.

      Danielle

      Reply

14. Reading Darlen’s comment (similar story to ours-friendly dog suddenly attacks dog it has lived with for years), I have wondered about a dog sensing the cancer or other illness and attacking , not attacking due to having the cancer/ hurt. Have you ever heard of this type of aggressive behavior?

    Reply

    • Hey Karen, sadly there’s not enough conclusive research to determine whether or not dogs can sense cancer which causes them to attack. However, we do know that dogs can sense diabetes and other illnesses and combined with the fact that animals are known to attack other hurt animals for a variety of reasons, it is theoretically possible.

      However, nobody specifically heard of this type of aggression because it’s hard to pinpoint as one would have to relate the attack to the specific illness and then eliminate all other factors which is really hard. If an illness is involved, you also get the wild card meaning that the healthy dog might be seen attacking the one with cancer, but it’s the dog with cancer who showed signs of aggression due to possible pain in the first place.

      Hope that helps,
      Danielle

      Reply

15. Hi Danielle – I’ve recently adopted an 8 year old female maltipoo (mostly poodle I think) from a kill shelter, to join my elderly 14 year old rescue maltipoo (mostly malty). I’ve had the elder for 10 years. We had another little dog several years ago but lost her. My old fellow is never aggressive, friend to all. He isn’t overly friendly or annoying, he is gentle. The new girl was quiet and sweet at first, bonded to me immediately. The older is not jealous of her, and she hasn’t shown any sings of aggression or jealousy until one day a few weeks ago she attacked him out of the blue for no reason. He was just minding his own business.

    So it’s been a regular thing. It seems very ferocious but I don’t think she is really biting him, just terrorizing him. He is losing some coordination and had a soft tissue injury a while back in his from leg. A recent attack left him really hurt and yelping, but no wound. Limping badly tho. I think he got hurt just trying to escape. So there is a real danger even if she isn’t biting him.

    I’ve watched her carefully (I’m home mostly all the time), and what happens is, she’s fine and then she looks at him, or he shows up or just moves, she locks onto him like a predator. She can’t hear my voice, it’s like a brain thing has taken over. Her face changes. She growls, stalks, attacks. I intervene and mostly stop it from being a full attack but she’s fast and beats me sometimes. It’s so frightening and upsetting. I love my old guy so much and just wanted for him to have a friend, wanted to rescue a little girl, I never want to take away his peace in his old years. He gets so upset and looks at me like, Why did you bring her here??

    Except for this one flaw she is perfect. It only happens inside the home. Cuddly, affectionate, funny, great on the leash even with the older, no problem. I’ve fallen in love with her and do not know what to do!

    I separate her when she attacks. I put her in the bathroom until she cools down. When she comes out she acts like a completely new dog. Like nothing ever happened. I don’t know anything about her background. She is well-trained, a great eater, generally very healthy. She did have food aggression so I feed them separately. She tries to claim all the beds and gets aggressive when he gets in one of them. I’ve ordered a muzzle for her but I don’t think it will stop her from hurting him since he is getting hurt scrambling away.

    Oh, another funny thing. In trying to help her see how nice my guy is, I started kissing him and saying see we love him! And she pricked up her ears and came over to join in the kissing! And she really seems to like him very much during the kissing. Poor guy he is so confused.

    Help!

    Sally

    PS – love your articles and advice!!! Thanks for these choice offerings!

    Reply

    • Hey Sally, thanks for the kind words about liking the articles and I totally get the thoughts you have with your senior dog.

      So, first of all, I’d clarify if there’s a medical issue – has she had a vet check-up? While many people with aggression issues immediately go for medication, sometimes it really is a chemical imbalance (make sure to 100% confirm though) or it’s plainly an undiagnosed injury, hip dysplasia, loss of eyesight or whatever it is that triggers an aggressive response.

      It’s relatively rare for an adult female that has never shown aggression to suddenly display this kind of behavior with an older male who’s been there before. Btw: Is one of them neutered (or has she recently been neutered, especially if she’s just now coming from a shelter)?

      That being said, if you say she has food aggression, claims the beds, etc. then I’d definitely say that there are some signs that it’s not the first time for her to show this type of behavior.

      As I explained in another comment, it can definitely be that your dog senses the loss of physical ability in your senior, it’s not a rare behavior for some animals in nature. If it’s an eliminating the weak or coup de grace type or something entirely else is really hard to say.

      You’d need to know the dogs. How exactly are they behaving during these situations and apart from that. Diet, exercise, mental stimulation, exact body language all these need to be taken into account.

      If all else fails and the vet rules out any issues, I’d suggest you consult a trainer/behaviorist. It’s great that you’ve rescued her and your senior should definitely have his peace – there’s surely a way to work through this. If a (great) behaviorist has no clue, you might need to think about rehoming. Personally, I would only consider this option as a last resort but it might be best in order to avoid anything serious from happening.

      Hope you’ll mange to work it out,
      Danielle

      Reply

16. Hi Danielle,

    We have two dogs, Archi (boy) is 2 and a Lab/Great Pyrenees mix and Luna (girl) is 3 and a Lab/Border Collie mix. We rescued Luna at 4 months and Archi at 6 weeks. They get along fine for the most part. Lately when anyone comes home, Archi goes and attacks Luna for no reason. Today she actually cried out and he seemed to become a little more aggressive. It is only when someone comes home or someone comes over. To me it seems like Luna’s bark is driving him crazy. She has a loud high pitched bark. If i can get him to grab his chew toy, he may bark at her but he chews like crazy everytime she barks. I dont know what to do.

    Reply

17. Continued on from previous, Archi is my sweet playful dog and him and Luna do actually play alot. Luna has Massive anxiety around people she doesn’t know. We have had to put her on Trazodone for whenever we have company over. Archi thinks everyone is coming to play with him. It only happens when one of us comes home, or someone comes over. Archi is big enough to see out the window to our driveway and so he knows when someone is pulling up. He then slowly starts walking towards Luna and then lunges at her.

    Reply

    • Hey Lynda, I’ve read your other comment, hope it’s okay that I respond to this one.

      Even though there are many possible causes and things to consider when conflict between two dogs arises, it can definitely be that Archi feels Luna’s anxiety. If you say that he seems to set his eyes on her when somebody comes over (or is about to) and you say your female is very anxious around people, then there could definitely be a connection.

      It’s odd that this developed into a regular habit for your male. Hard to tell what exactly triggers this behavior – is he just feeling the anxiety rise in Luna? Even though she may not see out the window, she can recognize the pattern Archi displays and connect it to somebody coming over thus evoking a fearful response from her which then leads to him feeling the anxiety rise in her.

