Aggression

[LAUREN FULSHER]

Hello, my husband and I adopted a puppy and we have been fostering his brother as well for the last 10-12 weeks…the boys are both 6 months now and our boy, Al was so passive but his hormones must have just flipped because him and his brother are all of a sudden fighting over everything and they can’t even be in the same room without Al wanting to attack Ed…Ed was always a toy thief and Al just let it happen but he started to fight back this past Tuesday and that lead to three horrible fights in one day and now they have to stay apart. We didn’t want to neuter them so soon but it’s it most likely the hormones? Is there a chance neutering could make things go back to normal or is there anything else we can do?

[LAUREN FULSHER]

I want to say we would love to keep both of these boys but if there is anxiety that is causing Al to be this reactive as well from living with his thief “I want to be alpha” brother than we would obviously want to do what’s right for the boys and find one of them a new home. 

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hi Lauren,

The fact your pups are now fighting also over toys, after having some squabbles over water, seems to confirm one of my suspicions...bullying behavior. This is an unfortunate consequence when raising littermates (which is one reason why reputable breeders/rescues won't send two littermates to the same home). And being of the same sex doesn't help things out. 

Being Akita/mountain cur mixes can also be an aggravating factor.

-Akitas are known for being same-sex aggressive, or at least same-sex intolerant (they don't get along well when of the same sex). This is so ingrained, that it is mentioned in their breed standard. Female-male combos seem to often work better. 

-Mountain curs on the other hand, can be wary of other dogs, and need to be introduced gradually when added into the home, but even then, some just don't seem to get along well with other dogs. 

Of course, there may be exceptions.

Whether this is hormonal or not, is not easy to tell. We know that at 4-5 months levels of testosterone start to rise and with that, several behavior changes start to take place. However, even neutered, many littermates tend to still not get along and dog breeds prone to same-sex aggression may still not like another male dog. 

In some cases, chemical castration may help provide some answers. Chemical castration is temporary (it can be reversed) and can be used as a 'trial" to test whether desired behavioral outcomes take place.  However, it can take several weeks for testosterone to leave the body and not  many clinics in the USA carry this procedure out. 

Keeping them separated is important if they are fighting over "everything."

When you mean everything is that toys, water bowls and food? Or even things that you cannot control/remove such as walking through a hallway, out of a door, when greeting you?

Have they received any training at all? Are they responsive to any of your cues?

[LAUREN FULSHER]

Hello, thanks for your response…So Ed-the foster that we would like to adopt as well-has always been an aggressor when it came to stealing toys, etc but Al use to be very passive and allow it to happen and when we see it happen we have traded Ed for whatever he stole (gave a good treat to take the toy back) and then gave it back to Al or if we saw it about to happen we would say “leave it” and Ed would back down. Both boys have done basic training through Petsmart and have learned basic commands but leave it has been the most helpful. After watching Ed and Al, Ed is completely unaware of the fact that he should be afraid of Al if the potential reward is “better”-he will jump over our indoor gaits (3 ft tall) to get to where we are if he thinks food is going to be given or we are going to go outside. At times the boys can be by each other temporarily-like in that instance I can take the time to quickly usher one away or I have walked one to go past the other to take them outside but always has a hand on one…we have tried to bring Al into the living room when Ed is in there-Al now has the kitchen and dining room but we trade them but the kitchen and dining room is his main space as of last Friday, and when we let Al in sometimes it seems fine and other times Al sees Ed and starts to growl when no toys are around but perhaps it’s over the couch/space-Lance and I????…Al might want to “murder” him in the house but outside he just wants to play with him but Ed even though he may not always be smart about putting himself in potentially bad situations like jumping the fence to get to us-he is fearful of Al now in the living room and outside he is cautious but plays with him…Most fights have taken place in the living room over nothing but we have had a fight in the kitchen over food and one over water and that was the beginning of the fighting. We do know that male akitas can sometimes/most times not be together and even the rescue that for some reason pushed fostering the brother on us (and they were initially pushing us to adopt him) once we said we wanted to adopt Ed states usually they don’t let siblings go together or males go together but they would make an exception for us because Al was so passive but literally the next day this all started so we still haven’t adopted Ed but we are to the point we want both boys but also very aware we need to do what’s best for them. We have an animal behaviorist coming this Friday to do an in home assessment but they are super confident that with a lot of work we can keep both boys and I just don’t know…I’ve read some of your posts about how to train a dog to allow another dog to have toys without freaking or and I want to try these things but my husband and I have different schedules which makes training two dogs at once somewhat challenging and out girl dog-10 year old Shandy doesn’t play with toys really so I can’t even do training with her.

