mother daughter fighting

[Magicmadge]

We have three JRT. Two are mother and daughter parsons. The daughter has just turned 1 and recently they have started to have some really nasty fights and are very dificult to part resulting in some minor injuries. I have tried keeping the pecking order ie feeding mum first etc but i am getting a bit desperate and will soon be heading for some vets bills if i can not stop them. It is very upsetting for my children and my 11 yearold as been in tears several times as i have had to be very harsh to get them apart. I try to avoid trigger points which seem to be balls, bones and boisterous barking during play. Any ideas?

 

[huggz]

Sorry in my experience the only solution has been to rehome.
Bitch fights are hard to anticipate & frequently result in injury to Dogs & those trying to split them up.

 

[mattilda]

I have a Rottie and a RR bitch and they have lived together quite happily for 2 years. In June they started to fight and I believe it is a dominance thing. I now have gotten quite good at anticipating trouble and have a spray bottle to hand. A quick squirt and some firm words and we have been trouble free now for over 4 weeks (fingers crossed). We had a dog behavioutist out who suggested clicker trainig to re establish me as top dog.

 

[echodomino]

In my experience you can't stop it short of keeping them seperated or rehoming one. My JR and her daughter have the occassional scrap, this has twice resulted in mother or daughter being admitted to the vets. They don't do it all the time, there are things that trigger it off so I try my hardest to avoid the situations - I won't rehome Millie, she was here first and is 7 and I won't rehome Mouse because she was sold as a pup then came back to me, it's not fair to move her around again.

Re the establishing human as top dog: that will work for them towards human but not eachother as in a pack they establish a ranking, top dog -> next one down -> next one etc. My girls know I'm top dog, doesn't stop them.

I don't find water effective either. And I'm still a firm believer in the theory that bitches never forget. They seem to hold the grudge against eachother.

 

[at work]

From what you say it started as soon as the young one reached maturity - that suggests to me that you are unlikely to be able to stop it and it is most likely to get worse. Perhaps you could rehome one?

 

[Foxfolly]

it's all to do with pecking order, if you have two that are very simler in size and strength then they will always be trying to sort out who is top dog! just as they would in the wild. I have had mother daughter fights which has ended in broken bones and stiches only way i found to prevent them was to keep seperate all the time. Please be carefull with the kids as the bitch's may fight over them for attention and the kids may get bitten by accident( i know got the scars to prove it!)

not foxfolly but foxfollys other half