Reintroducing Dogs After a Fight the Right Way
When there is a dog fight, separate the dogs into two rooms. After a while, they should be reintroduced. Below are some tips on how to do this the right way.
Let one dog out of the room where he/she was and let the dog sniff the door to where the second dog was put. This will allow the dogs to smell each other without being face-to-face with one another.
If either dog exhibits aggressive behavior, the aggressive dog is not ready to be reintroduced and should be given more time to calm down.
If you have someone else with you, put a leash on each dog and bring them out of the rooms. Keep the dogs away from each other at first to see how they react. If there isn’t any dog aggression, bring the dogs closer and closer until they have a chance to sniff each other. Pay attention to body language, as that will clue you in on whether they may start to fight again.
If when they are next to each other there doesn’t seem like a dog fight will break out, you can take away the leashes. Just watch them for some time to make sure there are no signs another dog fight will happen.
Resource guarding is one of the most common reasons dogs fight. When reintroducing dogs after a fight, remove the resource guarding trigger, such as the dog food bowls, treat, etc. If it remains, one of the dogs will remember the other wanted to take it and another bad fight will start.
If you’ve recently added a new dog to your family, that may be the reason why there was a fight. Territorial dog aggression is a common reason dogs fight.
Dogs are social animals that see themselves in a pack. A new dog is seen as a threat until welcomed into the existing pack.
Taking your current dog with the second dog to dog parks can help them grow accustomed to one another. You can also try taking them on short walks with both of them. Your old dog won’t feel like he/she has to protect the territory, which will greatly reduce the incidence of another bad fight.
When returning home, place a leash on each dog and do short sessions of interaction. This can help both dogs learn how to be around each other and the old dog will slowly allow the new dog into the existing pack. Of course, the old dog will try to stake a claim as the alpha leader.
Do Dogs Forgive Each Other After a Fight
Yes, dogs have a really great way of forgiving one another after time. While people may hold a grudge for days, weeks, or even years, dogs forgive in minutes. That’s why when reintroducing dogs after a fight, you don’t have to wait long to do it.
Keep in mind, even though dogs forgive, not all of them end up becoming best friends. Many dogs live with one another with the acceptance they have to, instead of being all lovey-dovey.
Identify the Trigger
To safely reintroduce your dogs after a fight, your first order of business is to know why the pups fight in the first place. Getting to the root cause reduces the chance of the problem popping up again. Sometimes canines go hard at each other over silly stuff like the arrival of a favorite owner, the introduction of a small animal, fights between the owners, and the doorbell. Other times, it’s the big stuff such as unwillingness to share food, a favorite toy, or fear. Once you know what causes the dogs to fight, you can get rid of it before reintroducing the dogs to each other. That way, you will not have to worry about more fights in the future.
JJ Belcher on How To Reintroduce Dogs After a Dog Fight
One school of thought is to reintroduce them as soon as you and they calm down. As their “alpha” leader, you must be calm and in charge. Another school of thought is to give them a few days to cool off and reintroduce them to each other like you would a new dog in the home.