[Dailydrool] Scuffles

[saraberry at aol.com]

Dogs who have fear issues around other dogs can be worsened with the use of spray bottles.  They also can learn to associate the punishment with the human and start ducking, pulling back and hiding behaviors when you even attempt to pet them.  They will also still attempt the problem behavior because in order for punishment to be effective, it has to be strong and scary to start out with to stop the behavior completely.  If the dog gets away with something even once, they will attempt it again and again and grow accustomed to the punisher.  This is why anti-bark collars stop working over time, because people start them on a low setting and build up to a higher setting instead of the other way around.  Plus if the dogs are mid-fight, water doesn't generally work.
 
Management is certainly key when dealing with multiple dog households and preventing difficulties from occurring.  Predicting problem situations and avoiding them is certainly key.  Basic training will also help.  Dogs who can hold stays in sit and down positions, and go to mats or crates happily when asked, or come when called are much easier to deal with.  Same if he has a favorite toy or food.  Many dog fights can be prevented simply by saying "Dinner time" or "Go for a ride" or "Come get your tuggie".

Another point is that well-exercised dogs will often prefer to rest and choose relaxed behaviors at home.  So get them out and moving!
 
One technique that is used with dog aggressive dogs is to reward the aggressor everytime he looks at the other dog.  So he would look at the other dog, you would say, "Good" and reward.  Eventually, if this is done consistently, the dog will look at the other dog and then look or come to you for his treat immediately.  This is very useful for dogs with leash aggression who see another dog walking down the street and pull and lunge.  
 
One thing I am always careful with is how I break up a dog fight or grab a tense, excited dog.  It is best to get a leash if you are alone and hook the leash to the collar instead of grabbing the collar.  Most dogs associate the leash with a walk or going for a ride, so this will help break the tension.  Then when alone, the goal is to get something inbetween the two warring dogs, such as a door, a gate, a board, whatever you see that you can use.  Bassets frequently go for the other basset's ears, fortunately.  There can be a lot of blood but usually the wounds are easily healed.
 
If you have two people, then the best strategy is that each person approaches one of the dogs from behind and pulls from in front of the dog's back legs by the hips.  The problem again with bassets, is that if you do this when one dog has purchase on the ear, is that you will rip the ear when you pull, so you have to watch your timing on this and wait if needed until a dog releases the bite.
 
Many dogs have disagreements and will sound like they are killing each other, but then no or little damage is done.  It is normal for this to occur and sometimes it is ok to let the fight happen, but you do not want fighting to be frequent because then it is a practiced behavior that they start getting used to and they will get better at it.  So prevention is a huge component of stopping fights.
 
I am going to throw my two cents in now for having a crate for each animal in your household.  It really helps to stop disagreements and help to manage.  It also is key to your dog's stability and comfort in the case of an emergency.  And once a dog is crate trained, you can move them to a portable soft crate which can easily go to Great Aunt Mary's house with the white berber carpeting so that your dog becomes more mobile and gets to experience more of life with you.
 
For more suggestions with specific problem behaviors, we do have a http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/bassetbehavior/ list with a number of very good basset trainers and owners available to help problemsolve.

Best*

Sara Watson, CTC
APDT Member
Bluefence Bassets

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