Hi I'm a proud parent of 3 dogs. One is 4 years old  Rat Terrier {Angel} another is 2 years old Rat Terrier {dixie} and the third is a daschound named libby 2 years old.  My ratt Dixie has been very aggresive towards my libby for about 6 to 8 months. We got both of them about a week apart so they have grown together. But it has been so bad that it actually is a major dog fight . It takes all i got to get them apart. We got Dixie spayed thinking that would help but it's not. Just today i let them all out to potty this morning and they came in and she attacked libby under one of my kids bunk beds and i really thought she was going to kill her .My family loves these dogs so much I just don't know what to do. I'm in tears.  Please someone give me some advice.

Thank you

Thanks but nothing has changed in our house at all.  She just attacked her 1 day and  now it's alot lately. My Libby got pretty hurt this last time. My other, Angel is not like this at all. I just don't know what to do.

It's hard to always know or understand what causes canine aggression or canine rivalry.... but one thing is for sure. It's dangerous not only to the dog who is a victim and to the humans who attempt to break up a fight. Please do NOT try to break up a fight with your hands. Get a broom, mop or something to do it with... don't risk getting bitten yourself.

Obviously, if this has been going on for 6-8 months... it's not a new development, but you should watch the dog's behavior very closely... starting immediately.... to see if you are able to determine the cause for the agressive behavior. I would also have the dog assessed by your vet to rule out any medical issues just to make sure the aggressive dog isn't acting this way because she's in pain for some reason. Dogs cannot communicate their pain to us humans.... we know they are in pain by their actions. Dixie may be trying to tell you something. Make sure it is not a medical issue.

There could be numerous reasons for Dixie's aggressive behavior, and I have no way of knowing these reasons. You do need to understand that dominant behavior is not unnatural for dogs. It's pack behavior and the dog does not realize she's doing anything wrong. You need to keep the dogs separated most of the time... hopefully they do have separate crates... hopefully you do crate them. If they are not crate trained... BIG mistake! Please do this if you haven't already. The crates will serve as wonderful "tools".

Do not leave them out alone together unsupervised. In fact, I'm not so sure I wouldn't keep a 1 or 2-foot lead on Dixie at all times which will give you something to grab if you need to. Teach her to be responsive to you.... teach her what the word "NO" means...

I'm sorry I cannot give you concrete answers to fix this situation. I'm not there and I don't know what's causing this behavior so it's hard to diagnose and suggest a "treatment". But please... if you can't get a handle on the situation yourself... consult a dog trainer/behaviorist. Spend the money to bring someone trained in these types of situations into your home to help you. It will be money well spent... may save your dachshund's life... and it's hard to put a monetary value on your peace of mind.