Are there any dog breeds that WON'T fight??

[grey_pony1]

I was raised with pit bulls and dobermans, and unfortunately my parents didn’t know much about dog aggression when they adopted our first pit bull from the shelter. Over the years I watched my parents break up fights (usually between two females) and it was terrifying. I swore to never own a pit bull as an adult, even though they were very loving “people” dogs.

Now my 7 and 8 year old cattle dog and swiss mountain dog have had 2 major fights recently. In the past they have had minor, quick scraps and separated themselves within seconds. We can no longer leave them unsupervised together, and the cattle dog will be going to live with MIL shortly, since we can’t trust them together anymore. It is sad, since we have had these dogs for nearly their entire lives. But they had a major fight recently causing $1400 worth of stitches, drains, and staples.

We also have a beagle and a walker hound, who are couch potatoes. The only aggression they ever display is growling at the swissie when he irritates them by trying to play. Are most hounds that laid back? The only issue so far is the beagle digging out - she has to be on a cable when unsupervised outside.

I am just wondering if there are any breeds that are very laid back and never fight? I would like to never have aggressive dogs again!!

[JanM]

It depends on the individual dog, more than the breed. I think doing a lot of research on a breed you are considering would give you an idea of the aggression levels, but it still would vary according to the individual animal, their socialization, and the other animals they live with or encounter.

[LauraKY]

Collie. Smooth or rough coat. Even abused they won’t fight, at least not in my experience. I LOVE collies. Just adopted my second a month ago.

I have a hound who was aggressive. He was dumped at my farm, starving and had obviously been beaten. He’s much better now, just food aggressive with his dinner around other dogs (he’s fed in a separate room). He also protects “his” chair. Just a lot of noise, though.

[StGermain]

I currently have 6 dogs, have had multiple dogs for the last 15 years, and have never had them draw blood on each other.

Currently the doberman and the standard poodle seem to love “terrorizing” the giant schnauzer (she’s the youngest of those three), except for the fact the she doesn’t seem too terrified, and eggs them on if they won’t play. They roll her and put their jaws around her neck. SHe jumps up, they play chase until they do it again. The English setter hates the dobie and growls every time poor Jake walks in sight, but Jake doesn’t care. The dynamic with the brother german shepherds has changed recently, after Andy had CCL surgery and had to be crated. Suddenly Wylie seems to have the upper hand, playing with the toys and backing Andy down a bit.

I will say, though, that while I was dogsitting my step-father’s wire fox terrier he snapped at my giant schauzner. Typical terrier stuff, but the pack all turned on him. They would’ve killed him if I had broken it up. He wasn’t part of the pack, you see.

StG

[MizzouMom]

Aggression is often worse between two dogs of the same sex, fixed or not. You mention your parents’ two adult females fighting - are your dogs the same gender? Our two shelter dogs are both spayed females and have been a pain from time to time.

There was old-time anecdotal belief about the idea that breeds originating in England were often less volatile than breeds from, say, Germany (spaniels and setters vs. GSDs and Dobies) for example. Our Irish Setters were completely mellow but the one Dobie we adopted developed aggression issues as he aged. The shelter cocker, though, was very reactive to other dogs when we first got her, age 2, and the “bagle hound” (basset/beagle mix) is a nightmare about her food, which is what landed her in the shelter age 12.

There will always be aggressive individuals in any breed, and individuals who defy the bad reputation that their breed may have for aggression. Good breeding and good training makes the difference.

With this situation, you have to take a hard look at what sets them off - removing ALL toys and treats, separating them while eating, etc. And get them fixed if they’re not.

[GoForAGallop]

[QUOTE=JanM;5745673]
It depends on the individual dog, more than the breed. I think doing a lot of research on a breed you are considering would give you an idea of the aggression levels, but it still would vary according to the individual animal, their socialization, and the other animals they live with or encounter.[/QUOTE]

You forgot to mention it has a lot to do with the people interacting with them too.

OP, this is no slight to you, please don’t take it as such…but you should take a look at your management and how you discipline/interact with your dogs.

I have grown up with dozens of dogs; we have always been the sort of family who has an assorted “pack” running around, thanks to the fact that no one in my family can turn down a sad hard-luck case. :lol: I’ve had hounds of all shapes and sizes, guarding dogs of all nationalities, and a hefty serving of good old mutts in assorted colors. At one point, we had a giant 150lb Newfie mix, a big poorly-bred (as in, not at all according to breed standards, just bred for dumb idiots who need a big dog to make them feel manly) 110lb Doberman, a 50lb Akita-something or another, and a 30lb Beagle who all interacted peacefully. Right now, I have an adolescent 80lb Belgian Malinois, a 45lb Aussie/Husky mix, and a 35lb Border Collie mutt.

