BTW - to clarify -
as a result of questions on another list re the *dunbar bite scale* and on another forum re my *dog:dog conflict ranking scale*,
CONTEXT is also critical in the post-mortem of a dog-fight; a dog already highly-stressed is far more-likely to snap at a housemate or scrap at the dog-park, or strike an attitude during an introduction to an unknown dog.
just as in the *dunbar* bite-rating scale, the
conflict-rating tells us only How Much Damage was done; not why, when, or in what setting;
was this dog provoked? or frightened? uneasy in a novel experience?
IMO aggression, like allergies, is a threshold phenomenon:
we can cope with A, B, C, and D... add even a little of E, and the dam breaks. allergy is an additive or multiplicative series of factors, culminating in catastrophic failure.
dogs i think are in a similar situation - the new house, new schedule, new climate - OK. new dog-park with all new dogs - TEN of them, all sniffing at once?
*** Too Much! *** BOOM...
the dog-fight is often a perfect-storm -
this plus that, and some of the other thing; it may never or rarely happen again; seeing it in full context, of whatever other stresses, anxieties, excitements, etcetera, is imperative to arrive at conclusions about how likely any encore might be, whose *fault* it was, why it happened THIS time and how to prevent a NEXT time, and other useful weighted predictions or critiques.
just as ONE example -
theres a series of 4 fights in the daycare play-area, with 6 different dogs involved; more than spats, but no serious injuries;
we sit down to parse the events, + find to our surprise that ALL FOUR happened in a 10 x 10 area out of an 60 x 40-ft space!
is that immaterial? i doubt it - something about that area is a factor.
* close to the main entrance?
excitement, arousal, jostling for position, worry about strangers...
* close to the kitchen?
food odors, potential for treats, proximity to any doorway, a hangover from behavior at home, owning the space nearest the door?
* close to a bathroom with a blind door,
that swings open unexpectedly into the playspace and can wedge a dog or dogs behind it?
without accounting for the setting, we cannot IMO make an informed statement about the dogs involved, the likelihood of recurrence, any future risk to persons or dogs...
the severity of a fight is partly a product of WHERE and WHEN, as well as WHO - and at least 2 dogs, possibly more, are involved in emotional tensions which lead to any physical
confrontations. if we can look carefully at all of those, we just * might * arrive at a possible WHY - or several WHYs - and then extrapolate for future risk, or plan to prevent recurrences, or...
rearrange the entrance of the daycare to get the dogs further than their current 6-ft from the airlock-door. ;--)
all my best,
- terry