# HELP my dogs wont stop fighting



## velcro (Feb 25, 2009)

ok so we just moved my girlfriend and her dog into the house and the two get along great but atleast once a day normally more they get into a fight...knock on wood noones has been hurt bad but they r giving each other sum scars that arent looking good....neone plz throw sum advice on wat to do


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## ForPits&Giggles (Oct 21, 2008)

Are the dogs male/male, male/female, female/female? Are they just playing really rough or are they actually fighting? Have these two dogs ever lived together before? How old are they? What is your living environment like? (House with yard, apt., patio home?)


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## velcro (Feb 25, 2009)

one male one felmale one a year and a half the other is 2....they would spend several days together but this is the first time they r around eachother all the time....and no they def r fites...i dont like wen they play to to ruff but they r dogs but the go at each other w that growl bark thing and its a pain in the ass wen they do cuz its sumtimes har to break it up


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## ForPits&Giggles (Oct 21, 2008)

Okay, are they both "pitbull" type dogs? What are their ages? Are they fixed? Do you own a break stick? If this continues and they are bad fights, you may need to crate and rotate, and always supervise time together.


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## Jenna23 (Jun 1, 2009)

velcro said:


> one male one felmale one a year and a half the other is 2...


Perhaps if they are not fixed, as forpits&giggles suggested you might want to think about fixing them.

I had to watch my moms dog for a couple weeks when she went out of town and although kaiser "grew up" with him, they got in a fight. My moms dog is a lab/rottie mix and is now 8 y/o (he was my dog initially I got him when my dad left when I was around 18 I believe and then I left to go to college a few years later and he stayed with her) So, that's important because the lab/rottie still see's me as his owner although he no longer lives with me and Kaiser is my dog, so to him I'm his mom. Sometimes the fights are due to jealousy.

If your g/f moved in with her dog, your dog may be feeling displaced. One thing you should do is always praise your dog first, feed him/er first. It just kinda comes down to an alpha thing. The original dog should remain the alpha. Does your dog have a place of his own? Also like forpits&giggles suggested you may need to create and rotate them.


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## velcro (Feb 25, 2009)

both apbt(allegidly no papers) non fixed(not yet...hers is gettin fixxed july 1 and mine is getting fixxed around the same time...dont own a break stick the dont really lach on to each other...and ive been trying to treat them both fairly...u think i favor my original guy wen it comes to praise and food??i thought that may create more of a fite and ya mugsy has his own crate and bed...its weird theyll be fine then they both get a scrutched face up and i go to pull them apart and all hell breaks lose...it seems by tryin to break it up before it starts is wat sets them off???


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## ForPits&Giggles (Oct 21, 2008)

If they arent latching on, then it sounds like a dominance fight. How old are they? Would it be possible to crate and rotate?


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## velcro (Feb 25, 2009)

year and a half and two...n we do have a crate but if u put mugsy(my original guy) in there for the nite he whines all nite...but crate and rotate is posible if need be....but its nvr at nite or wen they r alone its always wen everyone is around


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## ForPits&Giggles (Oct 21, 2008)

I would just be careful, some of it may be puppy fighting, some of it is for dominance. As long as it isnt gettin very serious, I would use my own discretion as to what to do. (If I had company, I might crate one dog as to not cause a fight infront of company) I would suggest you get a break stick, for a "just in case" type of scenario. Monitor play time and learn the signs of a fight about to start. (I.e. ears back, tail straight out) What kind of exercise do they get? They might just have too much energy that is coming out as frustration.


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## Bulldoggin (Jun 15, 2009)

it doesn't sound too terribly serious to me, I would think if you could teach them down stay or have each one stay on their bed when either start any unwanted behavior, it may just settle the problem... Just do not tolerate any rough housing for now, and step up the obedience till the situation calms down and you will probably be ok.


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## redsky (Feb 28, 2009)

I'd do my best to keep them apart so that neither ends up really hurting the other. Are yall paying more attention to one then the other? You said they usually only fight when yall are around so it sounds like somebody is jealous and I wouldn't have toys or food out with them out together...


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## velcro (Feb 25, 2009)

we try n run them a mile a day and ateast a half hour on flirt pole and minumum of 30 mins of basic training(sit stay leave it go home come back)however have both been reall bizzy so have cut back...but minumum half hour on flirt pole....and thats the thing is there a sugestion on how to break it up without touching them but they wont react to names.....its norm wen they r laying down then they scrutch there fave up and actually looks like their nose shrinks a little if that makes ne sence...but as soon as i pull them apart...BOOM


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## ForPits&Giggles (Oct 21, 2008)

A break stick is like a wedge that you put in the dogs mouth and it prys the mouth apart, so you dont have to use hands. Ive always heard of things like a bucket of cold water, or water hose can calm them down, but some dogs require physical restraint when they get hot.


