The Risks of Raising Two Female Dogs
86Male-female combinations often work better
Why 2 female dogs may not be the best combination
You just visited a local breeder and felt in love with two puppies. They are two adorable female pups that seem to love to play together. You inquired about adopting one but your heart is split in half between the two. You finally decide that you want both, and the breeder seems quite content of doubling the profits.
If you ever would find yourself in such scenario, think again. As cute and playful such puppies are, chances are that once in their teens and adulthood, they may engage in some serious discussions that may even turn bloody.
Thinking that both ladies may work it out together is not a good choice. Very likely, the fights will escalate, and the cases where one dog was killed to death are not very uncommon. This seems to happen most often when the two dogs are close in age and when one dog is older and a newer dog is introduced to the pack.
When two females are close in age, there is a lot of competition. They will fight over rank and continuously try to establish alpha status. Such fights seem to occur the most in the presence of the owner. Because the owner is the ultimate pack leader, they may fight over who gets attention first. Owners must be knowledgeable on which of the two is higher in rank so he can pet her first every time and avoid conflicts.
Fights will also occur over other issues that tend to prove rank. They may fight over who walks first up a ramp of stairs or through the door, they may fight over sleeping areas, foods, treats and toys. Sometimes a cause may not be completely visible in the owner's eyes but it any case the dog higher in rank may have felt challenged by the other dog and felt the need to send her back down the ladder.
Adopting a female younger dog when owning already a female senior dog as mentioned above is also high risk. The newer dog may perceive that the older dog does not have what it takes to be a pack leader because of sickness or weakness and may try to take over the alpha role. The senior dog however, usually will fight with all her strength to maintain the top rank.Unfortunately, such fights have a history of having a sad ending, with the younger dog often killing the older one.
However, not all female dogs tend to have such fights. There are cases where owners are able to allow them to peacefully co-habitat with no problems. A big role is played by the owner, establishing leadership and applying a strict "no fight" policy. Such owners work hard in keeping the relationship in harmony and discouraging every chance for a fight.
However, should a fight still disrupt, owners must be very careful in their attempts in separating the two fighting dogs. The chances of 'redirected aggression" are high. In such cases, the fighting dogs will get confused by the fight and over excited up to a point where they may attack the owner attempting to bring peace back.
It is best therefore, to separate the two by startling them. This is accomplished by tossing a blanket over them, watering them with a hose, making a sudden loud noise or grabbing one by the rear legs and pulling away.
While many female dogs do get along peacefully, adopting two puppies of the same sex is like playing the Russian roulette, their future may be a question mark and the risk is truly not worth it. As cute as they may be, please try to consider that in the future one of them may have to be rehomed simply because they do not get along. If you are purchasing from a responsible breeder, he or she will not allow you to adopt such combination. If you really must adopt two, a female and a male is a much savvier combination, however ideally consider they should have a few years in between to avoid excessive bonding betwen each other than with the owner.
Dogs are pack members. They lived through history continuosly establishing rank and fighting over leadership and mates. Thinking that dogs have changed and that 'they will get over it" is pretty naive when it comes to raising two female dogs. This may specifically apply the most to certain dogs of certain breeds. Please do your homework seriously and do not make decisions lightly. It may cause you to give up a dog or worse it may cost another dog's life...
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I wish I knew this about 4 year's ago. I have two female dog's ( not spayed)that have just about killed each other numerous times. I have a hard time maintaining the alpha. I must say, the fights have been less since we lost our male doberman. And you are right, that female older bitch will really lay it on, not to mention she is a doberman. The funny thing is that they never fight when male men are present. It is alway's when they are alone with me.
Great article. Hopefully, people will learn that two females cannot live together.
I have two female pit bulls. One is 6 and the other is 2. They are daughter and mother. Daughter has at least 15lbs on mom and I thought she was going to kill mom yesterday. Mom just had pups and started the fight. I want to keep them both but I am not sure if spaying them is the solution. I do also have a male pit. I kept two of moms pups and haven't had issues until recently. What was I thinking? All I was thinking was look how cute they are!
I have a girl husky, around 6, and I really love this puppy around 4 months, my husky is very gentle never barks, and isn't the companion type with humans, so i'm not sure whether or not to get the pup
My two female dogs fight or rather the older one is attacke dby the oyunger. They are at a point now where th eonly solution is to keep them permanenately seperated. However, foghts do occasionally break out.
even if the dogs are sprayed or neutered they will still fight over who is the alpha dog...isaw it with my own eyes...and spaying them or neutereing ur dogs wont lower there agression...my friends two pit bulls are neutered and they still almost killed each other a couple of times...so dont think that if ur dog is spraid or neutered they wont fight...cuz they will.......
Good point Erik. I do not think my article ever specified if the dog were spayed and neutered. Any how yes, same sex fights occur even in fixed dogs.
Yes, I have the same problem, my Bullmastiff/Boxer mix (now 3 1/2) started attacking the other female (5 yrs) German shephard. I know have them separated and am looking for a good home for the Sandi (Bullmastiff/Boxer)...they used to be best friends. Wish I would have known about 2 females. Never again...so much heartache...not to mention $$$$in vet bills!
My wife adopted a full sized chihuahua female great dog. She then adopted another younger Female a year1/2 later. They have fought over everything discussed in this article. My wife brought the little dog back to the animal shelter and they put it to sleep. I cant believe the shelter didn't tell us not to get another female. It was sad to go through this and a dog is dead never get two females together.
My sisters dogs are twopitbull mixes and they used to have a male with them. now the male is gone and they almost killed each other. Me and my sisters had to throw water on them to finally make them stop. It was very scary, we are now going to look for a new home for one of them.
REALLY??????????? I don't even have the words for this. Males, female who cares????? As long as the human can teach the dogs how to be calm and get along all is well. If these dogs are having issues it IS THE HUMANS fault not the dogs. Any dog that is in a properly controlled environment, by this I meant the human knowing what to do, will get along just fine with any other dog, no matter the gender.
You sound shocked by the article, but as a dog trainer I can attest that many people do not know that same sex dogs may not get along once they hit social maturity... however, you must not be aware of the fact that even experienced dog owners at times must keep dogs separated due to fierce fights.. and no it is not always the owner's fault..
I agree its not the owners fault.I have three female Basset hounds 1 8yr old and 2 5 yr old. We have all had a great life together until a yr ago when everything changed .I am a dog trainer and I can not fix this they fight so bad that yes if left alone together they would kill each other .I was wrong to blame myself becuase it isnt my fault and I cant change it .The last time it happend if I wasnt there to intervene I would have had a dead dog.That was the last trip I will make to the vet.I have cried for days and made the decision that my dogs cannot live together any longer and I cant choose who stays and who goes.Who would have ever thought.I have to give up a part of my life and except the fact that I have finaly ran into something I cant change and I cant fix.But good luck to the person who thinks they are greater than god and that I am a bad dog owner.Thank you so much for this article I will finaly have the imformation I was looking for.