      While medication can help, it’s definitely not a long-term fix. Has your female alaways been anxious around people? You might want to think about desensitizing her to people slowly and patiently. That alone may resolve the issue but of course, it’s not okay that one dog attacks the other, for whatever reason so if you want to look deeper into this (and if fixing her anxiety won’t help, at least not quickly enough), I’d suggest you consult a dog trainer/behaviorst. From what you tell, there have been no serious injuries and I’m sure everybody would like it to stay that way.

      Wish the best for you, Archi and Luna!
      Danielle

      Reply

18. Help! We have 3 dogs 2 female golden retrievers 12 and 9 and we also have a 8 year old male catahoula mix.(he was rescued at 7 months old, don’t know much about his past he was found in a field). They have lived together for 5 years full time. Within the last 6 months the catahoula started becoming aggressive towards the older golden. (The 12 year old is special needs she has trouble with her hips and back legs since birth) we first noticed it when the catahoula was playing with soft toys with squeakers and the 12 year old walk past one. We quickly removed all the soft toys. A few months later he was laying on the floor near us when she got up to move to a different spot and he lunged again at her. Then recently we’re eating dinner and she moved to beg someone else for food and he snapped at her again. Then today we were all gone and they were in the bedroom together until we returned and he had attacked her while we were out there was teeth marks on her ear. Not punctured but a noticeable mark. We cannot pinpoint any specific issues. they get along great and cuddle together most of the day. It is becoming very stressful and worry some. I’m at a loss on what to do

    Reply

    • Hi Abby,

      without being there, it’s really hard to say what triggers the attacks. It’d be important to note the exact body language your dog displays. Is he only attacking the older Golden? Both are in their senior years so there has to be a different reason and the declining health could be one. How is he behaving with others dogs? Has ANY change occurred in the last months?

      If you really can’t get any further, try consulting a dog behaviorist/trainer (make sure they’re legit with the appropriate knowledge for this). The more details you can get on paper, the better a professional can help you.

      Hope you’ll find the cause soon and be able to fix it!
      Danielle

      Reply

19. Hi, we have 4 dogs..a 12 yr old neutered standard poodle, a 6 year old neutered Doberman, a 10 month old intact male Doberman and an 11 month old female Doberman. The female is very intense and protective and is my shadow. The older dobie has always been ‘my guy’. Lately the female has been attacking my older dobie, he will not fight back, just stands there and takes it, the last time blood was drawn when she bit his ear. He is huge, 115 lbs and she is about 70 lbs. she usually gets him when he is not expecting it. We got the younger puppies in October and she has never really felt comfortable around him. The males get along well and she respects the poodle. I am being strict with her now as I am thinking she has named herself top dog over the others. She is not allowed on the couch now, etc. We free hike in the woods at least twice a day and her and my older dobie always lead the group and interact well outside. If people come over and the energy changes she has started attacking then as well.

    Reply

    • Hey Kelli, if an attack is serious and blood is drawn, it’s definitely time to get to the bottom of this. Sorry this is happening, it’s really confusing if conflicts like this arise in a larger group of dogs.

      While the dominance theory is outdated, it may very well be that she’s kind of challenging him. The older Poodle shouldn’t be a threat and the other Dobie is her a pup like herself. However, it’s strange that she is displaying this behavior so early on. While she’s nearly 1 year and by no means a little puppy anymore, large dog breeds’ brains develop until they’re 2-3 years old.

      It may also be jealousy since you mentioned that the older Dobie was always your guy. Which “younger puppies” are you speaking about – the youngest male Doberman or are there other pups around your house?

      Working on obedience, exercising properly, etc. can help a great deal with this behavior but taking away her privileges surely won’t fix this. On the contrary, it could even worsen a possible jealousy situation.

      I’d definitely suggest you observe the behavior and try to consult a legit dog behaviorist/trainer to avoid any serious attacks in the future. Wouldn’t leave them alone for the time being, even if your older dog is just taking it (is he really just standing there? Not even a defensive gesture?).

      Hope you’ll be able to get to the bottom of this soon,
      Danielle

      Reply

20. Hello, we have a 13 yr old miniature Australian shepherd and a 9 yr old yorkipoo. Recently the 9 yr old yorkipoo keeps grawling and fighting my older dog who is diabetic and blind. They are both males and not neutered. It’s to the point now where we keep the 9 yr old yorkipoo on a leash in the house or he goes after my older dog. The dogs have been together since the yorkipoo was born so 9 years. Any help would be appreciated

    Reply

    • Hi Michele, as mentioned in other comments, it’s important to find out the cause of the attacks. What are the situations, body language, response from the older dog, any perceivable triggers, etc.

      It’s definitely frustrating if this happens with dogs who have lived together happily for so many years (assuming there were no fights before). I’d suggest a dog behaviorist/trainer if you’ve exhausted all possible options.

      Cheers,
      Danielle

      Reply

21. My 2 year old bully Recently attacked my seven-year-old Shih Tzu he was yelping in pain he hurt his back she went over to him and started Attacking she has never been aggressive at all And she has attacked my chill weenie also I feel that I cannot trust her now We did recently get a new puppy could that be the cause

    Reply

    • Hey Rena,

      introducing a new puppy can definitely upset the current arrangements the dogs have with each other. Without knowing the specific circumstance and body language, it’s hard to pin down a cause. I’d suggest taking this to a dog behaviorist/trainer. While it can be frightening to see your dogs “fight” each other, there’s almost always a solution. You should definitely take precautions since Bully breeds are so much stronger, heavier, and sturdier than a Shih Tzu and you definitely need to get to the bottom of this.

      Danielle

      Reply

22. I have 5 pugs 3 girls 2 boys and 4 of them are rescues. They have now lived together for 2 years with just the odd scuffle but recently my t year old girl has started to pick on the weaker female. She has always been the excitable one and loves to play with toys etc and we have had to feed her separately for the last 6 months due to challenging the others. The problem mainly happens when the weak one has been out say to the vets or if I am stroking her and the dominant one comes over and I push her away or pick her up she then puts her paws on her back and her demeanor changes completely. The weaker one obviously then reacts to her challenging behaviour and we have a fight on our hands. This then means the others jump in and is very difficult to separate them. After a time out we introduce them back together and after an initial circling and bottom sniffing they often then curl up together. I can see when she is on edge and try to diffuse things before they start but sometimes this actually makes things worse. She also will attack her if for example if I pick her or the weaker one up to please do you have any advice. Sue

    Reply

    • Hi Sue, so it seems that there are several issues – here’s an article that might solve your food aggression problem.

