Positive Petzine

Hi Lucy, I wish breeders would stop letting people take home litter-mates. They are over-represented in fatal dog fight statistics, particularly where both are of the same sex.

That is not to say that littermates can't get along. Breeders themselves routinely keep littermates and usually experience no problems, but the probabilities aren't as good and indeed you are already having some rather serious problems.

The other problem, of course, is training and exercise. Two young pups can soon run amok, stretching the owner's resources and patience to the limit. Both pups (and owners) suffer as a result. What might have been two lovely dogs in two separate homes are unruly, difficult dogs in the same home. Take an active breed like the Border Collie and the problems are multiplied. At least they respond well to training and figure a lot of stuff out on their own.

The truth about happy, well adjusted dogs is that they sleep nearly all day. One dog in a home who is given training, exercise and allowed to live with the family will not suffer from loneliness and will not need another dog to keep him company throughout the day.

To answer your question about punishment; no, you definitely never, ever punish a dog for this sort of fighting. In fact, the probability of increasing the aggression is significantly higher than the probability of reducing the behaviour. To make matters worse, you might actually achieve the illusion of peace between the two dogs for a short time, but be hit with a much stronger display of aggression in a different context later.

I am talking about what behaviorists would call "positive punishment" here. Something that is of use in this sort of situation is what behaviorists call "negative punishment", and in this case it would involve a short time-out where the offender is placed alone in a room for 30 seconds and given no attention at all. Longer periods of time are not useful and contribute to feelings of anxiety which can make matters worse. 30 seconds of isolation is enough, but I would recommend separating the dogs after an incident until things have calmed down (e.g both dogs go into separate crates to chill out, but can be in the same room and the offender can be given attention).

After a time-out or after an episode has settled down I actually recommend you don't treat the offender any differently. Ostracising the pup after a time-out or after a minor scuffle has resolved without incident can contribute to anxiety and make matters worse.

The cause of the fighting could be anxiety or it could be "resource guarding". I'm not sure what sort of relationship Mac has with your partner, but it could be that he is anxious and re-directing onto a soft target (Trapper) or it could be that he adores your partner and is trying to keep him to himself.

Either way, the fights are what would generally be considered "severe" as blood is drawn. I'm not going to pull any punches - I think keeping these pups together is a terrible idea and it has the potential to be a disaster.

I have helped people to rehabilitate dogs who don't get along in the past, but this goes beyond what I would consider a reasonable expectation of a good outcome and the risk involved is high. Right now you have a very good chance of being able to re-home one of the pups. There is no reason to suggest that Mac wouldn't grow up to be a normal, well-adjusted and happy pup in a single-dog home.

This is "right now". Leave it too long and that all changes, things get learned than take a long time to "unlearn" and the pups aren't so cute and adoptable any more. Right now Trapper has probably not become too shy of other dogs, give it another couple of weeks and he will enter what we call the "fear period". Any frightening experiences during that time can leave a lasting impression.
Mac, also, could learn not to use his teeth whenever he has concerns. He might even do well with an older dog, but I would recommend that he goes to a single dog home and that you are up-front about the problems.

Any reputable breeder would take either of the pups back, and that would be my first line of inquiry.

I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news because I know this is not what you wanted to hear but I would be doing you no favours offering false hope. Unfortunately certain television shows have made it seem reasonable that any behavior problem can be fixed, and this just isn't always true. Even for someone who possesses the necessary skills to raise these two dogs to cohabit, it would be impractical to live like that.

Given the risks involved and the age of the pups right now, I must advise you to re-home one of the pups as soon as is practical and my suggestion would be to contact the breeder if he or she is reputable (and has the pup's best interest's at heart).

Sorry again.
Regards,
Aidan
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