Apart from the occasional bicker over a juicy bone, or an ouchy old arthritic dog snapping at a too-rough puppy, we have never had a dog fight. We’ve had mixes of all ages, sexes, and breeds. Even some litter mates who grew up together tossed in for good measure. They have all lived in the house, slept on the same beds, been fed in the same bowls at the same time in the same room. And no fights.

So it just makes me question why you’ve had so many aggressive dogs (or at least you make it sound that way) over your life time. I’m certainly no professional dog trainer, but I have 4+ dogs at all times and regularly dog sit other dogs, who come right in and play with my pack, and I’ve never had an issue. Ever.

As for your other issue…yes, those darn Beagles are escape artists. :lol: Everytime one of my hound mixes has died (I’ve had three, who died at 16, 16, and ~14, so long healthy lives, I’m not killing them off!) I’ve sworn it will be my last one! But darn it if they aren’t so cute, and darn it if there isn’t always one being given away by someone, usually someone who has bought it intending to keep Mr. Beagle in an apartment with one 5 min walk around the block daily!

We had to go pick up my last Beagle five towns over once…and he had only been gone for 2 hours! (This was after he popped out the screen on the window facing onto the porch…SOP was strict leashing!) :lol:

[Alagirl]

My 2 girls got into each other infrequently. It sounded HORRIBLE…I grabbed the neared soft object and swatted both…

In any case…as dogs age and such and start showing aggression, health issues could be the reason.

Animals are used to hide it, but it seems they can’t hide it from each other well…

Also, I have heard from breeders who came home to a literal blood bath when the old king/queen of the pack got disposed of by a young ursuper upstart…

I don’t think it’s ‘breeds’ that fight, it’s individual dogs…and only a dead one won’t fight, ever…

[halo]

I have a pack of shelties, and they wouldnt fight if I threw a piece of raw meat between them. They’d say “you first” “oh no, be my guest, you first”.

Have had shelties for over 30 years with never a single fight, and have had as many as 6 of them.

[jetsmom]

[QUOTE=MizzouMom;5745714]
Aggression is often worse between two dogs of the same sex, fixed or not. You mention your parents’ two adult females fighting - are your dogs the same gender? .[/QUOTE]

failed to read for comprehension…nm

[dalpal]

[QUOTE=JanM;5745673]
It depends on the individual dog, more than the breed. I think doing a lot of research on a breed you are considering would give you an idea of the aggression levels, but it still would vary according to the individual animal, their socialization, and the other animals they live with or encounter.[/QUOTE]

That’s right. I have three in my household…The Alpha is a spayed Golden/Shepherd/Collie mix and my Omega female is Pointer/Dalmatian and my neutered male is dalmatian. I can honestly say I have NEVER had to break up a fight in this house in 7 plus years between these three dogs (a foster here and there, yes)…they are a balanced pack of dogs. It’s about picking personalities that work together. If both my females were alphas we would have issues.

[bdj]

[QUOTE=LauraKY;5745698]
Collie. Smooth or rough coat. Even abused they won’t fight, at least not in my experience. I LOVE collies. Just adopted my second a month ago.[/QUOTE]

Can’t agree with you on that one, as a friend has a Smooth Collie who has a bit of an issue with other dogs - she’s a very nice dog and the problem may be more of a fear/reactivity issue, but she still isn’t totally trustworthy in the presence of strange dogs.

And that’s part of the problem - just because XXX breed isn’t a fighting (or dominant, or aggressive, or reactive or…) breed, and that you’ve never known a XXX that put up a fight, doesn’t mean that a unique individual will never ever get into a situation that provokes a violent response.

That’s like saying “Old Clyde the school horse would NEVER ever buck.” Until the day that his girth is twisted, the wind’s blowing funny, he can see his buddy Dobbin in the next field going in for dinner, and a big bomber fly bites him in the tender parts, and it’s going to be a blue moon that night… Sure, it’s a bit of a perfect storm, but it can happen (we just hope to heck it doesn’t, and do what we can to prevent/avoid/minimize it).

[Wayside]

[QUOTE=bdj;5745882]
Can’t agree with you on that one, as a friend has a Smooth Collie who has a bit of an issue with other dogs - she’s a very nice dog and the problem may be more of a fear/reactivity issue, but she still isn’t totally trustworthy in the presence of strange dogs.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, my Collie was the best dog I ever owned, but he could be a little funny with other male dogs, even though he was neutered. Female dogs could do whatever they wanted to and he was fine, and he was good with submissive males, but throw another dominant male into the group, and he’d fuss. Just short lived spats, but there was a little growling and snapping involved.

Now Tessa, my current mutt, is very submissive. Gets along with everyone.

So although there may be breeds with tendancies, I agree with previous posters who stated that you really have to look at the individuals involved.