      It’s strange that this behavior (e.g. coming home from the vet) only appears with this particular dog – has anything happened that might’ve triggered this? Also, pushing the other dog away or even picking one of them up may actually be a pattern that acts as a trigger now because waking to the dog that receives pets equals being pushed away naturally evokes a negative response to the initial act of the other dog being pet.

      Of course, no dog has the right to reprimand another dog for receiving some love, you could try redirecting the dog but it’d really depend on the exact cause.

      It’s good that you spot situations before they occur but it’s surely stressful to watch out all day. I’d really recommend consulting a good behaviorist with this case and have them check it out in person. Body language is key in these situations.

      Wish you the best,
      Danielle

      Reply

23. We have a french bulldog female and a male jackapoo… they have had 2 puppies who are now 9 months old and all 4 dogs have been living in harmony up until the last 2 weeks the french bulldog has started attacking the jackapoo..she sleeps with him in the day and is fine around him but every now and then she just attacks him. She is my daughters dog who has lately formed a closer bond than she had with the jackapoo. Do you think it’s jealousy? Really need some advise

    Reply

    • Hi Denise,

      It really depends on what evokes the negative reponse from your female and what exactly she does. Female dogs can be pretty on edge around their puppies and sometimes chase the male away for several reasons. However, it’s pretty late for at 9 months of age. Has anything else happened between the two? From what I understand, you have kept the two puppies so it’s especially important to make sure there’s no stress inside the house since the negative emotions can easily transfer.

      I always recommend having a behaviorist/trainer check out these cases as it can be really serious (depending on the body language, nature of the attacks, causes, etc.) but some people also interpret simple growls as “aggression” so it’s always hard to tell from afar.

      Hope you’ll resolve this soon and all the best for your pups,
      Danielle

      Reply

24. Whenever my fiance and I first met, she told me how our dogs were always sweet and the dog in question never got aggressive towards our other dog. As soon as I became part of their lives and was accepted by the dogs, the smaller one became more territorial and aggressive towards the larger dog. Like he was keeping him away from me. He’s always on guard and looking out for the other dog to make sure he’s not around. If the other dog gets too close, he becomes aggressive and they fight. 1) Why is the smaller one acting so aggressive since I have become part of the family and 2) What can we do to stop the smaller from being so aggressive?

    Reply

    • Hey Jason, answering your first question on why is quite difficult to answer since there can be so many factors at play. It’s important how the events unfold (who starts it, how do they fight) and especially important what their body language looks like. All this helps with determining the cause and course of action.

      Keep in mind that if you have no clue where to go from here, it’s best to consult a behaviorist. A disturbed harmony is a serious issue and stuff like separation or unnecessary corrections won’t help. Your smaller dog’s behavior is probably fear-based and you definitely want to avoid escalation.

      Reply

25. I have a pit/boxer mix that is 2 1/2 and have had him since he was 10 weeks old. Recently rescued a 9 month old pit/lab mix. My older dog only seems to be mean or snip at the puppy over a bone or outside time. Please help I really love both of them and I just don’t want anything bad to happen or have to get rid of my dogs

    Reply

    • This article on resource guarding should be helpful for you. Of course, you don’t want any fights between your dogs and it’s important to avoid these situations when still in training. Remove points of conflict and start working on this asap with professional help if you think that’s necessary.

      Reply

26. We just moved to a new home
    & my German/pitbull female keeps starting fights with my staffie female I don’t know why

    Reply

    • Hi Tiffany,

      more information would be necessary to really say why one of your female dogs attacks the other. Exact circumstances, as well as body language, are key. Are they fighting over a resource? Has one of them recently had any medical issues, spayed, or whatnot? How long are both of them with you and what’s their age? That plus how they behave during the actual fights.

      If you’re interested in more information, I have a membership with a couple of eBooks as well as access to a member-only contact form where I’ll try to dive deeper into your specific issue.

      Cheers,
      Danielle

      Reply

27. Hello Danielle,
    We have a 9 year old Llaso Apso named Kipper, who is very even tempered and a 5 year old chow/corgi mix named Izzy who has a dominant personality. She has shown food aggression and we have always fed them separately which helped with this problem. Recently, my granddaughter moved in with us and we let her get a female Westie named Bella. Since having Bella, Izzy has shown much more aggression towards Kipper. About 5 months ago, Izzy attacked Kipper when Kipper got a treat that Izzy had left behind. Izzy had just gotten back from the groomers which she hates. It was terrible. Kipper could have lost his floppy ear and had deep gashes in his side. I pulled Izzy off Kipper. Kipper refuses to backdown even though Izzy’s teeth are 5 times the size of his. Today, out of no where, Izzy attacked Kipper over one of Bella’s toys. Izzy had gotten super excited when a delivery person had dropped off a box and had just been over stimulated by that. They had just come back inside from our porch and out of nowhere, a terrible brawl started over the toy. My hand was mauled as I tried to pull Izzy off. I’m not sure what to do. We love Izzy but no longer trust her. Please offer any suggestions to help that you can. I am heart broken to think of rehoming her, but feel that I may have to.
    Thanks so much for any advice you can offer.

    Reply

    • Hi Cheryl, sorry for the late response. It sounds like getting another dog has upset the relationship between your current dogs. You should act asap and consult a professional if this hasn’t been resolved. It’s important that the aggression only seems to be directed towards your oldest dog and not the new Westie. But from what you describe, Izzy has always been “dominant” right? Make sure to take note of their body language and causes of the fights and let your behaviorist know about that.

      Hope you’ll be able to resolve this!
      Danielle

      Reply

28. Hi Danielle!

    We need help. We have 2 females. A 3 year old yorkiepoo and a 1 year old yorkie. We got the 3 year old when she was 6 months, and the 1 year old when she was 10 weeks.
    They have been great together the entire time until about 4 weeks ago. There was a scary fight over food dishes one day. Then it was fine for about a week. Then another fight when they heard the doorbell one random day. Now it has been often. At least once per day for the past week. Sometimes 3 or 4 times. Like, want to kill eachother fights. But in between these fights, they play together and lay together and are completely fine. We now have them with leashes on at all times in case a fight breaks out, so we can intervene without getting injured ourselves. We have no idea what’s going on or what to do. Please help!

    Reply

    • Hey Andrea, it’s hard to pin down the exact cause from what you’re describing. I’d definitely suggest you consult a behaviorist to make sure you can live in harmony again. At first, it sounded like food aggression but there is definitely more to it with the attacking when the doorbell rings and it’s happening repeatedly.

