Why Do Dogs Fight?

Many people experience it; the sudden fight between their dogs that seems to come out of the blue. It's a highly charged situation that is loud, scary and dangerous! Whether you have Rottweilers or Shih Tzus, dog fights can happen. 

Why do dogs fight? There are a few common triggers:

• Most of the time dogs will fight when they are overly excited about something. This may be over toys, food, the doorbell or games like fetch. One of them will get it in his mind to be dominant.
• Sometimes one dog, who may consider herself alpha among the dogs, will try to be controlling over the others when they are excited about being let out to run in a field or even in the back yard. She will attempt to correct the excitement level and a fight is on.
• Dogs can get into a fight if they see another dog outside the yard. They will focus on the stranger until their excited frustration gets the best of them and they turn on each other.

You'll notice that excited dominance is always the culprit in these scenarios. It is uncommon for truly aggressive dogs to be able to live peacefully within a pack and those dogs will need professional help.

Hank was badly injured by a visiting dog

If you think back to when  your dogs have gotten into a fight you will likely find excited dominance at the core. Luckily, you can correct this behavior by learning their triggers and working on obedience. Practice keeping your dogs calm around each other and keep their excitement periods under control by limiting the time they are allowed to play (with each other or games like fetch) and breaking for a few minutes with calming obedience tactics like sitting for a treat or being on a leash when out running in a field.

This becomes even more important when you have an "Omega" dog. His body language and energy is very submissive. He is the kind of dog who seems to always be picked on by the other dogs and he's always giving up his toys or bed. These dogs will bear the brunt of the excitement of the more dominant dogs in the home. In the case of Hank and his brother Worf, they occasionally get into it when playing fetch. The injuries you see are from their uncle that the client was watching for her daughter for a few weeks. They came home from work one day to find Hank had been attacked and he was in pretty bad shape!

In closing, work with your dogs to reinforce your place as their leader by doing basic obedience and going for walks. Keep their excitement over their triggers under control. Never allow one to be dominant over the other(s) during any activity. With practice and determination you can create a peaceful coexistence between your dogs. 

We'd love to hear about your experience in the comments!