Sudden intense fighting between my dogs. Help or kind words appreciated

[skylarward]

Hi all. Having a rough time of it with my pups, who have been best buds for over a year and a half and have been inseparable until a few days ago.

I have J (2.5 years old, female, 50lb pit-black mouth cur mix), and B (3 years old, female, 50lb pit mix). J is generally a reactive, fearful dog, is territorial of me and seems to want to derive comfort when anxious from me. B is a happy-go-lucky, intense, stubborn dog who has a lot of energy and loves to play. They typically communicate very well and play all the time.

The context is key:

-My fiance, their main caregiver, moved cross-country for a job, so they no longer have him with them all the time (he worked from home). This was three months ago. There were a few squabbles where they fought intensely but they always made up and were able to calm down.

-Fiance came back to visit and left last week.

-My brother, who was living with us, moved out for work, so now it's just me.

So, it's been a lot of change for me and the pups. It's clear they are always fighting over my attention. J will bare her teeth and give signals for B to leave her/me alone, and B gets PISSED. It is hard to break them apart as I live alone now (and they are 50lbs each). They did some damage to each other, but nothing intense (I have a vet friend who came by to check them out and it was all superficial scrapes and scratches).

The common denominator is me, and them fighting over my attention. However, it's been three days and the closest they can be to each other in the same room is if one is in a crate. I tried reintroducing them outside on leash with another person and it went very poorly (with J being fearful and B wanting to attack, I had to pick B up and bring her inside).

All this to say, I have already contacted a behaviorist. She is coming for a home visit Tuesday morning. Additionally, if the situation remains untenable, we have plans to get B to my fiance so she can live with him for the time being until we work on J's reactivity.

I plan on bringing J to the vet to see if maybe some meds will help, as she has generalized anxiety in addition to separation anxiety, she's just a fearful pup.

What else could I be doing/not doing? Looking for some compassion and help because this has broken my heart and I'm pretty devastated.

 

[joeychris]

@skylarward Victoria Stilwell has a few videos on YouTube with similar issues. The behaviourist should be able to help.

I suppose the idea is to encourage friendly behaviour again, but it'll be a two-person job. Definitely do not in any way reward the aggression. Aggression means they get no attention from you - not positive attention, like picking up, trying to calm them down, and not negative attention. If you can just walk away, do (e.g. if they're already separate), or if you need to make sure they're apart, do it without talking or any extra handling.

 

[jsis]

@skylarward God damn, that is just horrible to have happen My two were fighting recently as well and the common denominator was them getting plate crumbs as a treat. That is so much easier to avoid and remove from them vs. YOU, the owner.

I think you are taking ALL the right steps to ensure that this problem is corrected.

I hope this goes well. Sorry I am not able to offer more advice!

 

[imaginaryday]

@skylarward i'd start with extra leash work. Leash time is not just potty and fun. Leash time with your dogs together is an opportunity to shape your dog's expectations about who is in charge and how they are expected to behave. The leash is only a restraint as a last resort. Generally it's a communication tool. I don't like all of Caesar milan's methods but he does great leash work. Check out his show for pointers, ideas. He makes it a point to manage their energy more than their behavior and the leash is a super effective tool for that.

Also, the leash , if done correctly, is mental exercise as much as it is physical. Draining that mental and physical energy will make them generally calmer and more manageable in the house and walking them together reinforces their relationship. Try it for a week or two. I bet you'll see a difference.

 

[kateb]

@skylarward I’m door that I don’t have any advice but it sound like you are doing all of the right things. It is pretty rough when dogs feel like they have to fight for love. You’re doing great and I hope you keep us updated on what the behaviorist says.

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@skylarward Unfortunately females can have a harder time getting along. See what the behavioralist says and in the meantime do some confidence building with the fearful pup.