Will two female dogs fight due to dominance as they get older?

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!

Play fighting is normal behavior in puppies but can become more serious and unfortunately two sisters (indeed 2 females in general) aremore likely to progress to serious injury than a mixed pair. Rehoming of one is definitely worthy of consideration, also keeping them separate when not supervised and avoiding triggers such as sharing food bowls or toys. It is possible they may grow out of this but it is equally possible it could escalate as they mature

Male and female combinations may get along better BUT many households have single sex pets and absolutely no problems. The biggest factor is individual personality. I recommend to have your first dog meet any potential housemates to make sure they seem to like each other. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach, and congratulations on your new puppy. I'm glad she is playing and sleeping with your 2 older females. While sometimes dog behavior can change over time, there is nothing to say that she will for certain become aggressive with age. As they grow out of the puppy stage, they can try to establish dominance among the other dogs, but this doesn't always happen, and only time will tell what your girls will do. Hopefully, Peaches will continue to leave in harmony with the older dogs.

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.

Hi there, I would not recommend adding another dog, as this may escalate the behaviors and worsen them. They may also choose to escalate the behaviors onto the new dog and cause harm. I would focus on working with your two dogs to create a better relationship with them before adding any others to the mix. As well, sometimes two dogs are just not made to be best friends, just like not all people get along with everyone. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

At this stage you are not likely to correct this behavior. It is not uncommon for two female dogs that are not spayed to fight. You can have one or both of them spayed - that might help but there is no guarantee. The best thing to do is keep them separated at all times. If they have to be in the same room together then I suggest you keep basket muzzles on them so they can't hurt each other. ( https://www.amazon.com/Baskerville-Ultra-Basket-Dog-Muzzle/dp/B0051H45GC )