Dogs fighting :(

Has anyone else had this...i have a GS female 6yrs old and a Labradoodle almost 3yrs, they have been always been together and never ever faught...well today they had a hum dinger...we have no idea what started it but he was on top and they were going for it...neither hurt..thank god...but both of their teeth were bleeding...
Fleur has bought the lab up from 12 weeks old and mothers him to death....she is also the BOSS lady and tells him off quite often too....could this have been him saying enough of the telling off now :confused::confused: Im so worried they will do it for real and they will kill each other...
i got a basket and put it over his head and pulled him off as he was not listening to me AT ALL.....please dont come back with shoot him....that is not a option, they are both such lovely natured dogs...USUALLY
I took them both down to the creak to cool off after a seperation and good check overs, fleur has a small cut on her chin but thats it...scared the crap out of me and my teens....oh and milly who was screaming and shook for a good 15 mins after is all calmed down...
Any advice from anyone would be much appreciated....i cant have them fighting...they live together all the time and CAN NOT have them fighting at all....

sometimes when they change position on the pack ladder they can have small fights.
one dog is challenging the other. Might have just been one day when one of the dogs didn't give up.
normally it is more noise than bite.
there is always someone at home at our place and we are the leaders but when leaving dogs alone it can be fight situations so then we use dog runs if away for an hour or two.
My old girl sometimes looks like a shark and sounds like a brown bear when she tells the young dog to resepect her and her toys, most of the time what she says is law, sometimes it sounds nasty but it is ok.
Tell your kids not to interfer so they can get bitten while separating dogs,,scream or throw sand or spray water or have a can with grawel that you can shake.
The old girl could have had a bad day
It is like kids fighting and biting and kicking,,plain normal

I'd be taking both dogs to the vet for a complete checkover, just in case there's a sore spot, or worse case scenario - something like a brain tumour.
Is the male neutered ? If not this would be a good idea.

I am of the opinion that a male dog should NEVER attack a bitch, no matter what the circumstances.

It is the nature of the beast (dog that is) that a bitch will always be the alpha dog & the dog SHOULD always bow to her commands.

If the dog instigated the incident a muzzle on him would be a good idea.
Be prepared for it to happen again.

I'd be taking both dogs to the vet for a complete checkover, just in case there's a sore spot, or worse case scenario - something like a brain tumour.
Is the male neutered ? If not this would be a good idea.

I am of the opinion that a male dog should NEVER attack a bitch, no matter what the circumstances.

It is the nature of the beast (dog that is) that a bitch will always be the alpha dog & the dog SHOULD always bow to her commands.

If the dog instigated the incident a muzzle on him would be a good idea.
Be prepared for it to happen again.

Get both checked over by the vet, maybe just a sore spot, or worse case scenario brain tumour.

IMHO NO dog should ever attack a bitch.

In the nature of the beast (in this case dog) the bitch will always be the alpha & the dog should always bow down to her.

Is the dog neutered ? If not would be a good idea.

I would put a muzzle on the dog & be prepared for it to happen again.

If they fight again, I do recommend shooting them--with the hose or a very large bucket of water...wading in to separate them is a good way to end up needing a tetanus shot (or more) for yourself. In a full-blown fight, the part of their brains that are conditioned to listening to you is totally disconnected, so you're going to need to do something that will shock them out of the "fight for supremacy" mode.

As for why, chances are it was a pushing for positioning (I'm presuming they see you as alpha), territorial issue, or one or both having a bad day/moment, or even a combination of any and all of the above. If they show any signs of having a disagreement, or even playing too rough, you need to step in with the water/sharp noise/popping them on the flank with something to get their attentions and put a stop to it--not because they might hurt each other, but because they need a reminder that what you say goes, and that includes who is where on the social ladder.

Diane

Our good friends have a 6 yr old GS and a 6yr old spaniel, both bitches, they have been together since they were 8 weeks old. They still have absolutely frightening sounding fights every so often. Scares the living daylights out of me, but they are always ok afterwards , except for the occasional scratch, and go back to normal again.
Could there have been something that triggered it? Like both wanting the same bone or something and it just getting out of hand?
Hopefully it was a one off?
How horrible for you though, we have 3 labradoodles and they are all such numpties, but so loving aren't they.
Have your dogs been back together again since? How did they get on?
I think Dianes advice about soaking them is really good if it happens again.

