My youngest bitch is a Jack Russel/Shiz Tzu and has always been territorial, hyper and slightly *bitchy* as I know Jack's can be. However recently she has started arguing and fighting (quite aggressively) with my oldest bitch (11yrs) . She does not argue with my other dog hardly ever but she always tries to get at the other bitch to the point where she is shaking uncontrollably and crying. I am very worried about her. Or is it something with the other bitch i should be worried about? Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Female | unspayed

It is probably a territorial/hormonal problem which could be resolved eventually by spaying her. Try to observe them and see when that happen and try to avoid the situation ( for example over food = feed them separately and so on).

Why is my young female dog suddenly attacking my older dog?

Health & Wellbeing

why does my older female dog attack my younger dog at times?

I'm sorry that you're having this problem! Without more information, I'm afraid it's hard to say why this might be happening - aggression between dogs in the same household is a complex behavior issue that can have many causes. Some common possible causes for this behavior would include stress or anxiety, resource guarding, frustration or over-arousal, redirected aggression, or poor social skills. In most cases, a detailed behavior history as well as in-person observation of the dogs together would be needed to help determine the problem. I would recommend making an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate both dogs in person - he/she can help you understand why this is happening, and also help you put together a detailed training and management plan to work on the problem. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org

Updated on September 24th, 2025

Health & Wellbeing

I have two female dogs. One is 13yrs. -mix jack russel/whippet? Other is 10 months Schnauzer mix came into our house at 2 1/2 months. After about a month things were good. now things have been great. Ruby, the puppy was just spayed last month. We h

Ruby is probably trying to become top dog as she senses that Annabelle is getting older. I would separate them to eat, and monitor them more in the yard. This can be an isolated incident or it may become serious. I reprimand Ruby if she is acting aggressive, hopefully when she is just starting. I find competing for toys and food makes this behavior worse so eliminating those things to fight about should help. Also make sure you pay attention to both. If Ruby seems aggressive I separate them and put Ruby in a crate until she calms down. While this is natural behavior it can be bad so please protect Annabelle. Thanks for using Boop by Petco to help you care for Annabelle and Ruby.

Updated on September 24th, 2025

Health & Wellbeing

My male dog has suddenly become very aggressive towards the other dog which is female a week back everything was fine but suddenly oblix attacked the other dog same thing happened 3 days back and it was a serious attack as if he wanted to kill her th

I'm sorry to hear that you're having this problem! Aggression between dogs in the same household is a complex behavior issue that can have many causes such as stress/anxiety, frustration, resource guarding, or redirected aggression, so it's hard to say what might be causing this without more information. In general, treatment for this issue involves identifying situations that tend to trigger the aggression, then managing the dogs to avoid these situations or working with a trainer to teach them some type of alternative behavior. Medication for one or both dogs may also be helpful, depending on the underlying cause of the aggression. I would recommend talking with your veterinarian about this problem as a starting point - he/she may suggest starting some type of medication if appropriate, and should also be able to refer you to a good trainer or behaviorist in your area who can work with you in person. Make sure that the trainer you work with uses reward-based training methods o

Updated on September 24th, 2025

Health & Wellbeing

I have a 10 yr old JRT and a 3 yr old Springer Spaniel, no issues until about a month or so ago when the springer started getting aggressive with the JRT, appears to be top dog syndrome of sorts. Both fine when on lead, both fine when walking toget

Aggression issues within the household can be scary and dangerous, particularly in situations like this where one dog is much older and younger than the other. I would approach this situation with a lot of care and patience. As you have asserted already, it would appear that the Springer seems to be guarding or possessing the house. In order to truly dissect this situation, I would need you to really think about where these incidents have been occurring within the house and how they might be preceded. Think about if they tend to occur in one area more than another, if they are only occurring when other people are around, if they are only occurring before or after some sort of event or instance, etc etc. If you can't identify any patterns, you either have to keep the Springer on leash inside the house until she can be retrained or keep the two dogs completely separate. This would be the only two options to keep the 10 year old safe and sound. I would be happy to speak with you in

Updated on September 24th, 2025

Health & Wellbeing

I have had two beagle mix dogs for about 7 years now. They are mother and daughter so they have been together almost their whole lives. Here recently they are fighting a lot. The daughter is keeping the mother out of the dog house. What could be wro

It could be territorial aggression related to hormones. If both are not spayed, hormonal surges can cause them to fight, especially if there is an area both dogs like to lay down in. I would recommend having them both spayed, as that will help cut down in aggressive behaviors caused by hormones.

Updated on September 24th, 2025

Health & Wellbeing

I have two bitches. A jack Russell cross and Yorkshire terrier cross. Had one 4 yrs from pup and other 3 yrs from pup.past 3/4 mths fighting but past week bad fighting so we need to keep separate though they will walk together and play at times. When

When you have two bitches together, they will show aggression to compete for territory and intact males especially if they are in heat. The best thing to do is to have both of them spayed. This will reduce the aggression between them as it is most likely hormonally related. It will also eliminate the risk of a pyometra, which is a life threatening infection of the uterus. Without spaying them, you will have a very hard time reducing the aggression because it's hormonally related. Removing the source of the hormones is the best way to stop the aggression.

