K9, in some of the high fight drive breeds like Corsos and Rotties, it can go from sugar to **** in the blink of an eye.
Example....
I had 2 bitches who had lived together without incident for 4 years, since the younger one came to me as a puppy. The younger bitch was 4, the older bitch was 8, and still in her prime, both physically and mentally.
One day I was out in the exercise yard with 4 dogs. These 2 bitches, a young (12 weeks) puppy bitch, unrelated to either bitch, and an adolescent male, 14 mos.
The 12 weeks puppy was climbing all over the older girl, playing goofy puppy play, while old girl grinned and grumbled and mouthed the puppy.
Out of the corner of my eye I see a blur, and before I can even BLINK, the young bitch has the other one by the throat. They are up on hind legs, ROARING at each other, and both are gripping the other.
I had raised both these dogs and both were VERY well trained. I would never have been convinced by anyone, and had stated many times before, that I most CERTAINLY could verbally stop a dog fight in my own dog yard among my pack because of my distinct alpha status.
Well, these 2 bitches had not read that book. I screamed at them, and I might as well have been on another planet. They were out to KILL each other. I was REALLY LUCKY, as the young bitch quickly tired, and released, circling looking for another grip.
I SCREAMED at my old bitch to down, THANK GOD she did, and I grabbed the young bitch from behind by both cheeks, pulled her up on her hind legs, with her back against my chest, and worked my way towards my kennel runs.
All the while, I am having to SCREAM at my old bitch to keep her off the bitch I have restrained and up on her hind legs, because the old gal wants to eviscerate her now that I have her restrained. I have blood all OVER my hands, and I can see it dripping off a huge wound in the older bitch's neck.
I FINALLY get the younger bitch in the kennel run, get the hose, and clean my hands. The younger bitch is unharmed.
The older bitch has several DEEP punture wounds, and one large tear in her neck. LUCKY the bitch only got skin and not vital tissues and blood veins. She has a split ear, a split tongue, and 2 more puncture wounds on her shoulder.
This all happened on a lovely spring day, while I was laughing at the other 2 bitches playing, and we were all ( or seemed to be) having a nice time out in the dog yard. It happened so fast I never saw it coming.
It may never happen to you, but if these were my bitches, once you start seeing serious play fighting, etc, (and you will ) I would keep them separated at all times when you are not supervising, for safety's sake, and discuss with ALL family members what to do if a fight ever happens.....
1) DO NOT wade in without a weapon of some sort to protect yourself. You WILL get bitten.
2) Keep things handy that you can break up a fight with. Forget water hoses. Hoe or shovel handle, or any appropriate sized piece of wood or other utensil handle that you can put between the dogs to break them up. Sometimes pepper spray works. I have instructed my husband to use ANY MEANS NECESSARY to stop it if a fight ever breaks out among the bitches here.
ANYONE with working dogs who is running 2 bitches together should have a basic understanding of what happens during a real dog fight, and some plan on how to stop one without getting severely injured.
JMO as always.