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Hello, I have an 18 month old female blk/rust dobe (Raven), a 4 yr old female jack russell and three kids (11, 8, & 14 mos). I had a 13 yr old female dobe prior to getting Raven, who got along with our jack pretty well. Only a few scraps, but easily broken up. Raven on the other hand is a totally different story - the two will be playing and suddenly start fighting, with Raven grabbing the jack by the throat and not letting up. Any suggestions as to how I can break this up or is there any hope of her growing out of this???? She also tends to nip at my older children when they run past her. I'm conviced she is playing, but my kids don't enjoy that game. One other thing, I had her to the vet last week and she just went crazy when we came out of the room into the reception area where another dog was waiting. She gets along well with my sister's dogs, but is very aggressive towards others. I plan on taking her to an obiedeince class, which I should have done last summer, but had the baby, so I couldn't. She gets along well with the baby, lets him crawl all over him, take bones from her, etc. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciatedd. Thanks.

>>Hello, I have an 18 month old female blk/rust dobe (Raven), a 4 yr old female jack russell and three kids (11, 8, & 14 mos). I had a 13 yr old female dobe prior to getting Raven, who got along with our jack pretty well. Only a few scraps, but easily broken up. Raven on the other hand is a totally different story - the two will be playing and suddenly start fighting, with Raven grabbing the jack by the throat and not letting up. Any suggestions as to how I can break this up or is there any hope of her growing out of this???? She also tends to nip at my older children when they run past her. I'm conviced she is playing, but my kids don't enjoy that game. One other thing, I had her to the vet last week and she just went crazy when we came out of the room into the reception area where another dog was waiting. She gets along well with my sister's dogs, but is very aggressive towards others. I plan on taking her to an obiedeince class, which I should have done last summer, but had the baby, so I couldn't. She gets along well with the baby, lets him crawl all over him, take bones from her, etc. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciatedd. Thanks.

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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series at www.veterinaryforum.com

>>Hello, I have an 18 month old female blk/rust dobe (Raven), a 4 yr old female jack russell and three kids (11, 8, & 14 mos). I had a 13 yr old female dobe prior to getting Raven, who got along with our jack pretty well. Only a few scraps, but easily broken up. Raven on the other hand is a totally different story - the two will be playing and suddenly start fighting, with Raven grabbing the jack by the throat and not letting up. Any suggestions as to how I can break this up or is there any hope of her growing out of this???? She also tends to nip at my older children when they run past her. I'm conviced she is playing, but my kids don't enjoy that game. One other thing, I had her to the vet last week and she just went crazy when we came out of the room into the reception area where another dog was waiting. She gets along well with my sister's dogs, but is very aggressive towards others. I plan on taking her to an obiedeince class, which I should have done last summer, but had the baby, so I couldn't. She gets along well with the baby, lets him crawl all over him, take bones from her, etc. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciatedd. Thanks.

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Sorry, somehow the system erased my post and just left my name! I'll try again. You need to get in-person help with the dog as far as the behavior with kids. Training class isn't likely to be enough, but of course you should do it, too. Ask your veterinarian to recommend a behavior specialist or trainer in the area and do that quickly.

As far as a female terrier and a female Doberman fighting, eventually this is likely to result in a dead terrier. It's not recommended to keep a terrier with another dog of the same sex because of the fighting. Females are the ones most likely to fight to the death, and the size difference tells you who would be the loser. Be careful!
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series at www.veterinaryforum.com

I agree about consulting with a dog behaviourist - sooner rather than later.
I would also recommend some reading material to help you get an insight to dog behaviour. "The Culture Clash" is excellent for learning why dogs do the things they do AND how to train them. "The Other End of The Leash" is really good too in learning about canine behavior.
Good luck to you.

Thanks for your suggesions - I have already contacted a behavior specialist.