I just joined this board,hoping someone here would have some advice for my doggy issue.

My sister and her family recently moved across the country and are living with us. They brought with them a seven year old male mixed lab and a four year old female chihuahua mixed dog. We have a three year old male British Golden Retriever (and two cats).

Our dog Cody and the lab had an initial fight,then they got along for over a month. There are no serious issues with the other animals. Cody is somewhat hyper but had never been aggressive to other dogs or anyone for that matter before. He had been abused before we took him though his temperament has been pretty mild.

The lab was pretty good as well but here's the problem; Over the past two months,if Cody passes or tries to sniff the lab,a full out dogfight ensues. The lab will start growling as soon as Cody goes anywhere near him,which is tough to avoid in a smallish house. As soon as the growling starts,we have to jump up and split up the fight,which occurs about three times a day is getting progressively worse. The get along fine during walks but having them both in the same room has become a nightmare. Since this has started my dog is becoming more aggressive in general and I don't like that at all. But I also don't like the new bites on his head and the gash over his eye. He had also never barked in the house before and he's doing that more often too (especially during the fights,of course).

We Can't feasibly separate them for any long length of time but for the past two days my sister and her husband have kept the lab in the basement. They have to stay with him there or he'll bark for hours on end.

Anyway,any ideas on how to deal with this? Before I lose my effin' mind?? I dread coming home now.

Are the dogs about the same size and age? If they are, I would recommend letting them fight it out. Honestly. It sounds like they're trying to establish dominance, and can't do that because you're breaking them up. If the fight lasts longer than a minute or so (which will seem like hours) then I'd break it up.

You may also want to talk to your vet about getting a Xanax prescription for the aggressor dog. It would help him chill out about his new environment and his new roommates. I wouldn't outright say, "hey, give my dog some Xanax" but tell the vet what's going on and he'll (hopefully) write a script.

The dogs are very similar in size. My boyfriend says that they have let them fight as well,and it just doesn't seem to change anything the next time.

My brother in law says that his lab (Bowie) really hasn't been himself lately and that this isn't normal behaviour for his dog. I know that Bowie was depressed for a while because my brother in law was away for a month just after they arrived. It was within that month that the dogs seemed to get along fine but once my brother in law returned,the trouble started. Bowie doesn't behave that way at all unless he's around,we've noticed. So we figured that maybe the dog was acting out because he was so out of sorts but it's been two months now.

In any case,thanks for your thoughts. Bowie will be seeing a vet soon for a checkup,to see if it's health related at all. Xanax sounds like a fine idea,I'd never thought of that.

I have 2 similar sized and aged German shepherds that occasionally have the same problem. I usually let them fight it out but between them its only about dominance as one of the was neutered later in life. It sounds like yours might actually be hurting each other which is unfortunate.

I would do like sara said and let them fight it out once. If it continues look into the vet thing. I know its terrible to watch but sometimes if one or the other really takes a beating they sometimes learn their place. I'm not saying to let them continually hurt each other but they are animals trying to do what's natural to them.

Tough situation hope things work out for you and the animals.