Aggression Between Your Dogs - How To Stop It
Aggression between dogs in the same household is a difficult problem. Often, the dominant dog turns on the submissive one for no apparent reason. Unfortunately, the episodes will escalate in severity over time. Here are my recommendations for dealing with this challenge. Sadly, some dogs will never get along. Finding a new home for one of them might be your only option. Please note, these recommendations are for dogs with dominant type personalities. They are not for dogs that are motivated by fear. If you are unsure what is motivating your dog, please consult with a veterinary behavioral specialist.
1) Keep the dogs separated at all times unless under direct supervision. Consider using a head collar or basket muzzle when the dogs are allowed to interact to make sure the dominant dog cannot injure the submissive one.
2) Identify the cause of the aggression and avoid it. In veterinary medicine, we call these triggers. Common triggers include control of resources such as toys, food or treats, access to humans, excitement and human attention. Basically, a trigger may be anything the dog considers valuable. The front door was a trigger for one of my patients because that is where the family entered the house. The dog would not let any other pet in the family approach this area.
Once the trigger is identified, avoid it. In the above situation, I had the family enter through the back door until the dog was deconditioned to the area. Another common trigger is food. Feed the dogs in separate rooms and pull up the food bowls before allowing them to leave. Also avoid excited greetings, throwing one ball for two dogs and situations where the dogs become over stimulated. One of my patients was bitten by the other dog in the family when they were riding in a car. Both dogs started barking at a pedestrian. When the dominant dog could not jump out of the window, it turned and attacked the submissive one.
3) Give both dogs an obedience refresher. Focus on the basics as well as the "settle" command.
4) Exercise, exercise, exercise! As I was taught in veterinary school, a tired dog rarely gets into trouble. Give the dogs, especially the dominant one, a great deal of exercise. This is the best treatment I know for controlling a mischievous personality (and as an added bonus, it works for children too!)
5) Institute a new policy for the dominant dog, nothing in life is free. Make them work for everything they want. If they want to eat, make them sit first. If they want a cookie, make them settle first. Do not allow them to demand attention. If they want to jump into your lap, make them wait until invited. Teach them to work for what they want (this works for husbands too!)
6) Make sure all humans support the established hierarchy of the house. That means, interact with the dominant dog first and then the submissive one. Some fights occur when we humans ignore the established order. Here is an example from this spring: A family with an adult dog adopted a new puppy. When they returned from work, the people greeted the puppy first, then the dog. The adult dog felt the puppy was being disrespectful. On the second day, the dog bite the puppy.
CAUTION: This recommendation comes with two important caveats. First, do not over do! I do not want to turn the dominant dog into a bully. Second, this only works if both dogs understand proper canine etiquette. Let me demonstrate this point with an example. Let's say a dominant dog has a toy that the submissive dog wants. When the submissive dog approaches, the dominant dog raises its lip and growls. In normal dog interaction, the submissive dog understands the signal, backs away and no fight ensues. In one form of abnormal behavior, the dominant dog attacks even though the submissive dog has retreated. The cause of this behavior is often rooted in anxiety. On the other side of the coin, some submissive dogs miss the signal to retreat. This often occurs with age when hearing and eyesight diminish.
7) Consider drug therapy for six to eight months in conjunction with other behavioral therapy.
8) If the basics aren't helping, consult with a board certified veterinary behaviorist (yes, veterinary medicine has shrinks too).
9) I have written here about two dogs who live together. Some of it also applies where two dogs come together in other settings. An example might be relatives who come to stay over the holidays and bring their pet along. So be on the lookout for clues the dogs are sending and remember to think about the hierarchy from their point of view.
As you can tell from the above, dealing with aggression between family dogs is a difficult problem. Watch your dogs closely for subtle signs that might signal a problem. Look for staring, hesitation to enter a room and other abnormal behaviors. If observed, seek help immediately.
1) Keep the dogs separated at all times unless under direct supervision. Consider using a head collar or basket muzzle when the dogs are allowed to interact to make sure the dominant dog cannot injure the submissive one.
2) Identify the cause of the aggression and avoid it. In veterinary medicine, we call these triggers. Common triggers include control of resources such as toys, food or treats, access to humans, excitement and human attention. Basically, a trigger may be anything the dog considers valuable. The front door was a trigger for one of my patients because that is where the family entered the house. The dog would not let any other pet in the family approach this area.
