[sgordon77]

Ok, so I've read several posts about dog fighting, and most people suggest training and establishing yourself as alpha. All of my dogs are trained and are very familiar with NILIF (Nothing In Life Is Free). The fights do not happen when either my fiance or I is present.

Let's start with some background. I have 5 dogs.
Molly is a 7 year old 60 pound border collie mix and is the only female.
Shadow is a 3.5 year old 75 pound lab/shepherd mix.
Murky is a 2.5 year old 50 pound lab/pit bull mix.
Bradley is a 2 year old 60 pound shepherd mix.
Peter is a 1 year old 45 pound lab/terrier mix (he's not as well trained as tho others because I've only had him for a short time).

We have had Molly, Shadow and Murky each for at least 2 years. We adopted Bradley last summer and Peter in March.

All of them have been trained and have no problems respecting my fiance and I. Molly and another female dog we previously owned began fighting several years ago, and we trained them extensively before it got too bad, and we found the other dog a new home. Anyone, who is familiar with female dogs fighting is probably familiar with how quickly that can turn bad.

Anyway, back to the present problem. Since adopting Peter in March, we have had several problems. About 6 weeks ago, all 5 of them were in the yard. I heard some strange sounds and went outside. Bradley and Shadow were attacking Murky. Murky had several bite wounds and needed to go to the vet to have them fixed up. We kept Murky separate for several weeks while he had the cone on, and he was heeling. About 3 weeks ago, Bradley and Peter got into a fight over food, and Peter had to go to the vet because he wouldn't put weight on his leg. After Peter had a few days of rest, and Murky was heeled, I allowed all 5 to interact. Everything was fine for several weeks. I thought it was resolved and this was just posturing and reestablishing pack order. 3 days ago, I heard something in the back yard and went to investigate. Once again, Bradley and Shadow had Murky on his back and were ruffing him up. I was out there soon enough this time that there was no damage. He just had some messed up fur. All of the fights stopped as soon as I was present and got their attention. I'm not sure why 2 would double team one.

Bradley and Shadow are generally mellow. Murky and Peter are high energy.
My assessment of the pack order is:
Molly (she hasn't participated in any of this)
Bradley
Murky
Shadow
Peter

Bradley and Murky had some scuffles when we first adopted Bradley, but they seemed to resolve that a month or two after we got Bradley.

Bradley is the only one that has been involved in all 3 altercations. When any of the other dogs goes through a doorway, Murky takes advantage and jumps on them. Murky and Peter wrestle and play constantly. All of the males have their own crates and locked up when I'm not home. All 5 of them have been fixed.

I could let Bradley around the others only when my fiance or I can monitor, but that is difficult with a busy lifestyle. Also, they all like to be outside and run.

More training would probably not help as this only happens when my fiance and I are not present. The only real option I see is to find one of them (Bradley?) a new home, but I really don't want to do that.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[suebgone]

dogs are like people in selecting their friends - just because a dog looooves one dog, does not mean he will loooove ALL dogs. what is happening here is 5 dogs = pack mentality - thus the squabbling.

I agree on rehoming the one dog - all will be happier. I would also suggest not getting any more as this is the second time you have had problems altho I realize the dogs were different

if the training you are referring to is obedience training - that does not change temperment

[LadyA]

It sounds like Bradley is trying to re-establish his position in the pack. As for females fighting...I have found that more than one male in the household causes more problems than the females, so you have your hands full. I have always had several females, and haven't really had any problems. That being said, without seeing it happen, you really don't know who the aggressor was in the attacks. Murky could have instigated the incident, (as it sounds like he is trying to get his licks in when he jumps on the others at the door, which should not be allowed) and could be part of the problem. One of the other dogs could have tried to "remedy" the situation, and the third just "jumped in" for the fun of it. By getting rid of Bradley, you may solve your problem, and then again, you may not, as you will be re-shuffling the pack order again. Having so many dogs at once is a difficult thing to control, and takes a lot of work and consistency. As for the dogs being "trained", the kind of training they have had is unclear. Is it obedience training, or have you trained with an animal behaviorist? If you have not spoken with a behaviorist, maybe it's time. I agree that obedience training will not have any effect on the dogs behavior when they are together. Your only solution, at this point, seems to be to keep the dogs separate, even in the yard. Try putting Murky out with Molly and Peter, and let Shadow and Bradley go out together.