3 years old border collie female

Question
The female has become aggressive toward other female dogs. This nstarted when we broughtour first grandson home in late Sept. She has always been very submissive and still is around people and other male dogs. The problem is that she was suppose to be in heat at the time we brought the baby home. She will not leave his side and is very submissive around him but will not let another dog around him. Also she did not go into heat but began lactating and is very protective of food in general.She had a litter when she was 2yrs old (6 puppies ) and was an excellent mother. She had no problem with humans touching and picking up the pups. We also have a 11 yr. old border collie that she allowed into the area with the pups and was not at all aggressive. Have anty answers or information would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you for your consideration.
Also, please forward this tresponse to Dlynnsr@aol.com


Answer
I'm sorry but I can't forward any response to your email address, as you requested.  You will have to read the answer in this forum.  You can copy/paste it into any word document if you care to keep it.  Thanks.

Your female appears to have gone through a phantom pregnancy.  She is most likely responding to the sounds/smells of the human infant.  Guarding her food, as a very submissive member of the "pack", would be a normal development considering that she thinks she has a baby/litter to care for.  Also, guarding her "baby" against other females is a normal behavior, since as a low ranking member of your "pack" she would not be allowed to keep her puppies (higher ranking members would take them or kill them, that's the way of it in the canine mind, at least insofar as wolves and other wild canines are concerned and we do see this behavior in domestic dogs at times.  Also, very low ranking females often don't even come into estrus, their hormones are suppressed by the presence of higher ranking members of the pack.)  Because she did not respond in this manner with her own puppies does not guaranty future behavior.

You need to take this girl to the veterinarian asap.  She needs to be assessed for the possibility of physical illness (which may or may not be associated with her heat cycle.)  She also needs to be given hormone reducing drugs and then, after eight to ten weeks, SPAYED.  She is no longer a candidate for breeding;  aggression of any sort, no matter the cause, only worsens if the situation causing it is not remedied.  Once a female develops a "dislike" for another female in the pack, this can spell huge problems between them.  Two bitches will fight to the death, unlike males.  I wouldn't wait for any further developments, I would act now.

Also, I would not encourage her to "guard" the human infant.  Her behavior appears to be quite out of character and one does not, and cannot, trust any dog (no matter how kind) with a human infant or toddler.  It is not her "job" to care for the baby and she should not be allowed to do it.  If you have problems dealing with this, I suggest you contact the nearest Veterinary college and ask them for a referral to a credentialed animal behaviorist.