I should mention I know Al is now anxious over having his stuff stolen as he has demonstrated if I give him anything he has started to guard it in a way-like he takes it back to his area and if Shandy walks in he doesn’t growl at her he just runs back to his stuff so I trade him his favorite treats and let him chose between the treat or toy and put it up because he always chooses the food-he will allow me to take things but even before all of this if it is a high value food chew like a frozen long I’ve always had to say leave it and trade him with a better snack to get it-we practices this a ton but unless he sees the tasty treat he will not just leave it with the command.

Al also will walk into the room and start to growl at Ed and Ed who seems fine at first eventually if I let the growling go on decides to start the attack-like he doesn’t back down to that cue of growling but also seems like he’s not the one to start it in the sense of-he may be fine to be around Al unless he knows Al is starting something by growling if that makes sense? Like the growling if I allow it to go on cues Ed to go into fight mode but otherwise he-I believe would be fine.

[LAUREN FULSHER]

I also want to mention that the dogs-all 3 go to doggy daycare and do great with other dogs of both sex. The last time they went was two Mondays ago though (fighting started the very next day) in which the guy there told me he loves the boys-they are fun and attached at the hip at daycare which made me worry about littermate syndrome for being attached (they have been to doggy daycare 4 or 5 times now) and dog training they had 3 of 6 classes together and 3 alone/apart and I’ve always done their training apart at home by having one dog do a puzzle game or chew while the other trains. Most walks I’ve done alone as well and kitty introductions downstairs have mostly always been alone but when one calmed I would bring the other down…

[LAUREN FULSHER]

Sorry I keep writing but I just read up on bullying and Ed would totally bully Al-take his toys-lunge at him and Shandy for toys-still does this, and gets super hyperarousal…Al would play and it would be okay until it wasn’t-Al loves being chased though so noticing when it wasn’t was hard but Al did show times where he would roll onto his back or put a paw out in a “push you away” type motion or he would occasionally go under this coffee table to hide as opposed to when he would do it to escape…I see all this now but at the time it was always more potential play…And Al was never aggressive with toys but did do the water guarding always-likely slowly move in on Shandy when she was drinking water but hasn’t fought with a Shandy over it just Ed the one time even with two water bowls but Shandy drinks no problem around Al-even now-he isn’t going near her if she’s by the water so idk if it’s because we have been keeping it full to the brim and letting him drink what he wants or because we moved the second water to the living room where Ed stays…

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Thank you for the extra details, they are very helpful! Please see my observations in non-bold under yours. 

Hello, thanks for your response…So Ed-the foster that we would like to adopt as well-has always been an aggressor when it came to stealing toys, etc but Al use to be very passive and allow it to happen and when we see it happen we have traded Ed for whatever he stole (gave a good treat to take the toy back) and then gave it back to Al or if we saw it about to happen we would say “leave it” and Ed would back down.

We do know that male akitas can sometimes/most times not be together and even the rescue that for some reason pushed fostering the brother on us (and they were initially pushing us to adopt him) once we said we wanted to adopt Ed states usually they don’t let siblings go together or males go together but they would make an exception for us because Al was so passive but literally the next day this all started so we still haven’t adopted Ed but we are to the point we want both boys but also very aware we need to do what’s best for them.

As littermate puppies go through puberty through social maturity there may be fluctuating changes as to how they relate. In general, when dogs share a household, you'll notice how they'll be often taking turns deferring. 

One dog may want to be first getting out of the doorway, while the other may want access to a toy and the other respects that. Problems often start when a dog is always deferring while the other won't defer at all and is for the most part "bullying." 

The dog always deferring may one day decide to "not put up with the behavior any more" and a fight may ensue.

This sounds like what may have happened with AI.

Both boys have done basic training through Petsmart and have learned basic commands but leave it has been the most helpful.

