Back in February I posted (in desperation) about my young wire fox terrier bitch who out of the blue started attacking my very passive sheltie - they were dreadful full-on attacks too.  I do have 4 dogs and there was never a problem with the other two dogs.  It seemed to coincide with the WFT coming into season.  I received some good advice from some of you although some said that the situation perhaps would never change and we would always have to separate the 2 dogs and so on.  I was at my wit's end as life had become so difficult - not being able to pass from one room to another in my house without shutting doors and for ever being aware of where each of the dogs were  The situation became so bad that I began to think it would be for the best to rehome the WFT - something I have never contemplated in all the years I have had  dogs.  The sheltie was badly bitten during one of these attacks and had to be treated at the vets.

Towards the end of March we went to Florida for 3 weeks and the sheltie stayed with a friend while the other 3 poor dears had to go into kennels.  All the time I was away I was worried about how things would be when I returned home.  I was a bag of nerves (not good I know)  when all the dogs returned home.  A few weeks before we went to USA we had the WFT spayed on the vet's advice who thought her hormones might have something to do with her aggressive behaviour.  However since our return things seemed a lot better and the WFT is mostly ignoring the sheltie - there has been no more aggression and life seems to have returned to normal.  I am however always going to separate them when I go out etc - but I am amazed that the situation seems to have resolved itself.  The other thing I have done is get my sheltie some physio and hydrotherapy to help her back legs (cruciate damage) as someone suggested that the WFT was picking on her as she was the weakest of our dogs.

Do you think it was the spay that did it? - or the fact that the two dogs were separated for those 3 weeks?  I am so grateful that our household is now back to its normal happy self - but I am constantly vigilant in case the situation should change back again.

I thought some of  you might be interested in some of the above - and I would be grateful as ever for your thoughts.

I would say both things helped.  If she was only becoming aggressive when she was in season then spaying would remove that factor, and having a few weeks apart will have allowed both dogs' stress levels to drop back down to normal which would enable them to cope considerably better with each other.

I'm glad things are much better for you all now