DOWNing (lay down) is indeed the right correction method but you are not being as insistent and persistent as the dogs are being. If they redo the behavior then you redo the DOWN and you keep it up for as long as they do. It’s critical that you always win the battles for correct behavior. The more you win, the less they will resist in the furure.

When your let them go back at each other, even once, they have learned that all they need to do is hold out longer than you can to get their own way. In effect they become trained or learn how to disobey successfully! They know that you’ll get frustrated and give up and now they are training you!

What is more important is learning the warning signs that ALWAYS precede this behavior, identify the dog about to blow its cool and correct only the offending dog and to do it before it can actually engage in the inappropriate behavior.

It’s much easier to break a dog’s mischievous train of thought than it is to control and correct the resulting actions of those thoughts. That is exactly what Cesar uses his “Bite Hand Touch” for. You know how to DOWN your dogs so it’s better to use what you & the dogs already know.

The thing about the DOWN command is that it’s not enough for the dog to calm down. It must also be showing you submission so clearly that you are certain that the dog has given into you.

The friendship phase or reuniting the dogs ASAP after a correction like that is also critical. This is where they must clearly make up while you are on your A+ game watching for the warning signs again just in case and befor turning them loose.

No yelling or screaming is required and is discouraged. Getting angry or frustrated is useless. Your attitude should be simple. They disobey and your correct them until they obey and then go back to watching TV like it’s all routine and no big deal. It comes with owning dogs and even the pros have to do this from time to time too.

My 2 dogs fought over a toy just before I sat down to write this and I did what I just told you to do and here I am all calm and relaxed while writing to you. I just yawned if that tells how stressed it made me. :-))

Other safe and trustworthy advisors on this forum include Tracey, Blizzard, Sandie, Dawg Pro and Doggone.

Be Well and Train Well.