Hello, I have had a similar situation and I want you to know that there are no easy answers. I have been training dogs for the past 15 years and my success rate in this area is disappointing. Solving this problem involves a big commitment of time and energy and there are no guarantees that it will work. Sounds like you are already taking safety precautions by separating Coleen from Sugar when tension escalates.
May I suggest a few other things to try such as walking and feeding them separately, removing favorite rawhides and bones. May sound simple, but prevention is key to the process. You know that with each fight comes chances for serious injuries or even death. Continued fights makes this behavior in dogs worse and much harder to change. Enforciing these small changes and using as a training tool, gives dogs an incentive to get out of the habit of exhibiting bad behavior.
Offer Sugar and Coleen a treat or reward each time they perform a good behavior and don't forget plenty of love and praise. You will have to be consistent and work very hard to get both dogs to obey. Remember that a dog's number one goal is to please his or her master. Good Luck!
May I suggest a few other things to try such as walking and feeding them separately, removing favorite rawhides and bones. May sound simple, but prevention is key to the process. You know that with each fight comes chances for serious injuries or even death. Continued fights makes this behavior in dogs worse and much harder to change. Enforciing these small changes and using as a training tool, gives dogs an incentive to get out of the habit of exhibiting bad behavior.
Offer Sugar and Coleen a treat or reward each time they perform a good behavior and don't forget plenty of love and praise. You will have to be consistent and work very hard to get both dogs to obey. Remember that a dog's number one goal is to please his or her master. Good Luck!
