Sudden aggression problems with 9 mo male/female littermates after spay - Page 1

Has anyone had problems with sudden temperament problems after spaying?    The female has been high-energy/fearless all along, but  turned extremely aggressive against her brother the minute she came home from being spayed.     Any ideas or suggestions?     These are fights, not normal "Paws & Jaws" goofing around.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Julia in Dallas

Julia,

Maybe she need's time to get over the operation.

Brent.

is he trying to mount her ect?  I have seen males try to breed a recently spayed female.

also, she maybe real sore from the operation, let her have her space and some rest.

Julia,

Sorry I had a call.  

The dog has been through a trauma and she probably doesn't want to be bothered.

You didn't say how old or how long it's been since the operation.  Littermate's can have all kind's of reason's for not getting along as they mature. 

I'd say give it some time,  and keep watch for sign's of what trigger's the aggression.

Sibling's don't alway's get along.

Brent.

I have found that when a dog is taken to the vet for any reason, they come home smelling differently. Depending on the length of time gone, both the house dogs and the one returning can elicit a response from the dogs they have known and known well.

I believe this may also be accompanied by some subtle and not so subtle signs from all dogs involved, and it may also include the release of pheromones which then further complicate matters. My solution is always to be careful about re-integrating the dog, however familiar, to the group. I keep the returning dog separated from others, but let them see and smell and interact through a fence, for example, or through a crate. Soon all settles down as normal. As Two Moons said as well, if the female was just spayed, she may well not feel well, have pain and just not want to be bothered. My suggestion is to isolate her for a few days and take it slowly. In a few days I suspect all will be just fine. 

Julia,

I didn't even think about the scent as hodie mentioned, that can be a cause all by itself.

Also,

My dog's get along only as long as the pecking order has been established and when separated they have to go through the ritual all over again everytime I let them out together. 

I agree in time they will adjust once again.

Brent.

I found with one of my females that it took a while after the spay for her to become accustomed to the different hormone level.  We are so use to spaying females and neutering males that we don't some times stop to think that some personality changes may happen because of the difference in hormone levels.

Val

Thanks everyone for your thoughtful responses.   I'll keep my fingers crossed.  Gotta admit I was pretty grumpy after being spayed myself!

One other thing to consider is that you are a pack.  (not to get Cesar on ya).  Dogs don't take too long to be removed from the pack.  Split them up for a few nights and they have to re-establish the order. 

It's all HIS fault.. he was the one who made you take Her to the Vet... It was a conspiracy ...  a BOY's conspiracy... the other dogs at the Vet's told her so... While she was out being spayed HE got to sit home on HER sofa... probably even got into some of HER biscuits!!!   So she's gunna make dang sure HE pays for it!!

In all seriousness though... as others have said, she's gone thru a trauma, both the seperation, the surgery and also the changes in her hormone levels, and like any lil sister, she's going to blame her sibling and take it out on him.  Probably best to seperate for a few days... work them in quiet obedience near each other... and supervise their interactions til things get back to a normal level.  @ that age she might also have been on the verge of her first heat which means that there's going to be a large change in hormones for her to deal with. 

Would expect that if they were okay prior to the surgery they should settle their differences in a few days to a week.