Once the trigger is identified, avoid it. In the above situation, I had the family enter through the back door until the dog was deconditioned to the area. Another common trigger is food. Feed the dogs in separate rooms and pull up the food bowls before allowing them to leave. Also avoid excited greetings, throwing one ball for two dogs and situations where the dogs become over stimulated. One of my patients was bitten by the other dog in the family when they were riding in a car. Both dogs started barking at a pedestrian. When the dominant dog could not jump out of the window, it turned and attacked the submissive one.
3) Give both dogs an obedience refresher. Focus on the basics as well as the "settle" command.
4) Exercise, exercise, exercise! As I was taught in veterinary school, a tired dog rarely gets into trouble. Give the dogs, especially the dominant one, a great deal of exercise. This is the best treatment I know for controlling a mischievous personality (and as an added bonus, it works for children too!)
5) Institute a new policy for the dominant dog, nothing in life is free. Make them work for everything they want. If they want to eat, make them sit first. If they want a cookie, make them settle first. Do not allow them to demand attention. If they want to jump into your lap, make them wait until invited. Teach them to work for what they want (this works for husbands too!)
6) Make sure all humans support the established hierarchy of the house. That means, interact with the dominant dog first and then the submissive one. Some fights occur when we humans ignore the established order. Here is an example from this spring: A family with an adult dog adopted a new puppy. When they returned from work, the people greeted the puppy first, then the dog. The adult dog felt the puppy was being disrespectful. On the second day, the dog bite the puppy.
CAUTION: This recommendation comes with two important caveats. First, do not over do! I do not want to turn the dominant dog into a bully. Second, this only works if both dogs understand proper canine etiquette. Let me demonstrate this point with an example. Let's say a dominant dog has a toy that the submissive dog wants. When the submissive dog approaches, the dominant dog raises its lip and growls. In normal dog interaction, the submissive dog understands the signal, backs away and no fight ensues. In one form of abnormal behavior, the dominant dog attacks even though the submissive dog has retreated. The cause of this behavior is often rooted in anxiety. On the other side of the coin, some submissive dogs miss the signal to retreat. This often occurs with age when hearing and eyesight diminish.
7) Consider drug therapy for six to eight months in conjunction with other behavioral therapy.
8) If the basics aren't helping, consult with a board certified veterinary behaviorist (yes, veterinary medicine has shrinks too).
9) I have written here about two dogs who live together. Some of it also applies where two dogs come together in other settings. An example might be relatives who come to stay over the holidays and bring their pet along. So be on the lookout for clues the dogs are sending and remember to think about the hierarchy from their point of view.
As you can tell from the above, dealing with aggression between family dogs is a difficult problem. Watch your dogs closely for subtle signs that might signal a problem. Look for staring, hesitation to enter a room and other abnormal behaviors. If observed, seek help immediately.
Good information. I only have the one dog, but I do have a question.
When my brother comes to visit, he brings his dog..a 12lb ball of fire named Bitsy. I actually gave him Bitsy. She was a puppy I rescued. She's 1/2 Jack Russell, 1/2 Dachshund. He adores her. She can do no wrong in his eyes and he rarely disciplines her. Consequently, she has the run of his house and their two cats.
Bitsy is a 24 x 7, 5yr old ball of energy who gets daily trips to "doggie beach" where she actually swims out and catches fish, digs for crabs, steals toys out of the big dogs mouths, etc.
My dog Midgie is a 14-yr old Shihtzu/Peke mix who is more of a calm people person. She gets along with our cats, and likes things to be done "decently and in order."
Anyway, he's coming again to visit over Thanksgiving. Everytime he comes, he brings Bitsy.
I love Bitsy, but she chases my cats all over the yard and the h ouse, eats Midgie's food, steals her treats, jumps on the couch and pushes her out of the way...in short, it's not fun for Midgie or the cats and stressful for me.
If I scold Bitsy, my brother gets upset and says I'm 'being mean' to her.
I watch a lot of Cesar Milan and your suggestions are what he'd say too. That's what I use on Bitsy, but I get scolded by my brother.
Aside from telling him to stay home, any suggestions on how to make this a peaceful visit for my guys and him and Bitsy? His daughter, btw, has two mini-dachsy's and won't allow him to bring Bitsy when he visits because she wreaks havoc on her dogs and household.
