Sudden change in 3 x female dogs

[shelleythompson777]

Hello,

 

I previously had 2 dogs - 1 x 9 year old Female Staffy (Layla) and 1 x 10 year old  Female Staffy (Zara).

In October last year my partner and I recused a third dog that is a Female Staffy X - 9 months old (Milly). From the way she looks, I think she has Ridgeback or Great Dane in her but I am not sure.

At first the dominant dog (Zara) was not very nice to her and there were a few fights but that stopped after a month or so and they have all got along fine until recently.

My partner recently passed away and I have been off work for 6 weeks, I went back to work yesterday and all was ok but once i fed them in the night they got very excited and Milly and Layla got in a fight that I had to run in and grab Millys lead and put her outside for a minute to calm her down (Milly and Layla have always got along). After the fight Milly kept nuzzling her snout into Layla's face or ear or chest like she wanted to play but Layla was then scared and kept growling at her which made her do it even more. Eventually they calmed down and all went to sleep completely fine and were fine in the morning.

They are all in the house together so I was worried about them at work today and came home early at 2pm. When I got home they were all fine with each other, laying in their beds together and the occasional play but once I fed them at night the same thing happened and Milly started getting in Laylas face and Layla started growing and snapping at her again. It went on for about an hour and half and even Zara was being rough with Layla which wasn't helping. Eventually it calmed down and Layla and Milly are sharing a bed snuggled together.

 

Milly is now 15 months old and I read that when a dog comes into adolescents they may start to fight for dominance but Layla is not the dominant female so If this was the case wouldn't Milly be doing this to Zara (the dominant dog)?

There are a few things I am thinking it could be but I dont know which one/ones it is and how to stop this from escalating - 

 

1. My partner is no longer here and this is causing them stress (if this is the case would it really take 6 weeks for this to happen?)

2. They are upset because I have been around for 6 weeks and suddenly I am at work all day again (if this was the case why is this only happening after I feed them?)

3. It has suddenly become very dark and cold at night and this is causing them to play up?

4. Because my partner was the dominant owner, him not being here is making the 2 submissive dogs fight over hierarchy? 

5. Zara is on her last heat as she is 10 but she is not the one causing the issues. Could her mood be affecting the other 2 dogs behavior?

 

Please help! I don's want this to escalate and one of my older dogs get hurt because Milly is the biggest even though she is the youngest. I am also not handling the stress of this very well due to just losing my partner and I really need help.

 

p.s. Milly and Layla are desexed.

 

Thank you.

[Dogsfevr]

3 females is often a case of disaster waiting to happen in certain breeds more so .
You have a bitch who is in season which often creates a hormonal mood amongst a pack .

Chances are the younger bitch is trying the waters but in all honesty i would suggest prevention especially if your at work .
The only issues we have ever had where girls & two who lived happily suddenly had one squabble & things where never the same .

Whilst we are set up for multi dogs we opted to place one of the girls with people who where after an older girl & previously had one of our pups,she lived to 15 & very happily & the pack structure here went back to normal with no issues .
No ones fault just two personalities who clashed one day out of the blue .

It could be due to your partner no longer being there & him having the respect of the dogs ,it also could very well happened with him around .
You also have to keep in mind you have two senior dogs who want to enjoy the simple things in life & are slowing up,you have a young bitch who is just coming into her adult life & wanting to enjoy playing & all the activities your seniors most likely don't so you need to manage the youngest for her age needs & boredom ,creating issues can be part of the fun without understanding the consequences .
So what things do you do with the youngest to make her life fun,brain games,exercise etc etc .

[tdierikx]

I would start with feeding them all in separate rooms if you can... as feed time seems to be part of a trigger that is causing this behaviour.

 

They could also be picking up on your feelings of loss/grief and the change in their routine. This you can't deal with overnight, but it will get easier with time, OK? It's not your "fault" any of this happens under the circumstances.

 

I have 3 female dogs here myself - and one of them doesn't get on with the other two at all - and, like yours, she's a bigger and younger girl than the others. I keep her separated from them at all times... as if there were a fight, I could not break it up on my own safely. All 3 get plenty of "mummy time", so the arrangement works for our little pack/family.

 

If you feel you may not be able to cope if these issues escalate, do not feel bad if you need to make a decision to rehome Milly... sometimes it can be the best solution for all involved, and is not "palming off a problem", but a selfless act to ensure all 3 dogs' welfare.

 

T.

 

 

[shelleythompson777]

Thank you!

