This morning for the first time I saw my dogs fight. It lasted 5 seconds if that and stopped before I hit the 3rd step. It was over a ball they were both going for. The female has been the dominate one since I brought the male home in Dec. They are 4 days apart (18 months). The male has nerve issues and is skittish of almost everything. The female walks over to him, he gets up and drops whatever is in his mouth. She humps him all the time.
I was throwing the good cuz around and I was wondering why the female wasn't chasing it only the male. (I have 2 good cuz and she just kept hers and I threw it in the opposite direction of him). Well the ball went rolling by her and she dropped hers and he went for it as well. She did what she normally does and this time he went back at her. I was shocked. I yelled no and was going down the stairs and like I said it was over. The females hackles were strait up and the male was just there w/the ball. I took the balls away and they were fine. She had a drop of blood under her eye.
I suppose this was bound to happen, but for some reason I thought he accepted she was dominate.
I leave them outside together from 1:30 to 8-9pm bring them in and go back to work til midnight. I have the male in the crate and the female has my room and the hallway. They still don't leave stuff alone in the house to let them loose.
I've asked my neighbor if they bark or anything and she said no she hardly ever hears them.
Is this where I keep them seperated while I'm not around? They are on the same dog bed at times, go right to each other when I come back from the individual walks. They are loose when we sleep, well I gate off the stairs so again, my bedroom and the hallway and never growl or anything. As I type the male is on a dog bed, and the female is chewing a nyla bone.

 Quote: ConsueloCoyle

This morning for the first time I saw my dogs fight. .... over a ball ..... this time he went back at her. The females hackles were strait up ....I took the balls away and they were fine. She had a drop of blood under her eye......
Is this where I keep them seperated while I'm not around?

I would.

I was hoping you wouldn't say that.

 Quote:

They are on the same dog bed at times, go right to each other when I come back from the individual walks.

Is walking the two at the same time too much to handle? I don't see how these dogs are getting enough exercise if you have to walk them one at a time. You would be exhausted!

How is the pack structure in your house? Do you consider yourself your dogs pack leader? Two dogs shouldn't fight unless the pack leader says it's ok to fight. Maybe your female is pack leader and he was challenging her for top spot?

IMO, walking your dogs together is very positive. If they are too much for you, get them some prong collars.

2¢

I was told by the males breeder to walk them seperately. I walk them 1 1/2 miles, so that's 3 for me. Not really a big deal.
I let them out in the morning for a couple of hours and then walk them. The female uses a prong and the male is so nervous and skittish the fur saver is enough to control him. He is a very soft dog. I know he sees me as the pack leader. I'm not sure about the female seeing me as the pack leader. I have obedience training every week with the goal her BH.
The fight was over a moving ball, does that matter? It was over in seconds. An hour or so later the female was humping the male.
They were just outside playing, no growling, snarling, no barking, just playing. I'm not trying to make excuses, just hoping it was my fault for throwing the ball w/both of them. Ok that sounds like denial to me, I'll quit.

Did he/she give you a reason for walking them separately? IMO, walking two (or more) dogs at the same time is a great way to establish pack leadership. 1 1/2 miles each seems ok, but 3 would be twice as good!

Sounds like you know a thing or two about pack structure Why don't you ensure the female sees you as the pack leader? Do the whole 9 with her (doors, stairs, eating order, etc). And I would correct her for humping the male. A different opinion might be useful regarding this.

Not sure if the reason they fought changes anything. Toy, food, etc... all the same in my book, but someone might differ.

Doesn't sound like you're in denial. But if you separate them until you make sure it was a one time deal, you can't go wrong.

I would also recommend crating them. THAT will give you more pack leadership; controlling their life. Ed Frawley say's that's the way to go.

When I bring them in at night and go back to work, he is crated and she is allowed out in the hallway. She has quit destroying things, it's together there is a mess. When we are hanging out in the house he usually chooses the crate on his own.
She gets her food bowl put down first, after sitting and looking at me for 5 seconds or so she gets an ok, then I give him his food with the same routine. He waits til she is done and then cleans her bowl once she walks away. He is always finished first. As far as stairs, nope I'm slow, but they wait at the bottom and before I go into the kitchen.
The breeder said you never know what might happen and walking 2 big strong dogs may spell disaster. I have walked them both and it's an ordeal. A female k9 officer (her husband also a k9 officer) says she doesnt walk the dogs together by herself either.
I put them outside and they were fine. I don't go back to work til tues so I'll experiment this weekend (no balls) and see what happens. When I let them out in the morning and crawl back into bed, I hear them running down the side of the house and can hear them if they bark and on warm days I can hear the panting. There's play growling and stuff but never the fighting.
I'll stop giving you play by plays now, thanks everyone for all the help.

Well, seems like you treat the female 'better' than the male, yet he was the one that started the fight if I remember correctly.

Keep us updated if anything else happens, or if it doesn't!

Treat her better? What does that mean? Cuz she is not crated while I'm at work? He was an outside dog and not house trained. The hallway isn't that long. My house was built in 1927, bedrooms were built small. He has the vari kennel 700, which leaves plenty of room. Because her bowl is put down before his? I thought the dominate one was supposed to eat first. She eats maybe 30 seconds before he does. I'm not sure what else I do for her that I don't do for him. I used to let her sleep on my bed and quit as soon as the male arrived, same w/the couch, no longer allowed up there. When I come home she is on her dog bed in the hallway or comes out of her crate to greet me.