I am glad that both have undergone training, but with littermates, the training should be conducted separately. In other words, they should be at different classes. 

Each puppy needs to be individually trained, and only once they are responsive enough, around a variety of distractions (and for different distances and durations), they can then be introduced to each other and can trained at the same time. If you have additional dogs, they would need to be trained individually as well at first, and then added too, so that you can train through all the various combinations of dogs (e.g Ed with AI, AI with Shandy, Shandy with ED)

Training that is fundamental for multi-dog households include:

Crate training 
Muzzle training
Sit and down
Recall
Stay
Leave it and drop it

*if there are cases of resource guarding over treats/food dogs behavior modification needs to be carried out before reinforcing with treats/food in close proximity of other dogs. 

After watching Ed and Al, Ed is completely unaware of the fact that he should be afraid of Al if the potential reward is “better”-he will jump over our indoor gaits (3 ft tall) to get to where we are if he thinks food is going to be given or we are going to go outside.

If he's so good jumping over the indoor gate, you may want to use a taller gate, or a trick of the trade is get another gate and securely stacking it over so that you gain more height. 

At times the boys can be by each other temporarily-like in that instance I can take the time to quickly usher one away or I have walked one to go past the other to take them outside but always has a hand on one…we have tried to bring Al into the living room when Ed is in there-Al now has the kitchen and dining room but we trade them but the kitchen and dining room is his main space as of last Friday, and when we let Al in sometimes it seems fine and other times Al sees Ed and starts to growl when no toys are around but perhaps it’s over the couch/space-Lance and I????…

Teaching the above mentioned cues to each dog at a very fluent level is important as several of these cues can be used as part of a behavior-intervention program (response substitution). Response substitution simply means asking one dog to move away when in presence of a potential trigger/situation that may evoke a fight.

This can allow a certain level of control of the situation, although the ultimate goal would be changing the way the dogs feel about each other, but in order to work on this, it's important recognizing what their exact triggers are. Things can get complicated, when there are no clear triggers and the dogs just get into a fight for no apparent reason. It could be the space, but if you are there as well, yes, it could be also acting possessive over you. 

Al might want to “murder” him in the house but outside he just wants to play with him but Ed even though he may not always be smart about putting himself in potentially bad situations like jumping the fence to get to us-he is fearful of Al now in the living room and outside he is cautious but plays with him…

It sounds like Ed is being emotionally impacted from the fights and it can take some time to rehabilitate. Play can be therapeutic in allowing positive associations, but the upmost caution is needed if there are fights over toys or your presence. Not to mention, if Ed is fearful now of AI certain forms of play may be perceived as threatening, unless there are clear signs of play being peaceful through reassuring meta-signals (play bows etc)

Most fights have taken place in the living room over nothing but we have had a fight in the kitchen over food and one over water and that was the beginning of the fighting. We have an animal behaviorist coming this Friday to do an in home assessment but they are super confident that with a lot of work we can keep both boys and I just don’t know…I’ve read some of your posts about how to train a dog to allow another dog to have toys without freaking or and I want to try these things but my husband and I have different schedules which makes training two dogs at once somewhat challenging and out girl dog-10 year old Shandy doesn’t play with toys really so I can’t even do training with her.

I am glad to hear that you are being proactive on this and seeking the help of a professional. Please make sure that they use force-free training and behavior modification methods (no shock, physical corrections etc. which just risk adding more stress and problems along the road). 

I should mention I know Al is now anxious over having his stuff stolen as he has demonstrated if I give him anything he has started to guard it in a way-like he takes it back to his area and if Shandy walks in he doesn’t growl at her he just runs back to his stuff so I trade him his favorite treats and let him chose between the treat or toy and put it up because he always chooses the food-he will allow me to take things but even before all of this if it is a high value food chew like a frozen long I’ve always had to say leave it and trade him with a better snack to get it-we practices this a ton but unless he sees the tasty treat he will not just leave it with the command.

Al also will walk into the room and start to growl at Ed and Ed who seems fine at first eventually if I let the growling go on decides to start the attack-like he doesn’t back down to that cue of growling but also seems like he’s not the one to start it in the sense of-he may be fine to be around Al unless he knows Al is starting something by growling if that makes sense? Like the growling if I allow it to go on cues Ed to go into fight mode but otherwise he-I believe would be fine.

