Dog fighting can be a significant challenge for any owner of multiple dogs. Sibling dogs may start fighting as they begin to reach maturity. The aggressiveness can be an attempt to establish dominance, claim resources such as food or attention, or be a result of stress stemming from changes within the home. Preventing male dog siblings from fighting can take a lot of time and patience. There are several tactics that can make the process easier.
Things You'll Need
- Muzzles
Instructions
Assert authority. Both dogs need to respect you and view you as the head of the household. They need to be listening and obeying your verbal commands and behave themselves while on a leash. Treats and toys should only be given at your decision and not because one of the dogs is whining or requesting them.
Support the more dominant dog. If one dog is more authoritative then the other, support this hierarchy by giving the dominant dog first access to food and attention. Disciplining the authoritative dog or assisting the more submissive dog in a dispute between the two can prolong fighting problems.
Separate the dogs when they are unsupervised. Keep the two siblings apart from each other when you are not home to prevent disputes. Once you are available to watch them, allow the dogs to interact with each other while you monitor and reward them for good behavior.
Use muzzles if necessary. To keep both dogs safe from injury, use muzzles on them if there is the possibility of aggression when they are interacting with each other. Make their interactions with each other as pleasant as possible by doing activities with both, such as walking. (This is easier if one person is walking each dog instead of one person walking both simultaneously.) Once the two exhibit a calmer attitude towards each other, the muzzles can come off as a reward.