I have given them both a really good check over and not a mark on either of them, Fleur the GS has a full fluffy coat too...Sonny is white so any mark on him or blood would be more than obvious...as for a tumor...i had dog,Jack, pass from a brain tumor and he never ever lost it like that..and i think it was more noise than anything because if they had wanted to hurt each other then i am sure they would have done so...Sonny is neutered and was done as soon as he was at the right age...but these 2 are always side by side, she washes him over every day checks his ears and cleans them, they are so in love....and yes he is a abosulte ding bat and loving like you wouldnt believe..or you would that is why it has shocked me so much....the only other thing is that milly was playing with sonny and fleur hates that....she knows he is a rough lad and is so big he could hurt her very easily...who knows, no one was there to see EXACTLY what made them fight..
As for no dog should ever attack a bitch...well my gate was not locked one day and fleur ran to it..it opend and a neighbours male hutaway attacked her as it was being walked past...it was so bad...she was just screeming and cowering trying to get away and he was on her like you wouldnt believe..so that theory is out of the window in my own personal opinion...no disrespect intended there No harm done to her then either...her coat saved her ass !!!
I am always home with them and if i am out then are in the garage together or they fret and cry for each other, the little one, milly stays in the house with the cats...but i am never out for too long these days anyway...when we are better fenced they will stay outside whilst i am out...and if they ever fight like that again then they will be seperated when i am out for sure...i just cant rest if i think they will fight...
Hopfully this was a once off and whatever the argument was over is delt with ..they are both acting very sheepish around me as they know i am really angry at them both...
Fleur is very spiteful and hates to share anything..she always has to get the ball when you throw it and she will grumble at sonny if he gets it until he drops it...so maybe this was the day sonny didnt take it amymore...and he was fed up with being bossed around...I dont know what to think but one thing i do know is my dogs and they are not nasty and have never faught in the 3 years they have been together...may have to do a bit of research into dogs and their ages and what they go through...just like you do with kids and certain milestones!
They are back together...sorry done this mail in so many parts and keep having to cut and save it then some more posts have gone on... Diane, i have stopped them even trying to grumble with a very low tonned no..behave...they play so much and it is very very noisy but i suppose i just have to remind them that i AM the boss and it is no longer acceptable for them to do that...they cant be trusted and i can not loose either of them, they are both my life

Westermans, not a theory, as I said IMHO a dog should NEVER attack a bitch. To me temperament should be at the top of the list when it comes to breeding. If a dog of mine ever went for a bitch he would be on a one way trip.

So yes you have to step up & be the alpha over both of them & yes they cannot be trusted.

We have 5dogs + our son 2 His are mother n daughter,we have the father n son and daugter also Meg and Cuddles. Our girl is the boss as she has always been here(and big bossy ) and her mum n sister have just come back, every now and then they have a sort out that seems real but they stop n then all back to peace:rolleyes: Girls are usaully top dog/pack leader[]

Thing is, Kalmara, with Westermans being the alpha, that puts Fleur down in the pecking order, where gender doesn't matter as much. I would say this is the key right here:

the only other thing is that milly was playing with sonny and fleur hates that

I would say that Fleur had the opinion that he was crossing the line of the pecking order--lowest dog does not belong playing with higher ranked "dog" as that threatens the pack social structure. She most likely felt her position was being threatened, and Sonny likely not having any idea as to what he may have done "wrong", gave back as good as he got.

As for the neighbour's huntaway attacking Fleur, again that makes sense--outsider to the pack, and thus must be driven off, if not a breedable female that can be included into the pack.

Diane

Will agree to disagree with your thoughts NZA.
& I repeat, there is NO excuse for a dog to ever have a go at a bitch. IMHO this is bad temperament.
I'm alpha over my pack (10+ which includes 3 entire males) but my alpha bitch has complete control at all times & is obedient to me.

Can I ask why you think it is unacceptable for a dog to have a go at a bitch?
Does it work both ways?
I've never heard this before.

Actually, Billy, neither has my husband, and he's been a dog breeder/handler for many a year, having been instrumental in getting one breed recognised/breed club started here in NZ, and is a lifetime club member.

Diane

It just seems a bit unfair on the dog

How are things now westermans?