The Critter Corner

By Dr. Steve Velling

Ashburn Village Animal Hospital

“Family Feud”

Sasha and Pepper, 2 very cute Lhasa Apsos, absolutely hated each other.  They could not be in the same room together without getting into a fur-flying, teeth-baring major brawl, so Mr. and Mrs. Smith had to make sure that they were always separated.  They didn’t know why they were so aggressive towards each other, but it had been that way ever since they brought Sasha home from the shelter 2 years ago.

There are many multi-pet households in Ashburn, just like anywhere else, and so we tend to hear about it when there is interdog or intercat aggression within a house.  This is when, usually, 2 dogs or 2 cats in one house keep getting into fights.  For dogs, it usually involves the same breed, often involves females, and dominance or social status issues may be the underlying trigger.  It can develop when a new dog is introduced into a house, like above, or when a dog reaches “social maturity” (12-36 months).  Dogs will usually fight over valuable resources including resting spots, toys, food and attention.  Well-meaning owners often complicate matters by trying to enforce equality in the household.  Often owners report that the aggression only occurs in their presence indicating that their behavior plays a role in the episodes.

Dogs are pack animals and it is normal for them to develop social hierarchies within the pack.  It is also normal for fights to break up before any injury occurs.  These dogs are inhibiting their aggression.  If one dog inflicts severe injury on another dog when it is sleeping, or lunges at another without any form of communicating/interaction (tail-wagging, yawning, lip-licking, for example) it is probably abnormal or ill.  Dogs that are having “normal” but occasional fights may just be “working things out”, but if the fights are escalating in frequency and severity, then training, counseling, and/or medical or pheromone therapy (like Prozac, Xanax, or DAP collars) may all be necessary to correct the situation.

We get pets for the joy and companionship they bring us, and it is especially disturbing when they show such anger and hostility towards each other.  For Sasha and Pepper, we were able to help their situation greatly through counseling alone, and now everyone is more at peace.  If you are experiencing some behavioral problems with your pets, give us a call.  Next time, I’ll write about cats that don’t get along.

Till next time,          Dr. Steve,                                                 www.ashburnanimals.com

p.s. If your dogs are fighting, never reach in to break it up!  I’ve seen people lose fingers from accidental bites!  Pull the dogs by their tails, throw a blanket over them, or use a large piece of cardboard or plywood to break up the fight.

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