Sibling rivalry is not limited to humans alone. Dogs can display it too. In fact, it can sometimes escalate to dangerous aggression between dogs in the same household with behaviors like barking, growling, staring, posturing, blocking, and mounting. So, why do dogs in the same household fight? And what can you do to stop it. Read on to find out.
It is common for dogs who live together to fight, especially if they are of the same sex. This can occur when a younger dog reaches maturity and challenges the established dominance of an older dog. Sibling rivalry in dogs is usually dominant status aggression. Interestingly, dog owners may not be aware that there is a pecking order among their pooches. But if a pecking order exists and one dog doesn’t honor it, then it can cause trouble.
Other reasons why dogs who live together might find is over resources like food and toys. Some dogs are fearful and react offensively with aggression, hoping to scare the other dog. Other dogs may not be emotionally mature and lack self-control, leading to fights in a multi-dog household.
Your dog may be attacking your other dog because of a territorial instinct (to protect and maintain a perceived status in the pack, i.e., your multi-dog household). Aggression between dogs who are siblings can also occur because of overstimulation or sensory overload. This can manifest as aggression, hyperactivity, demanding attention, and undesirable behaviors like nipping, biting, jumping, barking, or racing around (having the zoomies).
When dogs are playing, they display several behaviors and body language cues such as a relaxed stance, mouth hanging open, and play bowing (front end going down while rear stays up). Dogs will take turns chasing and being chased during play. Their movements will be big and loose rather than fast and furious. On the other hand, during fights, dogs will put their ears back, snarl, growl, sniff, pace, and pant.
Sibling dogs can sometimes be on-off friends and may play hard and fight harder. Or they may display aggression towards each other all the time. When it seems that your dogs have forgiven each other after a fight, watch their body language closely. It may be that they have not really reconciled but are just cooling off separately.
If your dog has got into a dog fight, there are several things you can do to try and break it up.
You should separate dogs if they are fighting, but this is a last resort. Physically separating dogs that are fighting may diffuse the situation but must be done carefully to avoid bites and injuries. A good strategy is to grab your dog from the hind legs like a wheelbarrow while someone else does the same to the other dog. Be very careful to keep your hands away from their mouths at all times.
If you have a multi-dog household and your dogs do not stop fighting with each other despite retraining, you might have to make the hard decision to separate them permanently.
19 January, 2023