re: 2 Female Family Dogs Fighting-Need Advice

As soon as the dog killed the cat, it should have been rehomed. It will snap again, and it may be your kid next.

I'm curious about a few things:

- Do the dogs listen to you at all?
- Do you take them on walks together? Do you lead or do they drag you?
- Can you pull their food bowl away while they are eating without them growling / snapping at you?
- Have they ever been aggressive towards other people?

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Thanks for the advice! Lots of lessons learned, even with the insults.

While many assume either dog is going to attack my family. This is far from the truth, they both are loving and sweethearts around us. Neither one of them has growled at my kids. My young girl only barks at my son and jumps in on him when he is having a meltdown and then he calms down. Is this not good? Am I missing something?

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You’re delusional. This is either a really bad troll bad or you’re just fricking stupid.

Hopefully a neighbor calls animal control on your arse.

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My young girl only barks at my son and jumps in on him when he is having a meltdown and then he calms down. Is this not good? Am I missing something?

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Dogs are excellent at reading emotions and if your child responds in a positive way and calms down then that's excellent. If you start watching the dog she may actually give signs that your child is getting ready to have a outburst. You should encourage their relationship WITHOUT leaving the other dog out.
When either dog is eating from their bowl can you reach down and take the bowl away without any aggression

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Lots of lessons learned, even with the insults.

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Most of the insults are due to those being flabbergasted that you're that naive about animals yet are a owner. The issues your having should have never gotten to this point if you knew how to raise dogs

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I'm curious about a few things:

- Do the dogs listen to you at all?
- Do you take them on walks together? Do you lead or do they drag you?
- Can you pull their food bowl away while they are eating without them growling / snapping at you?
- Have they ever been aggressive towards other people?

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- My older dog listens mostly to me but she can be stubborn, my wife maybe half the time. She is also known to bolt out the front door and won't come back when called back in the house, she wonders back to the house after 5 minutes. Young girl always listens to any command my wife or I give her and if she leaves the garage or front door all I have to do is say "Wanna go for a ride?" and she's back in the house/car.

Walks- Old girl won't walk on leash, she thinks leash means car ride or trip to grandma's house. When we go past the car she falls to the ground and won't go further. Young girl loves walks but she pulls for the first 5 minutes until she realizes she isn't going far on the leash.

- Wife and I have pulled their food and they don't give us issues.

- Neither dog has been aggressive toward people, but my young one gets easily spooked if I walk in with the lights off at night, she has dropped her anal glands a couple of times.

You never properly disciplined the older dog. She doesn't feel as she has to listen to you. You allowed her to play you with leash training. I hate to tell you but this is all due to your lack of training and discipline.

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Neither dog has been aggressive toward people, but my young one gets easily spooked if I walk in with the lights off at night, she has dropped her anal glands a couple of times.

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So in the future make sure you speak when entering a dark room where she is. Easy fix.

There is dog training for dogs who protect their food. There is a word for it...I forget what it is.

I wouldn't necessarily be worried about your dogs attacking your kids, but I would be worried about your kids trying to break them apart or grab the piece of food and then getting bit in a dog fight frenzy.

Sounds like one or both of your dogs get caught up in things and take them too far.

You asked, "Am I missing something?"

Great advice in this thread regarding the fact they haven't hurt your children...yet. The first time may be too late. Do you want your kid mauled? What about a friend's kid that the dog is not used to?

Here's the advice you've been given. Before your child or a friend has his face bit off, please consider...

Maybe I should get rid of her before she hurts my child

Should honestly have his animals removed from his home. They clearly aren’t safe.

It's just a matter of when not IF the child gets bit.

I wouldn’t have a dog that killed my cat around my kids. It’s one thing to kill a squirrel or some type of pest, but a long term house cat is very different. That dog could go off and attack your boy, especially if he gets near the fighting.

YOU KNOW WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE. You don't need a bunch of strangers to try and convince you it doesn't need to happen because responsible pet owners aren't going to tell you differently. I know it's hard to lose a pet especially one after a long time, but as a parent and husband you have one really major responsibility that far exceeds anything pet related. That's the safety of your Spouse and Kids.

As soon as the dog killed the cat, it should have been rehomed. It will snap again, and it may be your kid next.

Neither dog is obedience trained and based on the older dog's behavior in particular, that's an issue. Want to keep her? Send her to a professional trainer for a few months. Expensive yes, but at this stage it's beyond your skill set.

Never, ever let them eat people food or take scraps from the floor, one of the hardest habits to break once they acquire.

Two large breed females will fight far more often than two males or a female / male combo. Smaller breeds too but large breeds inflict more damage.

From what you'e described, the older dog is a ticking time bomb towards your boy. I wouldn't take that chance for a second.

Not a complex decision, it's either professionally train the older dog away from your home for a few months, or remove to another home who understands her history and is prepared to train her properly.

Your young one deserves that from you.

Good luck.