If your dogs are fighting, the first step is to separate them. Keep them separated until you have a plan to manage their fights, which may include avoiding triggers, ruling out illness, hiring a professional, or reintroducing your dogs.
Sometimes the potential risk of injury (physical or emotional) is too great to have them live together. Sometimes the triggers are not easy to control so the safest option is to keep the dogs separated.
Instead of using your body to stop the fight, use a broom or chair or spray water on the dogs with a water hose to separate the dogs and stop the fight. Try making a loud noise such as slamming a door. However, don't yell at the dogs; your excitement can add to the dogs' excitement and escalate the fight.
Can dogs live together after fighting? The answer is, most of the time, YES. There are times when dogs may be like an incompatible couple and need to divorce, but in general, there are things you can do to help combative pups get along.
If fighting is severe, dogs should be completely separated until conditioning and other treatment protocols can be put in place. Re-homing should be considered if the aggression poses a significant safety issue. Please ask your veterinarian for more information.
Other tips and factors on aggression between dogs:
Avoid greeting your dogs excitedly, especially in doorways or tight spaces. If a fight breaks out, try to startle the dogs with a loud “hey!” or clap your hands. Or you can try throwing water on them. Separate your dogs when they're home alone.
Many common behavioral concerns, including fear, anxiety, and frustration-related behaviors, become more evident at social maturity and can underly an overly aggressive response. The younger dog may be initiating confrontations to gain access to resources, though that is just one possible trigger.
Same-Sex Aggression
If you own two female or two male dogs, fighting is not unusual at all. Some dog breeds are prone to being same-sex aggressive.
It is a common myth that aggression between housemate dogs is related to dominance and this misconception is unfortunate and sometimes leads to harsh correction methods. Dogs should not be punished or reprimanded for aggressive displays. Dogs should never be alpha rolled.
Never reach in with your hands to separate fighting dogs. Never put your face close to a dog fight. Never grab a dog by the tail and attempt to pull him away from a fight.
However, that being said, I've known many households (including my own) that successfully have two of the same gender dogs without any problems at all. It is also generally safer to have dogs nearer in size; they can be better matched as playmates and there is less risk of accidental injury.
There is no one size fits all answer to whether someone should euthanize their dog for behavioral reasons. It's a personal and often devastatingly hard decision. Always speak with your veterinarian and certified behavior consultant before you make any decision.
Some have recommended that the dogs not be anywhere near one another for at least 48 hours following the fight, even if they live in the same household, while others recommend that getting a positive interaction between the two animals as soon as possible is the best course of action -- at the end of the day, however, ...
Punishment should be avoided. The dog-dog relationship will not be improved if you scold, punish or hold down a dog as punishment; in fact you may make it worse by punishing the dog for signaling and communicating their aggressive intentions.
Just like human siblings, dogs sharing a household will frequently fight over resources like toys, food, treats, or cuddles from their favourite people. Hormonal changes might also be the culprits to fighting – this is especially true if they are of the same sex and one of them is sexually maturing.
Both tended to spend more time together after the conflict regardless of if they had an existing relationship. While it seems dogs do forgive after a fight, there's still a lot more to learn about reconciliation in dogs. In some multi-dog households, it doesn't always work out.
Start by establishing separate areas of the house for each dog using Dog Gates, Dog Crates or other equipment to keep them apart. Do not let the dogs interact again until both have a very strong understanding of the “Leave it” cue (see below). Above: Keeping dogs apart using a crate is a solid idea.
Can two intact male dogs live together peacefully? Yes. But you need to know your dogs well. And you should be doing everything you can to prevent potential problem areas from becoming a problem at all.
The answer to these questions depends not only on you, but also on your dog's ability to adapt and cope with stress and change. If your dog is able to cope with stress, then there are indeed ways to go about having them live between two houses with minimal disruption to their lives.
Fights have their own set of body language that can help you identify when an intervention is needed. Tense body language such as a tucked tail, stiff movements, deep growling, and snarling are cues that the dog is under stress. Most dogs will try to get away from the situation if they are uncomfortable.