Expert: Have4Paws - 12/4/2009

Question
Hi there!

I have 2 female beagles.  The oldest is 2 years old, named Abby and the youngest is a year old named Molly.  They are both so very gentle and loving dogs and we dont have any problems with them, they respond great to training.  

On the rare occassion I give them a bone (they can get chubby very quickly!!) I always do it separately, I have one outside and one inside. Im not sure why I do that... Abby eats alot faster that Molly and I dont want her to bug Molly!

Thanksgiving day they were out in the yard together, playing when Molly finds an old bone that amazingly still had filling in it (which is the good stuff they like!).  I was busy and didnt think anything of it.  Then I looked up and Molly dug a hole in the corner of the yard and used her snout to cover the bone back up, she made absolutely sure it was hidden.  

Well Abby a couple of minutes later found the bone and dug it up, Molly of course went straight there and was upset that she had dug the bone up. They stared at each other for a minute and then all of a sudden all hell broke loose and they were going at it.  I have never heard anything so horrible in my whole life!

I ran over to them, by the time I had made it to them they were quiet.  I pulled Abby away by her collar.  Then it was as if nothing had happened.  I was mortified but they went away together and played in the grass as if nothing had happened.  Obviously I took the bone away.  They have been as close as they always are ever since.  They play, sleep, eat together.  I often will throw leftover peas or green beans on the floor for them to eat up and they never seem competitive about getting them.  

They were both fine.  Abby had bitten Molly's lip slightly, there was no blood it was just slightly swollen.  They didnt seem worried about it but I sure was!  

My question is should I be concerned about this in the future?  I mean is this like opening pandora's box, are they always going to be at it from now on?  Is there anything I can do to prevent this?  Can I leave them alone together?  Will I have to get rid of one of them?  

Although they are not concerned, like I said I am!  As I said before they have no other behavior issues and they respond very well to training.  Any advice I would greatly appreciate!!

Thanks so much!!

Answer
Hi, thanks for writing to me. Yes this can be a very scary thing.......What you described is a typical food dominance issue. This is not uncommon. Now that they have shown this is a possibility between them you will need to be extremely cognizant for the future and attempt to avert it before it happens again. It can turn into a very bloody situation. First off you need to be careful about sticking your hands in the middle of it, the first reaction is to grab one and pull them away but realize that you may get bit in the process, not on purpose but becuase mouths and teeth are flailing all over. So be careful, try to grab the one who is closest or seems the most aggressive by the collar as you did and literally yank and retreat as quickly as possible but if they are really engaged you will have to throw something at them instead or turn the hose on them to get them disengaged. Sometimes the other one may follow and usually they will try to go at it again so it is best to seperate them immediately. You were lucky they just moved on as quickly as they did this time.

There is prebehavior that can be seen prior to an altercation, most fo the time it is very subtle but sometimes more overt like the hair on their backs will go up or they will growl. One of the more subtle ones is the staring at each other, whoever is the Alpha didnt get the other one to back down by staring so it was on. This is how two dogs show dominance, they will look each other right in the eyes and the more submissive one is supposed to back down but it doesnt always happen. This is where the intervention will need to happen next time, or if you see any body language change like stiffness, tail changes etc. They are very subtle nuances as I said but you will need to become very observant of this to avoid future altercations. Sometimes it is like an instant and cannot be avoided and then all you can do is pull one off. But if you can be acutely aware you can usually seperate them before anything starts. Always be aware when there is food around, don't drop food on the floor and let them scamper for it. If you see one going for bone and there is only one get inbetween them to avoid any hard feelings. Anything you give them should be given directly after they sit for it. This helps to continue reinforcing that you are the ultimate Alpha. My two previous beagles often had these scuffles and we had to be constantly in charge and aware. We stopped giving them anything other than biscuits and they had to sit and stopped giving then anything human which would be very coveted. This cut down a lot on the issue.
As long as you remain in control and follow some of the above stuff it should be ok. IF these episodes begin to escalate you will need to have a trainer come on and work with you one on one. Good Luck!