UFC in the Morris household

DING DING DING!!!  

Well, last night was the first real fight the boys have ever had - and it frightened me.  I don't like to see fights - especially between family members, and the boys are brothers now.  So, what started the fight?  Well, we bought 2 rawhide bones, one for each dog.  Somehow Max kept taking both bones to his kennel and hoarding them for himself.  So, I was constantly retrieving Toby's bone for him.  At one point Toby took his to the kitchen and laid it on the floor.  Now, picture this:  Toby on one side of the counter, me on the other, Max in between us at the end of the counter, and Toby's bone laying inches in front of me.  Both dogs were sitting pretty when I called Toby over to my side of the counter.  As soon as he crossed in front of Max, Max attacked him. I guess it was bound to happen.  We just didn't realize that Max was so aggressive over toys.  They've been living together for 2+ weeks now and have not had one of those boundary setting fights yet. I guess we should have expected it.Needless to say, both bones are now stashed away in the pantry.   So, with a few cuts and a shiner, Toby steered clear of Max for the remainder of the evening.  He was still a little skiddish of Max this morning, but it seems to be more out of respect for Max's space. 

The moral of the story is:  Siblings are going to fight - we just have to be there to break it up and send them to their separate corners. If we ever give them rawhide bones (emphasis on the IF) it will be separately and in their own kennels where they will stay while enjoying their treat. And that is the best we can do.