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## velcro (Feb 25, 2009)

and they r good around food...wen i feed them i sit between them as to not let them get to close...we have 6 ppl living in the house me n my grlfriend try to be ass fair as we can...some ppl in the house im not to sure about


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## Hirihat (May 5, 2009)

how was the new dog brought into the house? This sounds like two dominant dogs trying to establish who is more dominant, IMO. I would try taking them out to neutral territory such as a park and just walking them for an hour or so at a good pace. Get them nice and tired before you allow them contact with each other. Do this daily for a week with only crate and rotate at home. Make sure they are fed separately and not allowed contact in the house, only when they are walking side by side. After a week or so, when you get back from your walk, allow them a few minutes of together time with you and the gf. Each of you pay attention and offer praise to your dog first and then to the partner's dog. You *should* see an improvement in their socialization in a few weeks. If not, you may be on a permanent crate and rotate, which is not the end of the world and will not make your dogs unhappy. They are both used to being the only dog and getting all the attention (and we all now bullies/pitties are attention-whores!!!LOL) and are both dominant enough that the question of pack hierarchy hasn't been solved quickly. Try working them together on the walks and having them spend time together on neutral territory to get used to each other before you try more togetherness at home. Good Luck!!!


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## velcro (Feb 25, 2009)

hirihat would that works since they have been here like a month???or is it still early enuff to do that??


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## Jenna23 (Jun 1, 2009)

ForPits&Giggles said:


> I would just be careful, some of it may be puppy fighting, some of it is for dominance. As long as it isnt gettin very serious, I would use my own discretion as to what to do. (If I had company, I might crate one dog as to not cause a fight infront of company) I would suggest you get a break stick, for a "just in case" type of scenario. Monitor play time and learn the signs of a fight about to start. (I.e. ears back, tail straight out) What kind of exercise do they get? They might just have too much energy that is coming out as frustration.


Better safe than sorry, and as forpits&giggles stated it could be a dominance thing. How long has it been since your g/f moved in?<<<<NVM

LOL I type too slow lmao...hirihat is right lol


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## Hirihat (May 5, 2009)

velcro said:


> hirihat would that works since they have been here like a month???or is it still early enuff to do that??


I would say yes....but here's the thing, we as humans do not see every thing our dogs see. Their visual acuity is tuned to different things so we may not see anything but they may see a bared canine, they can sense changes in pressure, smell things on levels we've never imagined.....so, you take two dogs who are very close with their humans and throw them together with their humans in a space and you are going to have jealousy and dominance issues. It's almost a guarantee. In my personal experience, I have found that by having the dogs "work" together (walking or hiking especially with light doggy packs) they seem to settle in and recognize that we are now expanding the pack by 1 human and 1 canine or whatever the combo may be. Acceptance usually comes pretty quickly after that but you can still never trust them alone together. I would not work them on a springpole or flirtpole together; no exercise where there are toys involved at least for now.

Also, remember how important it is for you and your gf to stay calm and in charge at all times. If they start to growl, bear teeth, stiffen up, ears back or change their stance so the tail is straight out and/or head lowered (making the spine a solid line), correct them immediately. If you use touch corrections or a leash jerk, it is much more effective than a vocal correction, in my experience.

I hope my advice and experience is helpful in some way but please also be prepared to keep them separated if none of the advice I or anyone else offers pans out. Some pitties just cannot hang out together.

Oh, and spay and neuter may help your situation a lot because if your female is about to come into heat, her pheremones and hormone signatures will ramp up aggressive behavior in your male. It will also prevent an accidental litter!!!!


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## velcro (Feb 25, 2009)

ya thats the main reason im worried about them not being fixed...not a breeder and have no interest in tryin to be one right now...haha...but thanx guys u helped again


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

It sounds not too bad and i think you might be able to fix it if you lay down some rules. The APBT's I have that can share space all have rules. NO growling or dominance stance. No food near them, I suggest just to feed them in different rooms this is and easy fix. No food toys like a bone or rawhide, if you want to give them those then separate them while they chew on it. You also need to put some obedience on them. If they listen to you by just a name command you can prevent something that may turn into a fight. right now you said they do not listen and that means they do not have respect for you. You just need to start working with them and let them know when you give a command, they need to listen.