I own a German Shepard female 18 months old and when I go to work I leave her at my uncles, which owns a older male shepard and a mix breed female. His female and my dog gor along for the first three- five months exception of his female growling and biting at my shepard! But last week I my uncle said the two female got in a bad fight and there was blood on my uncles female when they came home. Then there was a secound fight which my aunt broke up and said my dog did not stop even though there female subited my dog kept on the neck! Now they keep them seperated. Any suggestions?
When females are raised together bad things like this can happen...if there was a fight to an extent that blood was drawn the only safe thing i can suggest is keeping them separated..
at times, it helps to recognize pack order.. which dog is the alpha, the beta and the omega..the alpha should always be fed first, pet first, etc and the lower ranking ones after.. if your uncle or aunt pets the omega first very likely fights will happen and they can be gruesome... it is very important therefore to give priority to the alpha to prevent fights..but this does not always work..if you uncle's dog is older and ill, your female may be sensing this and forcing her to give up the alpha status, which she may be reluctant to. be very careful..
Thanks for the info my uncles female is about 16 months old and my shepard is 18 months old. For a shepard she has a great temperment also she was a reject police dog since her mother and father are police dogs. My uncles female had puppies last summer she was about 9 months old then and she was very protective for the first 2 weeks then finnally let My shepard come to the dog house where the puppies were and my dog would lick them and play with them! My uncle and aunt said my dog was so amazing also they kept the one male out of the litter and My shepard gets along and plays well he is already bigger than her. So yes we will keep the females seperated and let them take turns outside. This is just when I am away working for a couple of weeks or so just temperary!
I have been fortunate enough to have 2 female dogs, a 2 year old pit and a 3yr old lab with great temperaments. There have been no incidents between the two, they play great together, and no problems when it comes to feeding. hopefully it continues this way! :)
This past year I rescued a (spayed) female lab(possibly terrior)mix that they claimed was 2 yr old(she looks and acts alot older--and had been severely abused)and 3 months later, a 2 month female pure bred yellow lab. I also have a 5 1/2 yr old Male Lab/Dobby. So far, I havent seen any signs of aggression between the two females, but the youngest just went into heat--today!--after reading these, I'm scared to death to continue to leave them together all day alone--can being in heat bring on aggression? and is it worse if a(neutered) male is present?? These are the first 2 females I've owned together--Unfortuantly, I found out after the fact from a friend that had 2 female shepards, that you should never have 2 females together :(
Yes, and for this reason I would try to keep them separated. A neutered male can still be interested with the female in heat and even attempt to mount. Rivalry amongst females is more likely to happen when in heat. It is hard to say if there may be actual fights since this also depends on how they rank (if one is pretty dominant and other pretty submissive, they may not have to necessarily have problems) but better be safe than sorry..
I have only ever owned female dogs, two at a time. And not once have I had any problems. When I mention that I own two female dogs, I always get raised eyebrows. Currently I have a Border Collie 11 years and a Rotti/Mastiff 2 years. They are so close it's beautiful to watch.
I just got a Labrador/boxer mix female (6 weeks) but I already own a boxer female (5 months). Sadly I didn't think before buying her because i fell in love with her as soon as i saw her and she was the only one left. My boxer doesn't bite at her she only opens her mouth but doesn't close it down. But the lab/boxer attacks her at every opportunity. What should I do ? Is there any way to not separate them? I really don't want to get rid of one :( please help me :(
First of all, you should not have gotten a puppy of six weeks! A pup should stay with the mom at least for the first 8 weeks, some even say 12 weeks! Very likely, this means you got her from a poor breeder or a puppy store, the worst sources of puppies!
The reason why you should not get a puppy this young is that she still needs to learn important life lessons from mom and litter mates, and one of the most important of them is bite inhibition.. this means you will have to take over and teach her not to bite hard, and that when she does it very likely hurts!
The fact she is ''attacking'' your older boxer means that she already has little bite inhibition, and will get worse... I find it unlikely though that at 6 weeks she is acting aggressively, sounds more like she is playing rough.. you certainly have a lot of work.. your boxer should stop playing with her when she plays too rough, so she can learn to play without using teeth and develop a softer mouth, the same you must do when she is playing with you..upon biting, yelp and turn around and the game is over..
Keeping them separated in my opinion is the best thing to do for now until your puppy learns better behaviors..if you let her continue, she will grow up unruly and most likely have issues..I am sorry, but this takes lots of work and this is why nobody should ever give away puppies so young..
The only reason we got the puppy so early was because her mother was hit by a car and died.I also think the pup is a little older because she seems quiet healthy and we were given a puppy a few years ago by a bad breeder when he was too young and he died :(.
Our boxer hits the puupy on the head with her paw when the puppy gets too rough or bites any of us.The only times she gets aggressive at all is when the pup goes near her bowl but we feed them at separate ends of the room now. She also pushes her away if the puppy is getting more attention from other people because we try to give them both equal attention.
Our boxer (Izzy) has a very good temperament so she doesn't hurt the puppy(Jet) in any of the fights. She just pins her down and keeps her there for a while. They're starting to get used to each other now and only fight outside in our garden but it doesn't get to serious because Izzy won't hurt Jet and Izzy's too fast and strong for Jet too bite her.
We don't let them sleep in the same room though. Do you think they will eventually get on okay(I'm not expecting them to get on too well though ) ,other than the little fights??
Thank you for replying :D
Poor puppy! Well, in this case, you did good to get her! Your older Boxer seems to be correcting her for ill behaviors which is good, she is top dog here and the puppy must learn to keep away from the food. One thing you may be doing wrong is giving the puppy equal attention. Your older boxer was there first, and being older she deserves being treated as the top dog. Dogs do not live in a democratic world..they live in packs with a hierachy. You must feed first, pet first your older dog.. this is why she is upset..
It is hard to say if they will ever get along well as of now.. things start to change when they reach social maturity.. 18 months to 2 years..this is when problems are more likely to happen.. best wishes!
i have problem about my two female dog and they have both puppy in the same time..the two female dogs not get along with and the small dogs always scared when she go out in the house..seems like shes an army trying to hide not to seen by the one other female dog.i dont have to give away one of my female dog cos i love each other very much.and now they have a puppies both female dog.the one puppy attack by the other female dog and shes crying and crying cos the female dog bite her on her eyes and her eyes bleeding a lot.do u think the puppy will become blind?it hurt me to heard the puppy crying crying..just hope she will survive on it..pls advice me what to do about my two female dog and the puppies..
