hi i was after a bit of advice. yesterday my dog and bitch pup(8 months) were fighting over a toy as they always do. one had one end and the other had the other end and they give the odd growl, but yesterday when they were doing it my bitch went for my dog quite nastily, she had never done anything like this before and i got quite a shock (so did my dog, who cowered) could this just be her hormones, just i really dont want her to get vicious.

He obviously went to far for her.  It could very well be hormones in that she is becoming more assertive and will not allow him to boss her around anymore.  Once a bitch is mature she will almost invariably be the boss in a dog and bitch household.

he was not really doing anything tho he just had a hold of the other end, he was not even pulling it. she  went for him, really nastily. i have gathered that because she takes all his toys off him.  so do you think they will still be fine to play fight over toys or will she keep getting nasty to him. my dog is so placid, bless him and hardly ever even plays with his toys and then when he does she grabs the other end straight away.

Some dogs (bitches) can be really toy possesive. I've got one out of three that takes all the toys into the garden so the others can't have them, if they try to play she takes them off them. Haven't really seen her be too nasty to the others though she is the youngest and I think the others just let her get on with it. Even playing with a rag toy they always let her win :) I, however, don't. I will take them off her, even putting her in the house so the other two can play with the toys for a change. Some dogs, like children, just won't share their toys! 

I think that they are just sorting out the pecking order, bet the dog will be more cautious next time!!

Has she been spayed? If not she could be coming into season and her hormones will be all over the place and toys take on a different meaning (think babies ;) ) The only thing that I would do would be to keep all toys away unless you can interfere if anything becomes nasty again.

well i thought it might have been because she was coming into season, just as normally she loves to play fight over toys, she keeps on teasing del with it till he does decide to play. just this time she really went for him.

My GSD & terrier do this all of the time. The noises Tilly the terrier makes sound really nasty & she very often goes for Zak the GSd. I am happy to say though that it's all noise, this has been going on for the last 3 years. They have never marked one another or drawn blood & very it's very rare to hear either of them yelp in pain. My GSD always backs down to her though (over toys & play), you could get problems if your dog decides he is going to be top dog, but from what you have said, I doubt it. The odd thing is he only gives her a low growl to stay away from his food bowl when he is fed raw meat & she acts like a lamb, she won't look at him & waits patiently.

well they always growl when they play fight which is what it sounds like yours are doing, but mags definitly went to far. she really went for him and del was pretty scared, if i had not have been there i think she would have really bit him. i just hope its just her hormones and she is not turning a bit vicious.

I would remove all the toys and give them one each to play with then take them away again for a while until she calms down .
My puppy now 15m is obsessed with all the toys in the house and also likes to steal them for herself , the other girls usually let her have them but occasionally her mother wont let her take something and hangs on like grim death gives a growl and puppy lets go and walks off then Mum drops it and walks off. :)

ok will try that. they always want the toy the other has. will keep watching her.