COMMON SOURCES OF FIGHT IN MULTIDOG HOUSEHOLDS

Living with multiple dogs can be a wonderful experience, but it often requires careful management. In most cases, households with several dogs need to implement some form of oversight. It's not usually like a Disney movie, where all the dogs share bones, sleep in a big pile, and happily let each other walk over them without any scuffles or fights. Most owners of multiple dogs work hard to prevent conflicts and are aware of the triggers to avoid.

My dogs absolutely adore each other, but I work hard to ensure they don’t fall into any arguments that could lead to scuffles or fights. For example, I’m feeding them separately, as Lisa (Shiba Inu) isn’t a great sharer and will take everyone’s food and chews if given the chance.

Zoe and Ciri, due to their young puppy nature, can become very excited in narrow spaces and love to bother and chase my larger girls, Emmie and Mink (American Akitas). Therefore, I avoid letting them go out the door at the same time.

Blueberry and Soyka (Shiba Inus) and Geneva (Samoyed) have always been incredibly easygoing and are my best girls; they are no trouble at all, but this means that other dogs would walk all over them if I let them!

On the other hand, Peppa (Shiba Inu) and Blizzard (Samoyed) tend to get easily stressed out by new and familiar situations, so they need a slow introduction to decrease stress and overstimulation.

Mink (American Akita) has arthritis and can be easily triggered, resulting in a short temper on her bad days. To help her, I make sure she gets more one-on-one time and appropriate pain management.

Juju (Samoyed) can be very dominant during play when she’s overstimulated, especially for the first five minutes after being let out of her kennel. To manage this, I always let her out first so she can have her high-energy zoomies before the others come out.

Hiro and Truffle (Shiba Inus) are two boys who love to compete against each other. To prevent any arguments, I remove anything that could trigger a dispute from the play yard, including toys and treats and more often than not they have different outside playtimes and their own doggie social circles.

Overall, I have a simple management system in place to avoid any potential triggers and maintain the wonderful relationships they all have.

I have observed many cases where dogs in a household get into fights, and the triggers are often predictable and, in many cases, avoidable. This guide outlines potential issues, but if you have concerns about your own dogs, please seek help from a qualified professional. We can often address problems in their early stages, but if the relationships between the dogs seriously deteriorate, it can be challenging, if not impossible, to resolve. Ultimately, this can lead to the dog being surrendered, rehomed, or, in extreme cases, euthanized.

COMMON TRIGGERS FOR FIGHTS:

RESOURCES food/toys/access to favoured people

Feeding separately and giving chews separately is just common sense if you have potential issues. New toys may be worth guarding but old toys may not be. Long-lasting chews may be an issue and may be buried or hidden. Having multiple toys of the same type helps some dogs. Kennels/crates separate playpans and having separate spaces for everyone can prevent so many issues!

TIMES OF HIGH AROUSAL e.g visitors knocking on the dog

Being excited at the start of a walk can also be an issue for some dogs and they may start a scuffle as everyone piles out of the car or in front of a door. We can try to keep arousal low by doing calm activities and scent work as we get out. Outdoor post and parcel boxes can often help postman-related issues or using a doorbell that texts you rather than a door knocker etc.

High arousal in play can also be a factor- some dogs need careful management in play to make sure that arousal doesn’t get too high.  If play is getting louder and louder and you aren’t seeing them take turns and pauses and breaks then they may need a break from play.

High arousal and frustration can also cause issues if dogs are fence running etc in the yard and the other dog gets in the way. Seek professional help if you are struggling with reactivity issues.

NARROW SPACES

Gateways/hallways especially if combined with high arousal “visitor at the door” combined with a narrow hallway are a recipe for disaster in some dogs. Doorways can also be an issue- running into the yard at speed whilst very excited etc.

STRESSED DOGS other sources of stress can disrupt household harmony

Even if dogs get along brilliantly normally, if one is very stressed they may not cope with things they would normally cope with (trigger stacking). A house move, owners changing work patterns, a new dog walker etc are common themes. Other sources of anxiety like noise worries and separation issues all contribute to stress.

Being really tired can also be a factor and reduce tolerance- I see this a lot with puppies and adult dogs. By 8 or 9pm many adult dogs just want to rest and sleep without being disturbed and many issues with adults getting cross with puppies happen in the evenings. Let your adults rest in peace away from annoying puppies.

PAIN AND HEALTH tolerance may be lower and stress higher

The first sign that a dog is unwell can be a loss of tolerance around their housemates. Pain may make them suddenly unable to cope with another dog lying on them in the night for example or bumping into them as they run into the yard. Any changes- see your vet!

GROWING UP! Moving into adolescence can be a trigger for scuffles and fights

Dogs may get along swimmingly but may start scuffles as they mature. Dogs change a great deal emotionally and mentally as they go into and through adolescence and it can be a tricky time to manage. They may find life generally difficult to navigate at this age and may have lower tolerance around their housemates or they may change in confidence and the dynamic with older dogs may alter. Hormones may also make things more complex- females approaching a “heat season” or who are having a phantom pregnancy may be much more bothered about resources and you may need more household management. Boy dogs may change when hormones peak in adolescence and this may impact on dynamics in the household too.

Most multi-dog households can get along well with some simple management. For me, the benefits of having several dogs and the rich, complex relationships they form far outweigh any negatives. When considering adding another dog to your home, it's important to think carefully about what kind of housemate would be ideal for your current dog. Avoid complicating your situation if you can. It's also crucial to realistically assess whether your dog truly wants to share their life and home with another canine. Some dogs prefer not to live with other dogs, and that's perfectly acceptable too!

This post used references from Laura McAuliffe, and her article in Dog Communication.