Need Help

 I agree, if this is outta no where, with your vet. Hormonal, now how that's NOT going to be fixed with a spay... I'm not sure.  Doesn't make sense.

 But if it coincided with your ill parent coming home, it could be upset in the house. Maybe some changes, or smells that are causing it.  But if she's only doing this to the female, I tend to think it's a hormone thing.  How does the younger female reply?  Has she gone through any changes?

 I certainly hope that things get figured out for you.
 

I'm not really sure why my vet doesn't think spaying is the answer. When I suggested it, he didn't think this was the route to go at this point. I think he thinks that it could still be behavioral, and that spaying wouldn't correct it anyway.

 But I am leaning toward hormonal/my mom coming home. Maybe some combination of the 2. There were no issues while my mom was away. My younger female will fight back if my older one attacks her, but if my older female postures then she will act submissive and generally tries to move away from her.

 Thanks for your response.

 The younger female is reaching the age of social maturity, and this is when dogs try to figure out just where they fit in the social structure.  So, my guess is that has something to do with this.  If you are not a hobby breeder, then you should probably have the females spayed anyway to prevent accidental litters.  But, the vet is probably aware that, while neutering does tend to reduce dog to dog aggression in males, it often has little effect with females.  If any dog is drawing blood on another, you should contact a qualified behaviorist in your area for help.

No blood has been drawn. I keep a very close eye on them and stop any squabbles immediately. If any posturing starts, that is squashed as well.

 My 2yr old female has not shown any signs of whatsoever of trying to climb the social ladder. She has been spayed since she was a little over a year.

Even this behavior is odd for my older female as she has never been overly showing about asserting her dominance. They've all coexisted very peacefully up to this point, though the heirarchy can be seen.

It just seems strange that the issues seem to have started since my mom returned from the hosptial.

Was your mom with you BEFORE the hospital? If not, having a new person in the home can upset the balance. Or is there any chance that she could be guarding her if she's frail? Also depending on the problem with your mom, some dogs are incredibly sensitive to medical conditions and moods, if that has affected the mood in your home (sadness, greif, stress, etc) she can very easily pick up on that. If she is seriously ill that can change the smell in the house, too and can really affect a sensitive dog.

I think that's a big "coincidence" on timing, I've heard of dogs becoming upset near ill (serious, not just your common cold) people (meaning nervous and generally not themselves). Maybe that does have something to do with it.

I say if you're thinking about spaying her anyway, may as well try that and see if it helps? Also, I second Anne and recommend spaying just for the reason of preventing accidental litters.

To treat the symptoms you may wanna feed them and treat them in their crates until you can get to the bottom of it, if you can't fix it at least you can prevent it. Don't feel badly about this it's very common. I have to feed my dogs in their crates and i'm careful to supervise with treats and chews and sometimes put them in their crates even then. I have a new puppy and an older dog... and this has helped immeasurably. I've also initiated play and played WITH them all together, this has helped alleviate tension as well. They now play regularly and we've cut back on the squabbles.

I wish it could be easy. ... but, sometimes things happen as they get older and grouchier (don't we all!)) Good luck, wish I knew what to do to help.