In home dog aggression.

Question
Hello,
I have two dogs, an male (neutered)Alaskan malamute (2yrs old) and a male golden retriever (6yrs old). The malamute has been around the golden ever since he was a puppy until dec of 06 when he became aggressive. We had the malamute fixed and kept the dogs separated for approx 5 months till we re-introduced them. They have been getting along quite well until last week. The malamute has become aggressive again. We had them separated over the holidays, and then brought them back together. Their recent fight was over a toy, (which we have gotten rid of now). But they are still fighting. What could be causing this behavior?


Answer
Hello Tessa,

My guess would be that your 2 year old has now reached adulthood and seeks to replace your 6 year old as "top dog".
This is a very natural dog behavior especially among two males.

The solution to end the fighting is rather tricky. First you must clearly establish that you are the pack leader. Then you must determine which dog should have a higher rank and enforce it by favoring the top dog. The top dog should receive food and affection first. You should support the top dog when he hoards toys or asserts his leadership over the subordinate dog. Finally, you must correct the dogs for any aggressive displays and make clear that fighting is not tolerated.

Keep in mind that your dogs are pack animals and rules of "fairness" and democracy do not apply. Your role to end the fighting will be to support the pack order and firmly correct any aggressive displays.

Good Luck!

Sandy