[saltychips]

Hello,

I have two female purebred pitbulls one (bella) is around 12 years old the other (java) is around 5 years old.
About a year ago they began fighting, getting into little skirmishes that would leave them with little wounds. We didn't think much of it as it had to of been over something small. Since then the fights increased as well as the severity of the wounds. We tried to figure out what was causing it but there weren't any OBVIOUS signs that would trigger the fights..it could have been over territory, dominance, food, jealousy...but none of them became apparent after each fight and most of the time it's completely random. It is hard to even tell who starts the fight even when being watched closely.
Before a fight, there are signs that they both show they will stare at each other and tense up but no growling, no perked tail, teeth not shown.
We have recently tried muzzling them when they are together and they still try and fight when they're on but they can't bite each other. Doing some research I know that muzzling them isn't good when they do not know why it is there in the first place.

For the past few weeks, they have been completely separated from each other in fear they will fight. The older dog Bella will stay in her crate most of the day but that has seemed to cause issues as she has torn apart her crate...her solid metal crate three times causing destruction to her face.

We are running out of options here. There is only so much I can do as I am a
19-year-old female home from college this summer while my father works from 4am-5pm away from home. I have been the one to break up a fight on multiple occasions and I know that they are much stronger than me and it is only a matter of time before I get severely hurt. They have never been aggressive to anyone who enters the house and hasn't gone after anyone besides themselves while fighting.

It hurts so much that they can no longer be around each other and have to be separated.

Please any help will be very much appreciated.

 

[cos]

I highly doubt that the fights are "random", however you may be misinterpreting their body language and warning signs that they are uncomfortable / unhappy with the situation they're in.

Staring and rigid body stature is a big red flag and often seen as a challenge in the dog world. Muzzling them but changing nothing else will do nothing but prevent them from injuring each other, however they are still stressed out / uncomfortable and upset with their living situation. Muzzling is a good temporary precaution to keep them safe but shouldn't be used constantly just to avoid injury.

Bella sounds like she's extremely bored and I don't blame her. Being in a crate all day long with nothing to do sounds mind numbing and I'd probably have some behavioral issues too.

It sounds like neither you nor the other person living with you (your father I'm assuming) has much time to devote to these dogs, and from the information you've given I can almost bet money that the dogs have very little stimulation other than what they get from each other, and are likely a bit stir crazy and that's why they're taking out their frustration on each other. I would highly suggest finding the time to exercise your dogs or consider rehoming into appropriate homes that have the time and resources to properly exercise and stimulate the dogs in a healthy way.

I would also highly, highly suggest seeing a professional behaviorist in person, as aggression isn't something that can be easily handled over the internet and really should be addressed by a professional in person.

 

[SpicyBulldog]

You have two adult Pit Bulls living together of the same sex no less and they longer get along, simple solution keep them seperated.
Research Pits, if you are going to continue owning them.

 

[Rain]

Sadly, female aggression towards other females is common. My old female dog was like that, never saw her act aggressively towards a male dog, but saw her act aggressive towards more then one female dog, and she wasn't a pit bull. Also sadly, pitbulls are knows for dog aggression, so much so that it is not considered a fault in American Pit Bull Terriers although human aggression is considered a fault.

You have two female pit bulls who have stated fighting. You are going to have a huge, uphill battle to get them to co exist again, and you might not succeed. First you need to muzzle train them and have them wear the muzzles whenever they are together. Get basket muzzles for them, they will allow the them to pant, drink water, and take treats while wearing them, and they are more comfortable then the cloth muzzles that hold the mouth closed. Here's a link to help you understand muzzle training https://muzzleupproject.com/

Next, and I cannot stress this enough, Crate and Rotate. One girl is in her room, or crate, while the other is out and about, rotate ever hour or two so each gets plenty of attention and exercise.

Third, hire a behaviorist to help you figure out what triggers them, and how to best work on gettig them to co exist. Make SURE that the behaviorist only uses positive methods, if they alpha roll them, do hand bites, and say things like you have to be dominant, fire them and try a different behaviorist. Such techniques will make your dogs worse in the long run although it may initially suppress the behavior.

4th, even after your girls seem to be getting along, never leave them alone together. That means that when you are gone you are going to have to make sure they are separated.