Aggression Between Dogs In The Same Household

[Bjelkier]

I've only had minor spats with the samoyeds, mostly when the girls are in season and my males are grumpy. It's always just noise and they spring apart the moment I grumble at them.

We did have issues many years ago with my OHs kelpiexstafford and my APBT. The cross bred bitch was the issue, savage little monster she was. She'd attack anyone and anything.

[Diva]

I think it would be naive to think that it could never happen, even if the dogs are generally great friends.

Yes that is true.

I haven't had a fight between mine in the last two decades. And the only squabbles I can remember before that I can count on one hand and they were just some swearing and noise, no injuries. I put most of that down to the breed. A rude adolescent might get put in its place once or twice, without any harm, if it behaves badly but that is about all I have had within the 'family'.

But you can never say never.

Edited April 25, 2014 by Diva

[Cosmolo]

I know too many instances where dogs have been great friends- until. Caution is needed with multi dog homes and breed, sex, age and general temperament/ stability all have an impact.

[cowanbree]

I think people take it for granted that their dogs will always get on but sadly it doesn't always happen. I have had one very serious incident that nearly killed a gentle submissive wee bitch. I kept her and rehomed the other two dogs involved in the incident to only dog homes and everyone lived out their lives happily.

I have a no tolerance for fighting esp amongst the bitchs as they tend to be more serious and bear grudges. Anything that doesn't fit in or cause issues is sadly rehomed for the good of all. I haven't had serious bitch issues for years but my entire male dogs do a bit of grumbling and hair pulling occasionally so they are only allowed together when I am there to supervise which for the most part works well.

[DeltaCharlie]

With 11 dogs of varying size, weight, age and a mix of entire and desexed- yes we have definitely had our scraps! Nothing major, thank god, but I think that is more because of good management as I have no doubt that some of ours would really get into it given half the chance. The canine leader of the pack is a 5kg, almost 15 year old terrier mix who is pretty well respected by everyone else. Not sure what will happen to pack dynamics when she goes though.

Most of our problems occur when nothing is happening and they decide they are bored and might go annoy someone. We can run any combination together if we are at the beach, in the paddocks etc as they don't seek each other out to cause trouble. We keep an incredibly close eye on the pack and if one even looks like they are after mischief they are separated from their likely target as a precaution. It may never eventuate into anything other than "cat and mouse" tactics, but its not worth taking the risk IMO. Especially if only one of us is home at the time.

Ours are fed separately (or in small groups) to minimise the risk of issues at dinner time, but for the most part ours don't have food guarding tendencies. Except Charlie, who wouldn't hesitate to take someone out over a grain of rice if we weren't there, but can be fed reliably in a group if a human is present (he has a healthy respect for our quick reflexes!). Unless we are travelling, he is usually crated on his own for meals. We would be more likely to have a scrap over a soccer ball.

Our boys are rarely an issue, only 1 is entire and the 2 desexed boys are rather "gay" and love the real boys LOL We have one who doesn't tolerate puppies at all (and wouldn't hesitate to open them up) so he isn't subjected to puppies until they have matured enough to not get into his face and annoy him. Once they have learnt manners he just ignores them.

We can have a bit of an issue with 3 of our girls. They used to all be fine until Link had her first litter and thought she would raise herself in the pack (and didn't like the other bitches disciplining her children, no matter how old they were). We have one incredibly dominant desexed bitch who won't back down under any circumstances and they are almost permanently separated (unless we are out playing in the paddocks or at the beach etc). Then you enter in Delta who is right down the bottom of the pack and makes herself a really easy target for anyone trying to flex their muscles. So she is kept separate from Link too (but is fine with the other bitch- are you confused yet?). Link was desexed earlier in the year and seems to have mellowed out considerably, but we have both had major injuries and I've had surgery since so not wiling to take the chance just yet on having the 3 out together as we wouldn't necessarily be able to effectively handle a scrap if it was to occur.

Other than the 2 little dogs, the other bitches are all daughters of Link so absolutely no problems there at all. The eldest is 3 and has a really calm presence about her which at this point the others really respect. The pups are still too young to be a threat to anyone, but they seem to have a similar temperament so not expecting issues at this stage.

Ours never run as a whole pack, but that is more an injury prevention strategy than anything else. Some of them are getting older, some of the young ones like to play quite rough (and older ones think they can still play rough), and we have lots of pine-trees and veranda posts in our backyard. Not a good mix and we have had one too many injuries from multiple dogs attempting zoomies at the same time. During the day they are housed in smaller groups, usually in pairs or 3s depending on the dogs. This reduces the risk of any issues arising in our absence. It also makes it much easier to ensure that dogs that don't get along as well, or have a potential for issues, just don't come out at the same time. The majority of the pack is pretty interchangeable, but we try to keep the younger ones as one group (they can play to their hearts content then) and the older ones as another (they still play, but in a more controlled and mature manner). Or as an example, we might have a 3 dogs in the yard, 4 on the enclosed veranda, and 4 in the house. Then they rotate around :)

[moosmum]

We've had minor aggression over the years, Mostly just quick spats and all noise. ( that I don't realy count as aggression)

More serious incidents resulting in minor scratches etc:

1 bitch is very high drive and dominant. And likes to make things happen to get her way. She challenged an old girl for top dog position and was stopped almost instantly by myself and my male. No injuries,We were too quick. Never repeated.

I regret that the male was there at the time because he is very protective of his pack. It took 3 days for tensions to ease, with the male growling and posturing at the younger when ever the 2 girls were close. The old girl stepped back into her position and tensions eased. Mostly.

For the last 7 years we have had a small bitch who fits the profile ie rehomed several times. Definitely has increased

the potential for more.She will posture and strut, challenge the bigger, drivey girl. For the past year I've kept those 2 females separated for peace in the pack and the little ones safety. There have been no serious incidents though they have lived together for 7 years.

The change in management came with the passing of the old, top female. The little 'rescue' upped her strutting and posturing for the other girl, and would be an accident waiting to happen otherwise. The male who intervened in the 1st incident would also defend the little rescue, so her presence adds LOTS of tension if I allow both bitches to run with the pack at the same time.

Other bitches have learned to ignore the little ones posturing. The Moo tries , but is just too 'hot blooded' for me to put that much trust in her control.

I think any one who runs multiple dogs has a good chance of encountering aggression sooner or later. Some times it can be fixed,some times managed.

As my pup grows, the terrier is starting to try provoking aggression to her too, so the little one realy is the problem and that situation will need watching too. Pup could take her on easily now but is being taught to ignore and respect.

Edited April 30, 2014 by moosmum