Q: My daughter had two white German Shepherds and one mixed-breed smaller dog. They were all 2 1/2 years old. She has had the Shepherds since they were babies and the mix for over 2 years. All dogs were kept current with shots and have gone to every training program known to man. This unfortunately includes protection training for the German Shepherds. One of the GSDs has always been the alpha dog, but she is mild mannered and kept the other dogs in line with mild growling or placing a paw on them. The other two were fighting for second in the pack order from what their trainer says.

The second German Shepherd has exhibited problems with over protecting her food, fighting with the mix breed, and sometimes messing in the house. Until a few weeks ago, it seemed the alpha Shepherd was able to keep the other two from hurting each other. Then things seemed to change. The second GSD began fighting enough to nip the mix breed, even puncturing the skin, although they were very minor wounds. However, 2 days ago, my daughter came home to find the second GSD had killed the smaller mix breed. It was a very vicious attack and probably as bad as you can imagine. Our hearts are broken obviously. In my opinion, this is reason enough to have the dog put down, even though she is now not exhibiting the same aggressive signs since she has no smaller animals or humans around now.

Have you ever heard of a dominance/pack order fight, resulting in death of one of the dogs even though they have lived together for over 2 years? Could these symptoms be a sign of a serious medical or psychological problem instead of a dominance pack order action? My daughter has mixed feelings but I think she is nervous about having the previously vicious dog around. She plans on having a baby in the next few years. There are neighborhood children around and she is back to back with a school playground.

Since the mix breed dog is gone, I think the dog that killed her has received a natural reward for her behavior. She no longer has to share the attention. I am worried because I often let my daughter watch my small American Eskimo, who also saw this fight/killing but was not hurt. Not to mention my daughter! Could the dog go after her next? The GSD has never been violent toward my dog or daughter, but I don't think I could live with myself if something happened to anyone while they were with my daughter's dog.

I couldn't prevent the first killing and it is not my decision to put the dog down or keep her. However, at least I can keep my dog away from the vicious dog and warn my daughter. Please, if you can refer me to websites or anyone that has seen this before, I would appreciate it. Our whole family is heartbroken and need to make some sense of this.

A: Please do not label this female dog who killed another female dog as being "vicious." This was an instinctive behavior based on the situation. This is, unfortunately, a common consequence when owners keep dogs together who have previously fought with injury. This is not the dog's fault, and does not predict aggression toward humans.

Having too many dogs living together and not using crates or runs to keep them separated for part or all of the time, is very stressful for the dogs. How many is "too many" depends on the dogs. Three female dogs gets tricky with many breeds, including German Shepherds.

I don't see the mixed breed's death as a "reward" for the other dog. In nature, the more submissive dog would have been driven out to form a new pack. In our homes, the dogs are not able to do this, and will often fight to the death. This was not a vengeful or malicious act on the part of the dog, it was instinct.

You are projecting human morality onto a dog. This is not a person. Dogs are much more the product of their instincts than humans are. The Schutzhund training this dog has had is probably completely unrelated to her killing the mixed breed. In fact, is your daughter sure this wasn't done by both the German Shepherds?

I know this is horrifying, and some people would put the dog to sleep over it, but I don't think that is justified. I would not have your daughter watch your dog at her house anymore, but I don't do that myself in the first place. I'm very protective of my dogs, and I don't mix them in with other dogs in that way.

From your email, I get the impression that these dogs have been sharing food. Dogs should be separated when they have food to eat. No matter how well they get along, food taps into very primal instincts with some dogs, and it is dangerous to feed dogs together or to leave out edible treats and highly desirable toys for them when they are together.

Dogs who would never fight for any other reason will fight over food. It is unwise to put a dog in the position of feeling it has to protect its food from another dog. That practice can also lead to a situation dangerous to young children in the home. However, it's the practice that is dangerous, not the dogs.

The age of the dogs played a role here, too. They were maturing, and it is very common for dogs who have gotten along when younger to start fighting as they mature. However, looking at this situation, these dogs did not get along before this happened, either. The warning signs were there.

Even if we SEE a fight between two dogs, we cannot be 100% sure what motivated it, exactly what all the dynamics were. No one can read dog language that well. We can make educated guesses, but that's all. No one knows precisely what goes on inside the mind of a dog.

I would recommend that your daughter give the dogs a stable home environment, not mixing visiting dogs in with them. If she chooses to get another dog in the future, it would be safest to make it a male. She should be prepared that both these females may in the future be quicker to fight with other female dogs. They should be kept in training, so that she has excellent control over them. Also, at any sign of fighting between the 2, they should be separated, at least when she is not supervising them.

I'm really sorry for what your family is feeling. I hope it helps somewhat to realize that this is not a rare event, that it could have been prevented and can be prevented from happening again in the future. It also does not mean the dog needs to be put down. It was a terrible way to learn a hard lesson.