      Reply

29. I have a rescue German shepherd mix. He is about 3 we got him at 6 months old. Recently he has attacked all of our other dogs within the last year. And has growled at my husband. The first time they were out going to the bathroom and he ran up on the older boxer. Then he was playing together very nice with our great Dane and snapped and they fought. When people come over he is very scared and runs to his cage, but after a while comes out and plays. But then gets in a mood and the hair stands up and he runs and hides. I feel like maybe he has bad anxiety. We have been nothing but nice loving and caring to him. I don’t know what to do with him. He recently attacked our puppy who just walked past him. I love him so much and don’t want to give up on him but I don’t want him to hurt anyone or our other dogs. Any advice is appreciated.

    Reply

    • Hi Char, it’s hard to diagnose from afar what’s happening without having context, but I’d definitely suggest consulting a behaviorist who looks into it in person. Many big dogs involved (GSD, Great Dane, Boxer) which makes it even more pressing to prevent anything worse from happening. Never rule out medical issues.

      Anxiety might be the right guess but even that always has a cause and assuming it’s not medical, there must be something else going on.

      Reply

30. My hope with my 10 year old female corgi and 7 month old male corgi is to prevent fights. My older girl taught the pup that she does not want to play, at all, by growling and snapping. The pup learned not to annoy her, although he sometimes tries to get close and lick her or gently paw her. She will growl or sneer. Lately, now that he’s bigger, he tries to engage her by barking at her and running away. Sometimes she’ll ignore him, other times she barks back and chases (slowly) after him. My husband thinks maybe they are playing. I don’t think so. Sometimes she corners him, and he behaves submissively. Should I intervene when he tries to engage her, or let her handle him?

    They will get aggressive over food. I feed separately. Sometimes when the pup and I are playing , the older girl will get in the way and growl or snap, as if to make him settle down. Otherwise they coexist.

    I walk the pup a mile+ in the morning, and the older girl 1/2 to 3/4 mile. The pup gets a second evening walk. Sometimes we go to the park together.

    The girl is spayed; the pup is not yet neutered. The vet is waiting because one testicle is undescended.

    Thanks for any tips.

    Reply

    • Hi Linda, it’s quite common that older dogs are not into playing with puppies and as long as they communicate that in a measured way, it shouldn’t be a problem. Just make sure your pup has enough positive interactions outside the home (especially when your older dog doesn’t even want him to approach and lick him at all).

      If the chasing is play or not is hard to tell since body language is extremely important in these situations. Food aggression is not uncommon but still completely undesirable. Root of the issue depends on whether you rescued one or both of them. It’s especially uncommon for puppies of this age and could be that he’s kind of copying your older dog’s behavior.

      Puppies don’t need a lot of exercise so the amount of walking could be sufficient for now but make sure he has enough mental stiulation and playtime too (especially with other pups).

      Neutering: Don’t count on it solving your issue, no matter what your vet says. Here’s more on neutering and why you should wait anyway until their bone growth is finished.

      Cheers,
      Danielle

      Reply

    • @Danielle, It makes sense that the pup could be copying the older girl’s behavior. (Their food aggression, right now, is limited to fierce snarling and barking). The older girl was given to us when she was one year by neighbors who didn’t know how to care for a puppy, so her first year was turmoil. So how do I stop this?

      I take the pup to obedience and he has lots of positive playtime with other dogs.

      Reply

    • @Danielle, and THANK YOU for responding. Your website is so informative

      Reply

31. Hey there,

    I have a 15 week year old Bernese mountain dog mix with a lab. Last week a friend of mine brought over his 9 month year old English bulldog.

    We let them do the initial “meet and greet” outside, which went every well! Then we took them for a walk around town, which also went well. Later on they came back and we went inside. I brought out two treats and gave them both one. My pup dropped his and growled and snapped, jumping to bite her anddd I got it instead. He ended up taking hers after she dropped it. I was shocked, I’ve never seen him get aggressive towards another dog. Then she went into the living room and grabbed one of his toys – which as you can guess did not go over well either.

    We tried to sit down with them and hold them but my pup kept growling :(. I hated it.

    I ended up having to put him in his crate for the remainder of the visit.

    Do you have any suggestions on what to do or what’s going on In his mind ? Is there a way I shoudl be reintroducing them next time?

    Let me know. Thanks!

    Reply

    • Hey Fred, it sounds like your dog has an issue with guarding resources against other dogs. At first, the growling is just communication but if it evolves into a full-blown attack (you said snap, but also going in to bite which is very uncommon for puppies), then that may be a serious resource guarding issue.

      The only thing you can do is gradually exposing your dog to accept other dogs playing with the toys and getting food (which wasn’t hers in the first place). The fact that the other dog ate it and that she spent the remainder in the crate probably doesn’t help.

      Lots of socialization, exposure to stuff being picked up by other dogs and positive reinforcement. Some trainers will recommend a sharp correction with your voice, others will default on positive reinforcement only (redirecting, etc. which often doesn’t address the issue).

      Reply

32. I have two female rescue dogs. Quinn, some kind of pit mix who just turned 3 and Izzy, an Australian cattle dog/border collie mix who will be 3 in February. We’ve had Izzy since she’s been 9 weeks and Quinn we rescued at 1 year. They’ve been living together for 2 years without any issues. Izzy has been attacking Quinn without a trigger the last 3 weeks and then Quinn fights back too. It has happened 3 times but once Izzy eneded up with a torn ear that needed to get stitches. Izzy has shown no aggression towards us whatsoever. We have been keeping them separated because we don’t want them hurting each other.
    I am currently 38 weeks pregnant and concerned. We had a phone consultation with a behavioral specialist because these dogs are our life and we want to do whatever it takes to try and figure out what’s going on. The lady told us that she’s booked out until December and that the best solution would be to rehome on of the dogs. She gave no advice on things we could try first. Is this something that could be fixed?

    Reply

33. Hi Danielle, I feel at a loss and need some input. I have 2 littermates, staffys and they’re about 10-11months old, still in tact and both boys. They’ve been bonded since birth pretty much and have only gotten into playful little fights over toys and such. Lately that hasn’t been the case. The dynamic has always been Bungo is always calm and sort of docile and never minded being messed with by his brother Winston who always tries to prod him. Bungo also is always itchy due to a skin condition. Bungo has never shown any signs of aggression to him before. Only a rare occasion over guarding his food bowl, which we fixed with feeding them separately. The first incident occurred over rotting food in the woods. Bungo lunged like a crazy dog and bit into winstons face. The fight was broken up, tensions were gone the next day and they were fine for a week.
    This weekend, Bungo went crazy again over a toy he was chewing on which he never has done. He would usually let Winston take the toy and not care most of the time. We separated them but Bungos demeanor never returned to normal. He’s been a different dog completely. His stance is rigid, his eyes are not warm anymore they’re challenging. Now he can’t even tolerate his brother coming near him. We react as soon as we see the long glance and posture change. But as soon as we react that’s when Bungo decides to lunge…I’m not sure if it’s because they’re still in tact or if something medically is affecting Bungo. They’ve always fought over toys in a playful way. They always used to sleep and cuddle each other and do everything together.
    Now, even Bungo looks at us funny and kind of lingers in his cage (where I assume he feels safe) and stares around in an untrusting way. I wish I could narrow it down but it seems to be a number of things food, resource guarding, maybe pain/anxiety and winston is beside himself and starting to get anxious too. You can tell he just wants to mess around with his brother like normal, but we have to keep him away…We always are keeping an eye on them too so a random unknown incident couldn’t have triggered this either.

