two dogs who live together just started fighting

[barbie]

we have two dogs who have lived together for eighteen months.one is a six year old whippet cross and a two and a half year old border terrier.they have both been spade the whippet came from a rescue home and arrived a month before the terrier.until a month ago they have lived together with no probblems exept the terrier barking quite a bit.but the terrier has now decidid that every time she sees the whippet she has a go for her at first we thought that it was just a one of but over the month every time that they come in to contact with each other the terrier goes mad and if we did not pull them apart would in my opinion kill the whippit so at the moment they are living in seperate parts of the house and i walk them at different times so they do not come in to contact with each other but i feel this is not fair on them or me .so what can i do please to eliviate this problem. because if it continues i fear i shall have to re home one of them. HELP PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!

[Calin]

Are they both bitches? From what I understand, when 2 bitches decide they want to kill each other, there is no talking them out of it. You will either have to re-home one or keep them separated for life. Sorry.

[emmabeth]

Sorry, I wouldnt even contemplate attempting to reintroduce these two.

Bitches hold grudges and these dont go away, they escalate, what starts out as one ***** scrapping with another when over excited and frustrated, over a big juicy bone...... can and will end up with them scrapping on sight, scrapping over the tiniest of crumbs, because you looked at the wrong one first..... anything, and nothing will cause them to fight now!

You are spot on, if you dont seperate them one of them will kill the other, I have known this happen with lurcher/terrier combinations and often the lurcher will get fed up and hey presto... one dead terrier.

Or, as you say... the terrier could easily kill the whippet.

Rehome one of them, if you rehome the whippet and keep the terrier I would not consider housing her with another ***** again, if you rehome the terrier and keep the whippet, again, avoid companions for a good year or so and see how she is after that with visiting dogs etc.

Sorry to have to say this, Id love there to be a cure but in my experience and that of many trainers/behaviourists and dog breeders I know, there is only this option.

Em

[katowaggytail]

So sorry about your problem. I've learnt something new today - as someone who has always had boys, I never realised that bitches could react like this. Been an eye opener for me. Take care.