Last night I was exercising my dogs around the garden I went into the house and after 10 mins I heard some of my dogs rowing. I went out to find mother and daughter biting and holding onto each others faces. They were covered in mud where they had been rolling about in the garden and had spots of blood on them. I just dont understand were this came from they are two of the most placid dogs I have ever owned and they have lived very happily with each other since the daughter was born, over 2 years now. Can anyone shed any light on this out of character behaviour? When I went to seperate them it was like I wasnt even there they were so concentrated on each other. I still have them seperated today as they still show signs of anger to each other? Im just so shocked at this out of the blue behaviour. Both my male finn and the young pup conan were there but had no part in it and didnt even wabt to get near it. The only thing I can think of is that they are still on a higher protein diet which I fed during the shooting season and was using it up. With less exercise they do have more energy. Can anyone help?
Keith.
Annie as admin
It is quite a problem - my Wire and Freckles had a set to a few years ago in the dining room, just as I opened the door to come in from the kitchen. Prior to that they had been the best of pals and slept together by the fire every night. There was blood everywhere as Hester had got a hold of Freckles ear. I managed to grab Hesters collar but little Freckles wouldn't let go till I welled her. I've never put them together again just in case, mainly because a Wire could kill a Brittany in seconds. But if they are in runs next to each other they cry and wag their tails as if they really want to be with each other. I don't have the answer - only sympathy. Wires are known for being sharp anyway.
I'd be grateful for an answer too
Annie
mcelkek
Well after a post boxing match visit to the vet he thinks maybe it could be hormonal. Rosie finished her heat 2 weeks ago and holly 3 weeks ago. As with all hormonal problems he recommended getting them speyed.
I was gonna wait until mid cycle to get holly done anyway so will see how it goes. In the meantime the two are seperated and they have gone back to being delightful gentle dogs. I on the other hand had a 80 euro vet bill and now have to bring forward my plans for an extra dog run!
Annie do ever now exercise the two dogs together in your company? I definitly wont work them together again for fear of jealousy and ruining them as working dogs.
Keith.
Annie as admin
I just keep them totally apart, Mike. As I said Wires are known to be sharp, and Hester has a tendency to lose her temper sometimes,but she is fine with my friend's adult Brittany male, and my own young dog, although I never leave them alone together, just in case. I have had Brittanys fighting before - usually the dogs but also occasionally bitches. With dogs it is supremacy and they have to find out which is the superior (within reason, me in the end being the Alpha ) but I've always thought it was hormonal with the bitches as they often improve when not in or near seasons. I just keep an eye on my girls at this time.
Perhaps others can make suggestions to help us both?
Annie
Britmania
It has been our experience that bitches have a more volatile "pecking order" than males and if you have two or more bitches,they have to be supervised more constantly.
We had a GSP bitch and a Border Collie bitch, both bought as baby pups with only a couple of weeks between them in age. We thought they could grow up together and be friends for life.
They were constant companions, did everything together and we thought our plan was great, until they came into season. At this point in time, they seemed to need to sort out who was dominant, and minor disputes started.At their second season, the disputes had escalated to outright war, with constant fighting, which we could not fathom as it appeared to us to come right out of the blue.
The girls were separated, but the GSP became very beligerent and would spar up at the very sight of the Border Collie. Our other dogs (2 males, 1 GSP and 1 Border Collie, both stud dogs plus one other bitch Border Collie )all got on fine !!!
One day, the GSP and Border Collie bitches had a doozy of a fight on our garden lawn.I was by myself and unable to call upon any help to separate them, so I had to leave them to it. They fought each other to a standstill - both covered in blood and spit, and gasping for breath.I put them in their kennels and hoped that this would be the end of it - not so. Within half an hour they were snarling and growling at each other.
We decided that they would have to be kept separate and so our whole kennel set up was altered to accommodate their circumstances.
This made the GSP worse.She would catch a glimpse of the Border Collie thru the gap in the six foot paling fence and it would be all on, even though they could not physically get to each other.
Eventually, the stress got too much for us and we decided one had to go.The GSP was most often the cause of the disputes so she was sold to another home, on the understanding that she was not kept with another bitch. Almost immediately we noticed a marked change in the Border Collie bitch and she was able to rejoin our other dogs.
Whether it was an influence or not we do not know, but a couple of years later, the owner of the GSP bitch told us that she had been diagnosed with cancer, and she died twelve months after that.
The Border Collie resumed her position as top dog overall and remained so, until the day (when she was 12 years old) she had a spar with our 3 year old male dog, and dropped dead on the spot!
It may be that the bitches are sorting out who is dominant in the household.
Duncan
Fight
I have had something like that happen to me ..!
I walk Baloo over the park and he got very friendly with a welsh setter they almost look the same and was always mistaken for the dogs owner..!
The two dogs got on well and played very well together always staying in sight and just chasing and playing
This went on for some time and was happy to let Baloo off the lead as it was good excercise for them both.
The owner like me used to arrange times for us to meet up so the dogs could have a run about.
But one day we met and her dog not mine took a disliking for Baloo he seemed very agressive towards him ..no apparrent reason for it.
All i could think of is that the two dogs both young but her dog was a bit older had just grown up..and were compeating for top dog.
Baloo i think had reached the point where he was no longer a puppy to play with and matured into something that the other dog felt a threat to his domaine
I wonder maybe if this was the case..?
Its a shame they dont get on now as it was always great fun watching them play.
Just a thought ..?
Duncan
Liz
I had problems with 2 Wei bitches, and it was very definitely hormonal. The younger one definitely suffered from PMT and when she was coming up to her season she would attack the older one for no rason - even if she was asleep on a chair! Once she was speyed (the older one had already been done) we had no further problems.
Once bitches decide to have a go at each other they do tend to keep it up, rather than males who will tend to have one fight and that will settle matters pretty well for all time. Bitches can fight to the death - as a friend of mine found with his whippets one day, when he came back to find one dying and the other in a pretty poor way as well.
Sadly a friend of mine has just decided she will have to part with one of her bitches (not Britts) because of this problem.
mcelkek
Thanks for the info guys. I guess mine will have to be speyed or as an old vet once told me 'closed for business due to refurbishment in the downstairs department!'
) but I've always thought it was hormonal with the bitches as they often improve when not in or near seasons. I just keep an eye on my girls at this time.