Break it up! Sibling rivalry between dogs is common and there’s bound to be disagreements. Here’s how to handle tense situations like a pro.
Many dog owners would agree that the only thing better than owning a dog is owning multiple dogs. While having a house full of dogs can be wonderful, it can also be quite challenging at times – especially if one or more of your dogs has a bit of a temper. Even the most mild-mannered of dogs can get into a spat now and then, however, so you need to be prepared to deal with fights if you plan on keeping more than one dog at home. Let’s go over how to deal with these fights and talk about tips for preventing them from happening.
Dealing with Dog Fights
Even if your dogs seem to be the best-behaved dogs on the planet, they are going to get into a fight now and again. The sooner you understand and accept this, the better off you will be. Dog fights will be more common in your household until a hierarchy is established – one dog will establish himself at the top of the pyramid and the others will fall into ranks below him. Even after this hierarchy is established, fights will break out from time to time as the alpha dog reminds the others who is boss.
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While dog fights are inevitable, there are a few things you can do to keep them from becoming too serious, including the following:
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Preventing Aggression in Multi-Dog Homes
In order to prevent dog fights from occurring in your multiple dog home, you need to understand your dogs as individuals. The way your dogs act in a group could be different from the way they act individually, so you need to cultivate an understanding of the group mentality of your dogs as well as their individual temperament. In addition to understanding your dogs’ temperaments, you also need to identify their triggers. One of your dogs could be incredibly friendly around people and other pets, but as soon as another dog tugs on his tale or bites his ear, it could set him off and lead to dog fight. Understanding your dogs’ triggers and preventing them from happening is the key to preventing dog fights in multiple-dog homes.
As you may already know, dog fights are inevitable in a multiple-dog home. There are things you can do to help prevent them from happening, but in many cases all you can do is step in to stop them before they escalate. By following the tips and information in this article you should be equipped to understand and prevent dog fights from getting out of hand in your multiple-dog home.
