When my bullmastiff fights she usually just holds the other dogs neck and sometimes shakes too. She does not do the worst of the damage but by holding the dog she makes it possible for a third dog do a lot of damage, its horrible! She is not aggressive and usually doesn't even start fights, she just does not back down, Does anyone have some advice for us?

I have a dog aggressive GSD. She isn't around other dogs.

How does your dog have contact with the other dogs?

You do realize you can be sued for damage your dog does to other dogs, right?

At the risk of answering a question with a question. If you know your dog will do this then why do you allow her in situations where it is a probability for this to happen?
How old is your dog and do you notice the behavior to be more pronounced as she ages?
I may take some flak for this statement but in my view this behavior makes her a liability and you as a pet owner have the responsibility not only to protect and care for her, but to keep her from causing harm to others, whether they are animal or human. Don't get me wrong I am not implying that she would willingly harm a person but in a case where a person may try to break them up it is very likely. And you would be responsible.

I adopted her 6 months ago, she is six years old. I already had two other similar age females, we live out in the country with only one close neighbour who has a bullmastiff and a pitbull. Yes I do realize the risks and have not had a fight for a while, I just keep them separated for playtime. I often wonder what cesar would do to rehabilitate an older dog like her

Perhaps someone with more behavior experience will be by soon with some suggestions for you. But the next logical question would be, Are your dogs spayed, if not it could be hormone driven aggression amongst your girls. I'm glad to hear that you do separate them, but with neighbor dogs and your other dogs your vigilance will definitely be tested. As long as I have worked with dogs I have seen owners with the same problems with no instances because they are always on their toes. On the flip side I have also seen the opposite. I wish I could be of more help to you. I myself would love to know how Cesar would handle her. Is there a trainer in your area that could go out and evaluate the situation. Perhaps your vet could recommend someone.

It sounds like you have absolutely no control of your new dog. She fights when she wants to and she doesn't back off when you try to stop her.

Bully breeds are a different creature. And this goes for ALL bully breeds. They have a lot of heart, stamina and jaw strength. They are also very smart. Not to mention a huge majority of your bully breeds were bred to kill things.

With that understanding, take a step back and look at what you are doing. Are you allowing her to be around other dogs alone? Is this a battle of who's in charge? What is her history exactally?

If you claim that she doesn't pick the fights, then why are your other dogs fighting? What are the other dogs' breeds?

Ceasear Milan would probably say that the reason your dogs are all fighting is due to lack of leadership. No one is in charge, there is a new dog and someone's got to be the leader. It doesn't matter if you own one dog or 8 dogs.. there needs to be a pack leader.. and that pack leader needs to be you. If there is no leadership within a pack, there is going to be a power struggle. Dogs don't talk it out.. they fight.. and sometimes they fight to the death to determine who is in charge. As the human being, you need to stand up to your dogs, you need to tell them "no" and mean it. You can't talk to them about it, reason with them or avoid the issue all together. You need to do something. You need to buy a book on how to be the pack leader.. and you need to take one dog at a time and teach them to follow you.

Behavior training doesn't take an afternoon, its not going to work if you train around your work schedule and it won't work if you decide not to do it for the evening. Its not going to take days or weeks, it going to take months to years. You need to be dedicated to fixing the issue...

That's my advise.. And if you're not willing to do the work for a happy pack, then rehome your dogs.

Behavior training doesnt take an afternoon, its not going to work if you train around your work schedule and it wont work if you decide not to do it for the evening. Its not going to take days or weeks, it going to take months to years. You need to be dedicated to fixing the issue...

Thats my advise.. And if you're not willing to do the work for a happy pack, then rehome your dogs.


To the point! Absolutely excellent advice. ANY new dog needs time and training in order to adjust and fit in. It's not overnight - but then "Lucky" already said that.

A "like" and applause for this answer.

And I will add - if the dog is dog aggressive... keep it away from other dogs. That includes your own dogs AND dogs owned by neighbors. A fight breaks out, a neighbor (or friend or family member) gets injured you ARE going to be sued.

I know - I'm an investigator. It's not always about the bite. It's sometimes about being knocked down.

There's not much more I can to Lucky's response. I have an aggressive Boxer/Staffy mix and it took me a good year to get this under control. It's a constant, around the clock thing.

I would highly suggest getting her enrolled in obedience and start establishing yourself as alpha, the longer you wait, the harder it's going to be. I really don't think age has anything to do with it. My boxer mix was 5 when I got her and she savagly attacked my incredibly docile 10 year old Am-Staff. She also attacked our neighbors dog twice, I was at a point of knowing I had to have her put down, then one day it was like something just clicked with her. I don't trust her around other dogs, and I NEVER give her the opportunity to attack one. She gets a long with the other dogs in my home, but it took a while for her to be come adjusted to them as well. This meant keeping them separated at all times. Since Lady was the aggressor, she got kenneled and was not allowed "free time" during play time. Her "free" time was all constructive training. It's not an hour or two thing it's an every second of the day thing. And it will never stop. You will always have an aggressive dog. You need to look for the warning signs and you need to be in control of all the situations as well as your dogs.

Do you allow your dogs on the furniture? When you walk them are you running after them as they pull you down the street? DO you make them work for their food and treats? There are simple things you can get started on right away at home, but again I HIGHLY suggest you get her (and the others) enrolled in an obedience class!

Thank you for choosing the adoption option! You have a saved a life, and now you just need to fine tune your new addition.

Good luck, and please keep us posted.