You are seeing maternal aggression, it tends to be at its worst during the first weeks, all I can say is to keep them separated.. the pup should see the vet if its eye is bleeding and is crying..eye injuries can be very painful best wishes
Thank you for all the advise :D The two dogs are actually getting on very well together now.Our older dog has started to bark and growl lately, do you think she is trying to show her dominance or something toward the younger pup? They are now able to sleep in the same room together and this morning they were both sleeping beside one another :) it looked so cute ^^
Great to hear.. it takes some time before things start to settle:) in what contest does she bark and growl at the little one? this would be helpful..
I have two female pitbull mixes. They are both the same age. We got one when she was 2 months and the other a few months later when they were both 6 months. My girls are completely bonded. They never fight, and are dedicated to one another. They play every day and they don't fight over toys or food. They sleep together in their crate at night and have done for 2 years. Both of them have already reached maturity being 3 years old. I really believe that it's based on the individual dog's personality combined with proper training early on. I understand that sometimes there is nothing that can be done, but at the same time if you go into this knowing that there is a possibility of it it might be preventable. If you get a female puppy and you have another female you must train the female puppy right away so she knows you're the alpha.Also, alpha status should be established right away between the two dogs and reinforced continuously.
She growls if she is sitting up beside me and the puppy tries to get up and barks as well she also does it when the pup jumps up on stuff and we tell her to get down :D She has also started barking at people that hang around the bottom of our driveway
I started w/a female lhasa (Hurley), got another female a year later (maggie) and they loved each other. Hurley had a puppy, which we kept, and now Hurley & Maggie HATE each other! The pup is a year old, but there are still issues between the 2. Last night Maggie HURT Hurley. I came home to a bloody dog..Injuries surperficial for the most part, but i'm a little worried...I don't want to get rid of ANY of my dogs, but don't know what to do...This is the 1st fight of this nature, they've had issues before but never this bad! Any suggestions??
I must admit i did not do my research before getting two female 5 month old pit bull puppies. They are still young but I’ve noticed and heard the growls and barks as if they are fighting. I leave them alone all the time. Is it too soon for me to worry? I am already trying to rehome one of them.
Niamh, seems like she is growling at the puppy for boisterous behaviors, she does not like it to jump up on you and furniture because she considers it rude behaviors.. so far so good..the puppy should learn from her..
Ruthie, you should never leave them alone unattended. Invest in two dog crates and keep them crated when you are away. Things may worsen over time if you do not intervene..
elgcynow, at five months it sounds more like play fighting, my two rotties play rough and sounds like they are killing each other. More serious problems may arise once they reach social maturity between 18 and 36 months. Re-homing may be a good idea if you feel you will not be able to watch them all the time and have control over them..
i have a 1year old vizla unspayed and my bf wants to get her a friend after reading this i dont want to get a girl but i want to bread my dog one day is it bad to have a boy and girl unspayed but keep them apart when in heat. and bread when there older
There are risks in getting two females, but this is not always the case. Getting a male may lower these risks, but I do not want to sound like I am lecturing but breeding should be left for the pros, there is so much to learn about before breeding and too many backyard breeders are out there. Learn as much as you can about the breed, attend dogs shows, find a mentor, and get your female tested for hips by OFA, if you want to breed responsibly. Even myself as a dog trainer have dreamed about breeding but refrained because I feel I lack the experience which comes with years of knowledge. You want to breed to better the breed and not for fun or to see puppies or sell them.. here is a hub that may help you:
http://hubpages.com/hub/Things-First-Time-dog-Bree
Please take no offense.. and know that a reputable breeder is willing to take back puppies sold no questions asked and even after years..
i take no offence at all i dont want to be a byb ive researched alot about hungerian vizlas and i am planing on getting my dog scored. thanks for your advice
I have 2 10 week old mini pins x chihuahua females and the larger one seems to be alpha, but whenever I am petting the smaller one the larger will intervene and pick a fight with the other, they are very boisterous when Playing with each other and I'm not sure if at this age it is playing or if the larger is trying to show her dominance. I have read that this type of behavior shouldn't start till they are much older, but I am seeing her dominance come out now. We will not get rid of one because we love them both, I also have the time to train them properly because I am at home with them every day! Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
They have not reached social maturity, but puppies already show levels of assertiveness from when they are nursing in the litter. In a litter of pups there is indeed always one or two that are more assertive and have better access to their favorite teat. While breeders often rely on such tendencies to match the pups with the most appropriate owners, things may change as the pups grow.. you may notice indeed that your larger one may allow some things, and not others. Generally, their roles are better seen as they grow.
Work on leadership, google NILIF and train them separately as much as you can. Let them bloom in their individual personalities by limiting their play times and allowing more bonding with you. As they grow show them you will not tolerate any fighting,rather let them focus on you, best wishes!
Thank God for your website! I've been looking for clear information about dog gender issues. Please may we have your advice.. My boyfriend and I have a 2 year old spayed female Jack Russell and are looking to get a labrador puppy. We've spoken to breeders about this and have had mixed answers! Is it best for us to get a boy lab? We plan to have him neutered but are a little concerned about him trying to mount our girl and hurting her.. But obviously she won't go into heat. Because labs aren't overly concerned with dominance would it be alright to get a female or stay safe with a boy?
Personally, I would go safe and go with a male. As you may already know, many Jack Russells are dominant or aggressive towards other dogs (this may not necessarily apply to your female). If neutered early, a male lab should not get much into bad habits. You should make clear from scratch that humping is not allowed. I own a male and female rotty -both altered- and my male tried once, maybe twice to hump, but was corrected swiftly and never gave it any more thought. Labs can be high energy and may match a Jack Russel's terrier need for exercise and stimulation, but at times Labs can be hard headed and a pain for other dogs to stand. Males and females generally tend to tolerate more behaviors that would be outright not accepted in a dog of a different gender. I hope this helps, my best wishes!
Thanks for your advice! Confirms what we thought.. Will be very firm with the humping! Thank you.
I'm going through the 2 female puppies now. They are just entering 10 months. Lab/chow mix. They were always sweet, occasional small tifts that was quickly and calmly delt with. They have gone into heat before I could get the mobile vet unit here. (still another month on the waiting list-and no, I cannot afford a stationary vet's bill now. Recession put us out of jobs.) Now the household is in an uproar, seperation is a must at all times or bloodshed occurs. Is it the owners fault? No! We have done everything in our power to keep it calm and quiet. Since I don't even believe in "rough housing" play with dogs in the off chance they become aggressive, and it's worked with my other dogs. My oldest dog(lab/doberman mix) has NEVER played rough. And when my brother-in-law came for a visit, he tried to "play" this way. Before we could tell him not to do this. My oldest dog walked away. With other dogs, he has always played nicely. If other neighbors dogs got to close to my youngest son (age 8) he simply 'herded' them away.
