boxers fighting

Question
QUESTION: I have two male boxers Max is a fixed 4 yr old and Jackson is not fixed 1 and a half yr old.  They run and play and wrestle all the time but in the past week they have gotten in to two fights. The first was over a stick that my 5 year old nephew threw.  The second was over me.  I don't know what to do this is the only time they have ever fought and I have had Jackson since he was 3 months old so they have been together for along time just being buddy's now all the sudden this. All the dogs that live in the  neighborhood have all been fixed and are all old so that can't be it. Please help

Also I have a old black lab she is 10 yrs old and will not stop chewing on sticks plastic lids, bottles, string just about anything the only play she will do with me is rolling over so I can rub her belly when she gets her fill she goes back to chewing. She has just started doing this here lately and I have to just about drag her to get her to go outside. I have thought that maybe she has Alzimer's or something because she sometimes will be on her bed with no one around and she will freak out yelping and running like something hurt her and she isn't asleep when she does this either. Crazy Crazy I know.  I feed all my dogs Purina one healthy morsels in case that could be why she is chewing!! Thanks for your time
Katie

ANSWER: Hi, Katie,

Thanks for the questions. I have a few of my own:

What do you mean, exactly, by "fights?" A lot of growling and barking and heads bobbing around frantically, each dog with their mouths open and snapping at the other, but no real biting? Or was there blood? Also, who initiated the fights, Max or Jackson? In other words, when they got to the stick who thought it was "his?" And who thought he had more "rights" to have access to you when the second fight started?

It's not unusual for dogs to have disagreements, particularly when their emotions get overstimulated and bubble over too much. But the fact that the dogs just started "not getting along," suggests that there might have been a change in the underlying structural dynamic, a change in the household, a divorce, a move, a change of furniture, a change in their daily routines, a change in their eating habits, etc. Is that the case here? Is there anything you can think of that might have precipitated this increase in tension between these two doggie buddies?

As for the Lab's behavior, and what's causing it, that sounds like a question you should be asking your vet. It could be caused by a medical condition, one that should be looked into right away.

I look forward to hearing back from you,

LCK

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: When I say fight there is blood.  But the only one that ever gets hurt is Max the older one.  The whole stick incident I was not outside when he threw it I just heard Alex screaming. So I am not sure.  And the one in the house over me they were both in there and I just got up to turn the light on there was no real warning sign.  But there was another fight last night this one did have a sign I just didn't pay it any attention until after.  I was feeding all of them and Max and Jackson eat out of the same bowl (not because they don't have their own Jackson has his own in his crate) But Jackson went and got in his crate and laid down (which he never does unless you tell him to go to bed) then Max stopped eating and looked at Jackson then Jackson came out of the crate and they started fighting!! I got Max out of the fight but Jackson got him from behind so I had to let go and they went at it again. Max never moved when Jackson came out of the cage so I believe it was Jackson who started it.  We have moved but that was 4 months ago.  And to they got along fine all day yesterday until that now they are trying to fight threw their cage. I don't have a clue.  

Another thing I feel like you should know I got Max from a man that told me he used him to train a pit bull when I got him he had a huge absest on his jaw and had open sores all over and he also had a marble sized tumor on his ear.  But before I could get him the man took him to the pound. So I felt so sorry for him I went to the pound and got him not intending on keeping him because I already had two dogs. I was going to get him better and put some weight on him and I was going find him a really good home but he pulled me in that "Boxer Charm" as they say.  I was a little nervous about letting him meet my other dogs just because of his background but they all got along great.  Max is about 20 pounds lighter than Jackson and about 3 inches shorter I have thought that maybe he feels threatened because Jackson is so big and he still has memory of his life before he came to me and that is causing it.  Max wants to be with me constantly he will wait at the door all day when I go to work until I come home.  My sister said that she tries to make him do other stuff but he won't.  I know he needs to get out of that but I don't know how to fix that either.  She is here with him all day and still.... Jackson is still a puppy to me and just wants to play all the time he has bonded more with my sisters little boy than anyone. I am about to have to find a home for Jackson I fell like I have pulled Max out of so much he also has been here longer.  I hate to do it I really would love for them to be ok but I would feel worse if one of them ended up getting hurt really bad or died because we couldn't get them apart.  
         Thanks Katie

Answer
Hi again.

