Dog Fights? - Page 1

I have a problem with my two girls continuly fighting. It can be over really anything and just happens out of the blue. It almost always happens in the living room though.

The first girl is my Sadie, who is a female german shepherd, not spayed. Started her heat on the 24th of April. She just turned three years old on the 17th.

The second girl is Zoey, a lab mix, spayed. She has seizures.  She is about four or five.

Now they have been living together since October of 2008. We did not have any problems until about two months ago. Nothing changed that I can remember or noticed.

So my question is, can the fight be from Sadie's heat? I mean the hormones being not normal. Any ideas? They both were fine with each other since October, so I am going crazy with these full blow fights.

At first the fights were just little and now they are hurting each other. I called the vet, but they were closed, so I will call again tomorrow morning. Sadie seems to get hurt more than Zoey but seems to have more control and is always on top.

We will also call trainers for help, but thought to try here first.

Thank you for any help,
RockyMud

It is Sadie. My female Zissa turned 2 on 1 April and became very aggressive during her heat times and around food and toys. She has turned out to be my Alpha female. She was alright around other dogs except for this lab next door and the chow up the street..

DiAngelo

Female gsd are not know for letting a nother female be around and can get in fights to the death,best to keep them apart since they have started ,as it most likely wil end bad.She may since the other dog is sick or it might just be dominance.You dont want to come home to one of your pets badly hurt or worse. Just keep them apart.

You have a problem....
You should probably find a way to keep them separated.
I doubt it will improve and they will hurt each other.

2 of my girls are 4 year old sisters.They have been the best of friends untill last year.Alec was attack by her sister Peyton last march.It was a trip to the vet but nothing I would freak out about.No stiches just a wound on the head that had to be watched.
Then followed over a year with peace.both came in heat and no fights.I watched close and not even a harsh look passed between them.Another heat came and this time I decided to bred Peyton.Last Sunday at 5 weeks along Peyton again attacked Alec.This time the wounds were great.I was inside and both girls out back when I heard the firght began.By the time I got there it was a war.Peyton had one tiny hole in her lip.Alec is at the vets.IVs and wound drains.
I am picking her up in the morning she will be spayed and go to a great home with a family who is in my church.I wont chance another fight.

I had two dogs hold a grudge against each other for seven years now . No fights in the last five years between them but they still would if given the chance . You can just look at them and know they still remember they hate each other . One spayed one not .

My husband was convinced he could make my (known female aggressive) spayed GSD tolerate a black lab mix about 7 or 8 months ago.  In the end the lab was put down and my dog got her face stitched up, granted the black lab had some heavy issues, but it gets the point across.  I've seen many female-female fights, seperated my share, got really gnawed up once, and after that, I will not have two females together.  I don't care how friendly they act.  Maybe the right two dogs in the right hands, but at my house, two females has been disaster.  I believe that females must live seperately.  It's been my experience that females fight to death, males fight for dominance.  Just my experiences, I am not a trainer and have NO formal education in GSDs or dogs in general. 
-Nichole

RockyMud,
 I have 2 girls that will pick a fight with each other, and now, I walk around with a staff, a long wooden stick,
and it shows them I am the alpha dog, it works very well, it is sort of what the sheep herder does, so the dog
wouldn't get too rough with the sheep, it keeps them in line, just them seeing it does the trick.

                    Paula