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This sounds like a classic disorder of human behavior. I understand, I have a brother too.
Since you can't change your brother's behavior, I can think of only one option. I would secure your cats in a safe room during the day. They can hang-out sans Bitsy. At night, they should come out for fresh air when Bitsy is sleeping with your brother. The harder issue is Midgie. I recommend giving Midgie several Bitsy breaks during the day. Secure her in a safe room where she can relax and rest. At the same time, exercise Bitsy as much as you possibly can. Waste her with activity so she is too tired to bother Midgie or get into trouble. Another option is to send her to doggie day care during the day to give Midgie a break. Hopefully, she will come home exhausted.
If all this fails, I suggest holding a video conference with your brother via Skype. You'll get the pleasure of seeing him without the trail of destruction which follows Bitsy.
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i have 3 dogs in the same house 1 is a female the other 2 are males 1 of the males is the dad to the other male and has just turned a year but recently the dad and son will not stop fighting i worried they are going to kill each other what can i do that will stop them fighting
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This is a very serious situation as your males are fighting for dominance. Both could be seriously injured. Therefore, I recommend you contact a board certified veterinary behaviorist right away. Your veterinarian should be able to refer you to one in your area. Until then, keep the two males separate at all times. If they do fight, do not try to break it up with your hands. Wedge an inanimate object between them instead. Good luck with this serious problem.
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I have two female dogs who physically fight for a relative's attention every time she visits. She raised one of the dogs so they have a very close bond.
The other dog, who we adopted, was abused as a puppy. The abused dog has fought with the other dog (who is older and much bigger) over food, toys, and even dog beds! The smaller dog always wants to take whatever the larger dog has, and the larger dog is extremely possessive of the relative. She even gets noticeably depressed when my relative leaves. The smaller dog doesn't seem to mind this relative's absence, so her demands for her attention are probably just to annoy the older dog.
There have been at least six fights between the dogs over the years, usually over long periods of time. Serious injuries occurred after one of the fights during which the bigger dog attacked the smaller one in earnest. The larger dog is very peaceful and NEVER bites or harms humans EVER. She also ignores other dogs completely. The smaller dog, likely because of her history of abuse, is more prone to violence and spats with other dogs but has not attacked a human (only barked and growled).
I've tried to convince my family to make sure the dogs understand we are in charge and that the older dog is the higher-ranking pet. Unfortunately, my family won't listen to me and they scold me when I try to discourage bad behaviors which can lead to confrontation between the dogs. They seem incapable of being consistent with discipline.
How can I stop my dogs from ever fighting each other again? A muzzle, a dog psychologist, a trainer, a dog whistle to distract them from fighting?
If the fights will probably never stop, what's a solution to this problem? They really are sweet, intelligent dogs, and I don't want them to hurt each other.
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Wow, without the cooperation of your family it will be almost impossible to keep these girls from fighting. Therefore, I recommend sending the larger dog back to her original caregiver. If that is not possible, you must find a way to make your family understand the situation. As you stated, the larger, older dog should be number one followed by the younger,smaller dog. The larger dog should eat first, go out first, be greeted first, etc., to reinforce her dominance. If your family does not follow this order, they send the wrong signal to the younger dog and encourage her to aggressive behavior. I recommend you contact a veterinary behaviorist right away. Take the entire family to the appointment. Hopefully, they will listen to an expert.
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I have just moved into a new home with my 1 year old male dog. Already living here was a female(no problems) and a male who is about 7 years old. The first few days were fine, now they cant even be around eachother without fighting. We plan on getting them both fixed. Any other suggestions would be great.
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Unfortunately, two males fighting over one female is a common and difficult problem to treat. Neutering the boys is a good first step. Is the female spayed? Are all of the dogs obedience trained? What are the physical characteristics of the boys (breed, size, personality, etc.)? I need a little more information to help you out.
