Boston Terrier aggression

Question
I have a boston named chopper he was 1 1/2 years when we got another
boston named harley, harley was 14 weeks when we got him and he was
extremely loveable.. sweet, like a baby.. now harley is 1 1/2 and all of a
sudden within the last 4 weeks he will attack chopper for NO reason. They
will get into fights and we cant break them up. We now are keeping them
seperate until we can figure this out. Chopper can be sitting there doing
nothing and harley will start shaking and his hair stands up and he makes
a small growl and then BOOM he is on top of chopper. WE thought about
getting harley fixed but then I read depending on what is wrong it could
make him worse. I had a small child over last night and harley was not
very nice, he was in his kennel but still acted like he wanted to get out
and get the kid.. I dont know what to do. PLEASE HELP!

Answer
Hi Nona,

Dog's have their own society going on, right in our homes. You say that Chopper is attacking Harley without any reason. He does have reasons, it's just that you don't understand them.
In dog society there is a clear cut "alpha dog", or leader. Nothing you can do will change who the dogs decide upon to be that alpha.

Unbeknownst to you, you may have triggered jealousy and induced fighting. You may have petted the wrong dog first; or too long, or with more vigor, or be feeding the dogs in the wrong order. If you can remember the exact incidents, you may be able to decipher who was chosen "top dog" and begin treating him like the leader.

It is often helpful to help settle the power struggle between house mates by supporting the dominant dog. It is our human nature to side with the underdog (or the "baby") and break up minor conflicts prematurely before they are allowed to reach a stable and an inevitable outcome. Unless you think the fighting is more than a minor conflict, I'd let them fight it out and hash out this issue once and for all.

Do you have some one else that can handle one of the dogs while you handle the other? Find some one who can work with one of them, and take both dogs to an obedience class together. The new class should be a FUN class. The premise is to get the dogs enjoying themselves together, albeit not with each other. If the dogs begin to associate being together with GREAT FUN, they may become more tolerant of one another at home. Also, a fun class will get them in a great mood while they're on neutral territory.

Besides obedience training, establishing a true leader to the "pack", namely YOU!  Do not toss treats out to dogs. Instead, have each dog obey a command, such as sit, individually, and give the treat right the dogs obey. Simple things such as making the dogs obey you, will establish your position as pack leader and help stop the fighting.

* Feed your chosen dominant dog just before your designated subordinate eats.(preferably after you eat, after all don't forget you are the ultimate pack leader)

* Make the designated subordinate dog sit and down when the other is standing nearby.

* Make the designated leader enter your home from an outing before the other.(preferably after you)

In other words, give preferential treatment to the socially prominent dog whenever the other is present.  (You can still behave the way you usually do whenever you and the subordinate dog are alone.)

If aggressive interactions are an increasing problem between your dogs, identify the situations that most predictably result in a conflict. Is either dog guarding nearby food?  A favorite toy?  Does aggression occur during periods of excitement, such as before or during a walk?  Consider the sexual status and age of your pets.  Try to identify the common denominators in the aggressive patterns.

You can read more about this issue here:
http://petplace.netscape.com/articles/artShow.asp?artID=1971
http://www.pawsnpals.net/infomultidog.html

Best of luck,

Patti