Hi I need your advise. I have a 1 yr old female pit and I am looking for another pit bull mate for her. If I get a male puppy is it necessary to keep them seperated
Consider first of all that dogs should be bred until over 2 years old, this is to be sure that any underlying health problems have the chance to surface to allow for "emotional" and physical maturity in the dam. Also consider having them tested for hip displaysia, before mating (a serious orthopedic problem popular in this breed)and have a brucellosis test to prevent infertility, and abortions. Good temperament is a must if you want to be an ambassador for the breed and be ready for medical emergencies such as c-sections, which can end up pretty costly. Breed only once you have a list of people wiling to adopt the pups or you may be stuck with them and risk having to surrender and them and have them put to sleep. Consider socializing the pups. there is too much to list, do not want to discourage you, but breeding is more than just mating any dog and getting puppies 63 days later, you need to find a mate that complements your female, you cannot just get a pup and plan to mate without even knowing how this pup turns out, see if your female is of breeding quality, does she have pedigree? does her parents, grand parents have records of hereditary flaws? please don't be a backyard breeder, learn as much as you can about the breed and then but a ''show quality'' female from a reputable breeder and breed along with the assistance of a mentor if you really love this breed and want to improve it.
I really resent someone stating that is human error when your babies fight. I am the parent of 3 english bullies.(not known to be big fighters) One I have had since he was 6 weeks and is now 6 (yes bad breeder), one is a rescue that I have had for 3 years and the last girl was one when I got her and is now two and a 1/2. For a year all was wonderful, yes they have their own spots to relax, yes they have a huge yard, yes they have their own toys, yes they have always been fed and given treats seperate and yes they are obedient to me. About 6 months ago I came home from work to find my two girls in such a bad state they appeared to have been poisoned. Poop and puke everywhere and the two of them had such shallow breathing that I did not assess them but rather snatched them up and ran to the vet. Only to find out a 1/2 hour and $1000 later that they had beat the pulp out of each other. No Rhyme or reason for it. It is quite obvious now that it is the older one and she just can not come with in 5 feet of the younger female in the house with out attacking her. Yes I have first hand experience as to what can happen when you come in between them fighting. Do I blame them for biting me no...it hurt like hell and I have a scar but given the same situation I would do it all over again. They are fine outside, just not inside. So now they are seperated in the house at all times. Even when I take them outside or let them back in, I bring in one at a time and secure them in safe place and then go to get the other. It kills me when everyone was asking what are you going to do. What do they expect me to do...give one away...put my older girl down? No one would ask me that if they were human children. They are my babies and I love each of them. It is my responsibility to keep each of them safe and though it is a little more time consuming we are getting along just fine. I miss relaxing in the den and rolling around playing with all of them at one time but it is what it is. Please if you know you are a responsible pet owner do not ever blame yourself. Things like this can happen and it is up to you as to how you handle them. Just remember babies with paws, like human children, did not choose you but rather you chose them adn it is your responsibility to give them the best life they could have.
Hello PLEASE HELP! I have a question, I just adopted an 8 week old baby Female rednose pitbull, I already have a 8 Year old Rednose male pitbull, will My older male pitbull accept the new female puppy? Or will this be a nightmare? Shes so small and very, very hyper, My male is HUGE and more laid back? Did I make a mistake by adopting this female? Or will he accept her?
This is hard to say.. but generally male/female combinations work out. Problem is older dogs may have a hard time dealing with a puppy's boisterous energy and therefore they may growl to tell the pup to calm down.. it is best if you drain your pup's energy with one on one interactions with you and toys and then allow let them to meet so your pup is a bit calmer. Make sure you remove the puppy if it is oblivious to your older dog's warnings to be left alone... you want your older dog to have his own space.. I think with time he will accept her..
I got two female dogs,one of the dogs want to mount the other,what can I do
If they are two females than this is a behavior where the dog doing the humping wants to show she is ''top dog''. Do not allow this form of bullying.
We have 2 jack russells, a parson male aged 6 and a miniature female aged 7. We seen an advert for a 2year full labrador, free to good home and thought with her being a full labrador that she would get on with my jackies. We arrived at our house with the labrador and introduced her to the jackies and within minutes the lab and the miniature started badly fighting but not the parson. Since then i have had to separate them and its very difficult trying to manage the situation. Is there any ongoing solution any one can think of
We have a 10 year old female shepherd cross and just recently adopted a 9 month old female shepherd cross, slightly smaller than the older one. It is hard to tell which is the alpha dog. They have had two fights, easily broken up but would have been nasty if not, over toy possession outside. We are making sure this doesnt happen again but they seem fine together when inside. The younger one will greet the older one with licks to her face and will sit near her. The older one never chooses to go and sit near the young one, but doesnt move if the young one comes near her. Is theere anything else we can do? With the older one beginning to slow down a bit with age, will this make it easier? Thanks.
This is true! My adult female dachshund always attacks the puppy..it's awful..i feel sorry for my puppy and i always have to wake up in the middle of the night to stop the fight
I never knew this about females...by reading this article I have come to realize this is true! I have 2 female pitbulls one is about 7 yrs and the other is about 5 and half years. They have been the best of friends until recently and have had a couple of very bad fights...2 of which were within a week of each other. We have decided to keep them permanently separated instead of giving one or both away. My question is...could they be fighting because we got another dog? He is a Saint Bernard puppy and he stays in the house whereas the female pits are outside dogs. Could they feel the need to determine which is alpha because of our new addition? And how do we determine who is alpha out of the 3?
i have to female dogs a kelpie x cattle dog and a german shepherd we keep them in seperate farts of the yard because when they get together they nearley kill each other the klpie x cattle is 13 months and the shepherd is 8 months the where the best of friends before but we got a english staffy pup witch is now 6 months also female they started when we got her but now when the shepherd and kelpie fight she is attacking the kelpie and procting the kelpie , what should i do i dont want to give them away please help me and who would be the alpha out of the 3 ????