A dog who guards items is tense and anxious. In other words is worried about other dogs trying to steal their belongings. It can manifest in evident ways such as growling, but also in more subtle ways such as rushing to the item in fear that the other one gets to it first. In general, things do not escalate if the other dogs respect the dog's wish to have the item. Things deteriorate  when dogs steal repeatedly or ignore the dog's wishes to be left alone with the toy. 

As you wait to see the professional, it would be best to keep toys away and other sources of conflict. It's not always easy identifying the exact triggers and dynamics going on. Sometimes one dog appears to be the instigator, while the other one really is. 

It sounds like there is a lot of stress going on and perhaps Ed is starting to get defensive when he hears AI growling, using the "offense is the best defense approach." 

I also want to mention that the dogs-all 3 go to doggy daycare and do great with other dogs of both sex. The last time they went was two Mondays ago though (fighting started the very next day) in which the guy there told me he loves the boys-they are fun and attached at the hip at daycare which made me worry about littermate syndrome for being attached (they have been to doggy daycare 4 or 5 times now) and dog training they had 3 of 6 classes together and 3 alone/apart and I’ve always done their training apart at home by having one dog do a puzzle game or chew while the other trains. Most walks I’ve done alone as well and kitty introductions downstairs have mostly always been alone but when one calmed I would bring the other down…

It's not uncommon for littermates to stick together when around other dogs. Things can get problematic if they decide to gang up together against other dogs, but we see this when they're not socialized much with other dogs, although it can take place as well when dogs mature and become less tolerant of other dogs. 

I am glad to hear that some of the classes were apart and the walks alone. These dogs need to develop their own personalities and learn to be responsive despite being around each other. 

Sorry I keep writing but I just read up on bullying and Ed would totally bully Al-take his toys-lunge at him and Shandy for toys-still does this, and gets super hyperarousal…Al would play and it would be okay until it wasn’t-Al loves being chased though so noticing when it wasn’t was hard but Al did show times where he would roll onto his back or put a paw out in a “push you away” type motion or he would occasionally go under this coffee table to hide as opposed to when he would do it to escape…

I see all this now but at the time it was always more potential play…And Al was never aggressive with toys but did do the water guarding always-likely slowly move in on Shandy when she was drinking water but hasn’t fought with a Shandy over it just Ed the one time even with two water bowls but Shandy drinks no problem around Al-even now-he isn’t going near her if she’s by the water so idk if it’s because we have been keeping it full to the brim and letting him drink what he wants or because we moved the second water to the living room where Ed stays…

Bullying behavior often starts quite innocently. The last littermates I fostered and trained were two 7 week old females. They were playing very well and fine during the first week, then over the course of a few weeks, one started bullying the other. It started with getting out of the door. Every single time the door was opened, one would always "attack" the other. This looks quite innocent when being small pups, even funny to look at as one pup was pinned down and then got up and then both were on their own exploring the yard, but as they grow this could get quite problematic. 

For the time being, this was an easy fix. I trained both dogs to hold a sit/stay until the door was opened. I got out first and then released them by tossing a kibble to each to chase in different directions (they didn't guard food) and the bully soon looked forward to this new routine and forgot about this whole behavior. 

However, other issues next started popping up the last two days before going to their adoption event. The puppy now was being bullied for walking towards me, digging a spot or even trying to go drink after running around. I honestly felt relief that day, when at the adoption event, the coordinator made it clear to potential adopters that, as cute as they were, they were going to different homes. 

Now,  I have raised two Rottweiler littermates (Einstein and Petra) but I must say that even though my female was often a pain with my male, being female, my male would let her get away with things most of the time. They both had their priorities though, Einstein wanted to often be first exiting doors (he would sometimes in his eagerness push Petra away if she was in his way), Petra felt strongly about bones and toys, but they really never got into major fights, they used 99 percent of the time low grade communication (ritualistic displays) to say "this is something I feel strongly about" (using a tense body, growl or teeth) and "I understood,  I won't bother you" (turning the body/head away, licking lips). 

