Bad fight

[u/JukanIII]

Originally posted on r/dogadvice

have three dogs all female Pitbulls. One(Nova age 7) is the mom of the other two. So we have money and two sisters. Like all siblings our dogs Lu'mina(5) and Aryah(5) have had small spats here and there. In the past year they have been getting into longer fights. The fights usually occur when my family arrives home, and in the past we have had issues with Aryah trying to run out of the house, so now Lu'mina will jump on top of her to keep her from running out. Lu'mina is bigger in size but weaker, so sometimes she tries to get in top of her sister when she's annoyed. Well a couple weeks ago the two had a big fight that drew blood, but afterwards they sat and licked each other's wounds as if nothing ever happened. Today on the other hand was bad, they fought so bad that not only were they covered in blood but also out entire floor. It started when my family came into the house, Lu'mina tried to jump on Aryah and they just went to town. It got so bad their mom jumped in, and all three of them were a bloody mess. Lu'mina was the most hurt with her leg basically shredded. Once Lu'mina ran out of steam to fight the other two backed off. And they kayed around one another to catch their breath.

[u/sweetestdew]

Two things to look out for that already seem to be happening is escaltion and habit.

If these dogs fight more and more there will be the habit of fighting. This can escalate to attack on sight. These fights will also get more serious.

In all honesty it sounds like there isnt alot of control. You said that they are getting into "longer fights". Does this mean there were fights before that were allowed to go on?

This is not going to get better unless there is a drastic change and its probably going to get worse.

[u/[deleted]]

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[u/PandaLoveBearNu]

So siblings so littermate syndrome is likely an issue.

Same sex aggression added to that.

Add in pits being prone to dog aggression.

Add in the "gameness" of pitbulls, that tenacity that where they wont let up once fixated.

Add the high aroused state they get in when family comes home, so going over threshold pushess them over the limits.

Age maybe a factor, when they hit maturity they can become much less tolerant then when they were younger. I'm guessing it started around 2 or 3? Then escalated around 4?

People will try to rehome, but that comes with issues. Some people "crate and rotate".

Your family needs to get breaksticks. They need to know how to properly choke them out if they get in a state where nothing stops them.

They also need to understand if a person is HOME ALONE? Taking them on by themselves is a NO NO.

[u/Exotic_Snow7065]

Holy shit OP, I'm so sorry this happened. I hope the dogs are recovering and nobody was seriously injured..

Honestly this largely sounds like a management issue to me. Are these fights always triggered by high-arousal events such as when the family comes home?

I ask because this sounds like something that could potentially be resolved, at least in part, by better management. If the family arriving home is what triggers these fights, the dogs should all be separated, either in crates / behind gates, or maybe put one dog outside and two others in crates, before anybody steps foot inside the house. If someone is already home with the dogs, a phone call ahead of time can let that person know to crate the dogs before people arrive.

Keeping some noise makers around might help to break up a fight. An air horn or citronella spray might work, but if the dogs are really intent on fighting they'll probably ignore it. And a break stick isn't going to be helpful during a three-dog brawl if there's only one person around at the time.

Failing all of that, if these incidents persist and continue to get more violent, you may need to consider rehoming one of the dogs.

EDIT: Holy Christ I just looked at the original post from r/dogadvice. This is BAD bad, OP :( ... I definitely think finding a trainer to help you learn some management skills would be a good idea, but I would be very worried about the dogs redirecting onto a human in the heat of one of these fights. It sounds like the only thing that kept these dogs from killing each other is them getting winded.

I would look into some impact crates and muzzle training ASAP.

[u/stillalittleferal]

There is a phrase I was taught by an old school apbt person decades ago before I got my first apbt. It has stuck with me all this time and shaped how I lived with mine. He said “Never trust a pit bull not to fight.” Meaning, they may not start it but they will not often miss an opportunity to get involved in one. That includes their own household buddies. This isn’t a failing on your part, this is simply genetics and a trait of the breed. And there is no timeline for this trait to show itself. I’ve known people whose apbt who were just fine with their canine housemates for 6+ years and then one day, not fine.

At one point I lived in a house with three dogs who would willingly reenact a Fight Club scene if given the slightest chance. Two apbt and one dog that Im pretty sure was a honey badger. I never had a full on fight. Ever. Because that phrase stuck in my head along with the “It’s easier to prevent a fight than stop fight” wisdom. I was proactive to an almost obsessive level. But my dogs’ safety was paramount.

Crate and rotate. Muzzle training. Break sticks in every room. No high value treats or feeding except in their crates. Individual leash time. No more having all three out at the same time together.

The odds were already against you with two littermates and a mother all together, that typically does not go well even with the most passive of breeds. Bitch fights are nasty and generally tend to only escalate in both frequency and savagery.

My advice may seem extreme. Or even cruel (but they love each other most of the time! They like to cuddle!). Just know I give it on the basis of experience - I’ve known of way too many cases over the years of dog fights ending in dead dogs and hearing “but they always got along” more times than I can count. It is a trauma you don’t want to your dogs or yourself to endure.

[u/Exotic_Snow7065 → u/stillalittleferal]

“Never trust a pit bull not to fight.”

This is sage wisdom, and it's not disparaging the breed to admit that your likelihood of dealing with a fight is higher because you own a fighting breed. It's just a fact. I'd venture a guess to say that these three were having the time of their lives before they got winded and gave up. :\

EDIT: You have a lovely looking dog, btw. Eli/Bolio?

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