Dogs living in the same home don’t always get along. Owners must assess the compatibility of their pets before putting them together in the same room.
There is one couple who couldn’t get their dogs to get along, so they called a dog trainer.
Victoria Stilwell is a popular dog trainer who has a lot of experience. She interviewed the couple about the specific problems with two of their dogs, Sophia and Olivia. According to them, those two could not stop fighting.
Victoria had to observe how the two dogs interacted before she proceeded with the training. What she saw was very concerning. Oliva was very dominant, and her body language suggested an intent on forcing Sophia to submit to her.
The trainer’s first order of business was bringing Olivia and Sophia to a neutral place. If they are in a dog park, they are less likely to be territorial. Victoria put a safe distance between the two dogs. She also focused on distracting Olivia whenever she gives a death stare.
Eventually, Victoria managed to keep Olivia in check. She fed her treats on the ground, which made her look less threatening towards Sophia. The two dogs were able to move relatively close to each other without getting into a fight.
The trainer also moved the training to the owners’ backyard. It was going to be harder there because both Olivia and Sophia are protective of their territory. Fortunately, the same technique used in the park worked in the backyard.
Victoria was feeling lucky and wanted to push the training further. She wanted both the dogs to get along while inside the house. As a safety precaution, she personally took Olivia’s leash and handled her. To everyone’s surprise, Olivia was no longer interested in dominating Sophia.
The training was successful, but Victoria gave a word of warning. The two dogs still need to be separated and supervised when they are together. Victoria believes that the problem will not be easily solved despite the positive result of the training.
Video courtesy of It’s Me or The Dog via YouTube.
