bad fight

[manda99]

smokey and pork chop got into a bad fight.
i couldnt get them apart. it took me like a solid [what seemed like] 5 minutes.
the 2 of them together just about outweigh me.
smokey's face is all bit up (just missed his eye)
under his chin and on his leg he has some puncture wounds

pork chop had a bit up face and something on his leg, too. our old roommate came and took p.c. for now.

smokey was acting ok - tail wagging, he ate and drank... now he's sleeping. he was limping but he lets me touch his leg...
i am going to see how he is tomorrow and possibly take him to the vet.
everyone around here said he should be fine... but i dunno.
like i said, i'll see tomorrow and possibly take him.

now i need to get him cleaned off - he's not gonna like that.

very VERY horrible day. i feel like sh*t. like, if i just would have taken smokey on that walk instead of saying "oh, i'll go in 20 minutes"... or if i just would have played with them outside a little longer... or...

i feel very badly - like i am not the person i thought i was...?? i don't know.

anyway, i feel crappy enough so please don't gimme the I Told You So's or anything.
thanks.

bye.

[Kfamr]

first thing i thought was.... "UH OH!".... Hopefully they are both ok.... If this continues, will you relocate on of them?? Maybe it's just because Smokey is getting bigger and they are fighting over who is Alpha? Hopefully everything works out. They are both beautiful pups.

[wolf_Q]

Sorry to hear about this! Do you know how the fight started? Or who started it? Are they both neutered? I would take them both to the vet (separately)...I don't know how bad the bite wounds are, but I'm sure having the vet look/clean them wouldn't hurt. They could get infected.

Is this the first time they've shown aggression to eachother? I know I'm having problems with Reggie and Nebo. Reggie growls if he gets near him. Reggie has bit at him plenty of times, and even pushed him down...I don't think he's actually bit him yet though. I'm trying to let them get more used to eachother, and now I'm keeping Nebo on a leash if Reggie is around, because Nebo gets a bit wild and I have to be able to control him somehow. I just hope it's not going to get worse as Nebo gets even bigger.

Several people have told me it's bad to have male dogs together..and of course all of mine are male....but I'm not sure how much truth is in all of this, I think it depends on the dog. Reggie and Smokey were fine together for all these years, and they've both only recently been neutered.

Sorry I'm not much help. Maybe after they've calmed down and are feeling ok, you could let them see eachother again, leashed, and see what happens. I really hope they are both ok and things will work out!

[KYS]

Don't be mad at yourself, Iv'e been their
too.
Make sure the wounds do not get infected.


Rocky use to be a royal pain in the butt.

I took the advice from a friend who runs an AKita
rescue, and now my dogs live in harmony together.

IF both dogs are the same sex, you will have to
be extra carefull and possibly might even have
to separate them.

This is the advice she gave to me.

1st have your dog neutered.
Removed all toys, and all temptations from them,
and never leave the dogs alone un-supervised .
Feed them separately to avoid any food guarding.
Make them work for his meals, treats and toys.
This will make your position stronger. (you need to
be in control at all times)
NEVER give them a reason to fight.
Take everything away that
they could possible fight over, and keep
a close eye on them when they are given
any special items. Now jeolousy you need
to be very carefull and be in control.
Separated them when you
are not able to keep an eye on them.
Do not allow them to play rough, alpha role
play)

A few months of the above, I ended
up having 3 dogs living under the same roof
in harmony.

Even today, I still do NOT give them juicy meaty bones
or their main meals together.
Just not worth taking the chance.

Check the internet etc. for "ligit" rescue groups for Pits, or
other dominant breeds, hopepfully they will have
a wealth of behavior/training information.

[DoggiesAreTheBest]

Yikes! I m so sorry to hear about the fight. I hope the pooches are OK. Be sure to clean the cuts very well, and look extensively for injuries. There may be bites or scartches where you can't see.

I have seen many male dogs living in harmony in the same household. I think it has to do with how dominant the dog is. It looks like Smokey is growing up and Pork Chop may feel like his position in the Pack is changing.

Have they fought anytime before? Are they ever aggressive towards each other? What and who started the fight.

I think KYS' advice is good. Feed them separetly and keep toys chewies, etc... out of their reach.

[anna_66]

Oh, how terrible for you and the dogs I hope they can get over this and learn to live together.

I'll tell you about 2 females living in the same house.
We had Keisha (our Rainbow Bridge Chow) and we got another Rottweiler (Harley). They all seemed to get along beautifully, and for quite a long time (about a year). Until one day, I don't know what happened but Harley attacked Keisha (she outweighed her by at least 40 lbs) and they weren't just kidding either, they were totally serious. It took both me & Mark to pry them apart, and when we did finally get them apart, guess we didn't have a good enough hold and they went at it again. Anyway, we tried all kinds of stuff to get them to "put up" with each other (cause of course we didn't want to get rid of either one), but nothing worked. Keisha could just be laying on the floor and Harley would attack her. This only happened once more and we knew this couldn't go on or my baby girl would get killed and I couldn't let that happen. We loved Harley, but she was the newcomer and couldn't come before Keisha. So anyways, we had to get rid of her, my parents took her.
I guess what I'm saying is if you try to put them together, keep a very close eye on them, you don't want one or both of them to end up seriously hurt or even dead. I hope this all works out for you. Good luck!

[manda99]

Smokey is fixed, Pork Chop was on his way, but now it'll be VERY soon for sure.
They have been acting up lately so all their toys have been removed... They have never had a problem with fighting over food - still I usually feed P.C. outside just in case (and also to keep them from wandering to eat the other's food).

I think it is that P.C. is unsure of his place w/ Smokey getting older and some other things...

Pork Chop is always the one to start the scuffle (this time it was over NOTHING... no toy, they were just playing... i was sitting on the couch... and BAM! they were going at it)...
P.C. starts it but Smokey won't take it and back down anymore ... and last night was his first time of REALLY not backing down.

I did everything I normally do... but w/ 75 pounds on this side and 55 pounds on the other... They just overpowered me and I couldn't get one or the other out of the clutches to get him outside...
It was just insane.

Anyway, things will be changing... I still feel horrible, though.

thanks for the support, though.
manda99

[lovemymaltese]

Have they ever done this before? I hope that you don't have to move one away. I knew someone whose dogs did this and she had to give one away, it was really sad, but the fighting cannot be tolerated. Vet bills are too high and it is just plain sad to see them hurt each other.

[manda99]

Originally posted by lovemymaltese
Have they ever done this before? I hope that you don't have to move one away. .

They have been bickering a lot lately... But usually I just step in, pull them apart and put one outside. Yesterday was different, though. It was like I wasn't even there. Very scary...
I am moving out in a few months, anyway, but until then we'll have to figure something out.

The weird thing is that left to play on their own outside ALL Day with no one home - they are fine. But as soon as I get home from work and let them in they start at it. I just didn't distract them enough yesterday.

[anna_66]

Originally posted by manda99

The weird thing is that left to play on their own outside ALL Day with no one home - they are fine. But as soon as I get home from work and let them in they start at it.

Do you think maybe they are jealous of you, that's what causes the fights? Just a thought.