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Hi Dr. Nelson,
We have two 4 year old labs of opposite gender. We have had the small female since she was a puppy, so she was "here" first. The larger male we adopted 2 1/2 years ago. Don't know much about his background because he was found as a stray by the adoption agency. I would classify him as exhibiting abnormal behaviour. He has established his dominance and it doesn't appear that the female challenges this. He was very anxious/nervous when he first arrived and this lasted for quite a while......almost like separation anxiety. He still wants to constantly be touched if in my presence. At first we had a problem with him barking constantly when he wanted attention. That was corrected with a training collar that was mainly used as sound signal. He also would attack the female over a little as 1 morsel of spilt food or if a ball was thrown and the female consistently retrieved it first (this was easy to fix....just stopped throwing to both together). He also attacked when the female would get around me (only me from the family unit). Whenever he attacks there is no warning sign that I can see....no growl or showing of teeth. He had not attacked her for about 1 1/2 years. Well, we went away for Christmas break and had someone come into the house and take care of the dogs physical needs. I had separated the dogs' living quarters and food/water the day before we left. All went well until the last day we were gone. The male attacked the female for some reason when they were together, so the caretaker separated them further for the last day. Upon our return, he attacked her again when I was filling up their water bowls and I did not have them separated. The female was sitting directly behind my legs waiting for the water when he walked up and attacked her. All has been calm for about 2 weeks (we have been back to normal schedule), but I still have them separated when in their area alone. I feel the male has made major strides in the past couple of years since he has been with us, but do you have any insight as to how to avoid an attacks happening again. Am I doing anything wrong in dealing with this situation? The male probably would have been better placed in a single dog family, but he is very, very sweet toward humans and now we love him (as we also love the female) but just want a more harmonious situation. I have read your blog about making him work for what he gets and he does so for food, but how can I make him work for my "touching" affection? Thanks so much!!
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It is obvious to me that you are a conscientious pet person who loves both of your dogs. I agree that your male suffers from some sort of anxiety disorder. He is anxious about losing all the good things he has-food, water, a comfortable bed, toys and people, especially you. He views your female as a threat and attacks whenever she gets too close to one of these resources. Your female sounds like an easy going girl who doesn't care who is in charge. I'm guessing that she understands her position in the pack as number two and behaves accordingly. The problem lies with your male and how the humans interact with him. If anyone puts her ahead of him, that triggers an attack. I strongly recommend you consult with a veterinary behavioral specialist about this problem. They will be able to observe you interacting with both dogs and identify triggers for the unwanted behavior. Also, they will be able to set up a plan to lessen the male's anxiety.
To answer your question about how do you make them work for affection, it's the same as any other reward. When he clings to you, make him sit and stay for 5 to 10 seconds then reward him with touch. Lengthen the time as he becomes more comfortable. Don't forget to reward him with attention when he is resting on his own. When my dog is begging for attention, I tell him to go to his bed. After he does, I sit by him and shower him with affection. Anxious dogs need a lot of positive reinforcement (touch) throughout the day. Most importantly, don't feed the anxiety by trying to comfort him. My dog became anxious on walks when we stopped to talk to neighbors. I ignored him instead of trying to comfort him. Now he calmly stands by my neighbors and even allows them to pet him. Hang in there!
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I am also facing this same challenge. I have an 11 yr old female, a 2 yr old male, and a 10 month old male. The 2 male dogs keep fighting. They are fine when they are outside together, but the moment we bring them in the house, they start staring and growling. This quickly turns in to a fight. I believe they are fighting over us (the humans). This is both scary and heart breaking. I love my dogs and would hate to see something happen to either of them. I am having trouble clarifying who the dominant dog is. My female even fights with the 10 month old. I am going to attempt training. I have always believed that when you get a dog, it is a family member for life. This fighting is not something I have ever experienced though. I just don't know what to do.
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I'm so sorry for the problems you're having with the boys. With very few exceptions, I share your view that once you get a dog, it is a family member for life. There are rare circumstances when that likely not the best but only after every possible alternative has been explored. Fortunately, from what you've described I am hopeful you will be able to keep all of your dogs. There are two steps that you should pursue simultaneously. First, take the boys to basic obedience training. The need to learn the fundamental commands. That is quite important but will not be enough by itself. They also need to see a board certified veterinary behaviorist. This is a veterinarian who is trained in exactly this type of issue. Their knowledge level will likely surprise you as they can often do amazing things in these tough cases. You are clearly a conscientious owner so I wish you the best of luck in resolving this issue.
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Dr. Nelson,
My 4-year-old female (Peony) got along with the other 3 dogs. Then Peony started getting more and more aggressive with my younger female, and got to the point Peony would simply attack her on sight.
Peony has always gotten along with my older male. Then she started attacking him. When Peony stops fighting, she does this weird thing with her mouth like she tasted something bad.
Peony gets along fine with my old female [who is generally dog aggressive].
