Dog Fight

[mikenkellys]

Hello, I am new to Brain Training after having just taken in a stray pit bull/boxer mix two weeks ago. Our vet says he's about 18 months old and had been "roaming" for quite some time as he was wormy, malnourished, and had skin issues. We've been working on getting that resolved and Dawg is well on his way to being healthy, at which time he will be neutered. He's a pretty mellow dog, good around children and adults, and mostly good around other dogs. Until yesterday when he got into a fight with a neighbor's dog (he had the other dog by the neck and wouldn't let go). In our area, there is no fencing and it is common practice for the neighborhood dogs to have the run of the neighborhood, however, the dog he fought with isn't typically in our area of the neighborhood. It goes without saying the fighting behavior is unacceptable. My questions are:

 

1. Thoughts on what caused this behavior. Is Dawg being "territorial?" We do not know the catalyst for the fight, but the other dog had strayed into our back yard several minutes earlier and then left. Dawg was sitting with us on the patio at the time and then got up to leave. Shame on us for not restraining him at that time, although he didn't seem upset over the other dog.

2. An accelerated course of action to keep this from happening again (we are considering a wireless fence but that won't keep other dogs from coming into our yard). In the meantime, Dawg won't go outside unless leashed, but now I'm a bit afraid to walk him.

3. Suggestions on teaching Dawg the boundaries of our property (the fight was across the street).

4. Should we attempt to make amends between Dawg and the dog he was fighting? How?

5. Praying it won't happen again, but how to break up a dog fight without injury to dog or human.

 

Any insight and suggestions are truly appreciated. We were a bit surprised over Dawgs' behavior as he hasn't shown any signs of aggressive behavior towards other neighborhood dogs or people. In fact, quite the opposite - he's very friendly, social, and lovable. Whoever had him before had worked with him on socialization and some manners, but we still wonder why he was a stray. We are very concerned over the perception of the character of pit bulls but are excited to work with Dawg on becoming a well mannered and obedient pet to dispel these perceptions. He is clicker charged, but ignores it if he's any distance from us.

 

Thank you for your input.

 

Kelly

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hello and welcome to Brain Training for Dogs,

Thank you for opening your heart and home to a stray pitbull/boxer mix! Glad to hear that Dawg is on the mend and is on his way to being healthy. I will answer your questions one by one in the order they were posted.

 

1) We are missing several puzzle pieces here to determine with accuracy what could have triggered this fight. In behavioral terms we are looking for the "antecedent," in other words, what could have potentially triggered the behavior. So many things could have happened. Yes, territoriality can be a cause, but so can other triggers. It could be this other dog jumped up the social ladder and approached him in a "rude way," (e.g. walking directly up to him/giving direct eye contact/jumping up or placing a paw on his shoulder). It could be this other dog was getting too close to something your dog was guarding (food, sleeping area, toys, you). It could be this other initiated things, seeing your dog as an intruder (if he was usual to patrol this area) and things escalated from there.

 

It could also be that, since Dawg is 18 months, he has reached an age when he is more discriminating of who to befriend. He might not have liked this dog for some reason so the interaction somehow went south. You can read more about doggy adolescence here:https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/survive-dogs-adolescent-stage/

 

2) You are correct, invisible fences may keep dogs confined but have no mechanism to prevent other animals or dogs from entering the boundaries. Short of keeping your dog on leash or erecting a fence, I do not see any other options to preventing future episodes as such. Since Dawg is new and has a history of roaming and has likely had little to no training in his life, management is therefore in order. This means preventing putting Dawg in situations where he could attack again.

 

This is important considering how reinforcing it is for a dog to attack a dog who is pushing social boundaries and/or is in another dog's perceived territory. Because the "attack" successfully sends the other dog away, it is likely to happen again in a similar circumstance (even with a different dog), especially if territoriality was the trigger.

 

What are you afraid about exactly when walking him? Encountering other off-leash dogs? In that case, it's a good idea to have a plan. An Emergency u-turn (https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/emergency-u-turn/) can come handy and so is carrying some food that can be tossed in the direction of the upcoming dog to deflect his intention to come close as you walk away.

 

If the fear is of him pulling, in this latter case, a no-pull harness can come handy as you aim to train loose-leash walking. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/pulling-on-the-leash/

 

3) Boundaries of a property can be trained, but it's an advanced form of training and your dog might not be ready for this level of impulse control yet, especially considering his history for roaming. On top of this, boundary training still requires constant supervision (no dog can be expected to be left to his own devices and stay put in a designated area just as a toddler cannot be trusted to being kept outside on his own (the temptation to cross the street may be too strong, not to mention, other lurking dangers).

 

Before considering boundary training, a dog must have a very strong response to a recall (despite strong distractions) and be capable of responding to distance commands such as sit and down and learn to back away from an imaginary boundary. While this type of training can be feasible in certain settings, I would not recommend it if there is a road nearby as the risks at stake are too high . No dog training can be 100 percent fool-proof and sadly there are stories of dogs who have always obeyed to a recall, but then one day for some reason something goes wrong and the dog is hit by a car.

 

4. Should we attempt to make amends between Dawg and the dog he was fighting?

Dogs aren't really into forgiveness the way we say "sorry" indeed, many dogs just after having a minor squabble are back to being friends as if nothing ever happened. However, if the fight was quite serious, the other dog may be impacted and may even respond defensively. Your dog may also try to attack again.

 

One can work though on behavior modification (ideally with the help of a professional) if this dog is often around, by keeping distance with the leash and feeding high-value treats to your dog every time this dog is nearby and your dog sees him. Then, once this dog is out of sight, no more treats. This type of training can even be started indoors by looking at the other dog through a window. See (https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/university/look-at-that/) This may help change your dog's emotional response to some extent, which can pave the path towards behavior modification done on walks if your dog happens to react aggressively to other dogs.

 

You can read more about behavior modification protocols here:

 

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/

 

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/open-bar-closed-bar/

 

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/desensitization/

 

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/counterconditioning/

 

5. Praying it won't happen again, but how to break up a dog fight without injury to dog or human.

 

When breaking up dog fights, there are risks for re-directed bites to the human getting in the middle. There are no 100 percent effective and completely safe ways to break up a fight, but we are at an advantage if we can do so without placing our hands or bodies between the fighting parties.

 

One can therefore try to use pot lids to clash suddenly to startle the dogs enough to stop focusing on each other, but outdoors these may be impractical to carry around. Some dog owners will toss a blanket on the dogs to disorient them, but again it may be impractical to keep handy. An air horn is another option, and some can be small enough to keep in a pocket. The sound may do the job to allow the dogs to disengage. But ideally, the ultimate goal is that we want to avoid the fight from happening as much as we can because fights lead to emotional and physical scars and the attacker just had another opportunity to engage in the undesirable behavior.

 

If you want to grant your dog a little more freedom, you can try to invest in a long-line ( a long leash often sold in horse tack supply stores) versus a leash, but the drawback is that they don't give you enough control should there be an imminent danger nearby. So if there are off leash dogs roaming around in your yard, the leash may be your best bet.

 

I hope this helps!

Of course, make sure Dawg gets mental stimulation (through brain games and interaxtive toys) exercise and training so that you can unleash his full potential and help him become a great companion.

 

Best wishes,

Adrienne

 

Disclaimer: behavior modification comes with risks. If your dog is aggressive, please use caution and consult with a dog behavior professional for in-person coaching, safety and correct implementation.

Edited November 8, 2019 by Adrienne Farricelli

[mikenkellys]

Thank you for the response. I will check out the links you provided.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

You're very welcome. Feel free to post any updates/questions.

Best,

Adrienne