white boxer

Question
High,
    I need your help.....I have 3 boxers two fawn females and one male pure white. mom 4 years old, daughter 15 months, son 15 months. (the son is not fixed) the babies never fought before until this weekend. this morning they got into it twice. Can you give me a little advice or expertise on what i should do or what the problem could be....Will a distemperment shot or have him fixed help....Please help...I love my babies and i dont want to get rid of any of them.....

Answer
Hi Rhonda,

The answer really depends on why they are fighting.  The are in the middle of adolescence, and are routinely pushing their limits.  Fights are less common among sterilized animals, but again it depends on why they're fighting; as well, it takes several months for the hormones to fully exit the system, so sterilization is not a "quick-fix" solution.  (A distemper shot has nothing to do with a dog's actual temperament, so wouldn't apply here.)

I'd suggest implementing a "Nothing in Life is Free" (NILIF) program, for all three dogs.  This will firmly establish yourself as the "head honcho", the one who makes and enforces the rules, and the one who owns everything - you may let them borrow it, but at the end of the day it is yours.  There's a good description of the NILIF program here, though a web search will pull up many articles:
http://chien-noir.com/NILIF.html

Also, a few books/booklets that would be helpful to you are Patricia McConnell's "How to Be the Leader of the Pack" and "Feeling Outnumbered", and Jeanne Donaldson's "Fight!".  

If the the fighting increases in frequency or intensity, you might want to contact a qualified canine behaviorist, who can objectively observe the situation and help you figure out what is at the root of the conflict.

Good luck!!