WE ADOPTED TWO FEMALE PUPS FROM THE APL THREE YRS AGO THEY WERE FROM THE SAME LITTER...AT FIRST I THOUGHT IT WAS CUTE GETTING TWO AT THE SAME TIME ,I FEEL SO SORRY FOR THEM..I DONT WORK ANY MORE SO I HAD THE TIME TO WORK WITH THEM AND BELIEVE ME IT WAS HARD , I NEVER LET THEM OUT OF MY SIGHT, I EVEN WENT OUT SIDE EVERY TIME THEY HAD TO GO POTTY, EVEN IN THE SNOW AND RAIN..WHAT I AM TRYING TO SAY IS, IF YOU ARE NOT COMMITTED TO THEM 24-7 DONT GET TWO THE SAME AGE...THEY ARE THE BEST DOGS EVER, THEY PLAY ALL THE TIME AND NEVER FIGHT..I AM NOW IN THE PROCESS OF GETTING A 2YR OLD ..CANT WAIT NOW I HAVE TO FIND OUT WHO TO INTRODUCE THEM TO EACH OTHER..
Hi, I'm in need of a little advice.. Recently my two female (4 and 5 years) dogs have been fighting a lot! the other day I was home alone when they started, I tried to break them up and eventually did, but in doing so suffered some deep bites and scratches on my hand & foot. My dogs have some serious injuries also and we have kept them on their leashes, separately, for the past 2 days. They're let off separately every few hours & kept away from each other for toilet breaks. They have fought 4 times in the last 3 days, and growled at each other & almost started another fight, an additional 3 times. Do you have any ideas on ways we could keep them permanently separate, apart from using dog cages or dividing the yard or giving one away/rehoming? Thanks.
Alexadry you are so knowledgeable, thanks for sharing.
I have a female Chihuahua (Roxy) that is about 5 years old. About 3 years ago I got a female Labridor (Bailey). My dogs sleep on seperate pillow beds at the foot of my bed. Well during the middle of the night Bailey attacked Roxy. And just tonight while I gave the dogs some of my left over dinner Bailey yet again attacked Roxy and was pinning her to the ground and biting her and barking. How do I get my Lab (Bailey) to stop doing this to my Chihuahua (Roxy)? It is scaring me that one day Bailey may Kill Roxy. What should I do?
This new hub should be helpful to you:
http://alexadry.hubpages.com/hub/Why-are-My-Dogs-N
Best wishes!
I have three dogs, 2 females, 1 male.
The females are 1 month apart and the smaller female dog *Papillon* Is getting realy agressive to both male and other female dog *Shes a boxer*
We do not know what todo, Thje female papillon is getting realy mean toward our other female boxer, she growls and causes fights, even bites are her, and the boxer wants to fight back, but we do not want to papillon to get ehr aswell. The boxer is much larger and can easily kill her.
Both were purchased from breeders.
Hello, I have a grandmother, mother, daughter and another daughter, all at different ages and all get along. they do fight if food is near by and sometimes a quarel now and then. On the other hand I used to have a male and a larger dog male who killed him a few days ago. They were both locked up and one climbed into the other. Was so heart breaking. Dogs are animals and you must never think they will get along for ever.
Hi, I have 2 female Staffords - 2 years different in age, the older one is desexed. They have had a couple of 'fights'. They've never drawn blood, it doesn't seem like their mouths connect to the other's skin at all but they make a hell of a noise and we have to pull them apart. I can't really pick why the fights are starting though... Given that they have had a few of these with no injuries, do you expect things will escalate and one (or both) will get hurt?
I have an 8yr old Boxer, Bella, and a 3yr old Great Dane,Radley. Both female. We also have a few males in our four legged family. Recently my Boxer has started picking fights with my Dane out of the blue. This is causing a major melt down with all the dogs at once and huge brawls ensue. I was worried something was wrong with Bella because she is a super sweet dog. I don't want to lose either of tham but they are really worrying me. Any training or diversions you can recommend? It only seems to happen when I am around if they are just with my husband alone they are fine.
Nicole and Stacy, this hub may be helpful for you:
I have 4 pittbulls. mom, dad, and two female pups. they r very good dogs, but lately the one pup is fighting with her mom. at first the mom and pup were very protective over their toy bones. so they no longer get to play with the bones. i dont understand why she is doing this all of a sudden. the dad, mom and one pup wiegh around 70 lbs. the pup that is starting the fights weighs 57. i dont know if it is jealousy? the mom was my boyfriends baby when we got her at 6 weeks. then we got the dad at 6 weeks about 7 months after we got her. they grew up together and had pups almost 2 yrs ago. now the one pup is my boyfriends baby. but i would think the mom would be the one to be jealous? I just want to know what to do. they used to "make up" after they fought but now the pup just watches her mom like she planning her next attack. any suggestions?
Yesm this article is shocking me a bit, i have 2 female Doberman 6 years old and 3 years old. Plus one male Dobe 2 and half years old and a yorkies 4. I always says it;s the dog owner"s fault always. By being the pack leader.. you make sure your order are followed, in our family no fight is allowed and all the dogs( or my babies like i call them) are doing just fine. one advised i can give is.. Make sure a tired dog is a happy dog. lots of excercise. They are like us, If they are stressed.. take your car and make them run ( as you know you can"t walk dobies),a good 10 km, Everybody comes home tired. Nobody have time to fight.. they just want to go nap.
k. long story and I need help the other night, Taz (8mo. lab/pit male) and Pepper(1.5yr husky/aussie spayed female) were play wrestling. Unfortunately, Pepper's jaw got caught on Taz's collar and they were stuck. I immediately ran to help when I heard taz cry. Out of frustration, pepper groaned ( i say groaned rather than growled, cause there was nothing mad about it) and our other dog, Cail (1.75yr lab/beagle spayed female) attacked Pepper. I broke it up and my husband untangled the two. The next morning Cail was still trying to bully pepper and I managed to break up a fight before it started. That night, when letting them out, pepper tried to approach and play with Cail. Cail attacked. Really bad. Pepper's ear had an inch slit in it now right by the head (Don't worry we had a vet take care of it.) Now they cannot be around each other at all without Pepper being terrified to the point of shaking and Cail trying to kill her. Taz just can't figure out why nobody will play with him. I think Cail was trying to protect me in the whole situation, but now I am worried about Cail with Taz. If I go to scold taz for something, Cail will go up to him and start bullying him. Like smacking him with her paws. Is this going to escalade? Is there anything I can do? Will I have to get rid of a dog? If so, which one?
my husband thinks maybe we should get a muzzle for cail, so she can be restrained and at the same time see that it is okay.
Worried, it sounds like Cail is demonstrating ''the hall monitor syndrome'' where she feels the need to correct any behavior that is not appreciated. Make it clear to Cail you do not need back-up, teach the ''off command.' which means ''get out of my space''. You can teach it by saying ''off'' in a stern tone of voice and moving into Cail's space so she knows her help is not needed nor appreciated.
The muzzle may help while you teach order and ''off'' to keep everybody safe. Do you know hoe to introduce it properly?
It is hard to say if things will escalate but it does sound like there is tension and yes, where there is tension, things can potentially get worse. Best wishes.
