dog fighting

Question:
 i have a 8 month year old boxer a shy korean dog and a mutt...the boxer and korean dog are both males and they are fighting for leader ship, when they fight and its very serious fighting should i pull them apart or let them fight it out?
Answer:
 ::) What a dilema! Usually it's best to let dogs work out their own pack order; however, I also understand your concern for not wanting either one of them to get hurt. I have to male poodle-mixes who are both neutered and still fight for dominance. If you get in the middle of a fight or growling fest, you are liable to be the one getting hurt. However, you can demonstrate your displeasure and your alpha status in the pack by giving them a low growl of your own and staring them in the eyes. Firmly tell them no. Keep your voice in a low loud pitch. If you're in the middle of the fray, get up and step away from the area. Try to distract your dogs by giving them one of their toys or a chewie. Dogs have short attention spans and unconditional love. They don't hold grudges. You might want to consider getting them neutered if they aren't already. Also, if the fighting continues to be a problem, you might want to keep them separated when you're gone. Good luck! I know you love them both. Julie http://www.all-about-small-breed-dogs.com
Answer:
 From a behavioral consultant standpoint I would do NEITHER. Pulling them apart put syour at serious risk. Why? It is quite possible that the dogs may turn on yuor (redirect) their attack. One way humans get bitten is when they intervene in a dog fight. The dogs are already in a heightened state and the human is at greater risk. Allowing them to fight it out does nothing but put the dogs at risk of seriously injuring or even killing one or the other or both. Dogs who are stable and comfortable with their role in life regardless of if they are top or lower ranking have no need to fight. However, when a dog is confused about the pack order, he is likely to react physically and a fight ensue. Often how we as humans react to our dogs confuses them even more. The manner in which we discipline and manage our dogs can create confusion and increase the likelihood of physical reactions and even outright fights. So first you need to look at how you are managing the dogs. Most issues like this I deal with come from confusion and then the owner starts yelling (NO! which sounds like barking) intervening too much or not enough at critical times (dogs have notlearned how to deal with otehr dogs), hormones (unaltered animals are more likely to have altercations as hormones can exacerbate certain behaviors), etc. First, I highly recommend you do a few things: 1) Stop looking to boards to solve this issue. No good trainer or behaviorist will tell you how to solve the issue without observing you and the dogs. It is too dangerous for you, the dogs and even us. There are many things we have to look at and observe first hand in order to help create a plan of action to decreasing the issues. So, go to http://www.APDT.com and find a member near you and start finding someone to help you first hand. The money spent to get a professional into your house will be far less than havign to patch dogs up after fights, dealing with infection risks or your own medical bills. 2) Separate the dogs at all times right now. 3) Decrease stress levels by not only looking at how you manage the dogs but also by things such as feeding them completely separately (decreases the stress level and the feelings that the other dog may try and take that all important resource. Dogs get exercised well (separately) until tired several times a day - tired dogs are often better behaved., etc. 4) Keep a written log of events surrounding the fights - this helps us look for patterns wjen working with owners. Basically, when I ask to have an owner keep a journal or log of issues it is so I can go and look for things that are more likely to trigger issues that the owner may not be aware of. Again, do not go this alone and with just advice from message boards - why? Well, I had a woman do this as opposed to following advice to find a trainer or behaviorist to work with her and the dogs. She wanted the cheap way out and message board advice. A few months later, she contacted a few of us to let us know that things got worse and one dog ended up being killed by the other. She was furious we did not help. But when we again explained that not being able to work with an owner and dogs in person deprives us of vital information we need to get through observation, she finally understood. A picture is worth a thousand words but being able to observe the action is priceless from a professional and safety standpoint. And to better understand dog and aggression (THIS IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR FINDING A PROFESSIONAL AND BEING SAFE - JUST FOR MORE EDUCATION): http://www.gundogmag.com/training/aggression_0502/ About Aggression Learn to read your dog and recognize there is no quick fix. By Ed Bailey http://www.vin.com/VINDBPub/SearchPB/Proceedings/PR05000/PR00370.htm Myths and Legends in Animal Behavior: From the Past and Present Karen L. Overall, MA, VMD, PhD, DACVB, ABS Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (basically why taking a history and observation is vital gut labelling can be dangerous without observation) http://www.clickersolutions.com/articles/2001/hierarchies.htm Social Hierarchies (in dogs) Ian Dunbar PhD, BVetMed, MRCVS http://www.ivis.org/advances/Behavior_Houpt/beata/chapter_frm.asp?LA=1 Diagnosis and Treatment of Aggression in Dogs and Cats C. A. Beata http://www.k9aggression.com/Aggression-Treatment/management.html Management and the aggressive dog K9aggression.com http://www.westwinddogtraining.com/Articles_Etc/Training/Dominance/dominance.html They Are NOT Out To Take Over The World: Dispelling general myths of the dominant dog. Karen Peak http://www.k9aggression.com/Help/things_go_wrong.html#training (things to look for when finding someone to work with you) These links should help give you more insight on managing the dogs and finding someone to work with you first hand. Sadly, I deal with similar issues far too much - I am doing a consult next week in regards to a situation that is at risk of exploding past where it is now if proper intervention is not sought. The owner has already put this off too long and finally decided to seek help in person as opposed to through phone calls and emails. Best of luck.