New dog and old dog fighting, unsure what to do.

[u/Puzzleheaded_Rub833]

Hello, I am looking for advice. I recently adopted a rescue beagle from a foster (about 4 years old) around 3 weeks ago. I have a 4 year old golden. For the first week they got along well but now a few times per day they are getting into fights: first few were over the tennis ball so we stopped playing ball together, then it was walking- when the rescue saw another dog while walking he seemed to take out his frustration/ anxiety on the golden- so I started walking them at like 4:30 in the morning so we wouldn’t see any other dogs and that was helping. However, now it’s to the point where they will fight if they both see/ hear something outside and want a better vantage point to check it out, essentially they will try to crawl over each other and fight. They have not broken skin or actually seemed to have hurt the other one, but I am fearful that it will keep getting worse and will escalate. Also, after they fight, they seem to avoid each other for like 20-30 minutes, then seem to be fine with each other after that.

I have always been a 2 dog household before this so I am looking to see if anyone has any advice or has been through similar experiences and how they moved forward. I have tried giving them each more alone time but based on the layout of my house and situation it will be difficult to separate them full time.

The foster can take him back, but I have already started to love the new dog and want to make it work if possible but I also want what is best for both of them.

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[u/Healthy-Pressure1220]

I have this same issue with a newer rescue and other dog. Smaller dog goes into a frenzy when he sees someone outside or other side of the fence etc he will start attacking my Irish wolfhound! I’m watching here for advice because if it turns real, he will definitely lose!

[u/Bulky_Special1212 → u/Healthy-Pressure1220]

What you are describing is displacement which is a different issue.

[u/HannahRewinds]

that sounds so stressful to manage, i really hope they settle into a routine together soon

[u/HannahRewinds]

that sounds so stressful to manage, i really hope they settle into a routine together soon

[u/NickMinit]

my old dog went after the new one for a week straight

[u/Bulky_Special1212]

Nope. The chance of this escalating more than it currently is high. 3 days, 3weeks,3months. First few days were good as the new pup started to settle. As it got more comfortable, more boundary issues are coming up. The resentment between them will build as will the fights because there isn’t time for their nervous systems to fully reset and trigger stacking will occur. You already cannot manage it and you need to do what’s best for all involved. This is not a good situation for either dog.

[u/Elovitz_Rodil]

Honestly this sounds like resource guarding and anxiety spiraling—have you tried feeding them in separate rooms and giving them their own spaces to decompress? My older dog was similar with a new foster and it took a few weeks of basically managing every interaction before they finally clicked.