Two Females

[GnRMom]

Hi
I have a couple of questions. I am about 5 days away from getting my second boxer.Ginger my first one turned 2 yrs. old this past January. The puppy will be about 7wks when I get her. So there will be a two year difference between them. I have read that having two females together that they will fight and not get along. I have also read that if there is some age difference between them then there should not be much of a problem. Which is it? Does it just depend on the temperment of both dogs? We already plan to make sure that Ginger does not get pushed aside once there is a new puppy in the house. Thank you in advance for any advice given.

 

[gmacleod]

Hi
I have read that having two females together that they will fight and not get along. I have also read that if there is some age difference between them then there should not be much of a problem.

Both, to some extent - though the former statement is closer to the truth.

Not every milti-bitch combination fights. And the chances of it are lowest when there is a large differential between the relative status of the two bitches. That differential is more likely to occur if they are not close together in age. It is far from guaranteed, but it is more likely.

That is the only thing age is going to do for you though. If yours are amongst the relatively high proportion of co-habitating bitches that do end fighting, then in about 2 years time, you'll know about it (it's rare for two bitches to fight whilst one is still a puppy - you've got to wait until the younger reaches maturity to find out whether or not they'll be able to co-exist).

The big problem with bitch fighting isn't actually frequency (though it does happen more often with multi-female combinations than any other). The big problem is severity - bitches will fight to kill. And just to add to the heartbreak, you don't even get to know if it's going to happen until you've had both dogs for at least 2 years. You should, of course, be on the lookout for any posturing signals long before then - fighting doesn't actually break out suddenly. It only seems sudden because we people aren't looking for or really even aware of the subtle posturing that takes place in the months prior.

 

[MyIsabelle]

Well I guess I am the exception. I have Isabelle who will be two tomorrow, I have had her since a pup. I have Gracie, a rescue, she is 3 years old. These two are like sisters, they clean each other's face, sleep together and oh yeah play play play play. Gracie is agressive towards other dogs, I am sure it is because she was never socialized. We seen to think she was in a cage most of her life due to the spots on her elbows. The play rough, they both make noise, growling, barking but in 7 months not one of them have yelped from pain or have they had any injuries. Isabelle (75 pounds) is submissive and Gracie (55 pounds) is dominate. They are go cute together. I am positive that they will never turn on each other. They do everything together always looking to see where the other one is.
They eat together, side by side and both know that they cannot eat the other ones food. You do have to set boundaries for them. They both need their space so to speak. They play ball together, Isabelle catches the ball and Gracies takes it out of Isabelle's mouth, bring it to me and then we start all over again.
I wish you many happy days of watching your girls play and bond together. Maybe I am lucky since they both have such different personallities.
Good luck and many many fun filled moments with you babies.

 

[gmacleod]

You might be the exception (and there are plenty of exceptions). But really, how can you tell? Your youngest bitch is only just now approaching the age when bitch fighting tends to become an issue... It is extremely rare for fights to occur before the youngest is mature - which happens somewhere between 2-4 years of age. As said above, that's the real heartbreaker about bitch fighting - it doesn't start whilst anyone is a puppy, so most people have had both dogs for at least 2 years before finding out there's a problem.

If there are still no problems in 2 years time (and hopefully there won't be ), then you can probably be fairly sure that your two will continue to live in harmony.

 

[SILLY6PAK]

I have 7 females and know tons of people with multiple females with no problems. When there is a problem it is a HUGE problem. Females will fight until death. My girls are fine overall but if I were to PLAN a family of dogs I would play it safe and have oppisite sexes.

 

[BrindleKYLA]

I have 7 females and know tons of people with multiple females with no problems. When there is a problem it is a HUGE problem. Females will fight until death. My girls are fine overall but if I were to PLAN a family of dogs I would play it safe and have oppisite sexes.

any advice for helping two females to work out? I have a 1 year old boxer/lab mix and a 5 1/2 month old boxer.......both have been spayed and seem to get along fine so far..........

Thanks........
Robb

 

[SILLY6PAK]

I am somewhat lucky that only one female is overly dominant. That is Hope. Abby is also dominant but in a stable way and is very much the alpha. Even though I am a very quiet laid back person I have rules for the dogs. I think it keeps order.
Abby eats first.
All dogs are in a down stay before they eat.
No jumping
Since I know Hope wants to start something then I am vigilent with her. I correct her for small looks. She loves the sholder blocks or pawing Mia. I read that was dominant so I correct her. Since I am not much for "punishment" my corrections are doing some command drills or staying in a down stay until all the dogs have their treats or have left to play.
I guess I just constantly let them know I am boss. It takes their attention off one another and on to me.

My friend has 3 female labs with no discipline and no trouble. I think it just depends on how strong of personalities you have as to how strong a leader you need to be.

 

[MyIsabelle]

I agree Silly6pack. If they know who is the leader then they behave and have stability in their lifes. I think it depends on the owner and how they interact with the babies. We have to remember they are dogs and we can control them. If they tend to fight then they are not be controlled or trained as they should be. I am sure there are exceptions to this if there is a real strong personality in one of the dogs, but that should be known before getting another female. The owner should know his or her dog and respond accordingly. You cannot just let them interact without supervision that is asking for trouble whether it is female, female or male female or male, male. We have to be responsible owners to protect our dogs and other people. Female and female with training ans supervision should be no problem at any age. They have to know who is the leader.

 

[BrindleKYLA]

Thanks......neither of them seem to be overly aggressive from what i can see so far..........they seem to give and take (both are submissive once in a while) when they are playing......the play looks a little rough at times, but there is never any yelping or blood, no one gets hurt..........after playtime/exercise they both come in the house and sleep with/on each other..........there are no problems when eating........the only problem is some resource gaurding with toys/bones............

Robb

 

[BrindleKYLA]

and what exactly am i looking for posturing wise?