Friendships between dogs can also go through rocky stages. Fights and misunderstandings can happen, and owners may not easily identify the causes of such fights. The following story explores this scenario and how owners were enlightened about possible solutions.
Tico and Somang are both small dogs who have been best friends for quite some time. Their owners are also friends, so they usually hang out with each other along with other dogs. Unfortunately, they recently started getting into growling matches which greatly worried their owners.
The owners spoke to an animal behavior expert to find out what happened between Tico and Somang. The expert discovered that Tico didn’t like being touched on his knees. Later on, it was revealed that this was the cause of the fights between the dogs.
It turns out that Tico and Somang had a misunderstanding. Tico growled when Somang approached because she didn’t like anyone near her knees. Somang saw Tico’s behavior as a challenge back then, and she decided to respond with aggression.
The expert suggested putting Tico and Somang in a small enclosed area while wearing muzzles. Surprisingly, the two dogs never fought each other while inside the enclosure. However, they started trying to intimidate each other again when they were taken out of it.
The expert also discovered that the owners would often hold each dog in their arms when fights started. They were warned that such actions only encouraged bad behavior. Furthermore, the expert suggested walking past the dogs instead of picking them up whenever fights ensued.
Walking past the dogs allowed their attention to shift to the owners instead of each other. Whenever the owners passed by, the dogs were distracted. This method was practiced several times so Tico and Somang could get used to it.
Tico and Somang still had a long way to go before they got along completely. Fortunately, all the owners have to do is follow the expert’s advice. If they are consistent, the two dogs’ friendship will be rebuilt.
Source: SBS TV Animals via YouTube.
