My dogs are fighting violently. How can I stop them from killing?

I'm sorry to hear that you're having this problem! Aggression between dogs in the same household is a very complex behavior issue, and is a bit beyond the scope of what we can effectively help you with in this format. I would strongly recommend making an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist - he/she can evaluate Bruja and Tosha in person to help determine what is causing the aggression, and will help you put together a detailed plan for managing them safely and training to work on improving their behavior around each other over time. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org In the meantime, I would recommend continuing to keep the dogs separated until you are able to see the behaviorist - this will prevent the problem from continuing to get worse, and also keep the dogs from injuring each other.

I'm sorry that you're having this problem! Aggression between dogs in the same household is a complex behavior issue that is a bit beyond the scope of what we can effectively help with in this format. Treatment for this problem involves identifying what triggers the aggression (which often takes a bit of detective work, and observation by an expert) and then finding ways to avoid these triggers, or working with the dogs over time to teach them to respond differently when these situations occur. It's not a simple process, unfortunately, so there's really no quick and easy answer to give. Your best option would be to make an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate the dogs in person and give you some hands-on guidance in dealing with this problem. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org

That sounds like a tough situation and I hate to hear this is happening. Most humans cannot correctly read canine body language without additional training. Unless you know what the dogs are saying to each other, it's impossible to know how to modify and train the dogs behavior. Canine aggression is a complex behavior as it can stem from dominance, possessiveness, fear, anxiety, resource guarding or a combination. I recommend to work with a professional trainer. This will give you the best and fastest results. Researching on your own will also be helpful. Familiarizing yourself with canine body language and dog training can help you to recognize what your pet is trying to say. You can find many books written on the topic and there is a trainer named Victoria Stilwell who I think is particularly helpful. Best of luck.

I'm sorry to hear that you're having these problems! Aggression or fighting between dogs in the same household is a complex behavior issue that's very difficult to address without evaluating the dogs in person, because there are so many factors to consider - it's important to assess both dogs' personalities, how they interact with each other when they're not fighting, how severe the fights are when they happen, what seems to trigger the aggressive behavior, etc. For this reason, I would strongly recommend getting in touch with a veterinary behaviorist or a good reward-based trainer who can work with you in person to help determine why the aggression is occurring and put together a detailed treatment plan to address the problem. In the meantime, I would recommend keeping the younger dog on-leash whenever he is around the older dog to prevent any bullying or harassment, or using a baby gate or other barrier to keep the dogs separated until you are able to get some hands-on guidance in how to help them.

I hate to hear that the dogs are not getting online. It can be very frustrating and scary to be in this situation. Unfortunately there is not an easy answer for you. There is also not a short answer. When aggression is involved, its best to work with a behaviorist. Generally there are signs the dogs are giving prior to the fights that many people do not realize are significant. Often times there are underlying problems of dominance issues, possessiveness and anxiety. Exercise and behavioral modification are much needed in these cases. I would recommend to not only contact a local behaviorist but to also do some reading about animal behavior. Best of luck in this complicated situation.

I hate to hear this is happening. Unfortunately, it's impossible to know how best to advise you without being able to read the body language of the dogs. It's possible this is occurring because they are maturing. Both dogs also need to be spayed/neutered because this can help to decrease aggression. Intact dogs are much more likely to fight and have problems. Canine aggression is a complex behavior as it can stem from dominance, possessiveness, fear, anxiety, resource guarding or a combination. Most people are not familiar with reading canine body language and training. Because of this, I recommend to work with a professional trainer. Researching on your own will also be helpful. Familiarizing yourself with canine body language and dog training can help you to recognize what your pet is trying to say. You can find many books written on the topic and there is a trainer named Victoria Stilwell who I think is particularly helpful. Best of luck.

Neutering can sometimes help with interdog aggression, so if you plan on keeping them both, having them neutered may help. If they are constantly fighting with each other, it may also be time to bring in a professional who can view the situation in person and help formulate a training plan to get the dogs OK around each other. You may need to keep them completely separated and slowly introduce them in a neutral location such as on a walk, and then only have short monitored sessions until they can be trusted around each other. However, if one dog is lunging and growling before even being introduced, seeking professional help is best.