I just do not know what to do

[Blue Sake]

Originally Posted by maci_mace

I'm sorry but if a dog is willing to turn and bite a person, no matter what the situation is, to me there is something very wrong with the dog behaviour wise, and that kind of action is completely untolerable.

I disagree. The OP said her daughter tried to break up the fight. When dogs are too hot (fight), they are too focused on each other and the world disappears. When you try to stop the fight, two people would be ideal to stop the fight by getting a hold of the dogs from behind and pull them apart at the same time. Understanding the dog's body language is so important.

OP: i would get help from the behaviorist and have him/her to work with you. I think it is fixable as long as you are determined and patient to work with them.

[gryhndnut]

I agree with Blue Sake. The dog did not intentionally bit your daughter. When trying to seperate dogs that are fighting, there is always the risk of getting bitten, even by the most loveable of dogs. How about trying a broom or a string mop to get in between them (of course not to hit them with) so no one accidentally gets bitten.

[gracielove]

It's always dangerous to break up a dog fight-----even if they are small dogs. They may be small but their teeth are sharp! You need to get a crate and keep them separated until you get things sorted out.
If they do happen to get near each other always use a broom to get between them----not your hand or any body part. If you have to put one in a bedroom then do it. You can't let them be in the same room together anymore.

[Teresa Ford]

[QUOTE=maci_mace;3754659]I'm sorry but if a dog is willing to turn and bite a person, no matter what the situation is, to me there is something very wrong with the dog behavior wise, and that kind of action is completely behavior.

I would put any dog to sleep that bit my child, OR send it off to a breed specific rescue with a trainer/behaviourist on staff. I would not keep that dog in my home. IMHO.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I do understand. I think the missing factor is deliberate bite, Or deliberate attack. The child in this post was bitten accidently.
A while ago, I upset many people on a thread. It was when a Lab attacked and killed a smaller dog that lived in his own home as part of his own family . I said the dog should be put down. ( I have studied animal behavior for years. I used to breed, train and compete with Labs. I also worked with pups that would be trained as service dogs . We had a strict criteria that each dog was tested on. I saw all kinds of flashing red warning lights, on the other thread. So I blurted out, I would put that Lab down. I should never have said that, I was not asked for a professional opinion. I was not seeing the events first hand, and had not even met the dogs or owner. I should have simply advised the OP to get professional help ASAP. There is no going back once a dog is put down) Here I do not see this as an attack on the daughter. I would suggest an in home visit from a trainer/ behaviorist. An experienced trainer will be able to see what the trigger is and how to work with the dogs and to stop their fighting.

[Coton Momma]

Not to solve the problem but to better to control it short term I would keep both dogs on lead at all times. Faster to correct them and safer to pull them apart if needed. I am still in training with Angel, and there are days I think that will last FOREVER, and I made her a 15' lead for in the house.

Good luck and do find a local pro. My friend had an aggression problem and they were able to solve it in a couple of weeks. If you have problems finding one ask your vet.

[i love my yorki]

Originally Posted by maci_mace

I think all are great ideas.
I own an American Pitbull and a Yorkie. They LOVE to play, however my pitbull is 50lbs and sometimes gets to playing too rough, NEVER any aggression issues and he'd never fight with her. But when they get to playing to rough I treat it as fighting for her safety. Here's what I do...

I make Leonidas [pitbull] sit, lay, stay. He's amazing with these commands. Then Maci has to come sit on my lap. I keep them like this for 10 min or until I can tell Leonidas has calmed down. Then they are free to roam again. Mind you this isn't for fighting it's for getting too hyper/rough.

For fighting...
Having multiple dogs can sometimes mean you will need to "crate and rotate" this is a permanent thing for some dog owners, temporary for others. Either way it's is good for being able to work with the dogs one on one to establish who's the leader [YOU.] One dog goes in the kennel for a couple hours while the other gets to hang out with you. Then switch and repeat all day. Only do this when they fight. It needs to last the whole day/the rest of the day. And you can continue it through the next day. Some people live this way, crate and rotate, personally I couldn't crate and rotate my dogs my whole life. So for me it's a 1-5 days thing as a learning tool/control tool.

Also, a trainer/behaviourist would be an awesome "investment" for the sake of keeping your babies.
I make my dogs do EVERYTHING together, they walk together, go outside for potty together, get treats at the same time, fed in sepereate bowls at the same time, go to bed and wake up at the same time. Everything in our home is equal.
YOU MUST know your dogs body language. You can google body language charts, which are helpful but a lot of dogs have their own individual body language that you need to know.
GRACIE AND KJC: GREAT ADVICE IN POST REPLIES!