Funny thing is, Peony has never been my favorite dog. About 6 months ago I realized she was all grown up and is a very nice dog and I really liked having her around. Then all this started. Also, Peony was very sick in early November, fever and sore neck mainly. Antibiotics cleared it up. My vet thought it could have been meningitis, but was more likely an abscess.
Lots of thoughts in my head, but no idea what to do next. Any help would be appreciated - especially by Peony. Thank you.
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I'm sorry to hear about Peony's aggression. I'm concerned about an underlying medical condition as a potential cause or catalyst. When I've seen dogs with Lyme's Disease, they sometimes get so painful that they get aggressive to keep from being touched. Because of the history you described it may be wise to get a second opinion from a boarded internist. Their additional training or perhaps just because they are new to the case may lead to a breakthrough in finding a solution. Of course, it could also be a behavior issue but I'm really suspicious of an underlying condition. Best wishes as you tackle this problem.
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Dr. Nelson,
We have 3 dogs, 1 a female lab(5yrs), 1 a male mixed lab(4yrs), & 1 a male mixed mutt(2yrs). The female dog has established herself firmly as pack leader. If anyone rubs her the wrong way she growls lightly and they leave her alone. We have had the female & the mixed mutt since they were puppies & the mixed lab since he was 1 1/2 years old. In the past 8 months the two males have started fighting, we have had both of them neutered but there still seems to be agressive tendancy towards each other. The problem that we are having is that the two males will start fighting with one another with what appears to be nothing. The first few fights we have established as food/treats being the trigger & we have taken the necessary precautions to avoid that. Now is just seems that being around each other is the cause. They play well together when we take them outside in our fenced in backyard & even tolerate each other when they're inside but for some reason of late they just fight, almost like they don't like each other anymore. The fights have gone from little nips to going for blood. The last couple of fights they both seem to be shaken up afterwards instead of still angry like they were when the fights first started. We love the two males very much and don't want to split them up. Is there anything we can do to keep our family together?
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I'm so sorry to hear about the problems the guys are having. I'm afraid this is a case for a board certified veterinary behaviorist. One of the steps that is often quite helpful to us in the veterinary profession is if you can capture a movie of the behavior. This sometimes allows the veterinarian to see a subtle trigger develop. The animal's body language can also be useful in getting to a diagnosis and solution more quickly. I'm sorry I can't be of more help but this is a problem that will require local resources to get resolved. Good luck!
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Dr. Nelson,
I found a pit bull mix lost and, despite doing all I can to find the owners, they have not contacted us. The pit bull mix is male and unneutered. We're not sure how old he is, but we think he's still pretty young - maybe less than a year. He's well trained - house trained and knows most of his commands. We named him Fred.
We've been fostering him for a week now. We already have a female boxer-beagle mix, Allie, who is slightly aggressive herself. She is fixed. The two of them get along sometimes. They'll even cuddle up on the couch together and they walk well together outside, but when they start to play it always seems a little serious.
In the last day, they've had an actual fight twice - seemingly out of nowhere. There was no food, attention, or toys involved. This time Allie was injured a little (cut on the ear) and was bleeding.
We're looking to find a good home for Fred, but this situation is stressful and difficult for us and our intention was never for Allie to come to harm... we just wanted to help a lost dog!
Any help would be appreciated!!!
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First of all, thank you for giving Fred a chance. I applaud you for helping a dog in need. Lately a number of inquiries are arriving related to aggression. A very important point is that sometimes animals attack out of fear. It is not always caused by unprovoked aggression due to dominance. The clues animals signal to each other can be quite subtle. That is why I must often refer people in a situation such as yours to a veterinary behaviorist. If fear, rather than aggression, is the underlying issue, the treatment is quite different.
Since your home is not Fred's forever home, I recommend you contact a rescue group right away before Allie is injured. If you are thinking about keeping him, then I would get him neutered ASAP and seek help from a veterinary behaviorist. Keep them separated at all times to prevent fights. Again, thank you for helping a lost dog in need.
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Dr. Nelson,
We have two mixed breed dogs, one a chow-mix (Zana, ~4 yrs) and one a pit/shepherd mix (Macie, ~ 2 yrs)(both probably other breeds). We've had Zana since she was ~ 4 mo and Macie for ~ 1yr. Aside from an initial fight over a toy when we first had Macie, they have been getting along fantastically. The wrestle and roughhouse and share beds, bones, toys and us without obvious signs of aggression.
