[Dailydrool] dogs fighting each other around food

[Saraberry at aol.com]

The dominance theory has pretty much been debunked by recent behavioral  
scientists. 
 
You are in the middle of what sounds like resource guarding.  It is  possible 
for one dog to guard food while another guards toys, etc.   Resource guarding 
is a normal behavior that is carried over from the days when  dogs scavenged 
for food and had to hide it and fight over it in order to  survive.  That is 
no longer the way it is, but for some dogs, especially  one who may not have 
had much when he was little and now a new dog is in the  picture and trying to 
take "his" stuff.
 
My first suggestion is to remember to reward them frequently for the  
behaviors you want.  Start to watch for quiet calm behaviors around each  other and 
treat, treat, treat.
 
My next suggestion is to pick up all toys and feed individually in separate  
areas.  Then pick up all the food bowls and let them back in  together.  I 
would also get crates.  
 
Time outs are often amazingly effective as training tools for this type of  
aggression.  Time out should not be any longer than 10 minutes or so at the  
most, and sometimes just a few seconds is enough to "reset" a dog.  They  should 
go to time out any time they growl, stare or become stiff.  These  behaviors 
alert you to worse coming. You may want to hook them up with a leash  and not 
collar grab.  The crates should not be within eyesight of each  other or they 
will develop barrier aggression.
 
When they come out of time out, it is often effective to redirect to an  
activity such as a walk outside.  It takes off the edge of meeting the  other dog 
again.  Then when they come back in, I would ask each dog to go  to a place in 
the home and lie down.  It would be nice to reward them for  calm, receptive 
behaviors if they do this.
 
I would also keep them separated when you are not home and allow them  to be 
together with you when they are nice. That will keep them from  getting 
injured and it will keep them from practicing the behaviors you  don't want.   If 
one gets a time out -- I would give them both a  time out.
 
If they engage, I like metal bowls and bang them together right by their  
heads repeatedly and they usually kind of startle and stop fighting long enough  
to get one into a crate or another area, and then I grab up the other one.   I 
have also had success with throwing them into the same crate, but I don't  
advise you do this unless you are really good at managing dogs.  
 
The good news is that normally the worse damage a basset does to another is  
to nick an ear.  The bad news is that it bleeds like crazy sometimes and  they 
seem to be killing each other.  I have seen two dogs sound like they  are 
killing each other but are just posturing.  If that is the case, you  may want to 
let them finish, but it tends to get worse, which is why I like to  keep it 
from happening to begin with.
 
Do a Google on Resource Guarding and read more about it.  I still  think 
prevention and rewarding the behaviors you want, then using your time outs  and 
managing their environment is the best bet.
 
Best*
 
Sara



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