Stop dog fighting.

Dr. Marie replied:

This is a tough question to answer as there is no easy solution.

My first question would be whether or not Lassie is spayed. If not, then getting her spayed can make a difference. Hormones can play a big role in behavior issues.

I would highly advise starting Lassie in some obedience classes. You'll need to mention to the director of the classes that she has some dog aggression issues just to make sure that they are comfortable taking her on. She may need to wear a cage muzzle during the classes for everyone's safety. (A cage muzzle allows her to breathe just fine while still offering protection.) Obedience classes will teach her to to be obedient to you, but will also teach you how to give her commands and how to deal with her bad behavior.

You might also consider a hiring a private trainer for Lassie as well.

You can talk to your vet about possibly using some medication along with the training. Something like Reconcile or Clomicalm can help her to do a little better. Medication on its own (without training) is not likely to do a whole lot though.

The safest way to break up a dog fight is to grab your dog's tail to pull her away. It's a tough call though because you could potentially cause her harm. You never want to get your hands near the dog's face or head for obvious reasons.

The food question is really a second question so I won't go into great detail. But generally, I don't recommend a special food for seniors unless they have a particular health problem. So, for example, if your dog has a kidney problem, then I'd recommend a prescription kidney food. If you wanted to feed a senior food simply because the dog is getting older, then all of the major brands really do sell senior foods. I like Royal Canin, Science diet and Iams. But again, if this was my dog I would stick with his or her regular food unless there were health issues.


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Dr. Marie replied:

Hmmm...I don't really think there is much that you can do. If you do any sort of punishment, it's just going to add to your dog's anxiety. A time out may be helpful just to calm your dog down and keep her separate from the other dog. But, it is not likely to teach her not to do it again.

I think I would just do what I could to keep the dogs separate so they don't go at it again and that's really all you could do.