Help ,attacking? Or telling off? How can I tell

[Feelingwalkedover]

My half pug has attacked / told off my other dog .twice today.
No blood ,no marks ,other dog same ish size / age .both around 2.
Pug dog hot ..irritable.
How do I know if it’s an attack and she means to hurt the other dog ,or she’s telling him ,don’t invade my space./ I’m hot / your annoying me.
Other dog been with us 4 months ,no problems at all so far ,they curl up together and seem to be happy together..then today 😩

[redastherose]

Sounds more like telling off with no damage. If the older dog feels the heat and is irritable then you should keep the younger one away. Dogs are hierarchical and have their pecking order so she may well be just making that known.

[Feelingwalkedover]

Keep him away
Like all the time? Just at night?

[Feelingwalkedover]

She’s 5 months older ,and heavier than him ..

[OverFedStanley]

What ever "it"is. It does show your dog is uncomfortable with the situation. This could escalate if not treated with care. Could the dog that attack be unwell, watch carefully or a quick trip to the vet might be a good idea.

It has been hot and as you know pugs do find it hard to breathe in this heat so I would be working on keeping your dogs cool and calm and away from each other.

Give them their own spaces in a breeze where they can chill out

I would proceed with caution and get professional advice

[redastherose]

I meant keep them apart when obviously stressed, not all the time.

The pecking order thing is very important to dogs. The dog you have had longer will want to retain their position in the pack (ie your family) the other dog could be pushing it and was being put in her place.

Whether it was the heat and being irritable or a combination of that and the other dog pushing it, it's a normal reaction. You wouldn't expect a child to not react to being annoyed by another child so why expect an animal to act differently.

[Breathlessness]

Are they both neutered?

[BrokenWing]

They haven't been together for long, do they usually get on ok/comfortable body language in each others space?

Could just be one is irritable today, as a pp said pugs can struggle in warmer weather or the new dog is doing something to piss her off/crossing her boundaries and she is letting him know. If there are no injuries, I would just treat as a minor argument for now and maybe make sure they have some space from each other. If it escalates then a trip to the vets/behaviourist.

Ignore any advice stating pack theory or hierarchies.

[Feelingwalkedover]

There was no injuries.new dog was just wet where she had him.
Last 2 days have been very hot.that meant pug dog didn’t get as much exercise as usual..she needs a lot
Plus new dog is slowly coming out of his shell,his personality is showing through and he won’t be pushed around by her as much ..as in if she nicks his chew he nicks it back ..
But other than that ..
Vets ,they have both just had a check up .with injections.
I’ve been reading on line about it
I think she’s quite a dominant personality,and he’s been fairly quiet up till late ..now he’s quite leapy and lively ,he was very under weight when we got him.coat was dull and corse.
Now he’s on good quality food and glowing ,so more lively.

I think if it happens again I will take pugly to vet ,it’s much cooler today so they are both exhausted from their run.

[Feelingwalkedover]

We have a paddling pool for them in the corner of the garden in shade ..she will spend a long time in there cooling of .
I think he has just irritated her ,and she’s told him off.

[Feelingwalkedover]

Broken wing
Can I ask you for more info on the the last line you wrote ....because some stuff on line I was reading said I had to help one of them become dominant,or they will always fight .like feed one first ,only allow one on your lap ,favour one in front of the other.dont let the dominant one see you fussing the other.
I was a bit 🤔...
I have been treating them fairly ,no favourites.

[BorderlineExperimental]

Dominance theory has been resoundingly debunked, both in relation to and the domestic dog. It's also worth noting that dogs aren't wolves and their behaviour is very different, even if the traditional idea of wolf packs with a strict hierarchy maintained through conflict wasn't completely incorrect it would have little relevance for the domestic dog anyway.

This is a really good article on the subject.