If you had dogs that were the same sex I would say just keep them apart, but I think male, female is worth a try. If you are not showing or breeding getting them fixed is ok but I have many intact dogs together, this is a matter of control not hormones. I have a few dogs that stay with each other in the house and I never leave them alone and I watch them like a hawk. I am always looking for something that might start a fight and tell them to knock it off before it starts one.

Example, something in the trash can smells good and one dog is standing around the can, then another one come up. At that point I call both dogs back in the room with me. That way no one can "guard" the trash can. Laying on a pillow can start a fight so I have 3 dog beds in the living room so everyone has a place to lay down. If they fight when they lay down, don't let them put them selves in that position. teach them to go to their own beds.

It is important to have control and respect of both dogs. If all else fails, crate and rotate is your other alternative. If your boy whines in his crate then get the spray bottle out with white vinegar and water in it. When he whines you can ignore him or say quiet and spray him. I also hope you never leave them along together. If you do it's just a matter of time before you come home to a dead dog. Make sure they cannot get at each other when you are not home. Even if they get along I never leave 2 bulldogs alone together. good luck


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## velcro (Feb 25, 2009)

no if noones here they go to seperate rooms i trust them as much as im going to but a dog is a dog is a dog


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## smokey_joe (Oct 14, 2005)

velcro said:


> both apbt(allegidly no papers) non fixed(not yet...hers is gettin fixxed july 1 and mine is getting fixxed around the same time...dont own a break stick the dont really lach on to each other...and ive been trying to treat them both fairly...u think i favor my original guy wen it comes to praise and food??i thought that may create more of a fite and ya mugsy has his own crate and bed...its weird theyll be fine then they both get a scrutched face up and i go to pull them apart and all hell breaks lose...*it seems by tryin to break it up before it starts is wat sets them off?*??


Are you grabbing them by the collars? If so, this may be what sets them off. You create tension and pressure on their neck which signals them to get mean. Try getting them both a harness.

Oh yeah, definately seperate them when they're not supervised. You'll come home to a dead dog otherwise.


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## velcro (Feb 25, 2009)

all right so the collars could be doing it???cuz thats how we grab them


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## redog (Oct 14, 2005)

well they are pitbull s and they fight other dogs. if they havent locked on yet it means they are not good at it yet. give em time, they get better at it. dominant? I dont know! I dont take chances. No toys no bones no up on the furniture! they're dogs not people and they need structure. crate and rotate is a safe way to keep them. always supervise and dont overstimulate the dogs or dont let them get fired up around each other.


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## smokey_joe (Oct 14, 2005)

velcro said:


> all right so the collars could be doing it???cuz thats how we grab them


I don't know if the collars are the sole problem, b/c you are already breaking them up for a reason. But if you are grabbing them by the collars you are making it worse. Any tension on the neck triggers agression. I would recommend a harness.


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## redog (Oct 14, 2005)

and stay calm when it happens... take a deep breath before you intervein


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## smokey_joe (Oct 14, 2005)

^^ That's easier said then done!! An all out pit brawl is some scary stuff.


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## redog (Oct 14, 2005)

but the more you do it the better you get at it too! 
Betty you are the poster child for fight prevention.


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## Hirihat (May 5, 2009)

redog said:


> and stay calm when it happens... take a deep breath before you intervein


I don't know if I breathe or not!! I sort of zone out the second it starts and I have no idea of anything else around me until the dogs are safe and secured!! My husband says it's like watching a robot! LMAO!!! The sad thing is....want to know where I got most of my fight experience??? Breaking up hunting beagles!! LMAO!! I've had very few fight issues with any of my big working breeds that are so viscious according to BSL advocates, but those little 15 inch beagles are a hot mess!!! LOL


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## redog (Oct 14, 2005)

I just beleive that when Im calm they dont feed off my frienzy. I dont hesitate stepping in on pitbulls acting up. but those other little dogs I use a broom or something that I can keep my self at a safe distance. And I want you to know, I havent been bit by a beagle at all this week yet and its already wednesday !


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## Hirihat (May 5, 2009)

redog said:


> I just beleive that when Im calm they dont feed off my frienzy. I dont hesitate stepping in on pitbulls acting up. but those other little dogs I use a broom or something that I can keep my self at a safe distance. And I want you to know, I havent been bit by a beagle at all this week yet and its already wednesday !


love it!!! :roll:


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## Indigo Bully Connection (Dec 21, 2006)

Hmmm...well sooner rather than later it's going to turn into one of them actually biting on... even if it is a dominance thing. If your dog whines while in the crate...let him whine...IMO I would only have them together on lead from now on especially since they have started showing signs of irritation towards each other at THIS particular age. You're very likely facing a life of crate and rotate, and you really should go get a parting stick if you don't keep them seperated.