Thank you so much. I just don't trust Cail anymore. Will I ever be able to scold another dog without her butting in? Also, I do know how to introduce a muzzle properly, I did alot of research today. But will getting the muzzle help her to realize there is no point in correcting the others?
You can scold another dog without her interference if you are consistent and make the rules clear. I own Rottweilers which are a breed prone to the hall monitor syndrome. At first they would get into the way even if a cat was hissing at me or another dog was jumping on me, they had this little tolerance of other pets misbehaving near me or other dogs misbehaving. At times, they still try to intervene but it takes my 'off' and a step towards them to put them in place. It just tells them 'no thank you, your help is not needed!''
The muzzle is just a management tool, it does not teach anything, it is just there for safety sake until better behaviors are taught.
Hi, I was just reading your article ' I am now very scared of what the future will hold for my two dogs! They're two females, jrt cross from the same litter & are now 18 months old. They play rough & both try to jump each other now & again. They cry if separated, sleep together all of the time. We have never seen them have a fight, if we think the rough play is getting too rough we stop them & they stop immediately (I read b4 that if it's a fight u physically have to separate them) after reading the article & some of the comments I'm afraid one day this is all going to change! If we keep a sense of calm between them & stop the rough play will this help eliminate the risk of them turning on each other? We're not planning to get anymore dogs & both of them are spayed since 6 months old. Thank you
Dobe breeder, I would agree with your point about ensuring they're exercised enough that they just want to sleep! The article shocked me too, I'm nervous now about how my girls will get along for the rest of their lives.
Lyndsey, not all female dogs will necessarily fight, but it is good to be aware of this problem. Stopping them from playing too rough is good because it shows them you have control, therefore should they engage in a fight one day, you may have better chances of telling them to stop.
I have a 6 month old spayed female pit and just got asked to adopt a friends 6 month old boxer they are both gentle as can be I have read all your concerns and realize these breeds don't back down from a challenge but I really would love having her as apart of the family please give me some positive feedback (fingers crossed)
Marc, It is in the pitbull standard to be dog aggressive and same sex aggression is very common. According to UKC ''Because most APBTs exhibit some level of dog aggression and because of its powerful physique, the APBT requires an owner who will carefully socialize and obedience train the dog''
http://www.ukcdogs.com/WebSite.nsf/Breeds/American
Nobody can ultimately keep you from taking this new pup home, but you should be ready to learn how to manage them well and you should definitively keep in a corner of your mind that once reached social maturity things can dramatically change and there may be chances you may need to keep them separated and rotate the time you spend with each one of them.
i have two female spayed pitbulls i got one then the second one 9 months later they are both 4 years of age they were never once aggressive towards eachother up untill 2 or 3 months ago and its happening more often and mostly when my boyfriend is home it seems. they arent aggressive towards any people or other dog just eachother.the younger one is so calm and such a ham but she seems to be the more aggressive in this situation ive already took all the toys away i dont get how one minute they are cleaning each others faces and cuddling next to eachother then 20 minutes later all hell breaks loose and after they are seperated its like nothing happend. it breaks my heart because these are my children and but i dont want them to kill eachother and i am now pregnant and cant be dealing with this when i am 7 months pregnant. i was unaware of that you should avoid having two females up untill i looked this up. they are extremely well behaved besides these incidents luckily my parents are animal lovers also and refuse to let me loose one of my kids so i brought the younger one to my parents house. but will time apart do anything for this behavior or any training?
and we have always been people who had the need to show people how loving and friendly our pitties were im totaly heartbroken over this
Jen, as the owner of Rottweilers, I understand your concern about showing how friendly and loving pets pitties are, but this has nothing to do with with how they behave with people. Pitts are wonderful around people. If you read the UKC pitbull breed standard it clearly claims ''Because most APBTs exhibit some level of dog aggression and because of its powerful physique, the APBT requires an owner who will carefully socialize and obedience train the dog''
Now, socialization and training can work somewhat at a certain extent, however many females just don't do well together, especially when they are close in age. Training at this point, would help only by possibly making your dogs responsive to you to prevent fights, but this occurs being on a 24/7 ALERT MODE, never being able to relax. You are doing the right thing, and it is great your family is willing to take one of your dogs. I really don't see how time apart may help the issue. Best wishes and happy holidays.
Good stuff! I think you all are wonderful owmers!
I love. This it's so helpful with my pregnant dog it is wonderful but ugh some peole out there I got an chihuahua and she just gets in fights over food with my other chihuahua and where she wants to. Sleep but she just wants to be an higher rank and she's in heat. The first day. She was in heat, was the first day that the fight started she always growls at my other boxer and chihuahua when I give her an bone too . Thanks.
I need some advice. My husband brought home 2 female lab pups this week. He wanted them to grow up together with our 4 children. I am very worried now. I already see the dominant one, who is doing well with potty training. The other is very quiet & stand off-ish. We are taking them to training (he is taking 1 & I am taking the other), & we plan to separate them in crates. Do I need to get rid of one now before we get anymore attached? I read they should be completely separated for at least 1 year, but this defeats his purpose. We live in the country, so they have open space to run, but how can I not let them play together? They are both getting spayed as well. Is there anything I can do to prevent the fighting from happening? We've had more than 1 dog our whole lives with no problems, but we've never had 2 pups at once. I am worried that something could happen to the kids as well. This was never a thought, until I googled how to train 2 puppies at once! Now I'm stressing! Can someone give me advice please?
Heather, problems are not granted to 100% happen, there are owners who have raised sibling same-sex dogs with no problems. However, it is important to recognize the chances for problems. I would consult with a trainer to assess them and help you train them separately if you are concerned. They can play together, but it should be limited to no more than 1-2 few brief sessions a day. If they spend too much time together there are risks for them to bond and this create problems. However, as they grow they may no longer get along and fights at times may ensue. Consult with your trainer, he/she may see how they behave around each other and may be helpful in making an informed decision. It is hard to predict the future though and be able to tell if they will get along as they grow or not, so it is more a guess, best wishes!
I have two 6 yr old females brought up together since they were puppies (60 lb american bulldog/ lab mix- dominant one and a 40 lb mutt). It wasn't until last year that they had their first big fight. We tried to get them back together, but the more dominant one refused to even look at the other one so we decided to play it safe and keep them apart at all times. I had no idea what this aggression was about until I just read this article.
Last week our house was broken into and when we came home the robbers had let the dogs out - they were both perfectly fine in the same room! So we decided to go with it. Everything was back to normal with the smaller dog being completely submissive and then... one week later a fight broke out yesterday at my mans feet. Thankfully he was able to catch it right away without there being any blood shed.