This is very helpful to me. I have a 3 year old male, neutered yorkie and got a 5 month old female puppy who has been spayed and my boy plays very rough, he is 11 lbs (LOL - not a good breeder), anyway she is 3 lbs and he plays very rough. I have her in the crate because of the surgery but am terrified he is going to hurt her. I was thinking of calling in a behavioral specialist to tell you the truth. The baby just wants to play and nips and jumps and he does not like it. He will chase her and they make loud noises but the other night I think he nipped her I am not sure it happened so fast but she screamed. I am at a loss. I dont want to rehome either of mine. thank you

[Rhetts_mama]

Since this is a new thing that has started since you've been fostering the female, I would think that it may be related to her presence. Even though the boys are both neutered, testosterone is still produced by the pituitary gland. It sounds to me like you may have some good, old fashioned male dominance going on.

If the crating/separating is not an option perhaps you could consider the soft muzzles on both boys until you get this figured out. I had to do it with Zoe (my daughter's 45 pound dog) for about 6 l-o-n-g months to keep her from attacking Rhett and Scarlett. Now, they are the best of buddies.

[gracielove]

You have had some very good suggestions here. You have to do something. Doing nothing is obviously only going to result in more fights and injury. I hope you take steps now to protect yourself and your family as well as the dogs. You just can't let it go any longer.

[hnybun128]

I think you've gotten lots of good advice and I really hope your situation can be resolved without re-homing. Sometimes it is necessary, of course, but it's such a painful solution for all involved.

In the meantime, a nice trick for breaking up a dog fight is to throw a blanket over them. It usually stops them pretty quickly and there's no risk of someone getting hurt trying to break it up.

[Donnainohio63]

I would like to let everyone here know that my daughter is 35 years old, she is not a child. I am sorry I did not specify that at first, secondly, How in the world can you just give advice like have the dog put to sleep? What are you thinking? There are so many other things to try first. I have someone coming Monday to hopefully help with the situation, we have been seperating and using leashes and today was a good day. After all these boys are still puppies they are only 9 months old. I think I will try and train them not to fight before I just run and put them to sleep. Thank you all for all the good advice. I will keep everyone updated.

[Bitsy]

Originally Posted by Donnainohio63

I would like to let everyone here know that my daughter is 35 years old, she is not a child. I am sorry I did not specify that at first, secondly, How in the world can you just give advice like have the dog put to sleep? What are you thinking? There are so many other things to try first. I have someone coming Monday to hopefully help with the situation, we have been seperating and using leashes and today was a good day. After all these boys are still puppies they are only 9 months old. I think I will try and train them not to fight before I just run and put them to sleep. Thank you all for all the good advice. I will keep everyone updated.

I REALLY don't think she was suggesting you put your dog to sleep. She said what she would do if such and such happened. I think everyone really misunderstood what she said.

[Bitsy]

Originally Posted by maci_mace

I'm sorry but if a dog is willing to turn and bite a person, no matter what the situation is, to me there is something very wrong with the dog behaviour wise, and that kind of action is completely untolerable.

I would put any dog to sleep that bit my child, OR send it off to a breed specific rescue with a trainer/behaviourist on staff. I would not keep that dog in my home. IMHO.

I def. suggest seeing a professional trainer/behaviourist even if you can only afford a week worth of appointments. It will be worth it if the dog never bites your kid again even if he does scrap with your other dog.

She gave several suggestions on what you could do. Just hate to see people get upset over misunderstandings.

[Blue Sake]

Originally Posted by maci_mace

I'm sorry but if a dog is willing to turn and bite a person, no matter what the situation is, to me there is something very wrong with the dog behaviour wise, and that kind of action is completely untolerable.

Bitsty: That comment above had me to respond. Dogs fight with each other definitely is a concern and should take care of the problem ASAP. In OP's post, I did not see anything to say something is wrong with the dog because it bites a person. I don't see any misunderstanding on this thread, only telling maci_mace that the dog did not attack OP's daughter on purpose when she tried to break up the fight.

[Bitsy]

Originally Posted by Blue Sake

Bitsty: That comment above had me to respond. Dogs fight with each other definitely is a concern and should take care of the problem ASAP. In OP's post, I did not see anything to say something is wrong with the dog because it bites a person. I don't see any misunderstanding on this thread, only telling maci_mace that the dog did not attack OP's daughter on purpose when she tried to break up the fight.

I saw what your response was and I agree with it. I was referring to the response from the OP to maci_mace.

[Blue Sake]

Oh, gotcha.