# Fighting with sister dog



## jenrn122 (Jul 9, 2017)

Our female GSD is 2.5 years old and is a very good natured dog normally. Last night she attacked our other female dog that is a red heeled mix/Australian cattle dog, who is almost 9. This is the 3rd time she has attacked her and the worst. She ended up having to be put under to clean out large lacerations and is staying at the vet for a couple days. Unsure what she attacked her for last night but think it was for maybe a number of reasons....it was our daughters 2nd Birthday and were in the middle of opening presents with my parents that live out of state....my dad was walking by both female dogs and think GSD was being possessive of him. Also, dogs were left inside for a few hours during birthday party. The other two attacks were over a tennis ball. Just so you know, our german shepherd has never once been even the tiniest bit aggressive towards our 2 year old. Any suggestions besides getting rid of potential triggers and keeping the two females separated?


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

this is the 3rd incident . 

this episode left the older dog with some serious wounds .

next time? next time might be the last time.

unless you are able to provide two separate experiences for the dogs which excludes one of
them , as in rotational privileges to be with you, then it may be best to re-home one .

I would defer to the older dog . They were there first .


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## Muskeg (Jun 15, 2012)

Sorry to hear this, poor older dog. 

In my opinion you have three choices.

1. Rehome one of the dogs. 

2. Separate the dogs

3. Step up and make it very clear fighting is NOT allowed. This means you need to drastically improve your management and your ability to read the dog's signals and body language. It also means you need to know how to STOP a fight in no uncertain terms before it happens and become a leader with the dogs' respect. An "eh-eh" should be enough to stop a dog from even thinking about fighting- but you need to build a foundation to get there. 

The problem can be managed but it will never be completely eliminated. You must know this as you decide what to do. 

If you go with option three, you should still separate the dogs when there is any chance at all of a fight, or when you might be distracted for example when you are not able to focus on dogs in a busy situation like a birthday party. Also it should go without saying, never leave the house with the loose dogs alone together. 

Also, while the dogs would never hurt the toddler on purpose, a fight is a situation where dogs simply stop thinking clearly, and if the baby gets in the way, she could get really hurt. Also, the child must come first, so if the dogs get into it, precious moments must be used to make sure the toddler is safe before separating the dogs... which could have deadly consequences for the dogs but the child must take priority.

I am sorry this is happening.

If you decide on option 3, please seek the help of an experienced trainer- a trainer who has proven experience in these areas with household fighting dogs to help you assess the best course of action. 

This is not a situation to be taken lightly. The GSD is escalating the injuries and the next fight could be the cattle dog's last... poor old girl. Plus with a child in the mix, human safety must be considered first. 

Some good thoughts on in-fighting with dogs in the same household:


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

Muskeg "Also, while the dogs would never hurt the toddler on purpose, a fight is a situation where dogs simply stop thinking clearly, and if the baby gets in the way, she could get really hurt. Also, the child must come first, so if the dogs get into it, precious moments must be used to make sure the toddler is safe before separating the dogs... which could have deadly consequences for the dogs but the child must take priority."

absolutely - I thought of this as well - collateral damage --- and even if not -- if there is some fight to end all fights that child doesn't need to be traumatized by witnessing the drama .

as it stands, nothing good can come of it .


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## jenrn122 (Jul 9, 2017)

Thank you all for your insight and advice. Our very last option is to re-home. We plan to keep the female dogs separated as much as possible. I have also purchased a muzzle for our GSD and we plan to work with her more, training wise.


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## Thecowboysgirl (Nov 30, 2006)

Separated "as much as possible" makes me nervous. These are situations were there isn't much middle ground.

I have a female who has this in her...in her lifetime she has lived with a toy breed female who has taken some hits from her but nothing like the injuries you describe. We have had VERY strict rules for the past 8 years....

confinement while eating, no toys while both dogs present ever, no excitement with both dogs present, dogs absolutely never unsupervised together, plus a hardcore zero tolerance policy from me to the GSD that not even the thought of aggression toward the toy will not be tolerated. I had to be much firmer with her than I had ever been before and was comfortable with to be honest...had to set feelings aside, hers and mine, because there was no middle ground

She has also lived with a submissive female lab ish for a few years. She also wanted to beat her up for fun. 100% no from me...the kind of no they don't dare push....you may need help to be able to lay down that kind of rule.

My female is never, ever unsupervised with any dog she has been aggressive toward. She can be alone with my male now and was fine with my deceased male. She does not have contact with other dogs than mine.

These are not situations where you can "do the best you can"...because it can mean the death or maim of the other dog

Muskeg is right, it does not go away. We have years go by with no issue, but I can still see the thought in her mind sometimes and I remind her that under the fear of God she will not touch that pom.

I think MOST people are not willing or able to do the amount of strict prevention I have done to make our household work. and I am so not saying that to Pat myself on the back. I am saying that so anyone who reads this can know what they are up against and be realistic.


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## Deb (Nov 20, 2010)

There is a child in the home. That child's safety comes first. Should a fight start near the child, the child could get badly hurt, even if the dogs 'don't mean to do it'. If you keep both dogs, I would suggest crate and rotate, the dogs no longer are out at the same time.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Small kid involved. I am not so much worried about the child being chewed during a fight, though misdirected aggression does happen -- that would be rare. When the child gets a little bigger, she may try to break the dogs up, and that is how you get bitten. Not killed, but it hurts. A LOT. No kid should be in that situation, but sometimes they are. 

But even without getting hurt, being present when two dogs that you feel safe around, that you love, try to kill each other, is terribly traumatic. It's traumatic to me. Certainly, a small kid would have trouble processing that. It's horrific and traumatic, and little kids should not have to deal with that. 

But you like both dogs. You love both dogs. Crate and rotate is not always a constant option. And by the time your toddler is likely to be making dangerous decisions or having friends over that won't need 100% supervision, the older dog will probably be gone. So it is a hard sell to rehome the younger dog. It is. If you had a friend or family member that would like to take one or the other of the dogs, you might consider that. But, it is hard to rehome them when you are attached to them. 

I have a friend who used a trainer and e-collars to keep the two bitches from fighting. You have to be totally committed and get are trainer who knows what they are doing, and the right equipment. That, and I would set up two indoor/outdoor kennels maybe if you have a garage or basement, and then the one dog is in its kennel and the other dog is out with the family. Then you swap. One is kenneled before the other is let out, every single time.


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