i have 4 dogs,2 males,2 bitches. both dogs have been neutured but the bitches havent. 1 of the males is 10 and the other is 7yrs old. the 7yr old has attacked the older one quite badly and im taking him to the vets tomorrow. one of the bitches has just come into her first season so i wonder if thats why he attacked him,trying to be dominent over him,but what can i do to stop this happening again? one of the bitches is 9 so i dont want to have her spayed unless she really needs it and the other one will be spayed next year. any suggestions??
2006-06-21 07:14:52 · 24 answers · asked by noname 2 in Pets ➔ Dogs
Keeping males and females is always a srouce of problem especially when you have two males competing for a female! Yes they have been neutered but can still recognize the sent emanating from her.
If you look at wolf studies, you'll see that, as the alpha dog grows older, younger wolves fight to take his place. They want to change the hierarchy, become 'the' leader of the pack.
That's what's happening with your dogs. I'm afraid your young dog needs to be reminded firmly that, and although his day will come when he'll be number 2 (You are number one, not your dogs), Attacking the older dog is unacceptable to you and thus will be punished.
Indeed your older dog needs treatment for his wounds. Younger male should be dealt with. Act before he attacks. You should be able to tell by his growl and body language that he is challenging the older dog. As soon as you notice any threatening behaviour, call your younger dog to you, gently but firmly. Remove him from the other dogs, leave him on his own for a while and only reintroduce him on a leash so that you can have control over him, show him you are the main person, the leader of the pack, not him. Keep him on the leash for a while, wait until he settles down then unleash him. Should he show warning signs of attacking again then remove him again! And so forth until he behaves.
You should keep him apart from the older dog at night as well. Was he to launch an attack it might be too late for you to save your older dog (By the time you woke up and realised they were fighting).
You ask if neutering both females would help but i'm sorry to say it sill not. It's too late now as your younger dog has already decided he wants to be the main dog! So you must be firm and show all 4 dogs that you remain the top dog.
Should you find it difficult, then consult a canine behaviourist (Dog psychologist) who will be able to help you.
Best wishes
2006-06-21 22:08:38 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 0⤋
Have a chat with your vet; you could spay the younger female and just use canine contraceptives on the older. I understand how you feel about putting her through an op at 9, that's old for some breeds and middle aged for others so its up to you.
As for spaying, its not complication free. Spaying will prevent unwanted pups, and remove the risk of pyometra; but it also increases the dominance of the female. If she is already dominant it can aggravate behaviour problems so its not a cure all. It will also upset the balance in a pack, and there may be squabbles as they all sort themselves out. Neutering a male reduces his dominance and I'm afraid many people still believe that it has the same effect on females.
Your vet will be able to advise about that. I'm also adding the link to the Association of Pet Behaviour Therapists, they deal with this kind of thing all the time.
Basically you are going to have to reinforce the dominant dogs position in the pack; so he gets fed first, gets the most fuss and so on and you need to be a bit more off hand with the less dominant dog. Hopefully that will help make the dominant dog feel more secure and less likely to attack. But for this to work you also need to be the alpha pack member!
Unfortunately the younger dog may just be taking advantage of the fact that the 10 year old is getting on and no longer able to maintain his position, seems unfair but that's just the way dogs settle these issues. Hopefully now they've had it out it'll no longer be an issue. It may be an idea to seperate them at your females next heat although the dominant dog should not just be shoved out in a kennel while the other is allowed access to the house or the females, he'll feel like his status is being challenged and he may feel the need to flex his muscles again.
2006-06-21 11:21:44 · answer #2 · answered by sarah c 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have ten dogs - 3 male and 7 female - the females always get a bit risky when on heat and I have to seperate them. The boys always get slightly more aggressive and boisterous.
It most probably is to do with the bitches being in season therefore you will need to seperate them as best you can - an indoor cage always works well - and when they are all together they should be supervised to prevent any injuries.
Spaying may or may not help as my 8 year old female is spayed - all my boys are - but she is the one that still gets urges and hassles the boys when she is in season. So it really is different for every dog and I wouldn't put the 9 year old through the trauma of an op at her age when it might make no difference.
2006-06-22 01:16:53 · answer #3 · answered by barneyboomagoo 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Alot of this could be dominance.. In a pack there is always an alpha male and alpha female. Since your bitches are intact, there may be some of that going on. Do you notice this more when the females are in heat? Even though your males are neutered they are going to fighting over who is in charge. I had two females that were both fixed and they nearly killed eachother.. It got to the point where one had to be adopted to a different family, with no other dogs. My advice to you would be to try and locate a different family for one of your dogs.. I know its hard and it seems somewhat upsetting, but if they are attacking this badly they probably won't stop until one backs down or is killed. If you can keep them seperated that is another option.. But also not always the best life for one or the other. Since you have 4 it may be ideal to keep a male with a female and the other male with the other female so both have company and are not aggressive with eachother. You may also consider having the younger female spayed sooner.. Though I doubt it will solve any of your problems at this point.
Leann- that is not always the case.. Males can live quite happily with other males and the same for females as long as they know their place in the "pack"
2006-06-21 07:18:45 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's a dominance issue. Your females will be FINE being spayed at an older age. If anything this will prolong their lives. Dogs get a little crazy when females in season are around. The best thing you can do is to get your females spayed. Check with your local shelter. Many times they offer a spay/neuter clinic which is often more economical than a regular vet. I would keep your boys separated most especially when you are not home. You could walk in to a blood bath one day. I couldn't live wtih myself if this happened.
2006-06-21 07:38:48 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You should of gotten the bitches spayed after theyre first season, it can cause huge problems if they are not spayed. Not only have u already witnessed the first problem - i./e your male dogs - they will litterealy fight to the death if a female is in season - ive seen this happen.
Plus is asking for your bitches to get cervial problems if they are not going to be used for puppies. If increases the risk of uterine problems and your dogs could die.
9 is no way too old to get a dog spayed. we got our dog from a rescue centre and she was spayed there when she was 10!
2006-06-22 21:03:08 · answer #6 · answered by Hannah 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
u have to set the boundries and make the most dominant dog the boss even if it is younger than the other dogs.you can start by feeding them separatly.one at a time from the same dish.the most dominant dog goes first then the next one and so on.You have got to let the other dogs see this happening and u hav 2 stick with it.small things like this can make a huge difference.my dogs no not to even look at the food untill the other has finished or untill i tell them that he has had enough.cos at the end of the day u are their master.
2006-06-23 00:34:42 · answer #7 · answered by Grace C 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it is definately fighting over the female. Have her spayed in three months after her season. That is the best time to do it. Separate the girl in season, she shouldn't be around male dogs during her heat. It sounds mean, but it goes with the territory. Its the only way to calm the fighting down.
2006-06-21 07:46:16 · answer #8 · answered by wolfstorm 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Have the females neutered. It's better for everyone. It lowers their cancer risks. It prevents "accidents". There is just no need for a pet owner to be keeping adult unfixed dogs. You can get discounted spaying if you contact your local shelter or rescue league. Why wait?
Since the males have been good up until now, I suspect the heat triggered the dog fight.
2006-06-21 07:17:53 · answer #9 · answered by Funchy 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You should always spay yourdogs! Unless you are a breeder. If you were a breeder you would know that some times having more then 2 dogs can be trouble. They will act like a pack, just like they did in the wild
2006-06-21 07:31:59 · answer #10 · answered by head_redgirl 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