[LauraKY]

Bdj, that’s true. My collie would have protected us or her cat from other dogs. To the death. She got between my husband and an attempted home invasion when we still lived in Baltimore.

All my dogs play hard, with much noise and enthusiasm. But we don’t let it get too wild. When we’re not at home, I strongly suspect they just sleep. All new dogs are crated until we know they are reliable without human supervision.

[bdj]

Heck, all but my old guy are crated when I’m not at home to keep the little boogers out of trouble (garbage raiding, assaults on the pantry closet and other assorted mayhem)… Keeps them safe and me sane!

[wireweiners]

In general, I think the hound breeds that were bred to live and work together as a pack probably have less dog agression than other breeds but I don’t think you can categorically say that there are breeds that won’t fight. Terriers, especially those originally bred as fighting dogs, and guard dog breeds like dobes, akitas, etc. probably have the most propensity to be dog agressive. But each dog is an individual. I have know dog agressive Basset hounds and I have a pit bull who is an absolute wimp. Actually, one of the worst people agressive dogs I have ever dealt with was a Basset. This dog was so bad that I recommended the owner put him down. He was very aggressive and his owner was very non assertive and just couldn’t deal with him. Really shocked me since I love Bassetts and they are usually such layed back guys.

[keepthelegend]

If I had to come up with one breed, it would be a Golden Retriever. Most of them are very non dog aggressive. Stay away from terriers and a lot of the working dogs that form intense human bonds - they often are not that tolerant of other dogs irritating them.

[MizzouMom]

Sorry Jetsmom, comprehension issue?? Swissie’s a boy, beagle’s a girl, cattle dogs gender unidentified unless Grey Pony is using the formal breeder terms for dogs and b*tches.

If they are 3 males then there’s that all-the-same-gender-issue coming up.

[wireweiners]

[QUOTE=keepthelegend;5745976]
If I had to come up with one breed, it would be a Golden Retriever. Most of them are very non dog aggressive. Stay away from terriers and a lot of the working dogs that form intense human bonds - they often are not that tolerant of other dogs irritating them.[/QUOTE]

I would agree provided the dog came from a reputable breeder. I used to teach novice obedience and I’ve seen a lot of nasty goldens and labs from unreputable breeders.

[GoForAGallop]

[QUOTE=keepthelegend;5745976]
If I had to come up with one breed, it would be a Golden Retriever. Most of them are very non dog aggressive. Stay away from terriers and a lot of the working dogs that form intense human bonds - they often are not that tolerant of other dogs irritating them.[/QUOTE]

I guess, except that I know not one but TWO who are aggressive to a kinda scary point. I suspect that it’s because both were purchased by first-time-dog families and have always lived as only dogs = poor socialization. One can handle being around some other dogs while outside and in an unfamiliar area. The other never leaves the property, and even while on the property is always leashed or cabled to something because if he sees another dog, he will go after it in the most vicious way.

The female who can only socialize in unfamiliar areas is getting much better about it, because she really is a good girl and listens to discipline…her owners have just never considered disciplining her. :lol: We decided to introduce her to my sweet gets-along-with-everyone Aussie, and they were absolutely horrified when, the second the Golden raised her lips and started growling, I grabbed her collar and said “No! Knock it off!” HORRIFIED! Miss Golden looked at me, went “Oh, okay!” and bounded off to do her own thing and just ignored my Aussie. Her owners now think I’m some sort of dog whisperer, but the silly Golden just needed to be told it wasn’t okay. :lol: (For the record, I see this golden about three times a week for the last three years, and she thinks of me as an addition to her family. I wasn’t grabbing someone’s random dog!)

It all goes back to picking out the correct individual, and applying the proper training to make sure that good individual STAYS a good individual!

[GoForAGallop]

[QUOTE=wireweiners;5746013]
I would agree provided the dog came from a reputable breeder. I used to teach novice obedience and I’ve seen a lot of nasty goldens and labs from unreputable breeders.[/QUOTE]

I think it comes from the fact that Goldens and Labs of all colors are typically sold as perfect first time family dogs, and are oftentimes bought by people who have absolutely no experience with dogs, or minimal experience thanks to their grandparents dog they visited when they were 6.

And most goldens and labs are designed to be novice-friendly, with their big goofy personalities and desire to please. But people unexperienced with dogs (I’m just talking about knowing basic things, like Muttsey should NEVER put up any fight when you take his food/toys, and that’s to be instilled at a very young age, not high-level dog trainer stuff) often let bad habits get ingrained, and even the most good-natured dogs eventually start to take advantage.

The good-natured Goldens/Labs/etc just learn to take advantage slower than the evil genius Poodles/Border Collies/Terriers, etc. :lol: