My goldendoodle attacked my other dog. Help

[Moe]

I have a 4 year old, 40b, female goldendoodle named Charlie. I've had her since she was 8 weeks old. She is very well trained. She passed the AKC good citizen test and we've never had a problem with aggression toward other dogs. In October we got a new puppy, her name is Lola and she is a small mix breed dog weighing 14 lbs she is 10 mo old. The dogs got along great from the beginning. No aggression, not problems around food or toys. They play wrestle all the time without incident. They don't snuggle up on the couch but they seem to get along great. 

Sunday Charlie attacked Lola when they were outside. She bit her face and left a tiny puncture on her chin and her eye was bloodshot. I was not there. My son was out in the back yard with them and he said he didn't see problems or tension between them. I kind of figured that maybe he missed something and this was a fluke. 

Yesterday I was bringing the dogs out to the back yard. Lola went out first, she was half way across the patio when Charlie just attacked her. I was walking out behind Charlie. Lola was walking in front so she was not ever looking or paying attention to Charlie. It all happened so fast but i think Charlie bit her back and rear leg. She was snarling and growling and Lola was crying. I grabbed Charlie and she released Lola. Then I held Charlie down on her side until she calmed down. The I put her in a bathroom ( I don't have a crate) for 5 minutes. I've never done this before. Normally she would freak out if you put her in a room alone but she stayed in there quietly. 

Lola couldn't walk after the attack. Her back legs were just dragging. I brought her to the vet. By the time I got there she seemed a bit better but she threw up twice and lost control of her bowels. The vet said there were no broken bones or puncture marks and she'd be fine in a few days. This morning she really seems fine. She's not even limping. She and Charlie are wandering around the house like nothing ever happened. I'm watching them closely and keeping Lola in her crate when I can't supervise them. 

My question is what do I do now?  I think it would be easier if there were a clear reason like food or toys. From what I can see they get along great. These two attacks were both vicious and seemingly unprovoked. The vet said this could be the beginning of them not getting along and that I'd have to give one of them up. I can't even think about that. Help. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It's possible. I was thinking that the timing might also have to do with the revocation of Lola's puppy license now that she is basically an adult, although this seems excessive for that. 

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I'm guessing no, but I would always err on the side of caution....it's a quick test and it wouldn't hurt.  I've been doing a little more research on this and on the "Doggy Dan" Training site he does talk about the fact that it is not unusual for two females in the same "pack" to compete for the top breeding position.  Remember they don't know they were spayed.  So now that Lola is "of age" that could be one of the drivers of this behavior.  He has a lot of information about this problem on the site along with videos that show how to avoid the escalation and what to do if it does.  I think the fact that you isolated Charlie after the incident is good...that's what he recommends.  There is also a process for reintroducing them.  You may want to consider signing up at least while you're dealing with this issue....you can cancel at any time.  You can search here for the discussion on Doggy Dan and the link to his site. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

That was my first thought and why I asked about spaying. 

[Robin and Libby Louise]

I don't have any great ideas, but I do agree that it would be a good idea to get Charlie checked out to make sure it's nothing physical.

Good luck, sorry this happened to you!

[Marianne Kay]

I am so sorry this happened. It had to be frightening. I agree with walking them together, as the weather improves, as a good strategy.

[Stella]

I have two male doodles that fight. They are 7 and 6 years old and we're both neutered at five months old. I have had them both since they were puppies. We can go for months and moths without problems, and suddenly they will get into it with each other. The fights have been serious enough that my one LD has had to go the vet for stitches. My younger one is the instigator, and I did Nothing in Life is Free with him to make him realise he couldn't push me or my other dog around. It is very difficult living with two dogs that don't get along that well, I am constantly on my guard and even then I sometimes miss the signals that something is about to happen. I would suggest you get a reputable behaviourist to come out to your house and see the dynamic between your two to try to work out what is going on. The sooner you can get on top of this the better. Many people told me to let my two 'work it out themselves' and all that happened was that things escalated. It only got better when I took charge and made it clear that I was the boss of both dogs. (I did have my younger one checked twice for thyroid issues because he exactly fits the description by Dr. Dodds for a dog in the early stages of thyroid disease, but he does have other behavioural issues too).

[jenn D]

Lots of good advice here. I'm a believer that harmony in my house (four standard male doodles) come from clearly set and understood hierarchy. Meaning I'm "alpha" ( or top banana) and then comes the dog who is the most dominate, and then so in down the line. This means the most dominant dog gets certain "perks" and acknowledgement by me that he is next in line. Brisby is my next in command. He is a pretty benevolent leader but one thing he does not like to share with his pack mates is evening cuddle time with me. So, he gets to come up on my bed for extra snuggle time by himself. I have to be aware of my packs hierarchy and respect it, even if I feel bottom Banana isn't getting equal treatment as top dog. For instance, I love our 4th addition, Mac, so much. I wish he was top of pack next to brisby. However, he is incredibly submissive and he fits best when he's the last to be fed, petted, going out the door etc. if I show him favoritism over Jake and pickles (bananas #2 and 3) things don't go as smoothly.
You may find there are things that your alpha dog holds dear and other things they don't care about so it might not always be doing everything to cater to the more dominate dog. You might just need to find the things thst makes her feel dominant and support them.I hope it works out for you. Please keep us updated.

[BG and Gavin]

When walking them, tie Charlie around your waist on a shorter lead. This will give you a free hand for Lola and more control overall. It also reinforces your "boss" message. Use your body to move her around.

[Gracie, Jade, & Barkley]

Just a thought, but is there something in the backyard that Charlie is guarding? Both of the instances you described occurred in the backyard.