Why is my dog in heat suddenly biting her female housemates?

Thanks for sharing your toe, however since we aren't human doctors there isn't much that can be done for that and you should visit your regular doctor. That said, if this is linked to your dog being in heat, keeping the two separated during her heat cycle may help reduce the behavior and prevent a fight from breaking out. Having your female spayed may also help reduce the aggressive behavior if it is related to her heat cycle as she will no longer have them. If the behavior continues to escalate, keeping the two dogs apart and speaking with a trainer in person is best so that they can address the issue and provide a more tailored plan. Picking up and keeping any and all toys, etc removed during this as well as feeding the dogs separately may also help reduce the behavior as well.

That’s hard to say. Certainly her hormones can make her more unpredictable and prone to mood swings. If only she could talk and tell you! There could also be an element of her maturing into an adult dog now and this will sometimes change things in her idea of the human pack structure. Because of situations like this, I recommend to spay or neuter all pets who are not intended to be breeding animals. It tends to keep them more even keel and generally exhibit less signs of aggression or dominance. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Spaying both dogs is going to help, as it will take hormonal cues out of the equation. You may need further socialization and dog-dog aggression help as well. Please consult this fantastic dog behavior website for more information and free tips: www.dogstardaily.com.

Hi and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am so sorry that your two pups have not been getting along recently. I would separate both dogs while you are away until you can figure out the issue. A lot of times housemates will fight due to phobias (thunderstorms, loud noises), separation anxiety or aggression. Also, sometimes one dog may have a medical issue presenting it self to be weaker than the other dog. I would make sure both pets are pain free and have no concerning issues like vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, pain etc. A lot of the time, the newer dog in the household tends to be the aggressor. I would work with each dog separately and together for obedience training. If possible, i would get a professional dog trainer to help. A lot of the time it is the people that need training on how to properly time commands for their pups. Once they have a solid foundation of obedience training I would try a few things that will test ability to ignore one another in the same room, then give one dog attention while the other one ignores it etc. I would reward the dogs for remaining calm. This will help teach them that they can be in the same space and tolerate each other. These can be some helpful training tools that you can start with. However, if the fighting escalates, getting a professional trainer would be highly recommended sooner rather than later! I would really appreciate if you could mark this question as helpful or not as helpful. It allows us to improve on the quality of our answers to other pet owners!

When you have two bitches together, they will show aggression to compete for territory and intact males especially if they are in heat. The best thing to do is to have both of them spayed. This will reduce the aggression between them as it is most likely hormonally related. It will also eliminate the risk of a pyometra, which is a life threatening infection of the uterus. Without spaying them, you will have a very hard time reducing the aggression because it's hormonally related. Removing the source of the hormones is the best way to stop the aggression.

I'm sorry that you're having this problem! Aggression between dogs in the same household is a complex behavior issue that is a bit beyond the scope of what we can effectively help with in this format. Treatment for this problem involves identifying what triggers the aggression (which often takes a bit of detective work, and observation by an expert) and then finding ways to avoid these triggers, or working with the dogs over time to teach them to respond differently when these situations occur. It's not a simple process, unfortunately, so there's really no quick and easy answer to give. Your best option would be to make an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate the dogs in person and give you some hands-on guidance in dealing with this problem. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org

I hate to hear this is happening. Canine aggression is a complex behavior as it can stem from dominance, possessiveness, fear, anxiety, resource guarding or a combination. Most people are not familiar with reading canine body language and training. Because of this, I recommend to work with a professional trainer. Researching on your own will also be helpful. Familiarizing yourself with canine body language and dog training can help you to recognize what your pet is trying to say. You can find many books written on the topic and there is a trainer named Victoria Stilwell who I think is particularly helpful. Best of luck.