5 1/2 yr old acting out towards 1 yr old

[Brookesmami]

I love my brookie, she is my heart but today. man today was rough. We got Anabelle last fall, she is intact (no signs of a heat yet either). Brooke is fixed and has never had a heat. When the puppy was younger, brooke would correct her but immediately lay off when I told her to.

fast forward to today. Im newly pregnant (not sure how much this affects things but Ive heard dogs can tell) and my husband has been out of town for a week. He came home for the weekend, and was hugging me before he left. We were outside. Anabelle stays on a lead because her recall isnt very good yet, but brooke has free roam. Hubby was holding me and asking for a kiss when brooke tore into anabelle who was no where near us. She pinned anabelle and starting biting her in the face and jowels. I called her off three times with no success, and (im ashamed to say it) I hit her twice trying to stop the fighting. The whole time anabelle was in submissive position on her back crying. My husband finally put brooke in a choke hold and the still didnt let go! she finally dropped the pup when he wouldnt let her go. There isnt a mark on brooke, anabelle didnt try to fight back at all. I love both my girls so much that rehoming either one is out of the question. How can I fix this?

I want to add, most of the time they play together just fine.

 

[tinshee]

Goodness! You and I had similar afternoons! :( My post is just below yours "Bad day".

And, interestingly, I'm also 6w pregnant... hmmm.

I don't have any suggestions, but just wanted to sympathize!

 

[Brookesmami]

brooke has always been "my" dog. very attached to me. I wonder if it was just jealousy and since Im very obviously the alpha as is my husband she took it out on the puppy. and if the fact that Im pregnant is making her more protective? I know the pup has begun to be more attached to me and wanting to lay with/on me. she has always been a bit aloof.

when are you due? Im due december 30th

 

[gmacleod]

I think you need to treat this as a potentially very serious problem (and even more so since you're pregnant - two bitches fighting around a small baby is potentially disasterous), and get some help from a behaviourist *immediately*.

You should also have your younger bitch spayed immediately. Do NOT wait for her to have a heat cycle - there's no going back after that occurs.

Bitch fighting in boxers is notorious - and the reason why it is not recommended to have two bitches. That is the combination most likely to have trouble, but it is trouble that only occurs once the youngest bitch reaches maturity (hence the above, do NOT wait for her to have a heat cycle, as that is certainly maturity). So of course, the dogs get along perfectly well as long as one is a puppy... but it's all on once they're both adults. What you need to know here is that bitch fighting is not just about jealousy or dominance or anything as minor and simple as that. When bitches fight, it is not just to be "top dog" - it is to get rid of the other bitch, and that very rapidly can turn into fights to the death. This is the reason that two bitches is not recommended, and why many breeders and most rescues will not allow a bitch to be rehomed into a family that already has one.

I know the above sounds alarming - but it is not safe to think of any fighting between bitches as "acting out" or a bit of jealousy that might be elevated because of your pregnancy. The likelihood is that it is none of those things, but rather the start of a very serious problem - and one that is very difficult to overcome. Hence, you should get a behaviourist (NOT a trainer, but a behavioural modification specialist) in to help you nip this one as near to the bud as you can. If it goes further, it may very well not be possible to resolve - in which case, your options are permanent separation of the dogs within your home, or else rehoming one of them. In the meantime, you should keep them separated (i.e. not loose in the same room).

There is a sticky thread at the top of this forum entitled "aggression issues" - it's not aimed at bitch fighting specifically, but it does have some very good links in it that can help you to locate a behaviourist. DO get someone in to help you asap - it's a difficult issue to overcome, and near-impossible all on your own. There are also many threads on the forums about bitch fighting that you'd find with a search, in case reading about others' experiences can help.