Updated on September 24th, 2025

Health & Wellbeing

Hi, I have two dogs both mongrels a male Marley who is 5 and female Skye who is 1 . When we introduced them to one another they were a match made in heaven, always playing with each other she would copy everything he did.But the last few weeks they h

The younger dog is coming into maturity and may be trying to become the one in charge. The best place to start is have them each fixed to minimize the hormones to help withbthr fighting. From there it will be watching them and keeping them separate until they grow up a little note and see if this is a phase

Updated on September 24th, 2025

Health & Wellbeing

I have 3 chihuahuas that are. Years old. They are all rescues. One of them has food aggression so we feed all of them in their cages so no one is afraid of someone eating someone else’s food. Within the last two weeks, the sweetest one i have has bee

I would make sure the dog that has become aggressive isn't having any other issues like pain or discomfort. Also, has anything change in your schedule or house that could have made her feel more insecure or anxious? You could talk to your vet about starting her on an anti-anxiety medicine like fluoxetine as this may help. I would also make sure they aren't becoming aggressive over any treats, bones, toys, etc. I hope this helps and she starts to act like herself soon.

Updated on September 24th, 2025

Training & Behavior

Charlie has always been a picky dog, sometimes he’ll see another dog and be fine. Other times not so much, but he has ALWAYS been gentle and loving to our 7 month old beagle. My husband and I took a 2 week trip and left our dogs with a friend. We ret

Thanks for using Boop by Petco. This sounds like it could be anxiety related, probably due to (or worsened by) the recent trip. Try separating them for a day or so, then taking them for a walk together. If it continues for more than a day or so, talk with your vet about anti-anxiety medications which can help tremendously with this sort of thing. Best wishes to you, Charlie, and Grey!

Updated on September 24th, 2025

Health & Wellbeing

My dog Kola keeps biting my other dogs (Bayla & Pepper) and I’m worried about their safety, along with Kola’s. She just went into heat, and before she went into heat, she has never done this. They all are females, and Bayla is usually the dominant on

If this is real aggression, you may need to separate them until after the heat cycle and hope for the best. Sometimes problems can persist beyond that. Typically, households with altered dogs will have a lot less conflict than households with intact dogs. There are many benefits to spaying and neutering and I recommend to discuss this with your veterinarian: https://www.petcoach.co/article/spaying-ovariohysterectomy-the-benefits-in-dogs/ Canine aggression is a complex behavior as it can stem from dominance, possessiveness, fear, anxiety, resource guarding or a combination. Most people are not familiar with reading canine body language and training. Because of this, I recommend to work with a professional trainer. Researching on your own will also be helpful. Familiarizing yourself with canine body language and dog training can help you to recognize what your pet is trying to say. You can find many books written on the topic and there is a trainer named Victoria Stilwell who I think is

Updated on September 24th, 2025

Why is my young female dog suddenly attacking my older, fearful dog?

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Why is my young female dog suddenly attacking my older, fearful dog?

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Related Answers from Veterinarians

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why does my older female dog attack my younger dog at times?

I have two female dogs. One is 13yrs. -mix jack russel/whippet? Other is 10 months Schnauzer mix came into our house at 2 1/2 months. After about a month things were good. now things have been great. Ruby, the puppy was just spayed last month. We h

My male dog has suddenly become very aggressive towards the other dog which is female a week back everything was fine but suddenly oblix attacked the other dog same thing happened 3 days back and it was a serious attack as if he wanted to kill her th

I have a 10 yr old JRT and a 3 yr old Springer Spaniel, no issues until about a month or so ago when the springer started getting aggressive with the JRT, appears to be top dog syndrome of sorts. Both fine when on lead, both fine when walking toget

I have had two beagle mix dogs for about 7 years now. They are mother and daughter so they have been together almost their whole lives. Here recently they are fighting a lot. The daughter is keeping the mother out of the dog house. What could be wro

I have two bitches. A jack Russell cross and Yorkshire terrier cross. Had one 4 yrs from pup and other 3 yrs from pup.past 3/4 mths fighting but past week bad fighting so we need to keep separate though they will walk together and play at times. When

Hi, I have two dogs both mongrels a male Marley who is 5 and female Skye who is 1 . When we introduced them to one another they were a match made in heaven, always playing with each other she would copy everything he did.But the last few weeks they h

I have 3 chihuahuas that are. Years old. They are all rescues. One of them has food aggression so we feed all of them in their cages so no one is afraid of someone eating someone else’s food. Within the last two weeks, the sweetest one i have has bee

Charlie has always been a picky dog, sometimes he’ll see another dog and be fine. Other times not so much, but he has ALWAYS been gentle and loving to our 7 month old beagle. My husband and I took a 2 week trip and left our dogs with a friend. We ret

My dog Kola keeps biting my other dogs (Bayla & Pepper) and I’m worried about their safety, along with Kola’s. She just went into heat, and before she went into heat, she has never done this. They all are females, and Bayla is usually the dominant on

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