How do you fix two dogs not getting along?

You may want to schedule an on-line appointment if you have just had a fight. Do: Have a plan, think about how to break up a fight and what tools, methods and techniques you may use to do it - before it happens. Do: If a fight happens you must stay calm, you have to stay as calm as you possibly can. Do: If the dogs are not locked together you should take something from the environment like a couch cushion, bar stool, chair, trash can (my favorite), etc. and use that to separate the dogs like a battering ram. Once they are apart they may come back to fight so you may only have 2-3 seconds to get the dogs under physical control by throwing one behind a door or having someone else take one dog while you control one. Do: After the fight has been broken up you should immediately get both dogs to lay down and become calm where the fight happened. If the dogs become calm after a fight they can move on and be fine. MUST: WALK THEM TOGETHER AFTER A FIGHT AS FAR/LONG AS YOU CAN. Do: Once they are calm and tired you are going to let them back together. Dogs live in the moment and argue and fight like little kids on a playground, they don't hold grudges and once the fight has passed the dogs have moved on. Do: Once the fight ends and you have calmed them you need to make a quick medical check, if one or both of the dogs are seriously injured you need to take the appropriate medical steps and get them to a vet immediately.

If your dogs can’t seem to get along, your immediate concern should be for the dogs’ safety. The first and most important step is to set up your environment so that it is impossible for your dogs to attack one another or any other dogs. Start by establishing separate areas of the house for each dog using Dog Gates, Dog Crates or other equipment to keep them apart. Do not let the dogs interact again until both have a very strong understanding of the “Leave it” cue. A visit to a professional behaviorist/trainer who is well-versed in positive training methods is strongly recommended. He or she can evaluate the situation and set you up on a behavior modification program. In addition to consulting a professional dog trainer, you can begin working separately with each dog on deference skills. This means you will need to teach each dog a “Leave it” cue. The goal is to train each dog to disengage from whatever behavior he is involved in and come to you immediately. Only then should you consider re-introducing dogs that have previously attacked one another.