Dogs from rescues that are tremendously abused will fight with my dogs who are all trained?

Spraying them with water can be used on any dog. I do not believe it to be cruel and I have had positive results with the method. If a dog is not behaving properly, a correction is in order. While I prefer gentler techniques, but any method that works is the one to use. When first got my Pit, he would not leave me alone while sitting outside. Nibbling, mouthing and scratching me happened anytime I sat outside. A quick squirt with a water bottle was the trick when body blocking failed. About a week later he was able to lay at my feet. A month later and I could not find the water bottle because I never needed to use it. Now an off command works very well. Walking dogs side by side works very well for my dogs that fight. Using Crates, Gates, muzzles are tools I use to manage my dogs bad behavior and I think everyone should consider these tools. I also got a trainer that was very helpful.

Just because a dog has been hit or neglected, that does not mean it is going to fight with other dogs. I bring home foster dogs with issues all the time, and I do not have to break up fights.

If I did have to break up fights, it would not be with a squirt bottle.....I would keep a leash on the dog and use a leash correction before the fight started.

Frankly, it sounds like you are not reading the dogs behavior accurately, and would do well to learn some new training methods. It also sounds like you are not in control, and the dogs are not looking to you for direction, but scrabbling amongst themselves to decide who will be the boss.

Are you familiar with NILIF? That might be a good place to start.

http://k9deb.com/nilif.htm

Then, why not take an obedience class, and learn some new ways to discipline? Many dogs need more than treats and praise.

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Cookie - I did Sheltie rescue, too, and now foster problem dogs from an all-breed rescue. Shelties have to be the mildest mannered, easiest breed out there. Many other breeds require a firmer hand.

I am a veterinarian and a foster for a local organization.

I have never had more than one growl happen between any of the dogs that have come through.

You seem to put a lot of emphasis on how badly these foster dogs have had it. You're right, they have. However, if your mental picture you see every time you look at them is "oh, poooooor little Fluffy, you've been soooooooo mistreated" - then you're going to unknowingly act out those feelings. Then one of the dogs picks up on the imbalance, a more dominant dogs clues in, and BOOM there you go, those two dogs are fighting.

When you bring in the fosters, treat every single one just like your own dogs. Don't creep slowly or speak softly or think there's magic to the new 'abused' dog.

There has never been a need here for any sort of squirting of water. The dogs know that there job is to obey me, and their focus is too much on that to allow time to invent a reason to fight each other.

It is one of the most difficult things I deal with in either of my professional worlds, to convince people to stop seeing their formerly abused neglected dog as a dog who still thinks it is abused and neglected. As long as you do that, you will continue to elicit behavioral problems in the new ones as well as your old 'pack'. The dog is glad to be gone from the living hell they had and they don't want you triggering the old behaviors either!

It's been my experience that these foster dogs are the most responsive, most willing to learn all the new stuff. I almost never find it difficult to 'retrain' them into respectable citizens. Oh boy! Sit roll over speak and go fetch? Just for verbal praise?! You betcha!

That's strange because I've been rescuing dogs for over twenty years and most of the dogs I've gotten have not been very dog aggressive or if they were they were redirected in a different way . The four I have now three were actually already house trained. All potty trained, all crate trained. Two sit, shake paws, sit, etc. all sit, and are leash trained. They came that way. Two were badly abused. one was a fighting dog and the other came from a hoarder. But I never squirt water int their faces they HATE water in his faces and will attack anyone who has water pointed at him . I have to bathe him in a tub because you can't use a hose on him . Someone in his past must have abused him with water hoses or something.The females I say no with a stern voices and say that's naughty go get in your bed ! and they do . And that is usually all I have to do.I do separate the male at feeding time because he wants to eat from all the bowls of food .

Hard to believe that you've "been in rescue for years" from your question.

Not all dogs that come into rescues have been abused or neglected - in fact, most have NOT. They are owner turn ins because people go into nursing homes, lose their homes, move, divorce, etc. or they are picked up wandering by Animal Services because they got out and lost.

Some are indeed frightened and can be fear biters initially, but it's certainly not the usual situation.

I've rescued and fostered literally dozens of dogs, and all repsond to kindness routine, and positive reinforcement.

I have used spray bottles of water, but RARELY, and only to break up a fight - most usually between my own 6 dogs - it's a shock method, not a normal trianing routine. I think I may do it once a year - IF.

I do keep new rescues crated off, but to quarantine them until my resident dogs can sniff them and get used to them, doesn't normally take very long and everyone is fine with each other. My own dogs are socialized, most fosters that come in are too and the "pack" is just fine very quickly.

If you are continuously using negative (spray) methods to have to control your rescues, something is very, very wrong.

My dad found a dog on the side of the road, malnourished, gross fur, and we knew he had been abused because he was afraid of everything and everyone.

We ended up keeping him. We already had a dog and cat.

He was very shy and nervous around people for months, barked all the time when people came over.

However, the more time the dogs spent together and the more love and affection and treats we gave to him (for training purposes as the previous owner was not so gentle with him) he began to fit right in and is the most loving dog I could ever ask for. You just have to be patient and use POSITIVE reinforcement.

Have the dogs in the same room. Give the fighting dog a treat when he's not growling or anything. Just sitting. Give him lots of praise. Then, bring the other dog(s) closer to him(not much) . If he starts growling or anything say no or give a little yelp but don't hurt their ears. It will get their attention. Then, when his eyes are on you and not the other dog, give him praise, and treats. Repeat as many times as it takes the fighting dog to realize having the other dog in the room is a good thing. Have fun!

:)

Negative training, begets negative behavior. If you can't work with rescue with positive methods, then I suggest not bringing in any behavior problem rescue dogs. You are not doing them a favor by treating them this way.