    Reply

34. All the sudden my German shepherd n my son dog which is part Australian shepherd has got into 2 fights n the last 1 almost ended badly my sons dog was lucky her neck was almost ripped thru .. n they have been around each other since we had them as puppies but they r both very protective over their owners I know my son dog is of me also and is very loveable to me at times I know my dog doesn’t like the attention to be off her and on another animal but has never attacked 1 in this way.. it has really scared me and my nerves are shot still cause we been keeping them separated from 1 another but I can’t keep doing this it is to much.. but I can see the aggression when they accidentally got in the same room with 1 another yesterday.. what do I do? How do I fix this?

    Reply

    • Hey Jennifer, separation definitely isn’t a long-term solution and since aggression apparently surfaces even if they just catch a glimpse of each other, I’d definitely suggest you consult a behaviorist to help with this issue.

      With overly protective/jealous dogs, it’s important to know more about your daily routine, socialization of both dogs, etc. etc. and a professional should ask all the right questions and check the behavior in-person.

      Reply

35. We´ve just adopted a 1 yr old Border collie female, Cali to join our family of a small 2 yrs old Spanish Podenco male, Harry and 5.5yr old cross collie/retriever male Mickey. We didn´t let her have free rein in the house at first, although she had lots of play time outside and played for long periods with Harry, and sometimes Mickey would also join in. Allan has been doing training with them and they were fine with this too. Cali would come into the lounge in the evenings on a lead and usually just went to sleep in a chair or on Allan’s knee.
    Mickey and Cali went for walks together with my husband with no problems, Harry is very leash reactive, has been for the 11mths we´ve had him, so I take him separately and do training/counter conditioning on this with him. After 2.5 weeks everything seemed to be going fine so we allowed her into the lounge and kitchen with no restraint. This was fine for a couple of days, then on Saturday in the kitchen Mickey and Cali had a massive fight, and I tried to stop Cali from getting to Mickey by moving in front of her and moving my leg to try and stop her getting to him and I was bitten on the leg. We doused them with water and put them in separate rooms. The next day it seemed much calmer but on Monday morning when they were both in the lounge waiting outside the office door where my husband was (door was closed) another fight broke out. I used a water spray and they stopped but then Cali circled around and went for Mickey again, another jug of water had to be used. After that Mickey wouldn´t go into the conservatory where Cali is and for the last 2 nights has slept in the lounge as now whenever he’s anywhere near, she barks at him constantly and Mickey is now barking back at her and we can´t risk another fight. He did try and get onto the settee where he normally sleeps in the conservatory (Cali & Harry sleep in crates) but he was too nervous when she wouldn´t stop barking at him, even though there was a cover on her crate.
    We have tried to analyze what might have happened to cause this problem but there was no food or other resource involved, unless it was jealousy as they are both very attached to Allan who does the walkis and training with them.
    We now don´t know what we should do, although Cali & Harry get on fine with no problems, we are seriously debating whether or not Cali should go, or whether de-sensitizing & counter conditioning techniques might work before the problem escalates even further. We don´t want to keep them apart forever, it´s unmanageable with 3 to have them in separate rooms, separate walks, separate playtime etc and obviously we just want them to all have access to the house with no problems so we are not babysitting them all the time. But, we can´t have WW3 breaking out every time they see each other, and we don´t want to stress out Mickey any more than he is, as he has Leish which can flare up with stress.
    Any advice would be much appreciated

    Reply

36. We rescued a One year old chi and brought it home to our 2 year old chi. They got along very well for 2 weeks then all of a sudden our 2 year old started getting very aggressive with our rescue chi. He has been attacking him and snarling and growling at him, we have to keep them in separate rooms and I don’t know what to do. Please help!

    Reply

    • Hi Stacey, I’d suggest bringing in a behaviorist/trainer to check their behavior in person. It’s hard to say why it’s like this without knowing what may have caused this or how exactly they interact wth each other.

      Reply

37. Hi Danielle, great article thank you.
    We have 2 rescue girls we adopted in Spain. Coco is an English Bull Terrier x with Spanish Podenco (a hunting dog) anout 23kg and Dusty is a 10kg Bodeguero (like a Jack Russell type) x with we think a Chihuahua as she has bug eyes and is quite small. We got Coco who is about 8 years old from a rescue organisation around 6 and a half years ago. She had been at the rescue a year after being picked up off the street at about 6 months old. Dusty is about 7 years old. We literally picked her up off the street about 5 years ago.
    Coco is a bit alpha female it seems. She wees standing up, can be a bit clumsy/bossy sometimes pushing Dusty out of the way if Dusty is sniffing something interesting, but we have on the whole had no problems with them for 5 years. We travel frequently and they spend hours in the back of the car together, in a dog kennel on the ferry between Spain and UK, in dog kennels if we have a break for a few nights. They have not been buddies cuddling in their basket but they have been great companions.
    We have moved house a few times, but as long as they are with us, they have always seemed great, adaptable dogs.
    About 6 months or so ago in the garden, Coco had been getting a bit wound up as there isva cat next door so she was pacibg the garden fence sniffing and then the dogs 2 doors down started barking. The girls are both tennis ball mad and we had been throwing balls in the garden. At one point Dusty had got both tennis balls and Coco ‘out of the blue’ (to me) attacked her. She had her on the floor, shaking her by the neck. I had to hit her to take away her attention (not my proudest moment) and eventually got her off by dragging her by the back legs. Dusty was shaken and bleeding but the wounds were skin deep and got cleaned up. It took some time on all our parts including digging deep to not punish Coco but we seemed to be back on track.
    Until yesterday. Coco had been out in the garden and the cat was next door so she was doing her manic sniffing. ( the weather has been nice and garden not muddy so she isn’t always loose in the garden). She had been back inside and relaxed on the sofa for a little while. I was getting my coat to go out so my partner was waiting for me with a dog treat in each hand for the girls. Dusty got all excited jumping about and Coco dived off the sofa and attacked her. This time was worse. I heard Dave screaming at Coco, so ran in and managed to pull her back legs again. This time Dusty has had emergency vet treatment, including stapling up her wounds and antibiotics etc. She is a brave little cookie and will be fine. But how do I trust Coco again? Both my dogs are loved so much and my responsibility is to keep them both safe. How can I look Dusty in the eye and make that promise? Should we consider rehoming (if anyone would have her) or even euthanizing Coco? I am devastated but this cannot happen again to poor Dusty. They jave been separated, but we have just allowed Coco out of the kitchen where she has been whining so she doesn’t feel punished and make matters worse.
    Sorry for long post. Wanted to give as much detail as possible.
    Also relevant, Coco is nervous of strangers to the house ( for first half hour ish but has never beem aggressive to a human. Apart from Dusty she has limited interaction with other dogs.
    Advice would be so very welcome. Thank you xx

    Reply

    • Hi Gail,

      it’s surely a very difficult situation for everybody involved. Both incidents seem to be about resources (balls and treats) or perhaps your older dog just doesn’t like the energy (i.e. getting excited about the balls and then again about the treats). At that age, it’s essential to rule out a medical issue that’s causing her pain and to act that way.

      It’s really difficult to say why this happened if it’s gone well for years already. I’d really suggest you consult a trainer if both dogs are important to you. Rehoming, as you said, can be difficult at that age and with a history.

      Euthanization should never be on the table if there’s no indication that the dog absolutely 100% can not be rehabilitated which can only be said after lengthy sessions with multiple trainers specializing in aggression. It should never be the first or even second option.

      Body language and the dynamic between these two is essential and you should really shell out the money and time by finding the right trainer. You’ve invested so much time into both these dogs and most of the time, there’s something that can be done. It’s good not to isolate one of them but still keep them separate when left alone and supervise their interactions. You can also read my article on how to break up a dog on dog attack, hope that helps if it’s the case in the future but of course, the ideal way is to avoid them from happening altogether. That’s why I’d recommend you act asap.

      Best,
      Danielle

      Reply

38. Ok here’s a good question. I have a rottie shepard mix. She was the first into our home at 9 weeks old, and then we rescued 2 chihuahuas within 6 months of the rottie. The rottie is now 6 years old, and the female chihuahua is around 11 years. The rottie has attacked her 3 times. Once over food which we handled, the second we have no idea as to why and the 3rd was over water. I am the pack leader and have been so since the beginning all 3 understand that. My rottie has become testy with the older female chihuahua. Its not often but it does happen. My wife and I do not want to put the rottie down, but we’re also not sure of what we can do. We take all necessary steps. The first 2 attacks happened when we weren’t home. This last time was in our kitchen near the water bowls. I know dominance is an issue with females, as the rottie was in the home first, but the older female chihuahua is dominant due to age. So what can we do to stop the aggression. The rottie is laid back 99% of the time, but then there is times where she gets this bug up her duppa and gets aggressive for about a day. Please advise. I don’t want to put her down as she is a good dog, but I fear that she might get aggressive with my grandson. Again she has only done this 3 times in the past 6 years, but that’s still 3 times to many. I have read books, and done the walks to drain her energy. Is there anything else I can do? The first attack our neighbor heard it and told us about it when we got home. The 2nd 1 we cam home and there was blood on our kitchen floor. I thought maybe 1 of the females had gone in heat, until I found the older chihuahua hiding under my dresser with a puncture wound near the back of her jaw. Took her to emergency veterinarian and was told she had 2 superficial puncture wounds and should be ok. All are kept up on vaccinations so no rabies issues. My wife and I are at a loss on what to do.

    Reply

    • Hello, I’m sorry you’re going through this situation. First of all, putting your dog down should not be on the table since it’s our job as dog owners to be responsible and train them and there’s no indication your Rottie can’t be rehabilitated.

      The fact that it’s a super powerful breed against two tiny dogs is concerning though. You had a lot of luck with these incidents, as it could’ve gone in a whole other direction. A Rottweiler with the intention to end a life doesn’t leave a small puncture wound so that’s good. Doesn’t mean it’ll stay that way though.

      Your only option right now is to consult a professional trainer and keep them separated when you can’t supervise them. Crate one of them, close the door, whatever to keep them safe.

      By the way, this may not be dominance (the term is outdated anyway). As you describe it, there seems to be a dispute over resources such as food, water. This can potentially extend to toys, resting spots, attention. Please keep in mind that your Rottie could suffer from a medical issue too or that the smaller dogs could be the instigators (a home camera would help with finding out but again, it’s best not to leave them alone for now).

      Your last option should be rehoming which might be hard at that age, but definitely don’t consider euthanasia as a first option.

      Reply

39. Hi there so we have a 12 month old EBT that we got as a 6 month old full of energy we also have an 4 year old EBT and a 13 year old cross Alsatian now to date it’s been fine and all 3 know there place , now the last month I’ve noticed that when the cross Alsatian and the young bully are playing in the garden with a ball which I must say the young bully is highly dependant on the older one takes the ball and rather than wants to play with him keeps it to himself I think this is frustrating the young one 1 and today it came to a head where the young one attacked the older one because the older one had his ball my question is can we resolve this so these two get on and how do I go about that all the while keeping all three dog safe the 4-year old bully is not an issue at all, to add I managed to separate the two and after a little calm down I then put a mussel on both dogs and reintroduce them in the garden on first attempt the young bully was excited and showed aggression towards my other dog at which point I turned him around took him away from the situation Saturn down calm down and then reintroduced again this took about 2 to 3 goes and then he didn’t show any signs of aggression but but that’s a step in the right direction I would hope but long-term I would want these two to get along any help and advice be most appreciated

    Reply

40. Hi Danielle,

    I have a rescue golden retriever female( we believe she is 2yo) that has been with us for 4 months and a golden /great Pyrenees mix female that we rescued and has been with us for 6 years

    In the recent days we have had to incidents with the youngest, first she got into a fight with another dog that we were dog sitting ( we had done that several times in the past but this first with our new member) they were doing fine for almost a week until one day after dinner my golden was standing in front of the pantry and our visitor , a female 6 yo yorkie mix got under in between her legs and they snapped, we were just there and separated them quickly and luckily they were fine just a bit shaken, we had our golden in time out in the bathroom just for them to come down (we have never used Crates with any of our dogs)
    Our visit left ( the yorkie) and three days later while we were sitting in our kitchen table, our golden left a cowhide unattended to go check if we were eating something ( she is very good driven) and our golden / our mix came behind her and we think that she thought it was coming to get her cowhide and just went after her , we separated them and again time out for the golden. It was the fist time that there is any sign of aggression between them and we don’t want that to ever happen again.

    We think is food related and know we will have to be mindful of giving treats and attention equally
    But is there anything else we are missing

    Reply

41. Hi. We had an older German Shepard neutered male at the time we adopted a shelter spayed female puppy, possibly lab and pit mix. She is quite an alpha dog. We live on a large farm 1/4 mi off the road so the dogs can run loose for exercise. Otherwise they are fed in separate runs in a kennel which was a boarding kennel. They are also house dogs. The shepherd tolerated the female but the female is a hunter. She kills snakes, voles, squirrels, lizards and has even caught a bird. She moves away from us when she has prey until she is tired of messing with it. Also, our daughter and hubby visited from out of state with their female rescue. Our female appeared okay until the other female growled. Our female snarled and jumped on her but we were right there and separated them immediately. We later, unfortunately, had to euthanize our 10 yr old shepherd due to a medical issue. The 2.5 yr old female changed some of her behavior. She would bark for hours at night which she never did before and would not get on his house bed. We think she was grieving the loss of her housemate so we opted to get her a companion. After a couple months we adopted a shelter 1.8 yr old neutered pit male who had a rough puppyhood but is very gentle, especially with people. At first they got along as the male pit is submissive, then about the second week he had his toy and laid it on the floor in front of him and she pounced on it. He growled and she attacked him, drawing blood. We pulled them apart and kept them separated a few days. Also, no toys except when separated. We now use a humane muzzle on her when they are together as we don’t want her to hurt him. They can be outdoors together when she is muzzled. She does not like the muzzle though. So another 10 days or so passed and last night both dogs were next to my husband who was fixing a snack. They were probably hoping for a treat. Apparently she did not like the male being between her and my husband and snarled and jumped on the male dog. No harm as muzzle worked. I scolded her and told her no. She does not seem to mind the male dog most of the time and will wag her tail. Last night in the house when he was in his crate she was unmuzzled and laid nearby facing him, watching him. Was this intimidation? No growling or adverse behavior. We try to be aware of our actions and not create jealousy but not sure how we should proceed to acclimate them to each other. Any suggestions you may have will be appreciated.

    Reply

    • Hi, since your female dog had a couple of issues with other dogs already, it might be that the crucial socialization window was missed. Did you work with your dog on that? It happens quite often, especially if you’re living somewhat secluded, that dogs don’t get exposed to other people, noises, and dogs much and thus are not very social.

      Some dogs just are not into other dogs and that’s okay. Growling is also acceptable behavior as a form of communication if it’s reasonable, but attacking is never reasonable. It’s good to supervise them and avoid further accidents by muzzling. The only solution to this is probably socializing in general (with muzzle) and I’d suggest looking into dog trainers.

      Body language is important and a tail wag doesn’t have to be positive. Staring can be intimidating behavior, but it doesn’t have to. Some basic rules such as no toys or treats around to avoid jealousy but ultimately, it’s probably best for all of you if you keep training her so you at least only have to separate them when unsupervised.

      By the way: Since it was just the second week, she may just need more time to accept him. How you introduced them to each other also matters. Positive experiences together will help creating a bond.

      Hope that helps,
      Danielle

      Reply

42. We have 2 female dogs. An 11 yr old small poodle/Schnauzer mix and a 3 yr old large lab/hound mix. We’ve had both of them since they were puppies. The 11 yr old has always been top dog and they have both gotten along happily without incident. The other night we had lots of family over and had a campfire. My daughter was holding the 11 yr old on her lap and put her down, the other dog was close by. The 11 yr old dog growled first, but then the 3 yr old dog grabbed the 11 yr old by the neck and started shaking. It was awful and unprecedented. We managed to get them separated and believe the older dog will be okay.

    Never in my wildest dreams did I see this coming. We’re separating them when we aren’t right there and can deal with the 2 of them. But, I am worried what the 3 yr might do next. She has always been a barker and slow to warm up to people, but we believed she didn’t have a mean bone in her body or the capacity to hurt anyone. Now I’m not so sure. Any advice?

    Reply

    • Hi Deb, there was probably something happening which caused the older dog to growl and the younger one to attack. Perhaps the older dog already noticed the impending attack or she wanted the younger one to just back off. It’s hard to tell without seeing their body language, it might be best to consult a trainer especially since your dog is senior and attacks like this can be quite harmful.

      It’s good to keep them separate for now, but long term, I’d consult a qualified trainer to at least look at this and make sure it won’t happen again.

      Reply

43. Hi Danielle, I have two dogs, both are same crosses, westie X bichon
    One is male Buddy almost 11 the other a female Mia 9.5. They are both infertile now.
    Both are extremely loving, Buddy is very laid back and docile and loves everyone. Mia is connected to me with a piece of elastic, all had been wonderful but for the past 12 – 18 months Mia attacks Buddy for zero meaning ! They can be sleeping deeply, she will wake up and it’s like she zones out and prowls towards Buddy, it happens at least once a day, mostly if my husband is in the same room as us, on their own they are fine ( as far as I know but they aren’t left alone very often) I have wondered if either one were in pain or if . Mia was suffering with dementia? She attacks him when my grandchildren are here, as if she’s protecting them as Buddy likes to bark lol and the kiddies don’t like it. But to do it for no apparent reason, her body goes stiff it’s so hard to explain. Buddy is a little bit of a drama queen I even thought he may let out a sense of fear ? I literally hold her back with my forearm until I can get her to look at me, and it takes a while for her to come back it looks as though her eyes are are bewildered …. Any advice would be great please

    Many Thanks

    Reply

    • Hi Michelle, due to both dogs being seniors, I’d definitely consider medical issues or some form of dementia. A vet visit might be good, followed by booking a session with a trainer. It’s really unusual if they’ve been living together for a long time and while protecting the kids might be a reason, getting up and immediately attacking might indicate a medical issue (unless, of course, the body language says otherwise).

      Reply

44. Hi I have an 11mth old female frenchie along with a 7 year old frenchie and the same age 2 poodles they have all gotten along until 2 days ago where there was a fight and the two frenchie attacked the Female poodle I did not see the fight , my daughter heard it and went and separated them , the poodle had no actually physical signs of the attack but now the 11mth old stalks her as soon as I let them out together she runs straight to her and follows her standing over her , her hair on her spine is standing upright so I know she’s looking to attack and I think she’s just realised that she’s now more dominant but she’s a lot bigger than the poodle and I’m worried that she could potentially kill her , what can should I do to make sure this doesn’t occur ?

