Agressiveness between females

[melissajl2000]

We have two female boxers. Kaycee will turn 1 this month and Baylee is a rescue but we think she is between 3 and 4. Well we got the last boxer, Baylee, in September and she suddenly had a litter in November. Now that all the puppies are gone, Kaycee has become very agressive towards Baylee. To the point that at feeding time tonight, Kaycee knocked the bucket I was carrying the food in out of my hand and proceeded to bloody Baylee's leg and nose. I am very concerned about this because I worry about Baylee's safety and we have a three year old daughter. Please let me know if you have ever had this problem. I would hate to get rid of Kaycee, but our safety must come first.

Melissa in TX

 

[armycop]

First of I take it that Baylee is the aggresive dog. This is normal for 2 females t fight, it's just like 2 males. The are fighting for the Alpha position. You can help by feeding them seperatly. Feed the more agresive dog first then the other. This lets the other dog know whos the leader. Also when you go to pet, walk,ect.. always do what ever to the dog you determine is the Alpha dog. This helps reensure whos the leader.

 

[Tina-SCBR-NY]

I have two females and a male and they do not fight. I also foster a lot of female dogs and most of the time they do not fight with my females or the male. This is not saying I haven't had a few scuffles, I have.
Sometimes females fight and sometimes males fight but also males and females will fight. They are animals and it does happen.
Is this the only time she behaves like this, dinner time?
I would feed them in separate areas of the house.
If I have a foster I do keep my older girl away from them at feeding time as she does not like anyone near her food.
it is not uncommon for a dog to be food aggressive.
Also do you feed them once a day or 2x a day? Sometimes it helps a dog to be able to eat more than once a day to help keep that grumpy "I'm hungry " feeling away.
If this is her only fault I think you should be able to work it out even if it means putting them in seperate rooms while getting the food ready and feeding them.
Good Luck.

 

[Brutus and Amaya's Mom]

I would suggest you do some reading on domiance. I read "How to speak Dog" by Stanley COren. It explains how dogs communicate and what their body language means. This will help you understand why the dogs are fighting and what you can do.

Which ever dog is alpha needs to be reassured it is on top. It should be fed first, outside first, pet first etc. It seems goofy to people but makes perfect sense to the dogs. We follow those rules in my house with Bru and Amaya and they never battle for rank. If you have 2 dominant dogs this may be more difficult but the book will help.