Dog Fight Prevention: What To Do When Your Dogs Fight ft. Linda Hughes

Send us Fan Mail Ever felt that jolt of panic when two dogs square up at a doorway, over the sofa, or as they leap into the van? We’ve been there. Today we open the curtain on real-world scuffles in multi-dog homes and share the clear-headed systems that prevent fights, lower arousal, and protect relationships without relying on punishment or wishful thinking. We start with honest case studies: Orla, a brilliantly trained collie who still snipes when tense; Venture, a spaniel who turns fiery when startled at close range; and a tiny toy poodle who guards people like treasure. These stories reveal how genetics, arousal, and space can stack the deck. We map the true flashpoints—stairs, doorways, narrow gates, and high-energy van entries—then show how to defuse them with crates, baby gates, tethers, and smart traffic flow. You’ll learn why “sleep pods” beat chaos, how to place resources so they don’t spark clashes, and how to rotate dogs through calm states so nobody rehearses bad habits. When conflict breaks, speed and precision matter. We explain safe breakup tactics, from sharp startle cues to quick physical separation, and why staying calm prevents escalation. We also dig into the big mindset shift: punishment after a fight damages trust and rarely fixes the pattern. Instead, we teach alternate behaviours, interrupt early, and design the room so better choices are easy. By the end, you’ll have a practical blueprint for keeping dogs together: staggered movement, separate feeding, defined rest spaces, and routines that hold steady even when excitement spikes. If you’re juggling collies, spaniels, or any mix with big feelings, this is your guide to a safer, saner household.

You can listen to Dog Fight Prevention: What To Do When Your Dogs Fight ft. Linda Hughes online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Dog Fight Prevention: What To Do When Your Dogs Fight ft. Linda Hughes is an episode from Sexier Than A Squirrel: Dog Training That Gets Real Life Results by absoluteDogs.

This episode is 25:57 long.

This episode was published on Jan 20, 2026.

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