Fingers crossed that everything goes well - I'm sure it will

aw midge i hope you can get it resolved it must be a terrible situation
as with the other posts and rehoming i really hope you don't have to
how the hell do you choose??

Just a word of caution. Having both bitches spayed will keep them 'level' so may make no difference at all to their vying for top spot. I have read that it is preferable to get the more dominant bitch spayed as this will reinforce her position due to the reduction of oestrogen in her system. I cannot locate my references for this, so it might be worth having a word with your vet about it.

I hope you can resolve the problem.

Blimey Midge reading your post is exactly what happened to me about a month ago Infact that could have been me writing what you did. Apart from the fact that all my dogs had lived peacefully for over a year and I'd had them all since they were born.

The 2 older bitch are spayed and the younger one was having a season and the battles for top dog position got well and truely out of hand between the older bitch and the younger one. We tried every thing to resolve the situation but unfortunatly had to rehome the younger dog. We also have a male who was getting involved in the fights and for the sake of him getting on with the other 2 we had no option but go down the rehoming road We just couldn't risk another set to between the bitches, each fight was getting that bit nastier and I honestly believe my older bitch was on the verge of killing Minnie and if we'd have left the situation as it was it was definatly on the cards.

After chatting to my vet she told me what I all ready knew that even if we got the younger one spayed she didn't believe this would resolve anything and the battles would continue until the top dog position was sorted out and as both bitches were refusing to back down I dread to think what would have happened.

Since Minnie has gone peace and harmony has returned to the house and the dogs are getting on great and everything is just like it use to be. I wish you the very best of luck and hope you don't have the same outcome as me and your dogs can all live together

I would keep your bitches seperated until the season is finished.I would then see how things go.My 2 bitches had 'spats' while Yammi was in season which I put down to hormones...things are now thankfully back to normal .HOWEVER if your bitches have other issues rather than just hormones and they have taken a dislike to each other bitches are nt creatures to forgive and forget and peace is unlikely to be restored.
I have always thought the opposite to SB ...that you castrate/spey the LOWER ranking dog/bitch to reinforce the dominance of the other.
I would therefore start by speying the lower ranking bitch and see how things go...however if you feel you need to spey both due to being unable to prevent pregnancy any other way then this must take priority

I too was under the impression it was the less dominant that got spayed thereby lowering her rank even more, so tha the dominant bitch did not think of her as the threat to her rank?

Mo

Thanks all,

If only spaying one of them will help, then I will try it, although im really not sure which one to spay. Suki (GSD/Husky) was our first dog, is larger physically than Airen but is younger - 19 months whereas Airen is 3 and previously has had pups, Suki has never had a litter.

It is difficult to tell who is the most dominant as they seem to take it in turns (which is the whole problem I know!) Suki is on Airens case more since she started her season, previously they had a few spats but that was it, suki would pat Airen or pretend to jump towards her, tail wagging all the time, Airen to start with would respond by growling and lip curling, and we would tell suki to leave her alone, and put one in another room, or distract them. In the last 2 months Airen has been joining in with this, although only when she felt like it, and not every time, and I have seem her couching down and jumping at Suki, again with tail wagging. As i said earlier the first 'real' fight (which didnt last long) was when Airen got some of the kids cuddly toys and put them in her bed, we took them back but missed one, which she took outside into the kennel, suki being nosey went into the kennel to see what Airen had got, and as you can imagine Airen went for Suki, being territorial over 'her pup/toy/whatever she thought it was' so i guess that fight was our fault - never had bitches before so didnt really know what to do, in the past Airen has become 'fixated' with a toy or bone, we tended to take all the toys out of the kitchen before bedtime so that they wouldnt squabble. We think that Airen's season is in november, but we're not to sure, Airen is due to go to the vets next week, so maybe they will be able to tell, I wonder if, like humans, bitches that live together have cycles that coincide, I dont know - but im sure someone out there does!

The theory is that if the dominant bitch is spayed she will have less calming oestrogen and more 'dominant' male hormones in her system, thus reinforcing her status.

Exactly the opposite to castration where the less dominant is castrated thus reducing the male hormones and increasing the oestrogen.

It is not something I have had personal experience of so I can only provide the information I will try to find references later.

It is not unknown for intact bitches that live together to synchronize heat cycles.

Thanks - any help is a big help!

My OH just read the bit about females having syncronised cycles and is leaving home
We have 2 bitches, me and 4 daughters, 3 of which have cycles - so that makes 6 of us
we will be a no go zone eh!!