Anyhow, my question is if we make it a point to establish the more dominant dog as the alpha by petting her first, feeding her first, etc. can we try to get them to co-habitate together as they were? I didn't know about this pack order thing so I can say that I've felt bad at times for the more submissive dog and tried to give her more attention at times. Every time I have I have clearly seen that the bigger dog would get jealous or show some signs of distress. So, I'm guilty to that.
I cannot guarantee it will work but it may make things easier, here is a helpful article full of tips by the dog listener a trainer and behavior expert:
Thanks!
Help i have 1 female staffy and two female staffy cross dogs two of 7 years old and one that is nearly two. The two older dogs get on really well, But i am having problems with the younger one and one of the older ones. I had the younger one from a puppy she was dumped on me by a friend so i said i would take her on. When she hit 8 months old the problems started they had quite a few fights in the space of about 3 months. Then i had her spayed (all so the other two are spayed) all though there has been no fights for a year until this week things had been tense at times. The younger one will stand over the other one when she is eating and try to push her out of the way when she walks past her. The fight they had this week was over my partner throwing a stick which they both went after. It ended up with my older dog going to the vets. Have you got any ideas how i can help defuse the situation between them as it is still rather tense. I feel the younger dog is trying to dominate the older one.
You need to manage resources with these two gals. Feed them in separate rooms and keep toys, food, attention and anything valuable out of reach. You may have to keep them separated for safety sake since your older dog already went to the vet to be treated. Have your older checked by a vet, hearing, sight, senior disorders... many times younger dogs step in when they sense an older dog weakening. Your younger dog very likely is trying to step in, but the older dog is reluctant to submit...this can turn very ugly if you do not separate them, best wishes...
I'm ashamed to say that for someone who knows so much about dogs, the one thing I didn't know was what would happen with an all female pack. I've never had an all female pack before but I do now and am dearly paying the price. My dogs are english mastiffs (try pulling 400 lbs worth of dogs apart, I just about ended up in traction). I have four, yes four females. The two older ones are only 6 months apart, and the two younger ones are from the same litter (yes, I know, too bad I didn't at the time) everything was fine until my male mastiff died last winter and since then its been a nightmare. George always trained the new pups and whenever they started playing rough he'd come and stand over them and they would immediately stop. Here I thought he was just being a fun wrecker, didn't know he was keeping them from killing each other. We can go for months without an incident, but when they happen they are deadly. Luckily we do our own stitching and needling so we don't have expensive vet bills but its only a matter of time as the older one refuses to give way. I've gotten to the point where I'm now putting her at the very back of the pack. She's fed last, let out last, petted last. I have never had an issue over food (they're fed raw and fed side by side) never had a fight over a toy. When the first fight started it was over who got to my son first, so the fights are definitely over alpha position. I can see it already starting in the two younger ones so I am being very careful to maintain the pecking order. Hopefully it works. This last fight there was no one home to stop it and it was so vicious that the alpha female broke her tooth in half. The other had an 8" gaping hole in her chest and another across her throat so you know they're going for the kill. The two younger ones are going to be well over 250 lbs. each so I'd better get it right. We're looking for a new home for the one female as I don't know what else to do. As for not being a strong enough alpha, I am definitely strong enough. If I'm there I have no problem stopping a fight (as long as I'm there when it starts and it doesn't get to the point of no return) and they obey me without hesitation. I've thought about getting a cattle prod but I don't know if that would make the situation worse. I like your idea of an air horn though, maybe I'll try that before I find her a new home and see if that works.
Hi, I have two female dogs one is a Rottweilermix (3) and the other one is a Boxermix (2). Both are not fixed yet. But they get along really good. They are really good dogs and play together very well and they sleep together in our bedroom. But recently I adopted two female puppies from the same litter. They are cockerspanielmix. Unfortunatly my 3year old Rottweilermix is correcting or biting them whenever they come near her. She is not aggressive and she never was, but I'm concerned. Now she is wearing a muscle until I can figure out how I can solve the problem.The puppies are now scared to death whenever she comes. Because today it got a little bloody. I train them and they are sleeping in their crate in different rooms. One is sleeping in my oldest sons room and the other one is sleeping with my other son.In their crates. Can you help me please? I'm really not sure what to do. I thought that puppies are still under puppy lisence.
It is hard to say if your dog is simply ''correcting puppies'' or if there is something more into this, so take my advice with a grain of salt. Generally, you would see ritualized aggression (growling, body postures and symbolic biting)without any actual intent to hurt the pups, when they are put into place. Real aggression is unusual towards puppies. The fact the pups are terrorized of her is suggesting it may be too much. When a puppy is corrected in the right way, she will appear startled for a few seconds and resume activities, yours instead sound terrorized and this is not good for their upbringing. You further mention it got bloody on top of that which further convinces me you are seeing something abnormal. Only time can tell if this is something that can possibly be worked out, I think it is in your best interest to have a trainer/dog behavior specialist take a look to assess the situation. All you can do in the meanwhile is manage (you say you use a muzzle) but if the pups are terrorized, I would keep them in a whole separate room.
I would also seriously consider rehoming the pups unless you are willing to keep the dogs separated for life; with four females in the household, it is hard to imagine everybody getting along together. Best wishes!
Thank you for your answer! I guess I will thinking about it to call a dogtrainer to look at the situation.
But the puppies cried a little but after that they went back to their normal activities. And I don't think that my dog is terrorizing them, she only does that when the puppies come near her. So I guess that's different, because sometimes she goes to them and smells on their buds so I don't think that she is terrorizing her. Maybe you have another solution for me how to handle the situation? I put up some boundries and my Rottiemix can jump over them ot another room so she is be able to go and she is doing it. So is it really that she doesn't like them or something different?
I chose the term ''terroroizing'' from your description ''The puppies are now scared to death whenever she comes''. That does sound like terrorizing them to me, anyhow,your Rottie mix sound oblivious to your commands and jumps over the boundaries which suggests you have little control over her. It is imperative that you teach her the ''off'' and ''leave it command'' and that you gain a lot more control if you are not going to re-home the puppies. The problem here is that she sounds like she had little training and in multi-dog households this is imperative. With no control, it means the dogs must be separated or trouble may ensue. Here is a hub about the leave it command;
http://alexadry.hubpages.com/hub/The-Importance-of
Here is another one:
http://alexadry.hubpages.com/hub/Why-are-My-Dogs-N
If you are giving too much attention to these new puppies, your rottie mix may feel like they are taking over. If you must give them attention, do it out of her sight. The pups were supposed to meet your dogs in neutral grounds and not so suddenly. this creates disruptions in the pack structure. Hope this helps... it is really hard to tell if she is correcting them or if she is acting out aggressively..only an expert coming to your home can ultimately tell..best wishes.
