JACK RUSSELL TERRIER BITCHES FIGHTING

Question
I have three Jack Russells, two bitches and a young male (neutered)  All are related. The eldest is 21 months, the next is 18 months and the young male is  year.  When bitch 2 was on heat which started December 17 she suddenly became aggressive to bitch 1 about ten days into her heat.  Bitch 1 is not on heat.  The fights are fierce and bloody, the young male runs off in terror!  Bitch 2 always starts it but it only happens indoors.  They run out in the garden with no problems and I walk them for an hour a day in the woods, no problems, get back indoors and off they go again, No. 2 gives No. 1 a dirty look, No. 1 warns and then off they go.  I can control it to a certain extent if I get in there quickly and loudly but one second too late and they are off.  Help please, bitch no. 2 is having a holiday with her mother at the mo to give us all a break.

Answer
Barbara -

Jacks are scrappy little characters and I have a little trouble like you describe with my own jack. I also cannot imagine having more than 1 (my other dogs are setters) since they do seem to fight a lot.

Many breeders have to split up litters early because they start fighting as baby puppies.

Your dogs are all in their "terrible teens" and it's not likely to improve any time soon. I would strongly recommend spaying both females since being intact just adds a **lot** of tension to the situation and their vying for position in the pack.

Additionally, I would recommend keeping them away from each other as much as possible. You in effect have to protect them from each other.  When my jack gets scrappy with someone, he spends some time crated and then drags a leash behind him for about a week (so I can snatch him up before something happens).

The other thing that may work is a spray bottle or one of those ultrasonic things they use to train dogs to stop barking. Basically, both of those things act to interrupt the behavior that is happening - be it a dirty look, starting to mark, dumpster diving or counter surfing.  You want to interrupt the bad behavior and then follow with a good behavior...

For instance, you would spray or otherwise interrupt the nanosecond you see one dog giving the other one the evil eye or some body posturing.  Then you would call that dog to you and ask them to sit, and then praise.  This breaks the cycle of a negative behavior and replaces it with one you can reward for.

It will not solve the jockeying for pack position, but it will give you one more tool in the arsenal of managing your kiddos.

Good luck !

-Bet