Susie23 listen to Jackie she says it as it should be. So sorry for you but take care.

I'd not have let the dogs fight it out either. My two sometimes get into ugly looking scuffles and my last dog got into some severe fights that caused major injuries and I always tried my hardest to break up the fights. My dog fought to kill and there was no way I'd have let that happen.

It's extremely important. You're right, one of the dogs could have been dead or mortally wounded. We're just trying to help you for the future. Letting the viciousness rise that level will also worsen the dogs future encounters. Calming the dogs down right away was an important step that you missed.

Now, perhaps the dogs just had a scuffle that escalated. Had you been watching, you'd have seen how it started. Two dogs that get along fairly well, or never fight seriously don't usually just attack one another out of the blue. If my two ever got into a serious fight, it would be because a small argument escalated.

In any case, it's best to watch the dogs and try and keep them under close supervision. They can be together, but only with you RIGHT there. If anything sparks off, you need to get involved and separate the dogs right away. Under no circumstances do you let arguments between dogs escalate to a fight. If you're unwilling to break up fights, perhaps it's time to think about placing one of the dogs into another no dog home.

A fight between two dogs does not endanger a child directly as dog aggression has no true links to human aggression. If the dogs have shown no issues with the child, he should be fine. Of course always watch dogs and kids, but I'd not worry for the child's safety, but for the safety of the dogs. Of course if the dogs start fighting in front of the child, remove him immediately and then head to break the fight up immediately, but the child doesn't seem to be in any danger here.

There ARE ways to attempt to break up fights without going between them. I've known folks who have turned the hose on them for instance, which can sometimes shock them into breaking apart and then you can herd one into the house and slam the door to keep them separated.

In case it happens again, consider a plan to stop it because the last thing you want is for them to kill each other.

I wish I had any explanation for why it happened. They don't call them bitches for no reason and I do suspect that it has something to do with the new dog around. It's not a "dominance" thing as dogs don't really DO that.

At this point, I might consider keeping them separated when your son is out and around. He's just a baby and could easily get caught up in things if something happens. Then reintroduce them slowly and see how things go.

If they continue to fight (and this happens with female dogs sometimes), the best thing for ALL of you (them included) may be to rehome one or do a "crate and rotate" (or rotating them in and out of one room) with only one dog out at a time. Which is awful, I know. But if they start fighting all the time (and this might have been a one-off, but those wounds on your one dog seem pretty serious), then they're stressed out too and it's not fair to them to keep putting them in the situation.

I'm sorry you're dealing wtih this. It's the stuff of nightmares to be certain. I JUST added a second dog to my house (and I've never had two), They get along amazingly well, but I constantly worry that something like that could happen (they are opposite gender though, so that might help...and my male dog absolutely backs off from any warning another dog gives him).