I have owned both of my dogs since they were puppies, and even though they were trained to share a kennel, they never had any problems. I also don’t think to separate them when I go out of the home since I let them wander around. They are the sweetest dogs that enjoy vigorous play and detest being apart.
They had mauled each other, as I discovered when I got home today. It’s not at all exaggerated. The other dog had deep gashes on every leg, on her neck, etc., while the first dog’s face had holes punched through her lip from biting. I could see the opposite end of her leg’s inner at one spot on her leg if I carefully moved her skin. It appeared as though one dog attacked, and the other attempted to remove her by biting and scratching her face. I have never felt panicked like this in my life, and I feel like I should be to blame for it.
I took them to the veterinarian right away, and when they were both taken care of, I brought them back into the room where they slept side by side as if nothing had occurred. I’m still finding the whole affair shocking. Has anyone else ever had a similar experience? What action did you take next?
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This seems like classic Littermate syndrome, especially considering they weren’t even crate trained individually. Unfortunately, they were not prepared for success.
They should never be left together, and you should start working with a veterinary behaviourist as soon as possible to address this.
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Yes to littermate syndrome, but no to the overly dramatic article. My littermate males got into a fight in their crate when they were around a year old, resulting in a bloody ripped ear and the one with the wounded ear losing confidence, which I’ve had to work on rebuilding. I could blame myself for not realizing they should have been crated individually after 6-8 months. Since then, there have been no major confrontations between them; instead, they enjoy themselves and growl when they become too enthusiastic. In my perspective, regular cage time and strict regulations help them be calm and best buddies. They are two years and two months old now. Good luck with your babes; it will take some time to shake it off, but believe in them.
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Were they in a container together when this occurred? If so, your response is as simple as that. You got them as pups, and now they are one year old and adults. Adult dogs, even close pals, should not share a crate. The room is too small to maintain correct boundaries. One dog probably tripped on the other’s tail or pinned them against the crate by accident, causing the injured one to panic. Many boarding facilities will not allow dogs to share a crate for this reason. If they hadn’t been stuck together, one would have snapped, the other would have jumped back, and everything would have ended there. If they weren’t crated together when this happened, it’s an even bigger problem, and they shouldn’t be left alone.
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So you have two dogs who have just severely mauled each other, causing bodily and facial injuries and one cut open. You claimed they lay down close to each other after the vet as if nothing had happened. You just allowed them to be adjacent to each other.
What possible judgment led you to believe they should ever be permitted near each other, let alone just after surgery and straight after the attack?
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The doctor had brought them in together. This was all new to me, and I was frightened of putting them near one other afterwards. I was instructed to keep them apart when I am not with them. Again, this was after a year of them sharing a crate and being left alone with each other, so when the doctor brought them into the same room and they laid calmly on the sofa, I wasn’t as afraid, but it didn’t change my plans to separate them when I’m not around.
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I recommend you keep them separated even when you are around, you have no idea what set this off, or when it will happen again.
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Raised together since puphood, loathing being apart, violent play, and unexpected aggressiveness toward one another at or after sexual maturity may all be symptoms of littermate syndrome. Or it could simply be the same sex aggressiveness (if they are both female). Perhaps they merely got into a skirmish that escalated into a fight. All I know is that keeping them separate unless they’re being supervised is the appropriate decision. Sorry for what happened; it was a difficult situation.
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The worst part is that when I got home, I discovered that the crate door had been bent outwards, and one of the dogs’ faces had been severely injured. I panicked at away, thinking she had wounded herself while trying to get out. I glanced at my second dog, who appeared OK but worried. I hurried my visually injured puppy to the hospital, where the vet confirmed it was a dog fight. Only then did I realize that I hadn’t even given my second dog a proper glance. When she returned home, she found she had been hurt much more. I can’t get it out of my mind that it was all my fault for trusting them in a crate together.
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Two of my brother and sister-in-law’s dogs got into a fight two years ago, and one was hurt enough to require stitches. They have never fought since then. All of their dogs have separate crates for bedtime and when no one is home. I would keep them in their own crates when you are not at home and when you go to bed from now on.