Manage the Behavior
Use management tools such as tethers, crates and baby gates to maintain order while you modify your dog’s behavior through training.
Train
The more dogs you have in the household, the more important it is that all dogs be well trained and well behaved. Intervention in an escalating conflict is easier and more effective when the dogs respond to calming cues. Look for training classes at local kennel clubs or professional trainers owning their own private business. Steer clear of box store training such as Petco, PetSmart and Pet Depots. The website of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (apdt.com) offers a “Trainer Locator” list of members who may use positive training methods in varying degrees. Your Veterinarian may also be a good choice to recommend a experienced trainer.
Be Calm
Aggression is caused by stress. If you can maintain a calm demeanor around your dogs, especially when they are becoming aroused, you will help diffuse potential conflict. Resist the impulse to scream or yell when dogs are squabbling, this will only increase stress. Sometimes calling one of the dogs to come will help remove the dog and diffuse the situation. If you must intervene in a scuffle that doesn’t quickly resolve itself, keep a plywood board handy that you can slip between combatants to separate them. If they do lock horns, grab the rear legs of the aggressor and hold their legs slightly up in the air. This will cause the dog to eventually open their mouth and let go of the victim. Never grab a fighting dog by the collar or get in between them. This is a surefire way to get bit.
See Your Veterinarian
Medical conditions can exacerbate tense pack relations. A physical condition or illness that causes pain or discomfort to your dog is stressful. Stress causes aggression, so anything you do to alleviate pain or discomfort in any individuals can help reduce the overall stress level in the pack. Ask your veterinarian for a full thyroid panel for any of your dogs who seem particularly anxious or aggressive. Thyroid levels that are on the low end of the scale but still within the clinically normal range can contribute to aggression.
Let Dogs be Dogs
While it is not appropriate to let dogs “work it out” if conflicts are escalating, it is effective to let pack members settle small scuffles themselves. These are part of the inherited behavior developed for group survival, and can help to resolve hierarchy unrest and restore pack equilibrium.
Exercise
A tired dog is a well behaved dog. Excess energy is a stressor, and a pack of tired dogs is less stressed, less excitable, and far more likely to live in harmony than one whose members are spilling over with energy.
Cultivate Individual Relationships
Spend quality time with each dog outside the presence of the others. This is necessary for training purposes anyway, and will help you develop a relationship with each dog as a individual. This will make it easier for you to establish your position as benevolent leader and manage the pack as a whole.
Protect Vulnerable Pack Members
Very old, young, small, sick, or disabled members of your canine family may be unable to defend themselves, especially if one or more pack members are determined to commit mayhem. You must keep such fragile members physically safe by separating them from the rest of the pack. This may be a temporary solution until the invalid has recovered enough to rejoin the group, or it may be a permanent fix if the size/strength disparity between participants is long term or the conflict too serious.
Better Living through Drugs
Some dog owners find flower essences, herbal remedies and essential oils to be quite useful for reducing the stress that leads to pack conflict. Rescue Remedy is the most commonly suggested flower remedy product, and herbs such as Valerian, Kava Kava, and St. John’s Wort are all used as calming agents. For more extreme cases, pharmaceuticals prescribed by your veterinarian may be indicated. Natural remedies are usually less risky than prescription drugs, but sometimes can have side effects.
I like to use Spirit Essences with my 2 dogs that occasionally have aggression issues. I use Peacemaker, Bully Remedy and Self Esteem on my dogs daily. I add Peacemaker to their drinking water. Bully remedy I use topically on my bully. I rub it on her head and ears. I use Self Esteem on my victim, either by rubbing it on her head or on the bottoms of her feet. I also will occasionally mist Peacemaker on their bedding.
Be Realistic
Quality of life is an important consideration for all family members. If dynamics in your pack are stressing you or your dogs so much that your quality of life is poor, and if your efforts to improve relationships aren’t helping, then it’s time to consider other options. The worst case scenario, euthanasia -might be a best option for a dog who is so troubled that finding an enjoyable and peaceful environment is unrealistic. Finding new homes for one or more of the troublemakers may alleviate stress for the rest of the family, although finding homes for difficult dogs can be a challenge. Alternatively, you may choose to keep the more difficult ones and place one or two of the easy going or vulnerable dogs with a family member or friend. This could be a win-win for all, creating an extended family for your canine friends while making everyone’s life more peaceful!
The Whole Dog Journal
