Surprisingly (and shocking to me) there wasn't a single scratch on either dog, as vicious as they sounded and acted.
I don't have to "punish" anyone for resource guarding, since I feed them/give high value treats in seperate locations... always.
Both have "favorite" toys which only come out when I interact w/them individually, so having to guard anything from one another has never been a real issue.
When one gets on the others last nerve I seperate them as well... just matter-of-fact send them to seperate locations, no big deal.
I don't expect them to love and adore each other 24/7... that would be completely unrealistic.
I AM pretty easy-going and lenient when it comes to my dogs, so I'm definitely going to rethink my approach... maybe enforce the few rules we DO have a little faster/more consistently.
The thing that baffles me is that there was NOTHING to fight OVER... and I can't stress that enough. One minute they were sleeping... and the next minute they were in a snarling heap, rolling across the floor.
I'll probably never know what triggered it, but I have a hard time believing that Faust - in his sleep - decided to suddenly turn on Sepp.
I know Sepp responded the way he did because he was completely startled and probably pissed at being woken up that way... and as soon as I seperated them, it was over as quick as it had started.
No hard feelings, and no holding a grudge.
However... I DO think that, without my intervention, it would've gotten very ugly, because they were both so caught up in the moment. I don't think either one was even
aware of me until I physically pulled them apart.
Faust was tethered to me pretty much all day yesterday, and Sepp continued to seek him out for play time. They both acted as if nothing had happened.
So, if this is a "Pit Bull thing" I will manage it... if it's an "adolescent asshat behavior thing" I will manage that as well.
Thanks for all the suggestions, everyone. I appreciate all the insights.