You are here:

Boxers/2 female boxers

Advertisement

Expert: - 2/8/2010


Question
I have 2 female boxers age 5.  I did not know about the danger of having 2 females in one household.  They have gotten into about 2 or 3 bad fights, drawing lots of blood.  This usually starts around my 2 yr old daughter with the dominate ones either worried or jealous when she is around the other one, otherwise these dogs are inseparable, sleeping together, cleaning eachother etc.  Without getting rid of one do you have any suggestions?  They both are great dogs and never violent towards us or anyone else.  Would getting another male boxer help to ease things or make matters worse?

Answer
 Hi Nicole,

Once the females have drawn blood from each other they most likely will not get along and are most likely to continue this behavior. It seems they hold grudges so to speak. Please reconsider re-homing one of them, it would be best for all. The safety of your two year old is a real concern as when the dogs are in this fight mode they may very well unintentionally harm your daughter or other humans who try to break up the fight. When dogs are in that mode of behavior they can bite anyone who touches, gets near or tries to break the fight up, they will not be able to distinguish foe or friend and will turn on them, even for a split second until they realize its a human, by the time this happens someone has usually been bitten. If you add a male to the group you will most likely cause additional pack mentality and more problems and fights. If you re-homed one of the females and got a male then the outcome is more favorable. Spaying the females may provide some benefit but is unlikely after they have drawn blood and have issues with each other. This is my experience of having this breed for more than 40 years. You might consider bringing in a trainer or behaviorist for a home visit and get additional opinions and observations to help you make a hard decision as I know you care for both dogs.
Thank you so much for your question.

Angela Donald
Canine Behavior Consultant
http://www.hitowerboxers.com

Boxers

All Answers

Answers by Expert:

Ask Experts

Volunteer

Angela Donald

Expertise

I'll be happy to answer questions about boxer dog allergies,behavior,behavior modification,breeding,care,coat color genetics,diet,ear cropping,exercise,genetics,grooming,health,history,pedigrees,showing and training.

Experience

I am a dedicated dog enthusiast and guardian of boxers for 40 years, a boxer conformation show exhibitor and breeder as well as a canine behavior consultant with a special interest in the boxer breed. I currently share my life with six boxer dogs.See our family of Boxer Dogs

Organizations
American Boxer Charitable Foundation

Publications
I currently contribute regularly to Dog-Canine Blog.I am the founder and publisher of The Boxer Behavioral Journal,a scientific journal with detailed behavioral case study information,which someday I hope will add valuable knowledge to the breeding,care and health of the breed.I am also a freelance writer with my latest article: Distinctive Behaviors of Boxer Dogs found at http://www.hitowerboxers.com/boxerdogbehavior.htm and distributed on the world wide web.

Education/Credentials
I have a MBA from AU.I have gotten real life experiences from my 40 years of the family owning boxers and other canine breeds, through my boxer rescue rehabilitation efforts, obedience training of the breed, more than 20 years of study on dog-canine behavior, genetics, health research,from my work as a canine behavioral consultant,exhibitor and breeder. My quest for canine knowledge is a never ending journey.

©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.