The ancestor of dogs is the wolf, although they have been trained and bred by humans for a long time, some of their natural instincts have been retained. Like wolves, dogs are social animals and even when there are only two dogs in a group, there is still a leader and a social structure. The leader is at the top of the group and is the “decision-maker” and “enforcer”, in a group with relatively fixed members, the leader’s position is also relatively fixed, unless there are outsiders or dogs at the bottom of the group trying to challenge authority. When challenged, the leader either hands over the “decision-making power” to the challenger or accepts the invitation to fight, to settle the matter through combat. Therefore, internal struggles within dog groups are common, especially when multiple dogs live under the same roof, they will constantly struggle to establish their position and the leader’s position.
A dog pack in a state of conflict will often trigger a new dog to join the group. Even if it did not initially have aspirations to take over the leader’s position or initiate a challenge, it may have just happened to pass by and be perceived as an external threat, thereby starting a new conflict. Another scenario is when a new puppy is introduced into the pack, the dogs within the pack need to establish its position through conflict: is it the leader or a subordinate, and this positioning often takes a long time because it is highly likely to trigger a repositioning of the social structure within the pack, a new round of ranking and ordering begins.
When the owner tries to break up the fight
In most cases, people will intervene in a dog fight out of various good intentions to separate the dogs. They usually scold the dog that is in the aggressive position, or favor the dog at the bottom of the pack. Human intervention means that the decision-making power over the social structure of the pack is in human hands.
Therefore, the phrase “a dog running with a man” is not without foundation. Once dogs understand the influence that humans have on the internal structure of their pack, they will consciously engage in more frequent fights in the presence of humans, in an attempt to gain human favor and establish their status.
How to end the “Dog World War”
When you find your dogs fighting, what you should not do is to separate them immediately and “help” them declare that “the game is over and friendship comes first.” This will only lead to more fighting, and your well-intentioned intervention may bring more trouble to yourself. More importantly, every time you intervene, your dogs will lose an opportunity to solve the problem on their own.
Therefore, once you notice your dogs fighting, you need to carefully identify the dominant dog. Why? Since dog fights are meant to resolve internal conflicts and establish a pecking order, helping to quickly establish that order and reinforce the internal structure is what you should do. Siding with the dog at the bottom of the rankings will only make the fighting harder to stop.
When providing food, water, or other resources for your dogs, let the dog in the alpha position enjoy them first, then the others. This will reduce the dogs’ challenges to authority. The question arises: How to distinguish who is the alpha? As mentioned earlier, the dog that dominates in fights or, based on factors such as age, personality, health, size, etc., you will quickly identify the “leader”.
If the dogs are fighting over food, toys, or other items, separate the lower-ranking dog and give the “leader” or the dog with a higher status in the pack priority access to these things. This action sends the message that as their owner, you recognize and support the current social structure and hierarchy within the pack.
If the dog is protecting or trying to establish its position in the pack, you can simply observe and let the dog work things out on its own. However, if the fighting lasts longer than you expected, you can support the existing structure and hierarchy by offering comfort or treats to the dominant dog, which will help bring the conflict to an end.