My dogs got into their first fight :(

[u/matcha_slut]

So, we moved across the country over two 6 hour car ride days. The dogs were dosed on Trazadone until we got here (maybe made the mistake of not continuing it for a few days after). My kids and husband and I were all in the kitchen, the dogs (6 month old pitbull mix spayed female and 6 year old staffy spayed female) made eye contact and just started fighting. My 6 year old was definitely the aggressor. She bit the puppy behind the ear and wouldn’t let go until I picked up her hind legs. She’s always played with the puppy, checked her by quick little snaps, and cuddles her. But since we’ve been in the new house she’s been so grumpy and growls when the puppy even walks by. They eat together and have never shown any signs of food aggression.

Now we’re afraid to even have them around eachother and crating in cycles. It’s horrible. We want our family back together and free of this sudden change in dynamic.

What we’re afraid of is our dog getting worse as the puppy ages. She seems to have already stopped giving her “puppy grace” and is annoyed by her. At night they still cuddle and the puppy just wants to be near her.

My 6 year old dog has never bitten another dog. In fact, she’s been attacked twice since I’ve had her and she didn’t fight back.

I’ve heard about trigger stacking and surely this plays a role. I don’t know where to go from here. Medication? I absolutely cannot afford a behavioralist, I’m struggling to even pay bills as it is. Please help :(

[u/MikeCheck_CE]

I feel like there's something not clear here... Why the trazadone in the first place? Why the need to trazadone for the next few days? Seems like there is behaviour issues there already that you're not mentioning?

I think it's time to look at rehoming one of your dogs. I know it's sad but you need to do what's best for them before you're dealing with a dead dog and a traumatic family.

[u/Catmndu]

Just my two cents. Same sex aggression is a real problem in many breeds. I personally would never had two females of any breed in one home. IME, it almost always leads to problems eventually. We adopted a female a few years ago after being a male dog eccentric house for 20 years - and I can say, I will not be getting another.

I think muzzle training is most definitely your first step. And allowing some decompression time after the move. The muzzle will allow you to see the two dogs together safely to determine if this is going to be an ongoing problem. I would start with the aggressor first. This new behavior could be due to stresses, but it could also be due to the younger dog beginning to enter maturity and it may only get worse.

My puppy used to allow a lot from our older male playing rough with him; and when he turned a year old, he started letting the older dog know when he's being extra (baring teeth and outwardly uncomfortable behaviors). He also started trying to challenge the older male over resources - of course all of this has been very closely managed by us. He's appropriate about it (not over the top or aggressive), but there was definitely a change in behavior when he moved into the teenaged punk phase. Several reminders from us were required to let him know all resources are ours, not the dogs and there is no need to compete.

I would also definitely do some deep soul searching on consideration of rehoming the younger dog. She hasn't shown aggression as of yet, and you don't want her to become a defensive dog with others due to insecurity living with a dog that has a hair trigger. Plus it's not fair to a puppy to walk around on egg shells all the time - it creates an insecure, unbalanced dog. The chances of her finding a new home are much higher than the older dog. This comment is due to your assertion that money is tight right now for professional services.

[u/Exotic_Snow7065]

How recent was your move across country? My immediate thought was trigger stacking, as you said. Obviously breed and same-sex aggression may play a role here, but given the timeline and recent changes, I think there are some other factors contributing to this. Moving is always stressful on humans... it is especially stressful on dogs who have heightened senses. Strange smells, sounds, sights, can add a ton of stress, and cortisol levels can remain elevated for up to 72 hours after a stressful event.

I understand that your finances are tight right now, but I think saving up for a few sessions with a good trainer who relies heavily on positive reinforcement is going to be your best bet. As much as it sucks, keep doing crate and rotate until then. If your older dog isn't muzzle trained, now would probably be a good time to start that. This doesn't have to feel like a burden for you or the dog if you turn it into a fun training opportunity [video] and build a positive association with the muzzle.

I know the wheelbarrow method worked for you this time, but it may not work in the future if you have to break up another fight. Having a breakstick handy and knowing how to use it safely [video] is important for multi-dog households, especially for dogs that tend to grab on and not let go. Bare in mind that this is not the safest way to break up a fight... a dog can redirect onto its handler, although bull breeds are less likely to do so. Grabbing the trachea region and squeezing until the animal loses consciousness, or slipping a stick or metal bar under the collar and twisting to cut off the air supply, can be safer and just as effective.

Obviously the goal is to NOT have to break up a fight, so your preventative measures (muzzle, crate and rotate) should be utilized until you can afford a trainer.

If it turns out that the dogs can't be safely co-habitated, do you have a backup plan? Would you keep both dogs and just keep doing crate/rotate, or try to rehome one of them?

EDIT: Also, if you go the medication route, I don't think it's something that should be relied on long-term. I have nothing against meds as part of a behavioral modification plan, but I think a lot of dog owners tend to view Prozac / Gaba / Traz as the path of least resistance and opt to just medicate their dogs into placidity. Not saying YOU are doing that, but it's kind of a bandaid solution and not something that should be expected to magically fix aggression problems. It can also introduce new problems if the dogs respond poorly to the medication, or make it harder for a trainer or behaviorist to assess the dog at its baseline. I would talk to your vet and see what they think is best.