Again thank you for your answer. Well every dog here in this household is trained. And yes she is listening to me very well and she knows already the leave it command. So if she is near the puppies I have to say to her leave it?
And the puppies are not scared anymore I observed them now and they try to get near her again but now I'm a little careful because like I said I don't know if she is correcting them or not, but thank you again. You helped me a lot.
If she is listening to you very well and the puppies are no longer scared it sounds like you have made a lot of progress! You can apply leave it to virtually anything you don't want her to get close to. I use leave it for something I just dropped on the floor, squirrels on the road, etc. When your dog complies to leave it, it helps to reward every now and then with a treat. If you are concerned she gets too near the puppies and you do not trust her, a leave it should work if she knows this command well. Be very cautious. Best wishes.
Thank you very much for your answers you helped me a lot.
I am currently facing this issue. I have a four year old female chihuahua, and about a month ago I decided to get a 6 month old female chihuahua.
I feel so ignorant now, but it never even crossed my mind that my dog would not want to share her space with another dog, especially a female one! I am a huge dog lover and activist, and all I wanted was to give one more homeless dog a loving home. (Both are from shelters)
If I don't keep them separated, my older dog will constantly bully the puppy. She absolutely HATES her. Nothing majorly aggressive, but I certainly have noticed the animosity increase and the bullying getting more intense since the puppy has gotten older and more assertive.
The puppy now feels right at home, and I swear she has started to somewhat challenge my older dog for dominance. She hops on top of her back, and has started to growl and snarl to protect her territory. She basically refuses to submit to my older dog. After reading the posts above, I fear that things are only going to get worse. If it's already getting bad, and the new one is still a puppy, I can only imagine how it will be when they are both adults.
My mom has offered to take the puppy, and I wonder if I should jump at this chance. On one hand, I have grown very attached to her, but my older dog literally hates me now and I fear an escalation in fighting.
Any thoughts?
It is really up to you. Some people choose to live keeping dogs separated all the time and monitoring with eagle eyes every interaction, others rather prefer having dogs live a normal life and decide to rehome one.
I have been dealing with this problem for about a year and a half now. I have two female dogs a jack russel terrier and a border terrier about every 6 months they get into fights and almost every time they have drawn blood. The fights are fairly new to me and our family and they never happened when the dogs were puppies. I got the border terrier 7 and a half years ago and I got the jack russel a year later. Every time a fight occurs it is normally over which dog is getting attention one growls and the other responds in a snarl and before we know it a fight occurs. It is extremely difficult to separate then once they have started. In the most recent one we dumped buckets of water on both of them and they have had no response to it at all. This past fight my border terrier was pinned down by he jack russel and if we didnt separate them she would have killed her. My border terrier got puncture wounds and scratches on the body and we had to take her to the pet emergency. My jack russel terrier is very sweet around our family but not at all good around strangers or anyone she doesn't know. Nobody in our family wants the jack russel and the humane society won't take her. I know taking her to the pound or something is a bad idea but I just want to know if there is something else I should do or know before I go to my last resort in putting her down.
Do you know which dog gets upset if the other dog is pet first, given attention first? I would recommend consulting with a veterinary behaviorist/certified applied animal behaviorist to see the dogs and see what can be done. Any chances you can keep them separated? many households are forced to do so when there is same-sex aggression. Here are is a helpful hub about stopping fights:
actually two female dogs about a month before they are due to come into heat they will get aggressive with the other female due to breeding rights. In the wild the dominant female would get breeding rights same as in the house hold pack. This is how i can tell my female is with in her time a month a head and to separate the females .
I actually wrote a hub specifically about intact female dogs not getting along about a month ago,:
omg i didnt know this i have a ridgeback/curr named Karmaand a pit/jackrussle terrier named Felony...they are 4 months apart...and i have always maintained a calm non aggressive household...i always pet Karma first since she was 1st and tried to keep the peace so she wouldnt get jealous and Felony the 2nd dog follows me like always shes drawn to me...they recently turned 1 1/2 and have twice tried to kill each other.. the 1st time i gave em a few days and a mood stableizer and they were fine then all of a sudden the older one got mad at the younger one and boom they did it again and almost shredded my husbands arm when he broke em up...im soo heart broken and they are seperated now but its almost to the point of giving one of them away....i dont agree its the humans fault cause i have done everything to the letter of raising them good and calm..if any one believes this they OBVIOUSLY havent had the problem we have....but this makes me feel better that i have done steps and its not just our girls its a common real thing..i wish id've known cuase i feel bad subjecting them to this...it sucks to see them in pain after a fight...i am a nurse so ive done steps to scrub and clean wounds and doctor them but looks like spaying them and maybe a diff medicine for mood is in the works and deff seperate yards or new homes..im so sad i feel like a horrible mom for not knowning this earlier...i love my girls like family
It's not you fault, don't blame yourself! Unfortunately, there is not much literature about this and many owners find out just as you did. There are countless owners in your same shoes and the fact that dog trainers and owners that have owned dogs for decades still encounter this issue, is proof that this often has little to do with how the owner has raised them. Since you mention they are not spayed, here is an interesting hub: http://alexadry.hubpages.com/hub/Dog-behavior-Why-
Hi:
I am asking anyone that can, please help!!!
As a child I was never allowed to have "pets", especially dogs! 4 years ago, my husband gave me the best gift ever, a puppy! She is a pitbull. I have had her all this time, and last year I got a blue-nose pit puppy. Also a female. Both have been chipped, spayed, life-insurance, etc...
The problem: I've been noticing that they have been more aggressive with each other the past month or so. My oldest is 4 years, my youngest is 10 months. I've been told that maybe I should re-home my youngest. I love them both, they are like my kids! My question: is there a way to keep them both? If not, how well do pits adapt to "re-homing". Will they not miss each other? How will my oldest adapt to not having her around after having her x 10 months?
A lot of you must think I'm crazy, and I may be...I'm really upset over this. I don't want to give her to someone who is going to fight her, or even put her outside. She is used to lots of attention, sleeping at the foot of my bed, etc...I wouldn't be able to sleep knowing she's out there somewhere not knowing if she's hungrey, cold, alone, etc...Please someone help me! They are more than "just dogs", they are to me anyway.
What you are seeing is not that unusual. Many in your same situation keep both dogs but this often translates into lots of management (ie rotating the dogs, keeping them separated) If you rehome one they may miss each other at first, but when dogs fight there is often a lot of stress and they may not live to their full potential. If you need to rehome look for a rescue that puts a lot of emphasis on placing the dogs in loving homes. Best wishes!
ocbill 3 years ago
very true territories are always established..