It sounds like the 2 females are fighting over the pecking order of which is going to be the dominant female in the house.
5 weeks of age is pretty young for a pup to be separated from its mom and littermates. Both mom and the siblings would have taught your pup social skills.
It seems like a lot of people come on here with aggressive behavioral problems and a common link between them all is that they acquired their dogs before they were 12 weeks of age. There are many dogs that have left their mom before 12 weeks and done fine...but it seems like a lot of the aggressive/social issues seem to happen in dogs who were weaned too early.
Fixing your female could definitely help as she won't be pushing out all the hormones she now has and your other female may find her less threatening simply bc of that. Fixing her would be the easiest solution, if it fixes the problem. Otherwise, it's going to probably take a lot of work and a lot of patience.
Do u have a baby gate? U could get them used to each other by keeping them separated by a baby gate so they are safe, but it's not as secluded as keeping them in separate rooms. They can get used to each other through the gate where they can see and smell each other while still remaining safe. You can distract them and give them treats so they associate each other with good things. I wouldn't leave them unattended with the gate at first though...not until u know neither will climb it. You can gradually move them closer to each other by using treats to distract and reward them until they are eventually sitting right next to each other on opposite sides of the gate without growling or trying to fight. You ve got to do it gradually though and don't move closer until they are comfortable and not showing aggression at the distance they are at. Basically, you are trying to desensitize them to each other.
Btw....8 months old is right around that time where a female matures and has her first heat. I am guessing that in Sadie eyes, pattii was no longer an innocent little puppy, but instead she became a viable female.
Last edited by theporkieyorkie; 01-25-2014 at 01:50 PM.
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