Aggressive males

[babygirl6152]

I have two schnauzers who loved to play together until this month.
I had to go away for a few months, my father passed away, when I returned I had my mom who agreed to move with us. Wile I was gone the dogs got attention from the guys in the household but there was not as much activity as there is when I play with them. I love on them all equally and I cuddle and pat on them all day off and on.  Of course while my husband was at work in the day, this never happened the two months that I was gone.
  Within the first week of my being back home, the smaller schnauzer has tried to be dominant chest bowed out, trying to get his head above, you know the signs, too much of a knucklehead to back down when the big one tried to walk away repeatedly ignoring him, but enough is enough...
the larger one who is actually usually passive had to remind him he was higher in the pecking order, as he always has been, and as I said they were playmate, so they always worked this out before it got to fighting in the past, a whole year as wrestling and cute mouthing, never fights. The larger guy will not put up with it and the fight heats up and escalates to where there was now a truly bloody fight every night. My husband got bit once, I got bit once. We tried separating them but after a week tried to reintroduce them for playtime and got them muzzles. They were ok with the muzzles it seemed, they went out to tinkle, and went berserk, this time claws went so deep into skin there was just as much blood as the teeth had caused. We have separated them consistently now for 10 days, kenneled, and they take turns coming out to play. My mother is a very quiet lady who gives them a little sweet attention but doesn't over stimulate them or anything. I don't think it has anything to do with her.
Has anyone faced this problem? Is this what these two buddies' futures will forever be? Separation?

We as the humans do know we are pack leaders and are pretty firm with them, but the littlest dog has always been more overzealous and frisky

[Jerry_NJ]

It sounds like you found something that works.  I think I do something less structured when dealing with a nip response from my Westie, a rescue adult we have had for 10 months.  I simply put my big hands around him at the neck/head level and hold him down for a minute.  I think turning him over on his back could be a good addition but that would expose me to more nip attacks.  He has never bitten me, but I have felt the hard strike of the K9 teeth on the back of my hand.  He is missing several teeth from his rough life before we adopted him, but the K9 are there.  As he is a small dog I can overpower him, but have to keep in mind he is very quick.  We estimate he is going on 9 years old.  He is in general a loving pleasant dog but when something sets him off, grooming will cause a strike reaction, he strikes out.  He appears to have nigh mares a few times a week, and jumps up ready to fight from what looks to be a sound sleep.  I continue to work on trust and familiarity, but the battle is not a simple one.

[babygirl6152]

Thanks for the comments. Linda, my husband said the same thing. The little bully doesn't try anything much with the females. When he does, they just ignore it.

Yes they are fixed. Maybe since I pet on them so much,  being back has started the jealousy/rivalry. The only difference I hear since I was away, is that they didn't get loved on a lot. Petted yes, but no one goes crazy over them babying them like I do.
I read about the dominant behavior, yelling doesn't help, it actually makes the non aggressive one more aggressive. It's like he doesn't appreciate that the aggressive one won't obey me. That's actually when he bears his teeth and it all begins.
ive even read to show the knucklehead bully that I  am actually the alpha, to the point of actually pinning him down in a submissive, on his back position to bring his pride down a notch or two. I did it once. The day I trained him so forcefully like that, he shivered all the next day when I even came near him....

[lindapalm]

We had two females, and had the same problem.  The larger dog bit the little one and she had to get stitches, after that we watched them constantly.  The older they got, the better it was, but we never totally trusted the two together.  If I ever have two dogs again, they will be of the opposite sex.  Good Luck

[Margot49]

Are they neutered?  How old are they?
You see any type of dominant behavior, stop it by yelling No or even keep a rolled up newspaper handy to smack on your hand or something to stop that before it begins.  I think something was going on while you were gone, maybe even rough play with someone and add the change in the household to that.