Disagreements between dog and human
“Disagreements” between dogs can be difficult for humans to understand. They can erupt very quickly and be difficult for owners to come to terms with and they are a significant factor in dogs being surrendered to shelters – in many cases, entirely unnecessarily. The purpose of this article is to help owners differentiate between dominance based altercations and true dog fights.
Bear in mind that although related, dominance and aggression are different behaviors. However, if dominance is not checked, it can progress to aggression, as a dog may perceive that its rough treatment of others gets it what it wants. The dog is compensating for your lack of leadership.
Example of dominance-based altercation
I have had my new dog for a few days. He and my previous dog seemed to be getting on just fine, when all of a sudden they weren’t. I had just come in from the shops and was making a fuss of them- My old dog was excited to see me as usual and was jumping up to say hello. But then faster than I could react, the new dog jumped on my existing dog, knocked him down and bit him on the back of the neck and the base of the tail. I felt so sorry, – my old dog didn’t get up and just lay there submissively while the new dog towered over him, growling very loudly, almost daring him to get up. I shouted at him to stop, and he did calm down after a little while. I think my current dog is OK, – he has a bit of missing fur here and there and he has been wary of the new dog since then. But I’m really shaken – it happened so quickly and I just
don’t know why – I’m worried – is my new dog dangerous?
This a good example of a dog seeking to dominate another and to reinforce pack hierarchy.
Telltale signs:
Timing: the dogs have had a few days to suss each other out. They haven’t taken an immediate dislike to each other, indeed they may have been getting on just fine. But they haven’t figured out the rules yet.
The current dog was jumping up. The new dog took exception to this, because it wasn’t in the rule book of acceptable behavior. Some dogs (in this case, the new one) have a sort of inbuilt rule book in which certain behaviors are allowed, and certain ones jumping up, behaving in an overly excited way, jumping on the furniture) are not. The new dog felt the old dog was breaking the rules and needed to be disciplined, much in the same way that an adult dog might discipline a bumptious puppy.
The type of “fight”:
The knock down and stand over by the dominant dog: think about this – the dominant dog could press home the advantage but it does not do so.
The submissive, motionless posture adopted by the weaker dog The bites aimed to seize and control, (albeit with some fur loss), rather than the puncture/crushing/bloody bites associated with a full-on fight. The very loud growling substitutes for actual biting: what you are seeing is a safer, ritualized display in which the dominant dog does not endanger itself by forcing the other dog to fight for its life by adopting instead an overwhelming display of muscle and noise that subdues and cows the opponent into submission.
It was possible (perhaps not immediately) to separate them with voice command and to regain control of the situation.
– Triggers could be other dog’s behavior, food, etc. It can often be some policing action, intervening, putting the other dog in its place for some perceived infraction (offending the code, getting above oneself in the pack).
– Purpose – to reinforce pack hierarchy, to provide discipline and structure.
– Fast moving at the start, loud, some contact, followed by quick stop – one dog towering over the other; other knocked down, submissive, not moving . Very loud growling by dominant dog
– Some loss of fur, but LITTLE, IF ANY, BLOOD. This is important: dogs can draw blood any time they wish- If they have not, it is because they have chosen not to. . Bites may be focused around back of neck, base of tail
– Submissive dog not fighting back, dominant dog not pressing home the advantage
This type of altercation is entirely normal, particularly between dogs of a similar size and sex as they figure out their living rules. By all means stop it, and give the dogs a time out in separate places for 15-20 mins. Reintroduce them in a space where they can maneuver round each other, and don’t make too big a deal of it. You are in charge. This happened because the owner tolerated certain “prohibited” behaviors while there was only one dog in the house. Be mindful of that. Keys to avoiding it reoccurring is staying calm, authoritative. Don’t have favorites.
The Dog Fight
A true dog fight is different. A true dog fight:
Will not stop easily. The subordinate dog knows it has to defend itself and continues to fight, while the dominant dog presses home the advantage at every opportunity. It can be difficult at times to understand which dog is dominant if they are evenly matched. Unchecked, the fight will be prolonged. There will be blood – often lots of of it. Bites will be focused around the head, eyes, legs and flanks. Bites may include both puncture wounds delivered by the canine teeth or crushing wounds delivered by the molars. You will hear the unmistakable noise of pain: those bites hurt and dogs will vocalize accordingly.
It will be MUCH harder to stop and to stay stopped (you may pull them apart, only to have it restart seconds later in some other location).
This type of altercation is entirely different from the dominance-based altercation described above. It is imperative you act swiftly to quell it, using what tools you have to hand. How involved you get will come down to your own personality, and the choice may be made in the moment, but be prepared to be the recipient of some misdirected, non-intentional bites yourself if you do find yourself wading in to stop it.
The first thing you need to do when you have stopped the fight is to separate the animals and keep them separated for as long as you see fit (up to several hours). This is the time to clean any wounds with disinfectant, to calm down and to assess each dog for real damage. Showering with them can clean you and them up and reimposes your authority on them (they can’t get away if they are in a shower cabinet). Some of the bites may be severe – remember dogs are stoic, however, and a vet’s visit may not be necessary as long as you have the ability to clean the
wounds and to keep them from bothering them through the use of bandages, e-collars, etc. Keep wounds clean and assess each day for any signs that they may be developing into an abcess in which a vet’s visit will be required.
Ask yourself what the trigger might have been. If you can identify it, do all that you can to prevent it happening again. That may include keeping dogs separated in certain environments (dogs that get on inside the house may not do so in the garden). Common triggers in multi-dog households can include dogs rushing to the door when the bell rings, rambunctious/overly vocal play, disagreements over possessions (foodltoys/raw hides…), dogs ‘play-hunting’ in the garden (remember, you are dealing with dogs with a natural, normal, high prey drive – all dogs are predators and carnivores, regardless ofbreed).
NOTE: This article focuses on different types of dog-on-dog aggression. Neither of these should be confused with active dog-on-human aggression which is an entirely different matter, and one where decisive action (including surrender or euthanasia may have to be considered).
