Neegan, who just turned a year I think, and Congo (just turned 2, OEB) are arguing. (I didn't want two males, long story). They aren't doing real damage just some scrapes and sometimes a tooth puncture but nothing serious (yet). However getting woke up at 12:30 am by a dog fight isn't fun. I've tried breaking them up, I've tried letting them sort it out, it doesn't seem to be helping and now that I'm working and they are crated, the more time they spend crated the more they fight. You guys think neutering them will help solve this or do I need to do some major corrective training? Or am I going to have to rehome the OEB? Really don't want to because otherwise he's an awesome dog.
Background on it: they've argued here and there for a while. It used to be Neegan would look at Congo, hackles up growling and peeing himself. I honestly took it as Neegan was submitting to Congo and scared of him. Congo looked like he was being nice, wagging his tail, but he was also staring Neegan down.
Now, I cant tell who is starting it. Looks like Neegan most of the time. Congo even will lick Neegans face in a submissive pose and neegan will stand there and growl. That said, I frequently see the reverse where neegan licks Congo and while Congo doesn't growl he will just stand there. I don't want to keep them separate and honestly that seems to make it worse. I came home from new employee orientation and they got into it 4 times in under an hour. I think maybe they are jostling back and forth on who is alpha and neither seems willing to concede. Although Neegan still let's my min pin bitch be alpha, Congo frequently will go after her when she attacks him. That said, MyMy is a witch and she attacks everyone's for looking at her wrong but I have never really seen Congo go after her without her going after him. Both dogs are fine in the presence of other bitches. My parents dogs are bitches and when they get possessive of their space or owner my two dogs back down immediately.
More info about the house: they have two older sporting breed bitches, it's their house, so my dogs get to be upstairs one at a time. Outside I take them out together and or separately, they also have a kennel that only Congo will stay in Neegan digs out. At night I have the basement and so all three dogs are down stairs in my area with me. It's as big as the upstairs. Congo sleeps on the floor because he can't get his big butt in bed, MyMy sleeps in bed and so does Neegan. We don't go crazy and have 5 dogs loose in the house all at the same time, so there are limits to when they are loose or outside etc. I try to spend as much time with them as possible though.
Also Neegan is becoming neurotic! He is super clingy to me, he can get out of his wire crate if it isn't snapped all around, he has dug under the outside kennel. I take them (one at a time) for runs with the 4wheeler and while waiting for me to get going he got so excited he darted in and bit my knee, hard enough to put three bruises and a puncture through my jeans. He's lucky it wasn't my son's knee. So he didn't get to run that day, he got crated while his buddy had fun, but clearly he's got some issues I need to crack down on. I'm also having to make him sit by the door because he will bolt through and knock my son over, so easy solution is to make him sit and settle down, it works.
I'm being told to neuter the boys to settle the aggression. I'm not sold on this idea, but it sounds viable, especially since they now live with 3 un spayed bitches.
I've tried cold water to break them up, shock collar, pulling them apart, hitting them with a cardboard tube. The most effective is putting them in their crates for a bit and starting over, then they will get along. Sadly I believe it is Neegan who is constantly challenging. I could be wrong but reading body language seems to say that Congo is kind of the "whatever dude it's cool," until someone challenges him and then he doesn't back down. If Neegan would leave him alone, Congo would leave Neegan alone, but Neegan feels the need to challenge. Sometimes Neegan ends up on the bottom and sometimes Congo does. If I let them break up on their own they will (they don't fight to death or anything) but it's frustrating and not good for the drywall/house.
Any advice or tips are welcome. My family has always just separated two males who fought for life, but I don't want to do that to these two if there is a way around it.
Background on it: they've argued here and there for a while. It used to be Neegan would look at Congo, hackles up growling and peeing himself. I honestly took it as Neegan was submitting to Congo and scared of him. Congo looked like he was being nice, wagging his tail, but he was also staring Neegan down.
Now, I cant tell who is starting it. Looks like Neegan most of the time. Congo even will lick Neegans face in a submissive pose and neegan will stand there and growl. That said, I frequently see the reverse where neegan licks Congo and while Congo doesn't growl he will just stand there. I don't want to keep them separate and honestly that seems to make it worse. I came home from new employee orientation and they got into it 4 times in under an hour. I think maybe they are jostling back and forth on who is alpha and neither seems willing to concede. Although Neegan still let's my min pin bitch be alpha, Congo frequently will go after her when she attacks him. That said, MyMy is a witch and she attacks everyone's for looking at her wrong but I have never really seen Congo go after her without her going after him. Both dogs are fine in the presence of other bitches. My parents dogs are bitches and when they get possessive of their space or owner my two dogs back down immediately.
More info about the house: they have two older sporting breed bitches, it's their house, so my dogs get to be upstairs one at a time. Outside I take them out together and or separately, they also have a kennel that only Congo will stay in Neegan digs out. At night I have the basement and so all three dogs are down stairs in my area with me. It's as big as the upstairs. Congo sleeps on the floor because he can't get his big butt in bed, MyMy sleeps in bed and so does Neegan. We don't go crazy and have 5 dogs loose in the house all at the same time, so there are limits to when they are loose or outside etc. I try to spend as much time with them as possible though.
Also Neegan is becoming neurotic! He is super clingy to me, he can get out of his wire crate if it isn't snapped all around, he has dug under the outside kennel. I take them (one at a time) for runs with the 4wheeler and while waiting for me to get going he got so excited he darted in and bit my knee, hard enough to put three bruises and a puncture through my jeans. He's lucky it wasn't my son's knee. So he didn't get to run that day, he got crated while his buddy had fun, but clearly he's got some issues I need to crack down on. I'm also having to make him sit by the door because he will bolt through and knock my son over, so easy solution is to make him sit and settle down, it works.
I'm being told to neuter the boys to settle the aggression. I'm not sold on this idea, but it sounds viable, especially since they now live with 3 un spayed bitches.
I've tried cold water to break them up, shock collar, pulling them apart, hitting them with a cardboard tube. The most effective is putting them in their crates for a bit and starting over, then they will get along. Sadly I believe it is Neegan who is constantly challenging. I could be wrong but reading body language seems to say that Congo is kind of the "whatever dude it's cool," until someone challenges him and then he doesn't back down. If Neegan would leave him alone, Congo would leave Neegan alone, but Neegan feels the need to challenge. Sometimes Neegan ends up on the bottom and sometimes Congo does. If I let them break up on their own they will (they don't fight to death or anything) but it's frustrating and not good for the drywall/house.
Any advice or tips are welcome. My family has always just separated two males who fought for life, but I don't want to do that to these two if there is a way around it.
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I personally don't think neutering will solve much, even though some suggest/push it. I know it's different with things like stallions and bulls (who can get nasty and unpredictable) but dogs are a totally different story there. You can easily have SSA with altered dogs too so that personally wouldn't be a reason for me to do it. 
I've only seen a few people make it work and most of the time it was more work than I ever want to do. lol Crate Rotation and never having all out at once seems to be the only solution. Spay/Neuter doesn't change a dog like it does a Stallion. My gelding is a gentle giant 
