Pitbull acting out

Question
I have two female dogs at home.  They have been together for about 5 years now.  Both dogs were adopted as puppies.  Lucy, is a hound mix and she is about 7.  Marley is about 5 and she is a pitbull mix.  The two have been living comfortably together until this summer.  They have gotten in a couple fights throughout the years, always started by the pitt.  This summer though, the two have gotten into about 5 fights. The fights are ugly and normally ends with the vet.  At first, it was obvious reasons, like food or jealousy, now it seems like nothing can trigger the battles.  We are nervous that we can no longer keep the two together and are at a crossroads.
The most recent fight has been the worse and I am very worried we may come home to a dead dog.  It is really sad too because I know that Marley loves Lucy.  It is like a trigger goes off and she turns into a different dog.  Should we muzzle? Should we find a new home for her?  Should she be put down?

The problem goes on and on, but it is very hard to put in question form.I have no idea how to fix our problem, and we love our dogs so much.
I hope you can help.  Thank you for your time

Answer
Hello Emily,

Sorry it took so long to get back to you. This is truly a difficult problem to sort out, especially when it is seemingly out of the blue after years of peaceful living.

I assume that both of the girls are spayed. If not, this could be a definite start toward solving the issue.

Also, there is a company called Anaflora which produces flower essence remedies; one of which is called Harmony. Look up the company on line and read more about it. The woman who owns the company also does private consultation and individualized blends, so while on the site, you may want to look into that as well. Flower Essences are slated toward emotional issues like the one you are experiencing.

For now, I would recommend keeping the girls separated when you are not home. I don't think that you need to consider putting anyone down. I would also begin to observe the body language of both girls when you are home and they are interacting with you and each other. Look for dominance posturing and take note of when it is happening. It may give you a clue as to what the new triggers are. If the older girl used to be the dominant one in the house, the pit may now be taking over the position. As in most packs, there can be only one dominant female, and it really should be you. It is the instinct of subordinates to simply follow the rules and regs set up by the dominant and the only one to challenge for the position is the dominant animal, not the other subordinates. At some point this summer, the social dynamic of your "pack" (including yourself and others in the household) somehow shifted. Take a look of what shifted it: new relationship, stress in old relationship,etc. It is amazing how many pet issues are actually human ones first.

Hope this helps. Please keep me posted, and if you need to talk it out further, feel free to call me some evening (Eastern time)at 727-327-8769 and we can chat.

Take care,
Sue