About a month ago, they were wrestling, got between the coffee table and couch, one yelped and then they went at it. The result was a trip to the emergency vet and a few puncture wounds and cuts on each dog (Zana fared the worst as Macie basically clamped down on her head). We realized we did everything wrong in response to the fight (in hindsight, of course, after reading information on-line), and also realized we probably let the play go too far sometimes. We resolved to curb this and also began paying closer attention to their training. We thought it was going well until last Friday. They've been in 3 more fights, one of which again resulted in Macie clamped down on Zana's head and a trip to the emergency vet. We are now keeping them separate (completely separate after a brief encounter resulted in yet another relatively minor fight just yesterday).
Even with the frequency of fights, the aggression is not constant. They seem to desperately want to interact when we have them in sight of each other and they sniff each other through the dog gate or closed door with wagging tails. Reading some online information, it seems this could be a dominance thing. However, we are completely unsure which dog is dominant (and we are not too keen on letting them in contact with each other to find out). Also, Zana has, since the time we got her, seemed to be a bit on the fearful side. She is very skittish around people, especially males. She likes and generally gets along well with other dogs, unless she gets overwhelmed by too many dogs, dogs that pick on her (even playfully) or dogs that play rough (even though she loves to bump and jump and get other dogs to run or chase her). In those types of situations, she tucks tail and becomes very obviously scared. This has on occasion caused her to lash out at other dogs a bit, but not actually attack. It does, however, give us some concern that the recent situations are not dominance related (or not wholly dominance related), but might be fear/anxiety related.
Much of what I've read about "sibling" dog aggression seems to parallel our situation (females, fights happen only in our presence, we have not supported a "hierarchy", etc...). We know keeping the dogs separate indefinitely is not a favorable or feasible option for us, and we realize that giving up Macie might be in everyone's best interest, but we also are willing to commit to try whatever we can to help resolve this situation and bring peace back to our "pack".
Any guidance or advice you may have would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
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Based on your description I am not sure if this is aggression between siblings or a fear problem stemming from anxiety. Since treatment is vastly different for these two conditions, it is vital that an accurate diagnosis is made. I know I sound like a broken record, but you need to see a local veterinary behaviorist who can observe the entire family and make the diagnosis. Most will have you fill out an extensive questionnaire prior to the appointment. Please get your entire family's input as each will have a slightly different perspective that will help. Try hard to report observations, not assessments. Please pay special attention to things that occur outdoors as they may be triggers for the fighting. With expert help, I think there is a good chance to stop the fighting.
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I have 2 female dogs. cattle mixes. 7yrs and 9yrs.Both dominant females. They have a love hate relationship. They are stressed without the other. they refuse to sleep seperate. They have been fighting(every few months) since my 7r old has become an adult. I know its dominance. My problem is yes the fights, but who do I treat like the "dominent female"? Do I desipher this by age or aggresion? My younger is much more dominant & always starts the fights or she will just attack.My oldest will "punk" and push around the younger sometimes, by trying to wedge herself inbetween her and something or someone else. Its happened for every dog reason. toys, food, our family. Over the years, neither has given up and said ok you win, your the boss. Its gotten bad, my older dog cant defend herself. My younger just wont stop,even pulled apart she will try to jump over me to get to her. My older does not fight back anymore. WHAT DO I DO? Both beloved parts of the family. When not testing each other, they are a wonderfully strong pack and work well together , they stick together when a coyote or other is threatening our family. They are a great team would be PERFECT if they did'nt do this to each other.Whats funny, they go in the same order outside no matter what. younger dog then older dog then the 3rd dog (non issue).never faulters. Why is it in some routines pack order is astablished in others just chaos. Im at my limit.What am I doing wrong?
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In my experience, two evenly matched dominant dogs will live together in relative harmony as long as both are basically equal. If one becomes stronger, that's when the fighting begins. I am very worried that your younger girl is becoming a bully. Reinforcing her dominance might make the situation even worse. Recognizing the triggers for her behavior is the first step. Then, you can start desensitization and counterconditioning these triggers. It is likely aggravated by the older age of your one dog. They sometimes become easy marks when they start moving more slowly. I'm afraid this is a very difficult situation and so have to recommend you consult a veterinary behaviorist as soon as possible.
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