There were only two instances in their life where things got a bit more worrisome: once they got too aroused during a game of ball and loudly fought with teeth clashing in all directions (my cue "enough" luckily got them to stop), and when my female got cancer and was on prednisone, she reminded Einstein that although sick, she still cared about her food (my smacking sound redirected Einstein before risking a bite). 

Now, differentiating communication efforts from a really fight isn't easy. It takes some practice along with keeping into consideration the dog's behavior history.

After all even us humans can't always tell this apart. Are those two people arguing in a bar stop to just exchanging bad words, or will it escalate into actual fist fighting?

 This doubting often leads to dogs being separated when they were really just trying to make a point and resolve the conflict on their own. On the other hand, failure to intervene can prevent things from escalating. "Letting dogs work out" has often to bloody consequences.

Many therefore feel it's better to be conservative rather than risk it, especially when arousal levels are elevated so to prevent things from escalating. Intervening in this case means calling the dogs off at the first signs of tension. Here are some subtle signs and more evident signs of stress: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/dogs-dont-bite-blue/

Non-physical intervention is imperative, as grabbing the dogs by the collar or pushing them, can lead to a redirected bite, just as an innocent person getting in between two people fighting risks getting punched as well. 

And just like marriages, it's also difficult to predict how things will turn out when it comes to littermates and dogs in general sharing the household. This is why most behavior professionals won't make guarantees on the outcome of their interventions. There are too many variables to consider such as genetics, socialization, training, ability to implement management, time and commitment, etc. Sadly, in some cases, despite training and socializing each puppy separately, and doing all the recommended things, the situation still turns out being a hot mess.

Disclaimer: behavior modification comes with risks. If your puppy or dog shows signs of potential aggression (lunging, barking, growling, snapping, biting) for safety, please consult with a dog behavior professional who uses force-free behavior modification techniques (no shock, prongs, or physical corrections) for direct in-person guidance. Articles, videos and general info found in the forums or course (or any online source) are not meant to replace in-person training/instruction. By using this course and forum, you are waiving any liability claims or other type of claims related to any dogs' behavior against you or others.

[LAUREN FULSHER]

Thank you for all of this! How do I start to get Ed to stop stealing toys? I saw make a positive association or substitute if he steals but just wondering how I also keep Al less anxious about the theiving of items? With them playing outside together-and doing okay bowing etc, is that a good sign or does it not matter? Also-do you agree the steroids could be effecting Al? Is is to every other day but still has like 8 pills left…

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Oh wow, thank you for mentioning he's on steroids! Yes, yes, they can really impact behavior, and cause aggressive responses and even guarding of food/water as it causes ravenous appetite and drinking. If this has started since using those and these behaviors are so uncharacteristic of AI, then there are chances they're the culprit! Let your vet aware about this. What is he taking them for? 

[Adrienne Farricelli]

What signs are you seeing in AI that suggest he's acting anxious about having his toys stolen?  How is Ed exactly stealing? There are different nuances of stealing. 

For example, we can see stealing as a form of play, where one dog has an item and tries to keep it away from the other and the other tries to steal. This form of play can get noisy and growly at times, and can sometimes be confused for fighting. 

There are cases of sneaky stealing as my female Rottie used to engage in with Einstein. She should wait for him to be distracted and then quickly sneak in to get his toy. For example, she would purposely "stage" situations on purpose to steal his toys like howling so he would howl as well, causing him to drop his toy, or pretending to hear a noise and get him to move so she could steal his toy, or towards my husband asking to be pet, in hopes he would join too so she could steal his toy. Of course with time, he "smartened up" and would either stop joining her or as soon as he noticed her intent to steal, he would step back quickly growling to get the toy before she could. 

Some other dogs will steal by pestering the other dog. It may go like this: one dog is lying down with a toy and the other approaches and start whining, barking, or stretching nearby, lowering his body, pawing etc. trying to persuade the other dog to eventually give up out of "annoyance."

Now, we need to consider what really falls into stealing among dogs. For dogs, a toy left on the ground with nobody there to claim is fair game. So if you purchased a toy for AI and Ed "steals it" by finding it on the ground, that's not considered stealing among dogs. It's just accessing something that is unclaimed.