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## Jenna23 (Jun 1, 2009)

redog said:


> I just beleive that when Im calm they dont feed off my frienzy. I dont hesitate stepping in on pitbulls acting up. but those other little dogs I use a broom or something that I can keep my self at a safe distance. And I want you to know, I havent been bit by a beagle at all this week yet and its already wednesday !


:rofl: 
Why is that, pit bull owners wont hesitate to brake up their dogs fighting but little dogs we stay away from.

I was walking kaiser the other day and this little dog came out of no where like a rocket at him (thank god there was a fence) and it tried like might to get under the fence at kaiser. The lady whose dog it was asked if I would grab her baby and I was like "HECK NO! I don't wanna get bit" She must have looked at me like I was crazy scared of her little 8 pound dog lol and me walking a 70 pound Amstaff lol :hammer:


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## Sasha88 (May 11, 2009)

I would take the one I use to have to see my brother's dog (taking the female to the male) and everything would be OK until food or toys came in to play ,she would have a toy and he would want to play with it too or just would get too close .


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## pitlove1123 (Oct 10, 2012)

I'm going through the same thing my roommate has two pits both females and both fixed, they get the same amount of attention one is older than the other (piglet 10) and (piper 7) I think, but about 3wks ago today they got into a bad fight piper needed a couple stitches, everything was fine except piglet was being pet and piper wasn't so she growled next thing we knew piglet lunged and locked my bf tried everything we head vinegar would would but it was helpless I panicked and called my roommate she felt with this b4 thankfully she was right down the st she ran home and jumped on piper in order to pull piglet off, they don't fight when no ones home only when we are piper likes to play fight but I've been intervening in fear that it may get serious, how do I stop them,from fighting???


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## Kingsgurl (Dec 16, 2011)

Leaving two bitches with previous beef alone together is a recipe for disaster, IMO. I would make sure they are separated when no one is there. Who is going to stop it otherwise? Granted, the resource they have found valuable enough to squabble over thus far has been attention, but that is NO guarantee they will not decide something else is worth a throw down.


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## ames (Jun 6, 2010)

Keep them separated. That's a sure fire way to stop them from fighting. If they are 10 and 7 maybe the 10 year old is a cranky old pup who wants I be left alone. Maybe she has a health issue causing her to react when someone touches her leg or hip. Has she seen a vet to see if moving is wrong? I agree with kingsgirl stop letting them have free time without supervision. You were lucky with the stitches.


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## beseguin (Feb 12, 2013)

*My two pits are fighting need some advice*

I have two male Pitbulls they are brothers and are both neutered. They are eight months old. We have had them since they were 8 weeks old. They have always shared a foodbowl and never have been aggressive until the last couple of days. They have had 3 fights with the last one we could barely break up. I have them separated in two different kennels right now roatating them in and out.


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## rabbit (Jan 14, 2012)

beseguin said:


> I have two male Pitbulls they are brothers and are both neutered. They are eight months old. We have had them since they were 8 weeks old. They have always shared a foodbowl and never have been aggressive until the last couple of days. They have had 3 fights with the last one we could barely break up. I have them separated in two different kennels right now roatating them in and out.


Those pups should have never had one food bowl. Keep crating and rotating and purchase a breakstick.


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## redog (Oct 14, 2005)

Crate and rotate is about all you can do now. They get harder and harder to break up the more they go at . You love your dogs so step it up for them. Read more threads and ask questions if have any.
Welcome to the wonderful reality of owning these dogs:cheers:


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## Goemon (Jun 27, 2012)

beseguin said:


> I have two male Pitbulls they are brothers and are both neutered. They are eight months old. We have had them since they were 8 weeks old. They have always shared a foodbowl and never have been aggressive until the last couple of days. They have had 3 fights with the last one we could barely break up. I have them separated in two different kennels right now roatating them in and out.


Neutering will not stop the urge to fight in these dogs.
If they are free fed they wouldn't be fighting over food, although you didn't say that. 
One should ALWAYS keep their dogs separate when away, and only allow them together under a watchful eye.
If they can't get along, simple, keep them apart. 
They are Pit Dogs, after all, and enjoy contact. 
Even rescue dogs can have traces of the past in them.


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