How do I handle my spayed female aggressing on new intact female dog?

    • Gold Top Dog

    How do I handle my spayed female aggressing on new intact female dog?

    We've recently adopted a very sweet female elk hound.  She is still intact and we plan to have her spayed within the next month.  

    My 11 y.o. female adopted pointer, who had one litter before we adopted her 9 years ago, has been showing some aggression toward the elk hound.  The elk hound doesn't seem to be challenging anyone (I have a female spayed setter (from puppyhood), a neutered male border collie mix and the spayed pointer).  The pointer is the dog that the others defers to.  She is usually very passive but seems to hold court.  I think that the aggression is because the elk hound marks on top of everyone else's urine and, I'm guessing that the pointer feels as though her status is threatened by this unspayed female.

    Any ideas on how to handle this?  The elk hound appears, in every other aspect, to really want to fit in.  From what I can tell, she has nice manners around the other dogs except for the urine marking.  My setter is ambivalent and the male neutered border collie mix is friendly and protective toward her.  

    • Gold Top Dog

    UPDATE -

    Looks like the new girl has found her own place to pee in the yard so I'm guessing that might have been the original "straw that broke the camel's back" when the altercation happened, and to avoid further problems, she has submitted.  My pointer has been more receptive you her and there is a friendly tag wag and good facial expression from both of them when they approach each other.  The elk hound truly seems like she wants to fit in - generally.