When an item is claimed, generally the dog carries it in his mouth or lies down to chew on it. Any inappropriate approaches may trigger a warning growl. When an item is about to be claimed the dog walks towards it. Many squabbles occur when two dogs are approaching a toy at the same time. 

More worrisome forms of stealing are dogs who act aggressively, forcing the other to give up a toy. When there are histories of fights around toys, it's best to remove access to them until behavior modification can be implemented to prevent rehearsal of the problematic behavior. 

 Play with play bows and both parties having fun is good relationship building, but you also mentioned that Ed has recently been acting scared of AI so it's important watching their body language and whether they are enjoying the interaction. All dogs who play/go to daycare or dog parks should be trained to respond reliably to a recall cue in case their arousal levels get too high or the play becomes too overwhelming.

[LAUREN FULSHER]

The steroids are for a hystiocytoma and his obsessive drinking with water bowl guarding for Al started before the steroids-since we had him at about 4 months, now he’s 6 months.

Ed does the aggressive stealing where he lunges for something or straight up starts a fight for it but it went kind of dismissed with Al because he also did the “chase me” where a toy would be used and kept getting stolen to change the chaser but sometimes I think Al didn’t like it but if Ed stole a toy from him aggressively Al would not fight back so it was over where as Ed will try to steal a stick-happened three days ago-from Shandy and she fought back-growled and it started a fight. 
Al is doing the “another dog is close I’m going to run back and protect my toys” thing you Mentioned. We let him have toys alone but Shandy will walk in the room if we let her and it has sent Al back to his toys…He’s also hiding them which I know isn’t necessarily anxiety but the ruNing back to the toys I thought was??

The vet is letting us wean Al off the steroids quicker so in about 12-14 days we will hopefully see a change back to normal or close to it although changing Ed’s aggressive thieving has to be a priority to prevent Al from getting pushed too far or him or Shandy getting hurt so how can that be helped? 

[Adrienne Farricelli]

The steroids are for a hystiocytoma and his obsessive drinking with water bowl guarding for Al started before the steroids-since we had him at about 4 months, now he’s 6 months.

Gotcha, so with the steroids if there are underlying behaviors such as increased drinking or food guarding, these tend to get worse in several cases. If you read through the side effects, you may find these listed, possibly also behavior changes/aggression. So if these are already present at a low level, it's not unusual for them to exacerbate. 

Ed does the aggressive stealing where he lunges for something or straight up starts a fight for it but it went kind of dismissed with Al because he also did the “chase me” where a toy would be used and kept getting stolen to change the chaser but sometimes I think Al didn’t like it but if Ed stole a toy from him aggressively Al would not fight back so it was over where as Ed will try to steal a stick-happened three days ago-from Shandy and she fought back-growled and it started a fight. 

When you mention about these fights, did the dogs go ahead to actual biting, or was it a noisy discussion? Did you have  to intervene in some way? or did it stop on its own? Problems often start when both dogs are really wanting the toy/stick/bone and don't back down and the dogs end up getting in a physical fight. 

Not that this makes things less concerning, it's just that there are also several nuances of ritualistic displays, just as in people we see noisy arguments, but may solve without getting into actual physical fights. In this cases, fights that result in injuries (little to no bite inhibition) have worse prognostic expectations than those where there is no contact/just wet fur/minor scrapes. 

If AI has started to fight back over stuff,  to the point of evoking fights, the steroids may play a role in the behavior change. 

Al is doing the “another dog is close I’m going to run back and protect my toys” thing you Mentioned. We let him have toys alone but Shandy will walk in the room if we let her and it has sent Al back to his toys…He’s also hiding them which I know isn’t necessarily anxiety but the ruNing back to the toys I thought was??

The vet is letting us wean Al off the steroids quicker so in about 12-14 days we will hopefully see a change back to normal or close to it although changing Ed’s aggressive thieving has to be a priority to prevent Al from getting pushed too far or him or Shandy getting hurt so how can that be helped? 

If toys are a trigger the ideal approach for now would be giving them only when no other dogs are around. This is the safest option at least until the professional can carefully watch the interaction (if safe to do so, maybe using muzzles) and asses what is really going on.

