From Friends to Fighting

A few weeks ago I met with a client who has two dogs that recently got into a few fights. They were surprised the two dogs had fought and had previously thought the dogs had a really good relationship. 

Since this person lived out of my area range, we set up a zoom call and they sent me every video they could find of their dogs interacting and playing.

When watching the videos I found many micro aggressions and miscommunications between the dogs. I also saw moments where the client thought they were supporting the dogs, but were actually causing miscommunications between the dogs. 

In our zoom calls we talked a lot about dog behavior, supporting the dogs emotional needs in social situations, and protocols on how to reintroduce them/keep everyone safe.

After each class, she got a follow up email including written protocols and videos so she had resources to look back on as she reintegrated the dogs.

Dogs fighting in the house can be a huge deal. It can require a lot of management and training to ensure that everyone is safe. 

These cases are the kind that require a lot more than your basic “sit, down, stay, come” from puppy kindergarten. 

Basic training can definitely be helpful and sometimes obedience commands are necessary in these sorts of situations. However, the biggest shifts in the dog's relationship starts with educating the human on dog behavior. If the human understands the nuances of each interaction they can stop conflict before it escalates to a fight.