When Two Female Dogs In The Household Are Fighting

When applied animal behaviorists get together, we are all looking for new information and ideas so that we can always meet our collective goal of improving the relationships between people and animals. At every conference I have ever attended, there are two questions that remain unsatisfactorily answered for many of us. One of these is: Does anyone have any new ways to try to pill a cat? The other is: Has anyone tried anything new and successful for treating aggression between two female dogs living in the same home? Out of all the behavior problems that I see, this particular issue is the one at which my success rate for solving the problem is the lowest, and this is the experience of every other behaviorist I know. There are several ways to approach this problem, but it is important to know that solving this problem involves a big commitment of time and energy, and that there are no guarantees.

The problem must be recognized before it can be improved. The signs that could indicate that there is a serious problem between one or more dogs in a household are many. They include: One dog regularly pushing another aside for attention, guarding food or toys from one another, the dogs are frequently up on their back paws while playing, the dogs are watching each other intensely or giving each other hard stares, the dogs maintain stiff postures when around each other, one dog bullies another by taking away all the toys and bones, one dog slinks around the house avoiding another dog or is kept from moving certain places in the house by that dog, the dogs threaten each other with growls, tooth displays and snapping or the dogs are actually fighting with each other.

Fights between female dogs in the same household are among the most injurious and long lasting. Fatalities can even occur, since many of the worst fights go on so long with neither party doing anything to stop the aggressiveness. In cases in which fights or other aggressive tendencies are occurring between members of the same household, it is essential that steps be taken to prevent any subsequent injuries and to protect and maintain a high quality of life for both dogs and humans. Each case is unique and therefore the specific treatment must be customized, but some general strategies apply. When dogs are having trouble getting along to the point of exhibiting aggressiveness within the household, treatment involves three approaches.

The first strategy is to manage the situation for safety so that there are not opportunities for threats, fights, or injuries. Such management may include walking dogs individually, feeding them separately, and taking away objects such as bones or rawhides that cause conflict. Avoiding trouble in these or other ways is not a cop out, but rather an active training tool that helps keep dogs out of the habit of performing unacceptable behavior. Prevention is an essential part of the process because every fight is a huge setback that only makes the problem worse and harder to change.

The second strategy is to teach all of the dogs that the way to get what they want in the house is to be polite and patient rather than being pushy and demanding. If you consistently reinforce polite, respectful behavior, the dogs exhibit more of it. Conversely, when the rude, disrespectful behavior is not reinforced, less of it will happen.

The third strategy is to work extremely hard so that every dog in the household becomes rock solid at performing basic behaviors on cue. In a house with any tension that could lead to aggression, there can be no trace of the attitude that, “Oh well, maybe she’ll listen and do it right next time.”  That way of thinking is a luxury that exists only in households completely free of aggression and any possibility of it occurring. The cues that dogs must be able to respond to in any situation no matter how many distractions exist are “Sit,” “Down,” “Stay,”  “Wait,” “Come,” “Back Away” and “Leave It” (which many trainers call “Off.”)

For now, this three-pronged approach is the best we’ve got. Hopefully, trainers and behaviorists will continue to try new techniques that will make resolution of the problem of two female dogs fighting in the home a more frequent occurrence.

-- Karen London

Comments

[Shelley Henkel]

i have three dogs currently. a jack russel that is 5, a miniature dashhound that is about 2, and an african boerboel pup that is alsmost 4 monthes old. we used to have 2 large outside dogs and just the jack russel, then my daughter got he weiner dog for her birthday. all was good. both of our large dogs passed away that summer, leaving just the two small dogs. they had gotten along this whole time. winter came and we got our youngest daughter the pup for christmas, and he is currently an inside dog untill he is old enough to stay out in the night. this was december. it is now the end of january and our two female dogs are starting to fight quite aggresively. our oldest dog is coming out on the bottom every time, yet the problem is still present, and the injuries are becoming quite serious. we sepereate them when they begin, yet we have no idea what the problem is, and our male pup seems to be stuck in the middle. advice? could the new pup have anything do with it?

[cynthia reeves]

i hae two female dogs both from eight weeks old westie and jack russel wetie is 14 months jack is 10 months all was fine untill two months ago westie has been spayed,jack cant get done untill feb it was so bad with the fighting i got the jack up for rehoming she went to a sanchary for 3 weeks,but i felt so guilty and upset for what i had done,i pleaded to have her,it has been fine for 3 days and last night it started again and in srperating them i got bitten twice,i seperated them for 2 hours and they wanted to play again so i let them back together all was fine i was on edge all evening,following day appear ok this evening i could see the looks they were giving each other it was only a matter of time before they kicked off again,so i have seperated them again,i just dont know what to do for the best can any advise.

[Kate]

This is a very interesting topic for me as I work with many different dogs daily. My most recent experience actually involved my 2 females. they had been brought into the house 3 days apart and were both young- 6 and 7 months old. Initially they were kenneled separately, but as they grew I knew I had to make a change. I purchased a kennel too large for one dog and decided to kennel them together. My vet had said she had no problem doing this with her dogs. All was fine when the two were crated, but issues arose when they were fed and when toys came out. I was at a loss. However, realizing the behavior began when they were kenneled together, I simply kept one dog in the crate and placed the larger in the kitchen with a gate put up. Amazingly, this worked!! I think that studying the circumstances around each behavior change allows us to look for answers in simple changes. Or maybe it was just luck!

