How to Stop a Dog From Attacking Another Dog in the House

For this Omaha dog training session we shared some tips on how to stop a dog from attacking another dog. We used some dog psychology, a group walk and other dog behavior tips to stop 5 year-old Lab/ Boxer mix Harper from attacking her roomie, 6 year-old Terrier mix Holly.

When I arrived for the session, Harper was roaming the house, but Holly was in the duplex dog kennels.

Their guardians used these kennels to keep the dogs separate and prevent fights. Harper jumped up on me, barked and jumped up on her guardian several times once we sat down. While she was doing this, Holly would start barking from her kennel.

Tips to Stop Dog Aggression

Each time Holly would bark, the guardian would disagree and make a negative comment about her behavior. At the same time, I saw Harper do the same (as well as jumping up on the guardian), only to be petted each time. Before we could work on tips for how to stop a dog from attacking another dog, we needed to get to the source of the problem.

I pointed this out to the guardian who was adamant that she loved both dogs. While that is clearly the case, it was also equally apparent that Harper was the favorite.

I am not a human psychologist. However, I try to teach people about their actions. I help them understand how these actions can cause and contribute to dog behavior problems.

I don’t believe the guardian is making Harper go after Holly. However, it’s clear that Holly knows she is not the top choice. This feeling could be a factor in the situation.

Another reason Harper’s jumping behavior is concerning is that dogs often jump on people to show they are in charge. The guardian said she didn’t mind the jumping, which is fine if the dog is invited up. But right now, Harper is the one making the decision and some of this could be a show for Holly’s benefit.

All of this is important to note. Typically when I’m called in because one dog is attacking the other, the guardians are all looking at the attacking dog.

But in this case, the guardian referenced several reasons why Holly is a pill. The guardian wasn’t saying Holly deserved to be attacked. However, I want the guardian to stop using negative words about Holly’s behavior.

The way we speak as humans can have a profound impact on how we think and perceive things. People can easily hurt themselves by thinking or saying negative things, often without meaning to, just like in this case.

As a dog behavior expert, I believe Holly’s barking was her way of disagreeing with Harper’s inappropriate behavior. Dogs prefer a harmonious group and usually confront dogs who start to step out of balance. But in this case, these behaviors have been going on and getting more and more practiced and intense.

I also think there is some jealousy going on between the two dogs. They would both observe the other when they were in the kennel, with Harper watching more alertly and intensely.

It is important for the dogs to see themselves as followers. This will help stop Harper from attacking Holly. I strongly recommended that they begin petting the dogs with a clear purpose. They should also use passive training to reward good behaviors.

The technique in this video will help stop Harper from jumping up without an invitation. The guardian should avoid inviting a jump for at least 30 days.

How to Stop a Dog from Attacking Another Dog

But to stop dogs from fighting, they also need to start doing something positive together. Right now, their only interaction is watching one another running free from a kennel. Since dogs move on by moving forward, I took out some martingale collars. I told the guardian I would take them for a walk together.

The guardian looked at me like I was crazy when I said I was going to take them for a walk. “You understand that dog will attack that dog,” she said as I leashed them up. The dogs were calm, and I kept a safe distance. Because of this, we could walk together without any problems.

I want to see the guardians taking the dogs for a walk together a minimum of once a day (more would be better). It doesn’t have to be a marathon (that would be nice), even just a walk around the block each day will really help these dogs stop fighting. This will allow them to start practicing being together on a fun activity.

Increasing the dog’s daily exercise will also have other benefits that will help stop dog fights from happening. Walks are nice and can help create a good vibe between the dogs. However, they are not the best way to burn off extra energy.

I shared a number of tips like teaching the dog to run up and down the stairs, chasing a laser or using scent games.

Giving each dog a few minutes of exercise several times a day will help them feel better. Stopping dog aggression is best done with a multiple approach. A lot of smaller changes, repeated often, will help these dogs return to balance.

More Tricks to Prevent Dog Fights

Some barking is a protest, while other barking asks for attention. Petting with a purpose can help with this. Some barking is meant to alert their humans. To address the later, I showed the guardians how to use counterconditioning to stop dog barking from Holly.

I also suggested that the guardians knock on the wall. This would mimic a knock at the door when no one is there. If practiced often, this kind of desensitization will stop the over barking and over excitement from the dogs.

I also did a quick demo of a focus exercise with Harper. This is a good way to shift her focus if the guardians see her staring at Holly. Staring can challenge or intimidate Holly.

At the end of the session, the dogs were sitting and laying on the floor together without any issues. This is not the case of an aggressive dog.

The dog fights happened because there were no clear rules or structure. There was confusion about who was in charge. The dogs were not exercised enough, and favoritism affected their behavior.

The good news is this dog fighting behavior problem is 100% fixable if the humans make some small changes. The changes I suggested are not difficult, but they do require a small amount of effort for a month to become a habit.

The kids need to start petting with a purpose and follow mom’s lead. If they do this, we can stop these dog behavior problems for good.

We created a video to help the family remember the dog behavior tips from our training session. Check out the roadmap to success video below.