Our first real dog fight- freaking out a little!

I have had multiple dogs for as long as I can remember. Tonight I was cleaning out their toy box, when all of a sudden Casey and Ollie just lit into each other...I mean, I had to pull them apart! I have never seen anything like this. They didn't draw blodd, but I think they could have had I not been there. I'm a little freaked out. The only thing I can think is that Casey was jealous b/c I took the other 2 to obedience school tonight and she had to stay home.

Do you with multiples ever have any fighting?

Here is a thread about fighting:
http://board.cavaliertalk.com/showthread.php?t=22992&highlight=McConnell

There are several more good threads if you use the search function.

I have to separate Jake and Shelby at mealtimes. I'm embarrassed to admit that I cannot control their behavior at mealtimes. Jake goes into a "food high" and zones out. I've had a trainer come over and work with us. Our best solution was to manage the problem rather than try to correct it. Once the food is gone, they are fine. For this same reason they are not allowed bully sticks. Same reaction.

I have no idea what set your two off, but it's happened to me.

My boys get along great, but I cannot give them Kongs unless they are separated. For some reason they seem to cause a problem. They are fine with bully sticks, which they love much more than their Kongs.. Every once in a while they get a little testy with one another, but it is rare and it's never escalated to the point where I was worried they would hurt each other. It's always been a quick snap and never gone into an actual fight. They are fine at meal time too, they are separated but not closed off in separate rooms. They don't ever fight over toys either, so sometimes it's hard to tell what sets them off, like Cathy T said...

our girls have got on great for 2 years they eat together, sleep together etc then last week for no apparent reason all hell broke loose and they started fighting, we had to sepearte them and they just sat on oppsite chairs staring each other out for ages! since then they have been the best of friends again - it is scary when it happens but guess it is just like humans having a few cross words am sure they will be ok

chloe92us said:

I have had multiple dogs for as long as I can remember. Tonight I was cleaning out their toy box, when all of a sudden Casey and Ollie just lit into each other...I mean, I had to pull them apart! I have never seen anything like this. They didn't draw blodd, but I think they could have had I not been there. I'm a little freaked out. The only thing I can think is that Casey was jealous b/c I took the other 2 to obedience school tonight and she had to stay home.

Do you with multiples ever have any fighting?

Click to expand...

Dogs live really in the here and now. Casey wouldn't be pondering about the fact that the other two got out and she didn't and decided to get her later in a revenge kinda way...thats not really how a dog's brain functions. They do have basic emotions such as fear, frustration, relief but higher emotions such as spite, jealousy, love are highly processed language based forms of emotions. The reason I say that is so to help you understand better the exact reason that the fight happened. Firstly of course is to ensure there is no medical cause for her to act unlike herself. (I have seen some small changes in my own dogs behaviour decided to get a panel of bloodworks done and it has been discovered he has liver disease ) Is it possible she was resource guarding since you say you were cleaning out the toy box? Maybe one of the favourite toys came out and they both wanted it at the same time and they felt at this moment it was a really high value? Maybe they were even guarding you as you were at the toy box? Or an old bone at the end of the toybox perhaps? My own dogs have had two rows in their life...one over very high value food in a new situation where they both would not usually be and the second was one dog 'redirected' her aggression at my other dog - she was very stressed by a dog jumping up at her in the through the car thats how that fight happened. Both were quick scuffles that ended with no damage which is an important factor as it demonstrated that the dogs have bite inhibition which is very important. You won't expect your dog to go through life without ever having a disagreement but you do expect them never to maime anyone or another dog...Ian Dunbar said something along those lines at the seminar last year in Ireland :rah:

My two fight over food sometimes.

Have even drawn blood once.

Have to pull them apart and they cling onto each other.

Its very scary, hubby won't even try to seperate them.