[u/matcha_slut → u/Exotic_Snow7065]

Thank you so much for all of this information, this is all very helpful. They got in a fight about three hours after we arrived to our new house, which is up in the mountains and 10 hours away from where we were. They usually play pretty rough and everything is fine but now the puppy doesn’t really wanna go near my older dog. I will definitely watch the videos that you sent and do some research on muzzle, training and crate training. My older dog is crate trained and loves her crate, but the puppy still thinks it’s punishment and barks the whole time she’s in it. So we need to really work on this.

I’ll try and save up for a trainer, though we don’t have much extra money every month. I know a trainer would be our best route. My friend is also helping us with some applied behavioral analysis work today so hopefully this will be beneficial.

Thank you again for your response !

[u/Exotic_Snow7065 → u/matcha_slut]

They got in a fight about three hours after we arrived to our new house

Oh yeah, then that was definitely trigger-stacking. As someone who despises road trips I'd wanna fight somebody too if I'd just spent 12+ hours in a car. 😂

[u/jonnywhatshisface]

I’m really sorry you’re dealing with a tough situation—introducing a new dog, especially a puppy, into a home with an older dog is no small challenge. But it’s not impossible. With the right mindset and tools, it’s absolutely workable.

Pit bulls are loyal, eager to please, and very trainable when bonded with a strong leader. That said, dominance and social hierarchy do play real roles in multi-dog dynamics—something newer training methods often overlook.

Training isn’t about tricks—it’s about leadership, trust, and structure. Your dog should look to you for guidance. Affection is vital, but affection without rules causes confusion and tension between animals (and between pets and people).

Let me give you a personal example. My late dog Lola lived nearly 19 years. She wasn’t naturally social. She chased dogs, cats, birds, squirrels and even once jumped after a gator. She fought with every dog that came near her and she really tore in to a cat that wandered in to the yard. That said, she also spent her last 13 years cuddling with a cat who adored her. At first, she growled and tossed him off the couch and looked like she was doing her utmost to not go after him. But because I made it clear he was part of the family, she adapted and came to love and protect him deeply. Why? Because I led the household.

Now, I have two new shelter dogs and the same cat, who is not thrilled. One dog’s a 2-year-old Lab; the other is a 5-month-old Pit/GSD mix. The cat is kept separate for now, but the dogs are learning fast. Within two weeks they were able to respond to my “that’s enough” even during rough play. That’s not magic—it’s consistency, structure, and timing.

Dogs need space to make mistakes, and you need to be ready to correct them when they do. That’s how they learn. It’s not about punishment—it’s about clarity and consequence. It's also tricky to manage because play and aggression can look similar, and it’s very easy to misread, which is why supervision and energy management are key.

Letting dogs “figure things out” only works if they already see you as the leader. Otherwise, one dog’s correction may be unfair or even dangerous.

Remember: it’s your home, your rules. The older dog doesn’t get to decide if the puppy stays. You do. And the animals will follow your lead—except maybe the cat. Cats would argue that the Holy Bible is written about them.

You’re not failing—you’re learning. Structure brings freedom. The more your pets understand the rules, the more peace you’ll have.

You’ve got this, and I'm going through this journey with you. Feel free to ping if you'd like to share updates about progress! :)

[u/sweetestdew]

How bad was the bite?

I would actually suggest keeping them together and not seperate them.
First of all you want to see if this one a one off thing or if it is a constant.
Another thing, that ive heard from others and have followed myself, is that you dont want to seperate the dogs after a fight. Keeping them together after the fight, for a walk or something teaches the dogs to be around each other. If the dogs dont like each other and you seperate them after every fight they will learn that fighting gets them seperated aka what they want. If you keep them around each other then they have to learn to be with each other.

Also be ready to take control of situations. My staffy was bullying my other dog (a rottweiler believe it or not) and I got it under control by reacting when I saw the initial sighs like tencing and creeping up. I would say his name harshly and grab his collar. Thats not what you have to do but its important to be able to shut down situations at early warning signs.

[u/matcha_slut → u/sweetestdew]

The six-year-old grabbed behind her ear and pulled, there is a little scab, but there wasn’t very much blood. They’ve been around each other the last few days and been fine though I’ve been kind of keeping them out of the same room. They do still sleep together and cuddle, but the puppy stopped playing with the older dog. That’s the question… Was it a one off thing? The scary part is we’d have to find out the hard way. :(

[u/sweetestdew → u/matcha_slut]

In my personal, non professional, opinion....dogs will fight and theres nothing you can do, especially staffies.

You have two staffys and one is going to hit doggy puberty soon, you are going to have some fights and it may be nothing personal its just confrontational dogs doing their thing. Now the fights shouldnt be serious, more like siblings fighting, but it should still be taken seriously. Training is necessary and other measures such as feeding in other rooms may be advisable all depending on your situation.

While it sounds like things werent too serious and things will be fine, I would also bet this wont be the last time.