Two of our dogs got into a spat the other day. Okay, it was a dog fight of not-quite epic proportions.
It was their first and we know why it happened. We’d had guests all weekend – a friend and her three French Bulldog girls. Everybody got along great – sometimes a little too great. Fortunately, everyone settled down after the first raucous evening and played, relaxed, and had a great time.
Dogs love routine
But even the most beloved guests interrupt the regular routine. It’s a good kind of stress, but it’s still stress.
When our company left, our boys were overtired and a bit cranky after having so much excitement.
Dog fight!
So when one wanted the chewie toy the other had, instead of just nudging, whining, and being generally obnoxious, they got into a real argument, with growling, snarling, and teeth involved.
Safety first
Caught by surprise, we (stupidly) reached in and grabbed the combatants. Dumb. Dumber. Dumbest.
Years ago, when we weren’t nearly as dog-savvy as we are now, we had a Brussels Griffon and a Boston Terrier who would, occasionally, get into fights. They never lasted very long, but they could be nasty.
Fran’s thumb got badly bitten during one of these episodes. And that’s when we instituted a house rule that, should any of the dogs start fighting, we raise our hands over our heads, shriek like banshees, and run in the opposite direction from the dogs.
Acting ridiculous works
It serves two purposes: it keeps everyone’s hands away from teeth and shocks the dogs so they forget their grievances and follow us trying to figure out if their people have gone crazy.
It had been so long since we’d had a scrimmage in the house that the rule had fallen by the wayside.
We do, on occasion, have moments where the dogs object to something. Typical little-kid type stuff: “Mom, he’s looking at me!” or “Mom, he took my toy.” or “Mom, his piece is bigger than mine.” But the “run and wave” rule is back in place now and we highly recommend it.
It diffuses the situation. No one’s hurt. And your dogs will never tell anyone how silly you looked running around the house, waving your hands in the air, screaming.
This time no one was the worse for wear. No dogs or people suffered harmed. So it served as a valuable reminder that dogs lose their tempers sometimes.