I will give it another week or so, If i separate her she will bark and cry all day though because she LOVES being with the other 2. I also am hoping that because this has only just started to happen and we have had her for 6 months now it comes down to me going back to work this week and Milly being a bit bored. I really really dont want to get rid of her, I love her so much.

IF she doesn't calm down and it gets worse, is there a particular program or process you would recommend of rehoming? I really don't want to do this but I will not risk the safety of my other 2 dogs.

 

Thank you again.

[tdierikx]

There are a few options you have at this point...

 

1. call in a qualified behaviourist (NOT BarkBusters) to help you work out what course of action to take to get your girls to all live together in harmony.

2. make enquiries with local dog rescue groups (not sure where you are located) as to whether they would be willing to help you with the rehoming process - either by advertising her for you through their network, or by taking her into their care and being rehomed that way.

 

I would definitely start by separating them all at dinner time, as this seems to be the most obvious trigger time... all that excitement at the though of yummy dinner AND having you there to impress after you've been away all day.

 

I've had 2 female dogs decide that killing each other was the new "norm"... it's not pleasant, and not fair to try to force them to try to co-exist when it gets to that point... and don't get me started on vet bills after particularly nasty fights - luckily I was a bit of a regular at my local vet, and they gave me some discounts. Those 2 never had the opportunity to be together after one particularly frightening fight - we are talking police, capsicum spray, and the threat of shooting the dogs in quiestion... very scary stuff!

 

If you did have to permanently separate Milly from the others, I can attest to the fact that she could quite possibly adjust to her new "norm" just fine... as long as you can give her equal you time. I have 3 dogs here at the moment - 1 can't be with the other two, and she is happy with the arrangements I have in place for her to have her equal share of mummy time and attention. It CAN be done, but it's a routine you need to stick to 100% to avoid altercations. The upside is getting to keep all 3 dogs and making it all work for everyone.

 

T.

[persephone]

22 hours ago, shelleythompson777 said:

I really really dont want to get rid of her, I love her so much.

If you love her a lot - finding her a home where she can be an only dog ..and not have to claw her way up the ladder may be a good solution for her . 
You have had so much excellent advice , and having 2 bitches , let alone 3 is hard WORK , and involves much more than leaving them together all day . Young dogs require much brainwork to keep them from getting bored/frustrated and looking for other things to do , and older dogs often resent pushy ,energetic younger ones .....

[Dogsfevr]

On 5/2/2018 at 7:19 AM, shelleythompson777 said:

Thank you!

I will give it another week or so, If i separate her she will bark and cry all day though because she LOVES being with the other 2. I also am hoping that because this has only just started to happen and we have had her for 6 months now it comes down to me going back to work this week and Milly being a bit bored. I really really dont want to get rid of her, I love her so much.

IF she doesn't calm down and it gets worse, is there a particular program or process you would recommend of rehoming? I really don't want to do this but I will not risk the safety of my other 2 dogs.

 

Thank you again.

Loving her means not allowing her to do damage ,if she did kill your other dog would the love still be there .

This is a young dog that has a future BUT that future could end up pear shape or fabulous depending on what is in her best interests.
Multi dog households are time consuming & simple reality is not all get on so you need to be committed to a training programme,committed to setting up two separate living areas & committed to spreading your time for all .
I totally understand this is the worse time for you to make a decision on what may/may not happen but in the end your decision needs to be based on the 3 dogs & what is the best for them .

Both decisions could end up breaking your heart but one decision could mean alot more .In the end only you can decide BUT for starters don't ever feel guilty if rehoming is the option ,shit happens & it takes a responsible owner to make the right decision BASED solely on there dogs

[Two Best Dogs!]

Get in a trainer+behaviourist to see your living situation with the dogs. They can advise you on what kind of training program you will need, how "bad" they think it is, what kind of changes to management you would need to do.

 

Definitely feed them separately. Not even in sight of each other. If the excitement of the food is a trigger causing over arousal - that will creep  over to the others and that's when you're most likely to have a fight. While setting up the new routine - be they separated/management or keeping them together - you should endeavour to avoid them working themselves into a tizzy.

 

Some rescues in your area might even be able to advise you of a trainer/behaviourist and other management tips before moving into the "i need to rehome someone" stage. Only you can decide when you have reached that stage, where you can not manage all three and what might need to change.

 

Also have each of them checked by a vet (separately) if you can, make sure there's nothing medical going on thats upsetting one and by extension, the others.