I have 2 dogs that have been on chains for months.....we finally got a fence up........?

They have not been able to figure out who is king of the yard, yet. One is a male boxer about 6yrs old, and the other is a male mix, kinda like a sheep dog or some kind of cow dog, long hair, lover boy about 4 yrs old. The sheep dog has been in this yard 4 about 2 years, and the boxer is my brother's and he used to live here. He lived in this yard for about 4 yrs(2 yrs ago) and i've had both dogs here on chains 4 about 6 mths. the aggressor seems to be the boxer.He's very friendly and sweet though. Now we want to let them off the chains, but we don't want them to kill each other! how can I make it so they won't fight? how do I teach them that this is both their yard? We let them off yesterday and they were fine for about 10 mins, then some kids walked in front of our yard and they fought until my brother and my bf pulled them apart. at this time the sheep dog is offf the chain and the boxer is on. the sheep dog does not approach him at all. what can I do to introduce them as family?

I have 2 dogs that have been on chains for months.....we finally got a fence up........?

You should take them to neutral territory like a park and see if they can get along together.

You will probably have to get an obedience trainer into the house.

I have 2 dogs that have been on chains for months.....we finally got a fence up........?

You keep them seperate and you keep the peace.

I have 2 dogs that have been on chains for months.....we finally got a fence up........?

Dogs are pack animals. They need to establish a hierarchy between them so they can function and be happy. They're not like people, and they will never be comfortable sharing or "being equal." Let them acclimate to one another during supervised visits. It's fine to let them roughhouse-- you're just there to make sure they don't start hurting each other. Eventually they should work out who's in charge, and there will be harmony in the yard. :)

I have 2 dogs that have been on chains for months.....we finally got a fence up........?

i understand where your coming from, however i was having the same problem with my two English bulldogs. i read up about it in a few different books and most said the best thing to do is just let them fight it out. once one is established as the winner they wont ever fight again. and yes, thats kind of scary because you think they will hurt each other but really they wont take it to the next level unless one of the dogs truly is a vicious dog.

I have 2 dogs that have been on chains for months.....we finally got a fence up........?

You also must remember that what looks like fighting to you, might really be playing. Dogs play ROUGH, they growl, they snap at each other and in the end they've been having a roaring good time. You do have to have a pack leader but no one should ever get hurt, because the pack leader must be you or your boyfriend. If they acknowledge you as the leader there will be no hierarchy fights. The following website will help you establish yourself as the "alpha" dog. Good luck.

I have 2 dogs that have been on chains for months.....we finally got a fence up........?

There is no family in the dog world. One must submit to the other to king of the back yard. Leave the dogs on a chain and make sure they do no slip out of the neck chokers.

The boxer is the aggressor. the sheep dog will take no S*** from the bull dog. My advice is to get rid of the bull dog too aggressive and would bit a stranger in the yard... A dog that bites will put you in court being suited and the dog will be taken away by animal control. Tell your brother the boxer is unwanted and remove. Or call animal control... The brother can go and get his dog at Dog Catchers Jail. Makes it very clear the dog is unwanted at your house...No way will they ever live together----OK Could be animal abuse by letting them fight. Big fines and jail. Costly wallet transplant at the VET hospital....

I have 2 dogs that have been on chains for months.....we finally got a fence up........?

Your dogs fought when the kids walked by because they have too much pent up energy and need to get out of that yard!!! When dogs get frustrated from lack of exercise, they turn the frustration on each other. Get them off those chains and out of that yard for daily walks of 30-45 minutes. If you don't want to walk them, run or bike or rollerblade but get them out to see and share the world. Your yard is nothing but a big outdoor kennel. Your dogs need some freedom to explore. After some exercise, you'll be in a better position to train them to respect your wishes and stop them from attacking each other because a couple kids walk by. If you elect not to do this, your dogs will not change.