Is it harmful to just let the dogs fight it out?
 

I hear so much always supervise your dogs or they may fight and I wonder about the homes I pass and the dogs are in the backyard constantly.

How do those dogs get through their problems? Do they fight and eventually get tired and just go lie down?

Of course i'm talking about dogs of similar size.

In a nutshell, yes. Unless you have a lot of money to spare for vet bills. Some dogs are well behaved within their packs, some people are irresponsible enough to leave their dogs unsupervised (or have non DA dogs but I'd still worry). There are ways to introduce two dogs to each other, there are dogs who will never fight and some who may never have 'done that before!'. All it takes is one mistake...

Yes some will fight and then go lie down, sometimes forever...

it depends....male and female pairs are easier to accomplish......same sex pairing should be out of the question with this breed....from what ive seen tho dogs who live in a fence together already have decided who the pack leader is and when they have problems they bite to assert dominance not to kill per say but err dog is different

It depends on the dogs.
With game breeds, its n ot a good idea, because they aren't fighting for dominance many times, they are fighting because they are game, and could possibly keep it up until one or both are severely injured or dead.

I used to have a lab and a medium sized yellow mutt, and I would let them take care of their own squabbles, because they were always just a flash in the pan. A bit of snarling, a little fur flying, and then they would go off to sulk.
My apbt and bandogs drag each other around by their faces for fun... a fight would end badly.

do not leave your dogs unsupervised... i agree with DDD about APBTs.

Different Breeds...Different Needs

Good post!
Some breeds are rank driven, so when the rank is challenged and established the fighting will stop.
Some breeds, like APBT, are fight driven, they will fight till the task is complete.

I was at the vet clinic when two male pit bulls came in. Their owners (friends) decided to let them work it out. One was dead, the other was torn apart.

Best way to have multiple pit bulls? Never let a fight happen. Watch them like hawks, crate and rotate when you're distracted, crate when you're not around.

If two don't get along, keep them apart.

Two pit bulls will not work it out in a way that keeps both alive. These aren't labs.

I agree... most people are irresponsible when it comes to the bully breeds, and either don't think they will fight, or don't worry about it. I never leave Mollie and Bella alone when I can't supervise. Either Bella goes in her crate, or she goes in the bedroom and the door is shut, like when I take a shower.

It definitely depends on the dogs.... I have two Labs... Titus and Zoey, and anytime they have ever gotten into a squabble, by the time I have gotten to the back yard to break it up, they are finished and all is fine.

---------- Post added at 12:58 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:52 PM ----------

Excellent advice! I hate it the owner that came into the clinic didn't know how to handle his dogs and supervise them better. http://www.pitbull-chat.com/images/smilies/frown.png

the best way to keep a dog from fighting is to NOT let it happen...
meaning it is our problem, we should never set them up for failure...

My aunt has always had 3 dogs at a time until recently and alway all female. She has had mostly mutts and now has a Dalmation and a Pit mix... it seems like no matter what her dogs have gotten into fights... even before the pit mix. They fought to kill, and it was always bad. She always had to keep them seperated. I think it depends on the dog as well as the breed. I personally wouldn't let any dog just fight it out if I could prevent it.

Jrm, sometimes it also depends on the owner. dogs will often try to establish pack structure when a human hasn't taken the alpha role.
Just something to think about if she has had many different dogs and they have never/gotten along...

I would suggest against letting them work it out. The houses you see with multiple dogs in the backyard not separated from each other without supervision are irresponsible. Plain and simple.

Correct me if I'm wrong but...
Isn't it in this breed's history not to recognize when another dog submits? So if another dog "eventually get tired and just go lie down" the aggressor dog will continue.

this is true but not in all cases......my dogs parents have both done their share of work in their day.....and when they where living on the same yard they got into it a couple times....but but neither tried to shed blood...to me it wuz more of a dominance thing...jmo

When I say many I guess I mean 4 lol! The two Alphas were always Ella and Tasha... the other one fought back... and now there is Baby Bug and she is the pitmix... she doesn't get along with the Dalmation Ella... long stories... but I don't think it is my Aunt. I think it was the fact that some of the dogs were very dominate and they were all female.

---------- Post added at 03:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:14 PM ----------

All that are left now is Ella who is going to be passing away soon http://www.pitbull-chat.com/images/smilies/frown.png likely any day now and Baby Bug- who has a few medial issues but is otherwise pretty healthy.

Silly question but what is a bandog?

pit bull X mastiff

yea great idea, let both your pitbulls fight until they feel they solved there differences! let me know how it works out for ya! lol

first of all my mother lives way out in the country closes neighbor maybe a mile now she has 5 yard dogs im pretty sure they all have a lil pit in them i know a couple of them do for a fact and one inside dog rat terr. the rat dog is the top on pecking order for some reason but in 6 or 7 years ican say ive never even seen a scabble out of any of them except the rat dog no breeding just pound dogs or drop offs and they have become her faimly and great watch dogs...no chains, no fence..thats a couple.