Conflict between dogs sharing a household is a common welfare problem requiring skilled assessment to distinguish manageable hierarchy disputes from genuine incompatibility.
Interdog household aggression creates welfare harm for both the aggressor (who is often anxious or in pain) and the victim (who lives in chronic fear or endures injury). Owners typically attribute conflict to "dominance" and either minimize it as normal hierarchy establishment or respond punitively — both responses worsen welfare outcomes. The welfare framework requires accurate behavioral assessment to identify triggers, contributing factors, and realistic management options. Most household conflict is manageable through resource separation and trigger elimination; some cases reflect genuine incompatibility requiring difficult rehoming decisions made in service of both dogs welfare rather than owner preference for maintaining the household as configured.