I have two dogs alittle over a year old. One is a female, Australian Cattle Dog (blue heeler) and the other is a male, Golden Lab (Lab/Golden Retriever mix). Usually the female rules the roost. They have a large fenced in back yard. If another dog comes up to the fence (or deer, raccoon, whatever) they will both run to the fence and start barking. The problem is the male doesn't want the female to do it. He wants her away from the fence so he can do the barking himself. He will turn on her if she keeps running and barking. Both of their hackles will be up. Then they start fighting till she finally gives in and goes away. He hasn't drawn blood on her but she will yelp in pain. It is very ugly and it scares me. Why is he doing this? Thanks for any help.

I dare say he is being protective in a Dog manner. Like saying "this is My Job, You get back in the house".
They are only just maturing and they now start to act their part as instructed by instict and nature.
As you said there is no blood, no real harm, they just assign duties and responsibilities.
A protective act of appreciation and Love, it seems to me (though in Dog mannerism).

Thank you for the response Anubis. I was thinking along that line as well but I didn't know if I was just being silly. That is mainly the only time he (Midas) will be aggressive towards her (Sheila) and she can be truly annoying to him. He is mostly very tolerant. He loves to fetch a ball and she loves to herd him while he is trying to do this, among other things. When they have the opportunity to run outside the fence they both do okay with other dogs so long as the other dogs don't try to get to close to me or come onto the porch, then their behavior becomes agressive, especially Midas.
Sheila has a very strong disposition but hopefully she will cede this one area to him.

Yes, please don't worry. They know how to figure this out by themselves, in ways probably incomprehensible to Us "overcivilized" humans.
What's important is they are healthy and together. They Love You and one another More than we could imagine!!

Very beautiful Names!!!!

Why would you want to let your dog continue to attack the female dog? You think he's doing it cause he wants to do the barking himself and it's more likely that he's getting aroused and going after what he can, the other dog. It happens all the time with dogs that become frustrated and aroused. One day it could be worse. I'd be figuring out how to prevent it from happening in the first place and sorting out a plan to change the male dog's response to things coming to the fence. It's a training issue and a management issue. I feel very sorry for the female dog who may learn to be afraid of the male dog or even other dogs because of these experiences.

As long as this behavior is never turned on you it's fine. These to dogs are trying to establish there pecking order in the ways dogs do (Who's in charge of who). Trying to stop them will only work for the time being. A dog will never think of it self equal with any other family member and until the dogs find out which on is on top they will protect what they think is there's and sometimes even resell It out.

My gut feeling is that my sis' dog is freaked out from driving 800 miles and the new surroundings, and will settle down once he gets adjusted. My sis' gut feeling is that my dog's dominance over her dog has caused him to now be aggressive towards a mild mannered dog now that he has the chance. All the information I have found deals with the already established dog being aggressive towards the new dog, not the other way around. How does she put an end to this behavior quickly? Bonus points for any recommendations for affordable dog trainers in the Long Beach, CA area.
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