Border terriers fighting

clydesdale

clydesdale

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We have three border terriers 1 bitch 5yrs old 1 bitch 3 yrs old and 1 dog 3 yrs old all been spayed. we got the 5 yrd old as a 2 yr old at the same time as the other two pups they have been together 3 yrs and never had a problem untill recently the younger bitch has started starting very nasty fights with the older one it has come to thepoint now where we have had to permently seperate them and can not even meet up for a walk on neutral grounds as they just fly at each other this seems very odd as they been together for so long and the older BT was always like a mother to the other 2 anyone else experianced this or had similar probs or advice? :confused:
 
Yep, yep I have 2 patterdales who would kill each other if they had the chance, 1 lives inside the other out, been like it for about 2 yrs, the little ****** just wont forget, muzzles?? We just keep them seperate.
 
Unfortunately, once Borders take a dislike to another there is very little you can do about it except keep them separate at all times. Even a year later and you think it's all hunky dory they will suddenly start up again; they're like elephants, they never forget I'm afraid. Nothing seems to stop them once it's happened; we had to rehome a bitch for exactly that reason once, it wasn't nice but far better than her being killed by the other one if we had stubbornly kept her. This was a mother and four year old daughter BTW, lived together (and with others) happily all that time beforehand.
Is there any chance you could rehome one of them because otherwise, you might have a massacre on your hands and with three, it's very likely that the uninvolved one will join in which will make it a hundred times worse.
 
The only advice I can give is to separate them as Kirstykate suggested. If this is impossible then I would look into rehoming the younger one, far better to rehome than take the risk of them inflicting terrible injuries on each other.

They do say bitch fights are far worse than dog fights.
 
Lucky i dont live with my parents anymore so she has come to live with me and my mother has kept the younger two, its just sucha shame i wont be able to visit my mothers house with her or go to the yard at the same time with the dogs :( and times like christmas was hoping someone would be able to recommend a magic cure lol but i knew this is asking the impossible:mad:
 
thanku such a shame my poor girl is always getting picked on when i got her as a 2yr old that was because the other male border terrier she was kept with kept trying to kill her :(
 
That's interesting but also pretty common that they'll pick on the weaker one but makes you wonder what sparks it off. Hope she's happy now, sounds like she's been through it a bit poor girl.
 
I don't think this sort of behaviour is breed specific tbh. A hard bitch will fight regardless. BTs can be tough nuts and tenacious ime and are prepared to act before they think! Personally, she disliked the bitch for reasons unknown (though I suspect it was pack dynamics - two girls and boy may = bitchfest) and the younger bitch was not going to let it go. :)
 
It is not a breed specific thing but terrier more then other are little feckers. :DBitch fighting can be stopped but you have to be very confident in your handling and on the ball, I recently visited a home (infact someone on here gave them my number):rolleyes::p and they where having a horrendous time with 2 large breed bitches and they where muzzled when I entered the home and the family where tense as hell (no one dared move through fear of setting of a fight) most commonly it is actually humans who create the problem and by the time its gone to far there is a little they can do, this family where distraught at the thought of rehoming one of these bitches (both beautiful bitches and lovely with people), the shepherd was the aggressor in this scenario (young bitch and about the right age to start and challenge).
The shepherd was dictating where the other bitch was even allowed in the house and stopped her from getting any kind of attention at all from the family (she was fearful to even move), I explained the need to watch the bitches body language and be aware of all triggers as to not even create a fight state and keep things calm in regards to coming home, letting them out, going for walks (all exciting triggers), and to reprimand the aggessor accordingly and make her aware her advances are not going to be tolerated (I left them a crate to) as they where seperating them which is the worse thing you can do if you are hell bent on keeping both bitches in the house and seeing the problem through but not to make one alpha (I hate that) and it does not help.
I removed both muzzles from both bitches when I was there and demonstrated how to reprimand the shepherd and went through her body language and her reasons for being this way (they where terrified, so getting them to relax was also a must), I gave instructions for the shep to be exercised ALOT more and took them for a walk together as this was something they never dared do, (both pulled badly) so we stopped that, and I advised the shep needed biking exercise:D
I have had updates that all is going well so far, But I did warn if they where not strict with the new rules then they would no 2 ways have to rehome the shepherd.
I would say in most but (not all) cases a weakness in the leadership (owners) creates such problems.
You should beable to get to a stage they can live along side each other but when unsupervised they should be seperated but kept together (a crate) is ideal.
 
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