Re: Female aggression towards male

In Reply to: Female aggression towards male
Category:   Aggression
Posted by:  John Fischer
Posted on:  April 21, 2002 at 22:47:09

: We have a male (1 yr. 3 mo.) and a female (11 mo.) that have gotten along well until yesterday, when our girl, Maggie, started picking fights with the boy, Jackson. Is this showing a switch in dominance? This aggression is extremely heavy and worries us, since we love each of these dogs very much and don't want to get ready of either. Any advice?

: Thanks,
: John

Response:

Hi John,

It sounds like your female is now showing her dominance. The best way to keep this under control is to now make her the "alpha" of the two.

The worst thing you can do is baby the male because you feel sorry for him. This can lead to more aggression on her part.

Start to feed her first, give her treats first, pet her first, etc. This will tell her you acknowledge her status between the two and that should help alleviate any fights. If both have "alpha" type personalities you may end up having to keep the two separate, but if the male is willing to take the "omega" role, and you enforce this hierarchy, things should settle down.

If these dogs are not spayed and neutered I strongly suggest doing so if you aren't into conformation showing.

Regards,
Marie