[clareAD2000]

Sometimes out of nowhere my dogs fight. It's not just play fighting. It gets serious and sometimes a vet needs to be called in. I have 7 dogs. Any suggestions on what to do?

[joypulv]

You KEEP the dogs separate in fenced off areas and crates while you learn all the ways a dog owner controls his dogs. This takes a lot of study or have someone teach you. You have to be the boss of the dogs. Search online for books or hire a trainer. You are the one who has to be taught first. And if the males aren't neutered, you need to have that done.

OOPS, now see that you are only 13 or 14. Your parents need to take care of this. You've talked about this before. Having all these animals is a responsibility you aren't taking. Frankly I don't see any of you taking the huge amounts of time needed to learn discipline of yourselves and your animals. But maybe you can do it if you really want to and don't want to see any dead or horribly maimed pets.

[tickle]

I have to ask why do you have so many dogs. Is this a kennel? What are they used for? What kind of dogs are they? Pertinent questions before answering,

[joypulv]

tickle, I read previous posts. The family had two dogs who had puppies and they decided to keep them all. The have cats and birds too I think.

[clareAD2000]

First of all I didn't ask for anyone to be rude. Just because they are fighting doesn't mean we aren't looking after them. And you see any of us taking that responsibility? How very helpful. We live in a place where having 7 dogs isn't that many. When some people have 24. For security reasons. Dead and horribly maimed pets. Thanks for the descriptive image. Your post was totally unhelpful.

I don't live in America or Europe. Having dogs here is means of security though we don't keep them like that. We have a big garden and take then out for walks. Some people here have 24. They are a family with 4 males and three females. A mixture of Labradors and Dobermans.

We don't have any birds and the mother had 12 puppies... We didn't keep them all.

[Alty]

Are all the dogs fixed?

Are all the dogs indoor dogs, outdoor dogs, or a mix of both?

How much training have the dogs had?

What are the ages of the dogs, and the breeds?

[clareAD2000]

All the male dogs are fixed. They are all outdoor dogs, the dogs can walk outside on a leash obediently. And can follow the basic command sit. All bit one of the dogs are under 4 years. Some are mixes between Labradors and Doberman. Ones a Labrador ones a Doberman. Ones a mix.

[Alty]

Thank you for answering my questions. One last one, for now. ;)

Who fights the most? Is it the females, or the males, or both? Un-spayed females will fight. If it's the females, which you stated aren't fixed, that could be the reason for this.

[clareAD2000]

The females don't fight because there's the alpha and she keeps the rest under control but it's the males...

[Alty]

The females don't fight because there's the alpha and she keeps the rest under control but it's the males...

That is odd.

I'm at a loss here. I could be food aggression, and you may not be noticing it since they're outdoors. My beagle has major food aggression. It could also be a dominance issue, fighting to be leader, that happens a lot with males, as there can only be one leader. Most dogs aren't naturally dominant, and will bend to the will of a more dominant dog, but if you happen to get the puppy that is naturally dominant, and you have more than one that is, it will lead to fights over who gets control.

I wish I could give better advice. Sadly, without being there, without interacting with the dogs, it's hard to tell you exactly what's going on, or how to correct it.

An animal behaviorist in your area, really would be your best bet. Someone that can actually come over and watch your dogs, figure out what's going on, why, and how to fix the behavior.

Good luck. Please keep me posted. :)

[clareAD2000]

Thank you Alty,

It eventually all stopped the females have a go at each other now and again but nothing serious.

You were very helpful and for anyone who also has dogs that fight water helps a lot, like a looooott.