Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Aggression between dogs in the same home and what leads to bad
By Feltes, Elizabeth S M et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2020·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Characteristics of intrahousehold interdog aggression and dog and pair factors associated with a poor outcome.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Two dogs in the same household were fighting, which is known as intrahousehold interdog aggression (IDA). In a study of 305 pairs of dogs, it was found that most aggressive pairs included at least one female dog and often involved dogs of the same sex. The fights were commonly triggered by resource guarding, where one dog tries to protect food or toys. The research highlighted that if the dogs had a history of biting or aggressive behavior, it was crucial to seek behavior intervention quickly to prevent serious outcomes like rehoming or euthanasia.
People also search for: dog fighting in the home · how to stop dog aggression · same-sex dog pairs issues · resource guarding in dogs · dog behavior intervention
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To describe characteristics of intrahousehold interdog aggression (IDA) and dog and pair factors associated with a poor outcome (permanent separation, rehoming, or euthanasia of dogs). ANIMALS: 305 pairs of dogs (610 dogs) with IDA. PROCEDURES: The record database of a referral veterinary behavioral clinic was searched to identify pairs of dogs that were evaluated for IDA (IDA pairs) between September 2007 and September 2016. A standardized form was used to extract data for each IDA pair, including signalment and acquisition order of both dogs, history of IDA, behavioral interventions implemented, and outcome. Descriptive data were generated. Univariable logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with a poor outcome. RESULTS: Most IDA pairs included at least 1 female dog (214/305 [70%]) and dogs of the same sex (188/305 [61.6%]). Resource guarding was the most common fight trigger (222/305 [72.8%]). Possessive aggression (guarding of physical resources) was the most common comorbidity for individual dogs (216/610 [35.4%]). The aggressor was acquired after the recipient in 181 of 305 (59.3%) pairs. Aggressors were a mean of 16 months younger and 1.5 kg (3.3 lb) heavier than recipients. Factors associated with a poor outcome included pairs of the same sex, history of bites that broke the skin, and aggression on sight of the recipient. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results suggested that behavior intervention should be provided quickly for IDA pairs with a history of bites that break the skin or uninhibited attacks on sight owing to the high risk for a poor outcome. Owners should be advised to avoid same-sex pairs during preadoption counseling.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31961268/