    Reply

    • Hi Carissa, so there’s a lot going on with 4 different dogs and the dynamics play a role too (when was who added, any recent medical issues, spay, adolescence, resources etc.). I’d really suggest you consult a professional behaviorist, especially if you notice signs such as stalking, hackles, and so on. The dynamics can certainly change as the dog gets older and I actually have an article if your pup bullies the older one or vice versa.

      A professional could look at it and determine the issue which is practically impossible without seeing the dogs in person.

      Cheers,
      Danielle

      Reply

45. Hi Danielle,
    A little over a month ago we spotted 3 mausers and realized they were living in the bushes of the apartment adjacent to ours. We were told my many of our neighbors that they had been seen running around the area for somewhere between 3-4 weeks. No one had had any luck getting close to any of the dogs but they would leave food out for them so the dogs would make their way around the neighborhood eating what was left for them. After a few days we were finally able to get all 3 dogs, 2 at first and the 3rd the following evening. Of course all of them were scared and timid when we first got them, but they quickly warmed up to us and they are very comfortable, loving, and trusting. All 3 look somewhat different with completely different personalities. We haven’t been able to find out much about their past and how they ended up on the streets or exactly how long they had been on their own. They are very protective of each other and when outside they get along extremely well. They are all female. We think that they all differ in age, one seems to be much older than the others. As I mentioned earlier we were able to get 2 of them on the same night. The older one, Tang, and the one we think is in her teens, Wu. ( The baby we named Clan) Anyways, Wu and Tang seem to get along, however Tang refuses to play with Wu the way she plays with Clan. And you can easily see how sad it makes Wu when she is rejected by Tang and when she see her playing with Clan. It’s heartbreaking. The bigger problem, that seemed to start once all 3 had adjusted and became comfortable in our home, is that Tang will snap, growl and show her teeth when Wu approaches her, most of the time when Tang is resting, but she doesn’t do that when Clan approaches her. When she snaps and growls at Wu, Wu will start whimpering, wagging her tail and lowering the front portion of her body. This will continue until one of us tell them to stop. Again Wu looks so sad and heartbroken when Tang does this to her and it happens very often. Also, the growling and snapping has gotten worse over time. During walks they get along extremely well. They often walk together cheek to cheek as if they are attached. We do take all of them one walks together and try to take them out individually once or twice a week. Tang will put on a show when it’s feeding time and she will come up to us when she wants love and attention, and aside from playing with Clan every now and then she likes to be left alone, but will remain in the same room as us. I don’t know if it matters but Wu is a bit bigger than Tang and Clan. We can’t figure out why she snaps at Wu and why Wu whimpers and bows down to her or even why Wu keeps going back to her again and again. And although in general they seem to get along the only time Tang will not act this way towards her is while they are eating and are getting ready to go out on their walks or while they are out on their walks. Again it’s extremely sad to see Wu so heartbroken every time she is rejected by Tang. What can we do to stop this from happening?

    I appreciate any insight and advice you can offer.

    Reply

46. Hello. I have a question.
    I have two dogs that have been buddies for a while. A 3 year old lab, and a 1 year old mix.

    Yesterday, my mixed pup was hit by a car and was in the hospital overnight. He is better, but still has a long road ahead of him.

    Since I brought him home, my black lab is suddenly growling at him and putting his hackles up around him.

    When the pup was hit by the car, his breathing almost sounded like snarling, and I’m thinking maybe the lab took it as a threat?

    I don’t know what to do about this. They were best friends, and now my lab seems to hate the pup.

    Any advice?

    Reply

    • Hi Cassie, sorry this happened to your pup, hope he’ll get better soon. The fact that the change is so sudden probably means that it has to do with the accident. Miscommunication is possible and your Lab might be confused or just sense the general pain in your pup. Regarding the snarling: It usually settles if your Lab is well socialized and recognizes the body language etc.

      If you’re worried, please don’t hesitate to consult a certified behaviorist in your area, looking at it in person would be much more helpful.

      Hope that helps,
      Danielle

      Reply

47. Hi I’m adriana I have 2 adult pitbulls they have lived together for many years and I never had a problem one is male and one is female they just recently started being aggressive with each other what is causing it

    Reply

    • Hi Adriana, the information you provided is pretty limited and it’s impossible to say what is causing the tension between your two dogs. I’d suggest you consult a professional behaviorist to have the situation looked at as it can turn south pretty quickly if you notice signs of aggression. Might also be an underlying medical issue.

      Reply

48. Hi!
    We have a 3 year old spayed female husky and a recently neutered 11 month old GSD. These two got along GREAT when we brought him home at 8 weeks and my female husky loves other dogs and people. Over the past 30-60 days we have noticed his “over excitement” in different scenarios – people coming to the door, family members returning home, going for a walk. This over excitement has been taken out on our female where he starts to show dominance -chasing, head over her shoulder, mounting. She is not pleased in these situations but he doesn’t seem to take the hint. He also “keys” in on her when she is outside on the deck and he can see her – he usually loses his mind until I can get him redirected. We decided to have him neutered 2 weeks ago and have managed to keep them mostly separate. As he is fairly well physically healed now, they have been in each others company but it usually results in his over excitement again and I need to separate them before it gets out of hand.

    … I’m so frustrated. I’ve recently started training them using “The Art of Training your Dog” by the Monks of New Skete. We are only a few lessons in and both dogs are responding well. They train separately. Is it too early to see any improvements? Am I on the right track? How do I get my happy pack back?

    Thank you so much for your time!

    Diana

    Reply

49. I bought a puppy pitbull & intrduced him to my older pitbull there both males ‘ my older one excepted him like a son it was amazing then as the pup reached 11 months he started pushing his luck hes now 13 months & they are now starting to have serious fights & getting worse my older one was holding back but not no more & getting seeious now ‘ they just had a fight & both being stand offish with each other growling but they sleep & cuddle each all the time ‘ one of the last fights the younger one bit older ones mouth & drew blood ‘ after the fight the younger one was licking his wounds they love each other but lately getting worse & i dont know what i shoukd do now ‘ i love my dogs so much i coukdnt handle getting rid of one

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50. We have a 13 year old male Dacshund and a 4 year old female labradoodle. Our labradoodle has now aggressively attacked our other dog about 4 times now. We have had her as a puppy so we know her history. 2 times have cause bad wounds on our old little defenseless dachshund. Our labradoodle is the sweetest dog ever 95% of the time. It’s either jealousy or to be honest I don’t know. We don’t want to get rid of our Labradoodle.
    What do you recommend. Thank you for your help

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    • Hi Tracy, it’s impossible to diagnose the problem without seeing the dogs in-person and more info. I’d suggest finding a trainer who specializes in aggressive behavior. Since it’s caused bad wounds as you stated, it’s a pretty serious situation and I’d act quickly.

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