Yep...it is the removing from a pleasant place that gets to them. And, if you do it over and over they DO get it! That is positive training imho.

When Mikki and Rosie go after it we separate them. I also make a loud noise as a distraction then get them apart. Tends to help to get them apart. My two will go after each other when they are jealous. Usually when DH comes home. They both are wanting his attention and a little scuffle will take place. However, when I intervene they know I mean business. Oh, and I guess it helps that I tell them daily that I am the alpha. ;) Lol.

As far as the "time outs". I agree with Ladyjane. Sometimes we all need a cool off moment. And if it is in separate areas that work than so be it. I can separate mine for just minutes and it gets my point across.

I hope you got some helpful advice. I agree with separating them when you are not home. And if they act up when DH is coming home, keep them occupied so they don't scuffle.

While I don't usually agree with doggy time outs for smaller issues, when it comes to fighting, I do believe the dogs need a breather depending on how severe the fight.

And yes, no snapping fingers will do during a dog fight. Luckily, I've only had to separate four small dog fights and one big dog fight... with the small dogs, I grab by the scruff, as it seems the quickest and safest way to remove them from each other without getting yourself hurt. I hate to see dogs fight. :(

Last night, Jackson got into it with the dog I am watching over a Kong and I separated them quickly by the scruff and then put them both down again and they were fine together. But this is not always the case. I separated a Boxer and a Boxer/Mastiff from a pretty huge fight (one required eye surgery) and I locked the attacker away for about an hour, let him back out again per owners request and he went after him again, for seemingly no reason. So yeah they needed a really long break from each other, a full 24 hours and now they've been fine for over a year with no fights.

I second the behaviorist suggestion. I also didn't see if they were spayed or not yet... maybe I missed that. Try to do everything positive with them together. How much exercise do they get? I suggest walking them together and tiring them out.

Have you heard of NILF?

It might be a good place to start - establishing some rules and boundaries. It's not going to address your specific issue immediately - but I always think it's a good place to start.

Nothing in Life is Free

I agree with the 'time-outs' or separation in times of a major fight. They need to be apart for awhile - while you quickly check for injuries.

OP, I really hope you can get this under control for all of your sakes. I love to watch a little bit of Cesar, Victoria Stilwell - there is something you can take away from all of them. What I learned from Cesar was not so much his poking, prodding, or 'alpha rolling' . . . but that my dogs need EXERCISE to keep them calm. This was so true - especially for Ringo.

With Victoria - I learned the power of positive reinforcement as a way to train. This helped Ringo's 'strange dog aggressiveness' on our daily walks.

Ringo thanks them both. Lucy came to me as a pretty submissive dog already - which is why she and Ringo work together. If they were both vying for the 'top dog' spot . . then they would be fighting all the time.

And, NO, I'm not sure I'm the top dog in this household!!!

:thumbup:

As for your last line, I just cracked up. One day my son said: "You just think you are in control here." :D

Yeah. What I SHOULD have said was 'I'm sure I'm not the top dog in this household."

Between the teen-ager, the 90 year old, and the dogs . . .

Any others experiencing this issue? Anyone know if Sukigirl10 was able to resolve the issue with her Coco & Suki? Curious, need all the help we can get! Can we get this to stop in our household, will they ever learn how to get along or is it hopeless. Our heart broken as we are not at all sure how to handle this type of behavior. We currently have them separated but how long can this go on? Can pets be reintroduced to each other with a different outcome the next time around or will their canine relationship always be tainted? HELP!!!