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I haven't been on this forum in a while for a variety of reasons, but here I am again and I need some help .
I have 2 female pit bulls/pit bull mix. One is 9 and the other is about 3-4 (we can't be sure). We brought the younger one in almost 2 years ago from the street and after the initial scuffles, the 2 females got along fine. In fact, they really adore each other. If we're home, they are always together. They play and snuggle and sleep on each other. When we're not home, they are separated.
Tonight we (people) were snacking on some cheese and crackers and suddenly the dogs broke out in a fight. This is not common between them, but it does happen from time to time. We did the usual and separated them physically, waited 5-10 minutes, then brought them together again.
Any other time this has happened, they immediately "make up" and we all move on - it is over. But not tonight. Tonight, the younger female approached the older one to "make up" and the older one would have none of it, she turned her head away and started a low growl. So a second fight .
We then brought them out into the backyard to give them some more space and again the younger one wanted to make up but the older one just tolerated her presence. Back in the house, a fight erupted again. They just charge at each other. It's rapid fast and it's ugly .
So now, the older female is in our bed and seems content while the younger one is at the gate of the hallway waiting for the other dog. It seems to me she is forlorn over not being with her buddy, but I can't be sure. Maybe she wants to eat her .
I know dogs always need to make up quickly after a fight so we're very concerned about this. We live in a little bungalow, so these 2 need to get along, there's not a lot of space to separate them.
We're thinking we'll take them for a late walk in a little bit and maybe that will help them bond again? Other ideas???
Riveree - your girls breed, like most of my dogs breed (rottweiler) are known for having some same sex dog to dog aggression - and at our house, we always keep in mind that saying that "males fight to prove a point, females fight to their death".
If I were you - I'd likely treat these two females as if they cannot ever be together without a fight breaking out - so you are always in that mindset when the girls are with you at the same time. There is a really good read on a rottweiler board that I frequent - I'm not sure I can post it here - but it's about raising two females and having them fight.....here is the link in case it is okay - and if the moderators remove it I completely understand -
http://www.rottweiler.net/forums/behavior/43753-*****-fights-raising-two-adult-*******.html (broken link)
While this is specifically about two female rottweilers - i believe it could likely apply with pit bulls too....I also believe only you the owner can truly know if your two females will be safe with one another again. The scary part here is these are large strong dogs, and one of you could be seriously injured trying to break them up.....I hope you've also invested in a break stick or prod to assist in the future.
Good luck - you might have read that we live with two male rottweilers that must live separated in our home, or all hell breaks loose. It can be done - but it takes diligence and we are constantly calling out "where's Link?", before moving the other guy.....but it's how we keep them both safe.
We took them for a brief walk since I made the post. Thought it would wear them out a bit and clear their minds. We all came back in the house, leashes on, and headed for the backyard and set them loose. Everyone took care of "business" and then we went back inside. There's still tension, but they're in the same room with us right now.
The younger is at my feet on a dog bed and seemed anxious but finally laid down and is napping. Then older one is on the couch with my husband and she's also napping. They are both on alert though at the smallest stir .
The younger one got stung yesterday by a wasp or a bee of some sort in the backyard. She really freaked out and was trembling hard for a good 20 minutes. It almost seemed like a post-traumatic-stress thing with her. She was very traumatized and torn up when we found her so she is a dog that can get spooked sometimes. I wonder if she appeared "weak" to the other female yesterday after the wasp sting event?
Either way, I've just never had to deal with this kind of long term mistrust between them before. I can't imagine doing the crate-and-rotate as you do (though I commend you for doing what needs to be done). I hope this is all forgotten about in the morning .
p.s. The link didn't work for me (page not found).
I think the sting could indeed be the root cause of problems. The one who got stung was 'off" in some way to the other girl. Some dogs just don't take kindly to differences in their playmates or routines. I'm sure you know people like that, we just don't bite each other! I'd give them lots of time to calm down and watch very carefully, and separate them when you aren't right there. Good luck and nice to see you back!
I think the sting could indeed be the root cause of problems. The one who got stung was 'off" in some way to the other girl. Some dogs just don't take kindly to differences in their playmates or routines. I'm sure you know people like that, we just don't bite each other! I'd give them lots of time to calm down and watch very carefully, and separate them when you aren't right there. Good luck and nice to see you back!
It's a full moon too .
Everyone is in sleep mode now so maybe this is over. I really worry about how this will be as years pass. Will it get worse as my 9 year old ages and weakens? Ugh.
I've mentioned DAP to my husband before, maybe it's time we try that. Maybe Rescue Remedy too.
Thanks for the welcome back SouthernBelle . I'll check in tomorrow and if anyone else has ideas, I'm all ears .
I had a female chow/mix and have a female a lab/mix. The chow was born here and I got the Lab when it was 8 wks old. So both dogs were acclimated to their surroundings from birth or shortly after.
The chow was 9 yrs old when we got the Lab.
They lived, played, slept together for over 4 yrs. Drank out of the same water dish and never fought over food.
The chow got old and sick and weak and we knew her time was approaching. One day the Lab just attacked her with no warning. We were shocked. These dogs had never been aggressive toward each other. We separated them for a couple days and when they got to acting normal and not alerting or jumpy we let them be together. Things went fine for 3 days then the same thing happened again. From then on untill it was obvious the chow was near her end and had her PTS we kept them separated. I think some kind of instinct about ridding the pact of the sick and weak must have kicked in. The Lab has been a total sweetheart all her life other than that and her actions were a total surprize to us.
We have a cat that was already here when we got the Lab. They get along fine. But it is healthy and plays with the Lab.
Maybe when your dog got stung and was in distress triggered that instinct of your other dog.
Maybe things will be ok after the one dog gets back to acting normal for a few days. If it happens again I would consider it as a pattern set, and dangerous to let them be together.
Sorry that link didn't work.....hmm.....I found an equally well written page about same sex aggression on Pit Bull Rescue Central's site - let's see if it will post: Pit Bull Rescue Central
(looks like it did)...
I think your plan to step up your supervision and ability to quickly redirect when the tension builds is a really good starting point. I hope today you've noted a decreased level of tension/stress between the girls.....
I also know of some multi-dog households where one of the more spicey dogs wears a basket muzzle when the group is all together...we've never gone this route with our boys, because BOTH of ours were equally involved in starting fights, so in our case, it would make one 'weaker' in the event the other decided to jump bad......and muzzling two just seemed more trouble than keeping them permanently separated.....good thoughts Riveree....I hope your girls aren't lifetime haters like our boys
Riveree, your young one is just getting to the age where she will attempt to dominate the older one. I had that with a couple of males. The young one went back to the breeder.
I don't have time for that nonsense.
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