do I let my 2 dogs fight it out?

[Semidevil]

I have 2 dogs. a 1 year old corgi(male), and an 11 week old corgi(female).

I pretty much did everything by the book in terms of reducing agression towards eachother:

they met in a neutral area
I let my older dog do everything first to let him know he is agressive.

most of the time, they seem to get along pretty well(I think). sometimes they eat together from the same bowl, sleep next to eachother, and chase eachother around the house.

Im not able to tell if them chasing eachother is just playing or agression. Most of the chasing will result in the big dog on top of the small dog. sometimes, the small dog will be on top of the big dog.

It 'look' rough, but I dont know if it is. there are times when the small dog would let out a small squeal(like pain). And there was one time I dont know what happenned, but I heard the small puppy scream very very loud and hid under the chair and the big dog would not stop trying to get to her.

Are what they doing normal? Should I try to break them apart when it looks too rough, or should I Just let them duke it out?

 

[Ruptga]

They may be a bit rough, but a lot of that looks very normal. Just make sure they know you're alpha-male, they can squabble over the lower ranks but you don't want a dog that thinks it owns you.

 

[Injury]

Originally posted by: Semidevil
Are what they doing normal? Should I try to break them apart when it looks too rough?

Yes.

Even domesticated dogs retain some sense of the wild. Just make sure to show them that YOU are in charge... not them.

Two of my dalmations get in to it sometimes... it usually ends up in a bleeding ear or a gash somewhere if I don't notice in time.

Ideally they will grow out of it... but with a male and a female the male will likely always pester the female or try to show dominance.

Just make sure you don't wind up with vet bills.

 

[JoeKing]

super soaker when you feel it gets out of hand, you are the owner after all. be careful not to put your hands in between them when they "rough house" even if it's not normally in the dogs nature, they will snap at a hand if they're excited.

 

[RU482]

I have a similar question...

Do I let my 2 sons fight it out?

One is 7, the other 4.
If they could put their emotions aside and just fight, I think the 4 year old would clean house. The kid is just thick and has my Irish Temper. The older boy is kinda tall and skinny, not quite as coordinated. Sure, he has longer reach, but the younger one is just a power house. The younger one falls back on his "youngest child" defense and cries when his brother gets after him, so I guess its a toss up.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Yes, it's normal for the two dogs to jockey for the top dog position. I had a similar situation where my new puppy who's very alpha would always try to be the dominant dog. My older dog would not have any of it. It'll sort itself out in short time.

 

[Bateluer]

My rats often wrestle with each other while bruxing. Some animals just like to rough house.

 

[lyssword]

Michael Vick knows what to do

 

[djheater]

I let dogs wrestle and play as long as they like, sometimes my corgi and the neighbor akita mix puppy will go for hours. Very occasionally one will get pissed and it's obvious (the tome of bark changes, and the yelps are different), when that happens they need to be seperated 'til they calm down, IMO.

 

[WingZero94]

Originally posted by: lyssword
Michael Vick knows what to do

LOL - I thought "No way that there is no comment about Michael Vick in this thread"... and then I came to the last post.

 

[MrColin]

Let em work it out unless it gets really heinous and they try to kill each other, which does happen. If they lock on to each other you should separate them, supersoaker up the nose will get em to let go most of the time. Make sure they are spayed/neutered, if not it could be sexual tension.

 

[UNCjigga]

Neuter the male dog.

Problem solved?

 

[DangerAardvark]

Originally posted by: redly1
I have a similar question...

Do I let my 2 sons fight it out?

One is 7, the other 4.
If they could put their emotions aside and just fight, I think the 4 year old would clean house. The kid is just thick and has my Irish Temper. The older boy is kinda tall and skinny, not quite as coordinated. Sure, he has longer reach, but the younger one is just a power house. The younger one falls back on his "youngest child" defense and cries when his brother gets after him, so I guess its a toss up.

Bring in some Thai business men to wave wads of cash in the air and yell, and you're all set.

 

[0roo0roo]

once you figure out whos dominant feed him first. don't confuse them, rank is peace.

 

[chuckywang]

Originally posted by: WingZero94

Originally posted by: lyssword
Michael Vick knows what to do

LOL - I thought "No way that there is no comment about Michael Vick in this thread"... and then I came to the last post.

Really? It was the first thing I thought about posting.

 

[Injury]

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
once you figure out whos dominant feed him first. don't confuse them, rank is peace.

Or make them sit and stay until you say they can get up and start eating. Then YOU are the master of the food.

 

[iamwiz82]

There is a very obvious difference when our dogs romp versus attack truly aggresive. The snarls are very different. In the beginning, they were very wary of each other and there was no playing, but after about 3-4 weeks they both calmed down and now play all the time. It's important to make sure each dog has an area that is all their own. Both of ours have their own cages that they know they can go in to get away.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

Yup, make sure they're damned clear that you're #1, and that's not what they're fighting for.

 

[thirdeye]

My 3 yr old and 4 yr labs still do this. They just need a way to get their energy out. It rarely lasts more than 5 mins or so, and most of the time is pretty funny to watch.

 

[imported_Baloo]

No, you do not let them fight it out, unless you want the winner to be the alpha in your house. You must always intervene when they show agression. and it is very important to learn the difference between aggression and play. Pay attention to the body language, and watch the dog whisperer - he' llpoint out what what shows aggression and what shows play.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Your first corgi is letting the new one know that it's the top dog. It's normal and things will work out in short time. Only if one is really getting hurt, do you need to intervene. In order for you to stay as alpha of the house, consistent obedience training will keep the pack order.

 

[Oil]

Need :camera: of Corgis

 

[imported_Baloo]

Originally posted by: Capt Caveman
Your first corgi is letting the new one know that it's the top dog. It's normal and things will work out in short time. Only if one is really getting hurt, do you need to intervene. In order for you to stay as alpha of the house, consistent obedience training will keep the pack order.

Unfortunately, I can't let this slide. True, it's normal for a YOUNG dog to try to be aggressive, but also true is you have to stop it before it becomes dominance behavior. You let one dog dominate another, then that dog is the alpha in your home, not you, that dog. The only creature that you should allow to be dominant over the animals is you. Consistant obedience training would be non-existent if you let one dog be the alpha. That Corgi is already the alpha in the house or it would not be exhibiting such behavior.

 

[Miramonti]

Originally posted by: UNCjigga
Neuter the male dog.

Problem solved?

Yup.

Are they fixed? If you're not going to breed them, they should be imo.

 

[ScottFern]

Nerf guns and cap guns