Thanks for the answers. I have a clearer picture now (I think) about what's going on.

Look, a move creates stress. For dogs they may not show that stress for several months. Whenever they're put into a new environment most dogs stay on their "best behavior" until they've figured out the dynamics of the new situation. But the stress is still there, under the surface, and will eventually come out either through fear or aggression.

It seems to me that Jackson is exhibiting what's called "resource guarding." In one case it was a stick (I'm sure Jackson thought it was "his" stick) that precipitated his aggression. In another it was about food (even though Jackson was in his crate, when Max looked at him he took that as a threat). From Jackson's perspective Max is the source or the focal point of these outbursts of tension. He perceives Max's tension and stress as a threat to him. There's another piece to it, which is that Max isn't as strong, emotionally, as Jackson. And weakness makes an easy target for a more assertive dog's energy.

As you probably know, dogs are related to wolves, and have inherited many of their instincts from them. One of the instincts wolves have is that when they hunt they almost always target the weakest member of the herd. When canines are stressed this same instinct, to target weakness, sometimes shows up in social relationships as well.

Poor Max, meanwhile, is struggling to stay afloat with all the emotional baggage he carries with him from his previous life. That's one reason he acts so needy with you (the other is that you feel sorry for him, so you kind of feed into his neediness).

So essentially, both boys are under a lot of stress, and it's bubbling over in these intense moments of kill or be killed. I'm not sure that trying to solve this over the internet is the best, most appropriate way to go. There's only so much I can do without working directly with you and the dogs. However, since it may take some time to find Jackson another home (which will also be stressful for him, remember), there are a couple of things you can try to see if you can reduce some of the internal tension and stress these dogs have. Or maybe a better way to look at would be that you can teach them other ways of handling their stress.

#1 - Hand Feed Each Dog All His Meals Outdoors Using a Pushing Exercise

You place one hand, palm up, against the dog's chest. Then, with your other hand, you put a handful of dog food under the dog's nose. As he eats you pull your hand away ever so slowly and surreptitiously, while keeping your other hand steady against his chest. This will cause him to push into your other hand while he eats. Max may have more trouble with the initial stages of this exercise, and may stop eating the moment he feels any pressure against his chest. Just take your hand away and stroke his back as he eats so he gets used to having that other hand on his body. Then when he seems focused on eating, put your hand back up to his chest. Here are a couple of links that explain this more fully:

http://tinyurl.com/3balu6 (pushing exercise, a la Neil)

http://www.tiny.cc/SwimUpstream

#2 - Play Tug-of-War Outdoors with Each Dog Individually

Tug is a great tension reducer. It gives the dog an alternative outlet for his urge to bite. In fact the harder the dog bites the toy, generally speaking, the less need he'll have to bite in anger. Here's another link: http://www.tiny.cc/tug

#3 - Take the Boys on Long Walks Together in Nature (or a Natural Setting)

When two dogs walk together, side-by-side, they start to feel more camaraderie toward one another. You may have seen a certain celebrity dog trainer on TV roller blading with a big pack of dogs. Most of the dogs he does this with were at one time quite aggressive toward one another. By having them move in-synch together, he's accidentally tapping into what's called (or what I call) pack cohesion. It's more or less the same principle that motivates the military to have their troops do close march drills.

#4 - Don't Scold or Punish Either Dog for Anything

Negative experiences generally increase emotional tension and don't teach the dog HOW to behave properly. In fact, if you praise a dog with enough positive emotion in your voice when he's starting to feel nervous (aggressive) but before he actually acts on his aggression, you can quite often stop the aggression in its tracks.

Another link: http://www.tiny.cc/praisetocorrect   

#5 - When Max Gets "Clingy" Ignore Him or Give Him Something to Chew

Dogs relieve tension most easily and most completely through their teeth and jaws. Max has found that if he comes to you and asks to be petted and whatnot, you'll relieve his tension and stress for him. But this doesn't teach him how to do it on his own.

I'm not sure how much headway you'll make by following these suggestions/instructions, but unless you feel you're under a deadline to get rid of Jackson, give it a few weeks and see how it goes.

Let me know if you have any further questions or problems.

LCK