Interactions between multiple dogs in a household can be complex at times and its important to have a really clear understanding about what is going on, like if there is a dog in particular who is instigating fights, and how the other dogs react to these situations. Along with this several other factors need to be considered such as:

-How good the dogs' bite inhibition is (have they ever bitten? if so, at what level of a dog-to dog bite scale can the biting be classified)?

-The ages/sex/breeds of the dogs

-How well do the dogs communicate one with another? 

-How well trained are the dogs? Can they be called 'off" from one another at the first signs of conflict?

-Are there children in the home (this can make things more complicated)

-How much time do owners have to dedicate to training/behavior modification?

-Are there any stressful events taking place in the home? Construction work, loud noises, a new baby, new neighbors, any changes can lower a dog's threshold for aggression making them more likely and quicker to react.

-Have all dogs received a clean bill of health? Are there medical conditions or meds that can be causing behavior changes (like the steroids). If so, these need to be accounted for. 

Based on how the dogs relate with one another along with a combo of above factors, then several options may be available at the discretion of the professional. These may therefore vary based on all this factors and more. For sake of example, considering several variables here are some possibilities (these are just general, as every case requires an individualized approach):

-For the most severe cases, the professional may suggest having dogs kept separated as a long-term solution. This means each dog having its own area and never being together as a safety protocol.  This of course has its own challenges, as it's not easy carefully granting such separations and ensuring all dogs' needs are met. When this is difficult, rehoming may be a preferable option. 

-For less severe cases, the professional may suggest keeping the dogs away from each other when around triggers. This means the dogs are kept together, but always carefully monitored, and any toys/food/ sticks etc. are provided only when the dogs are separated from one another. This can work for cases where fights *only* occur over specific resources and not in the absence of them. Care is always needed though should a resource present itself by chance (e.g. dogs are in the yard and a child next door happens to toss a ball over a fence). 

-For milder cases, the professional may suggest to train all dogs to a fluent level to respond to cues that interrupt the earliest signs of conflict. Owner must be very observant, learn how to read body language well and dogs must be trained individually and then be capable to respond when together to a cue such as "leave it!" meaning they should stop in their tracks and orient towards their owners. Triggers like toys etc. are kept away when the owner is not actively training/watching and in the initial stages, low value items may only be kept around (making it easier to obtain a responsive state).  

Another helpful cue is training a dog prone to stealing to automatically go lie down on a mat upon seeing another dog in possession of a resource and/or alert the owner to it rather than attempting to steal. This dog needs to learn that it's far, far more rewarding going to the mat and/or alerting the owner than stealing the toy and therefore lots of positive reinforcement should be invested into a strong automatic "go to mat" "or "go find somebody" cue. 

-For more severe cases, where the dogs aren't only fighting over resources, but even from seeing each other, behavior modification needs to likely be implemented, where the dogs are kept behind barriers and fed tasty treats upon seeing each other, so to create positive associations and then gradually go more in depth into working on reducing stress, increase bonding/relationship building, and teaching alternate behaviors to engage in rather than stealing.

I know some professionals who have worked on mild cases of resource guarding toys by providing dogs dozens and dozens of the same toys so that they reach a level of satiation, but some dogs no matter how many toys, always seem to want the toy the other dogs has. Not to mention, it's not a cure-all considering that from a dog's perspective even a dropped tissue paper or a stick may qualify as a toy (resource to guard) so it can't be generalized to everything. I haven't ever tried this approach, so not sure how it would play out. 

In any case, with all of this in mind, I would play it completely safe and keep the dogs separated by a barrier, especially if there are no clear triggers and/or the dogs fight just from seeing each other, until the professional tomorrow can gain clear observations of how they all interact and collect a good insight/ assessment on what is going on, and then, based on findings provide individualized suggestions on how to move next. 

Disclaimer: behavior modification comes with risks. If your puppy or dog shows signs of potential aggression (lunging, barking, growling, snapping, biting) for safety, please consult with a dog behavior professional who uses force-free behavior modification techniques (no shock, prongs, or physical corrections) for direct in-person guidance. Articles, videos and general info found in the forums or course (or any online source) are not meant to replace in-person training/instruction. By using this course and forum, you are waiving any liability claims or other type of claims related to any dogs' behavior against you or others.