2 females
 

I know people go round and round about having 2 females. I am not one who believes that can not live together because right now I have in my home 3 female GS 8,1, 6 months and 3 female shih tzu 3, 2, 1.

My 1 year old GS (stella) is the one I am having problems with. She plays well with everyone but she has on 4 occasions challenged my 8 year old over something. Twice it was a bag of food I carried in the house and set down and twice a bone. She has on 3 of those occasions bitten the 8'year old puncturing her fur. One time the 8 year Old (Jenna) put her in her place and literally held her snout shut with her mouth and she did get a small wound from the 8 year old. The fights are pretty spread out but otherwise everyone gets along. The problem is when she does choose to brawl like this she does not let go. We pull her off and she just holds on the other one will release and leave the situation. She stays mad for a good minute afterwards so we remove her from the situation and put her in her crate. Upon releasing her after cooling off she is fine and the 8'year old are fine. They will wag tails and play together. All is forgiven.

My concern is will she put grow this behavior? Will she start challenging more as she gets older and bigger. She is about 1 right now. she is a rescue pup and I have had her for about 8 months now. She was staring when I brought her home and has taken time to get healthy. I have her as a foster but have considered keeping her, but I can also place her. She is super smart and needs stimulation every day which I try to do. My 8 year old is my like my child and she really is my priority to keep her safe and happy. I also have an 11 year old child who I am concerned will get in the mix. She is great will all the other females. I think because they all back down if challenged. These two dogs I think are more equals in personality. I am hoping this is just "teenage" behavior that she will get past. I have a mega esophagus pup right now so my hands are a bit full. She will be here for awhile. Stella, the one year old, gets along and plays well with Dutchesss the puppy. Thoughts appreciated.

I'm a little confused. You have three females living together with behavioral issues. But you stated you don't think three females living together will have behavioral issues.

I'm not sure what information you are looking for.

No I have one female that s the one with the issues. Stella she is one years old. She is the one who will bit my 8 year old. I actually have 6 female dogs in my home.

Sorry typing on my phone that has a mind of its own. I meant to say Starving not Staring. Stella the one year old came to me skin and bones. So I thought perhaps it was food issues but she can eat with everyone and share out of her food bowl. She really is being a jerk just because she wants to be. I catch her other times and redirect her and her attitude. You see it in her posturing. I make sure she is not alpha. She gets her food last, goes out the door last etc. But can you really change the behaviors of a dog who s very confident and strong willed like this?

Of course females CAN get along, its just a risk. Many people will tell you not to have two intact females (I know plenty of people with two fixed females). You just have to have a large enough home to where you can separate them if things happen like what you're describing.

Most likely...they will not outgrow this behavior. If they're "randomly" fighting they will keep doing it. Unless you really monitor them and see what sets it off, it won't stop. In this case it seems like food and other high value items do it. So just don't give them bones or anything else they might feel like guarding.

The issue with random fights is that you can never trust them alone together. What if you weren't there to break them up? One of your dogs would be dead.

So when people say don't get two dogs of the same sex, its because in general its a bigger risk. You don't know for sure that they'll get along, where as most male/female combos might battle once or twice for hierarchy but then settle down...and even then usually one takes control without a fight.

I do believe it is more about the individual dogs than about the sex of the dogs, however, it is much easier to have two females fall into a pattern of fighting than it is for male/female or even male/male.

You have a female who is telling you that you are not managing her enough, and she does not respect you. She chooses when to resource guard and will start a fight even in your presence. She will not outgrow this.

First thing is management, do not leave toys/food/bones hanging around - not even for a second.

Second, I would not peel this dog off another dog and then put her in her crate. Where is the correction? Have you ever corrected this dog for the unwarranted show of aggression?

You may find that with these two you will have to manage them for life, one of the risks of owning multiple dogs, regardless of sex. They should NEVER be left alone together (seperated when no one is home) and managed when you are there.

I have 3 intact females, no issues, all three are extremely confident, handler soft but hard otherwise (although one is 4.5 lbs). I have not had an issue yet...(knock on wood)...and manage these dogs thoroughly so that I never will.

Did you read the entire post? I believe females can live together because I have females who do. I have one female who will fight with one dog. I clearly define who is top dog in my house. It me first, then the 8 year old. All the dogs respect this but Stella. Jenna the 8 year old is also 75lbs to Stella's 55lbs. Jenna gives a warning growl or bark and the other dogs know to leave her. Stella looks at it as an invitation to come closer.

Considering she is only a year, you probably can help her behavior out and maybe even resolve it. But you likely need a professional who is familiar and experienced with these issues. Otherwise, try to keep food separate from the group, until you've helped her with the issues. The more she feels the need to brawl over the food, the more the anxiety and issues will escalate.

My older dog has food issues and when I first got my pup, he bit the pup over a simple treat. The puppy had a treat and dropped it. Older dog went to get it and bit the puppy. I kept them separate and away from any food at the same time. Just the other day, after trust had been built for over 2 months, I threw some treats on the grass for the puppy to sniff out. I was writing outside and wanted to give pup something to do. I didnt realize the back door was open, and when I looked up, the older dog and the puppy were sniffing out treats together and sharing just fine.

It doesnt always workout that easily, but sometimes it does. You just need to not let the problem escalate until better trust is built between the females, or you get some professional help.

Good luck :)

No, she will not grow out of it. You may have good luck with training and behavior modification so that they get along better but they do not just grow of things like this.

Also, she is only 1 year old and is not yet physically or emotionally mature and it will likely continue to get worse and there may be more challenging. You need to focus on making sure their relationship is good and without tension. Stop the younger one from guarding and don't put the older one in position to have to (or be allowed to) correct the younger one.

If she's only a year old, my guess is this situation is going to get a lot worse before it gets better. If it ever gets better.

How often do these fights break out?