[Cil]

I have two mixed female dogs, mother and daughter, so yes they have been raised together, have trained them both very well to no avail, they would fight till death if I allowed, thank goodness I was raised with pits and rotties, "never get in between if anything get behind, so sometimes there is nothing you can do but seperate for some time. and yes they have only faught with me around. females are vicous, my dogs have been trained since six weeks old, seperatly they obey. so out of 30 yrs raising dogs of all breeds does anyone have any suggestions that I don't know
?

[tammi]

oh lord have mercy. I have two female australian cattle dogs who want to kill each other. Then, right after they brawl and almost kill each other, they sit down next to each other and within 4 hrs. are playing again. Are they just nuts?

[barbara garrett]

Been there, done that. Never again. Tried to move my dominant Boxer female into a household with a dominant black Lab female. Fight after horrible fight ensued until finally I got it through my thick head that it simply wasn't ever going to work and I moved out. Males will fight and establish dominance and move on; females will fight to the death.

[Chris Badenhorst]

Hi, I have a two y/o female Jack Russel Dutchund crossing and have just adopted what looks like a Labrador Jack Russel cross witch is also female, the puppy is approx. two to three months old, will they ever fight if raised as friends?
Thanx!
Chris B.

[jefree pop]

I have a albino pit / yellow lab mix 3 1/2yrs(bella) and a Brindle american pit 1yr(mija) . Both are female and i also have a third dog and he's male(porkchop) .The two females have been getting into brutal fights lately. I VE noticed this happening since mija had gotten her period. I wanted to know if hormones had anything to do with this? I want to get her fixed and see if it will help the situation. bella is fixed and so is pork chop. He pretty much stays clear when this happens , and he never nurses either one. I do keep the girls separeted for the night and re-introduce them in the morning and they seem a little on edge but they get along ok . Is this acceptable?

[boris]

i have a 2 year old pitbull, and now i adopted a 1 y/o pitbull also...both females. the dog i already had BELLA keeps attacking the new member Genimi... i would really like for 2 of them to get along... the main problem is bella. she keeps attacking gem even tho gem wants to play only..
how should i approach this issue...also my gf keeps babying bella ... every time she walks her its a hastle she keeps pulling the leash on the other hand i walk gem and shes always next to me and never pulls... also gem gives me an eye contact every 30 sec to a min and keeps walking next to me... no pulling... while bella is all over the place... also my dog sleeps in the cage ... bela is allowed in the bed... i kick her out but she menages to get beck in... i think that the weak link is my gf in all this cuz she favores bella ...
what can i do to get those 2 dogs to get along??... and btw Gem was scheduled to be put down cuz she "looks mean" with cropped ears but shes just a sweethart. thats why i adopted her trying to save her life.

[calmassertiv]

Let's blame your failure to control the dogs on the fact that they're both female. Or that they're both young. Or that they're both from shelters. Or that they're both purple. Or anything except that you have no idea how to control the behavior of even the smallest pack of dogs. Do you tell the people you charge professionally that you are so void of knowledge, or do you tell them week after week of useless expensive visits that 'these things take time'?

Dogs living together get along perfectly well regardless of age, sex, breed, past history, etc, as long as the owner steps up to the role of top dog. Owners who shy away from this responsibility and let 'dogs be dogs' for whatever misguided reason are just inviting one of the dogs to step into the role, and it all goes downhill from there. Blaming the dog is a bogus rationalization for the abdication of leadership exhibited by the owner, for whom the dogs then rightly have no respect.

Not all behaviorists are as clueless as the author of this article. Owners seeking help should not hire people who blame the dog for the problem. Professionals seeking greater knowledge should not waste time hanging out with others equally unqualified as it only reinforces their own ignorance.

[plastcbrane]

I have a female Boston Terrior,and she does not get along well at all with our other female mut. There have been fights, and me and my son have been in the middle and been bitten. So, I dont advise getting another puppy. Although I do not know if this is common behavior.

[Veselina]

Hello,we allready have a female boston terier(10 months)in the house and I would like to know if I get a female puppy how she will accept it?
Thank you!

[Randall Johnson]

When it comes to having two female dogs living under the same roof, my experience has been just the opposite. Goldie (English cocker spaniel, 10) and Suzie (miniature pinscher, 4, former street dog) get along very well. They respect each other---and each other’s space, which can be very important in any relationship.
However, when Suzie decided to ‘adopt’ me, I wasn’t quite sure how Goldie would react because, up to then, she had been an “only child”. In the beginning, Goldie ignored Suzie. When Suzie tried to initiate play or otherwise engage her attention—and she did so often--, Goldie would literally turn her back and walk away. Sometimes, she’d leave the room and, at other times, she’d jump up on the sofa or lie down under the dining room table. Either way, the message, although nonverbal, was very clear.
On two widely separate occasions, Goldie briefly attacked Suzie and pinned her to the ground. As far as I could see, Suzie had done nothing to trigger the attacks; they appear to have been spontaneous. After that, I had the impression that Goldie had asserted her dominance, her No. 1 position in the family pack, and afterwards, there were no further overt acts of aggression. Every once in a while, Goldie will mount Suzie, perhaps as a reminder of “who’s the boss”; otherwise, their relationship is harmonious.
I know a few other multiple-dog families that include either two males or two females and their owners claim that they also get along well.
In terms of aggression, I’ve witnessed a handful of incidents involving two males, but overall, I’d have to say I’ve seen more examples of canine camaraderie, or even neutrality, than canine aggression. Clearly, there are other factors in their social behavior that need to be identified and/or better understood. Like their human caretakers, dogs are not easily explained by formulae.