2 Golden Boys! Big Probs!

[eloul81]

I am so distraught.  After 9 months of having my beautiful golden boys, the one has started going for the other one.

I had themfrom ****** in Ely and have heard that that may have been my first mistake.

Obi & Duc have been inseperabe since I had them but since Obi left the house to have his hair clipped on Saturday morning (for 3 hours!) and came back he has started on Duc, he wont let him move without growling or pouncing on him especially if it is to come towards me!

I am at my wits end, they were castrated in November and I have been told to perservere and to get rid of one of them... I juyst dont know what to do anymore, i want to do what is right for my boys!!

Please help me!

Emma xx

[amanda]

If he has been groomed and they used a scented shampoo, this could be the cause, I know when we wash Indie with certain shampooes then go to my parents house with him wihin a few days of his bath, my parents dog taks exception to him. If this is the case, it may calm down son. Hope so. Let us know if it gets any better.

[eloul81]

Thanks for the reply but they didnt wash him, they just cut him so they didnt use any shampoo.

Im worried as Obi has always been jealous of Duc, maybe it has just come to  a head...

[bluegirl]

Poor you,

You say the dogs are inseperable but that Obi has always been jealous of Duc.

What sort of things have made him jealous in the past and what was his reaction and what was the  resolution?

It may help build a clearer picture of the situation, especially as Obi has taken considerable offence to Duc since Saturday.

[eloul81]

Thanks for the reply but they didnt wash him, they just cut him so they didnt use any shampoo.

Im worried as Obi has always been jealous of Duc, maybe it has just come to  a head...

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Obi has always jumped on me and my partner if we were playing with Duc, it got annoying but thats all it was, Obi seemed to be top dog where food is concerned but it was Duc who got control over toys etc.

Whenever Obi jumped in the way of Duc we always made him sit and wait his turn then gave him fuss...

Have we done the wrong thing??

[miche]

I hope you sort this out.  I have 2 boys 8 months and 6 months.  They have had their probs in the past and at times they have been quite nasty.  I had to assert myself so that instead of concentrating on each other they had to concentrate on me and I was very strict.

If they start to fight, what do you do?. I have distracted mine in anyway possible then seperated them and growled at them both then put them back together again, if they fight again then repeat it.  If this doesn't work try taking them out of the house to neutral territory, you might find that they have so much fun they forget about fighting or they re-assert themselves enough to go back into the home together.

Hopefully others will have advice they can give you too.  Don't give up yet though - I was told that probs between 2 dogs can usually be overcome.

[eloul81]

Thanks

When he starts I usually shout like ive never done before and he stops but he looks disorientated, like he doesnt understand....

Im concerned about rage syndrome!

[Jane S]

I don't think it's Rage Syndrome so please don't worry about this. However it is not uncommon for litter brothers or puppies the same age and same sex to start to fall out as they reach maturity. This is the reason why reputable breeders won't generally sell litter mates, particularly not litter brothers to the same home. I know it is said that bitches that fight are harder to deal with than males but I've known quite a few owners who have had major problems with Cocker litter brothers fighting to the extent that one has to be rehomed. I'm not saying that your boys can't get over the current outbreak in hostilities but I would suggest you get in touch with a reputable trainer or behaviourist who can come and observe how your dogs behave & give you specific advice on how to deal with this. Your vet can refer you to a behaviourist or have a look HERE for a list of trainers, some of whom are also behaviourists.

Jane

[looby lou]

Hi Jane, this is new to me having run on 2 puppies together. I am therefore wanting to learn for the future. I was wondering if you knew why littermates fight especially boys ? Is it a testosterone thing? Also do puppies from different litters fight like this? I have never been asked for 2 puppies but would obviously liked to be well versed should this ever arise. When we had Millie, Norbert was 10 months old and the match was made in heaven. If people want 2 dogs what age gap is usually recommended?
Hope you can help and sorry if it seems like 20 questions
lou

[Cob-Web]

Hi Jane, this is new to me having run on 2 puppies together. I am therefore wanting to learn for the future. I was wondering if you knew why littermates fight especially boys ? Is it a testosterone thing?

I would think that it is a *left-over* instinct from when dogs were pack animals - males of most species leave a pack to join another when they are mature - this is a natural way of preventing in-breeding, as it ensures that dogs don't then mate with bitches that are genetically similar to themselves (mother nature is very clever)  

I have read that it helps to have the less dominant dog neutered but leave the more dominant one entire - although it sounds like Obi and Duc hadn't really sorted that out and are still trying to decide who fills the top-dog postition in their pack  

I hope Obi and Duc sort their differences out..... good luck  

[Jane S]

Hi Lou

With boys it can be a testosterone thing (think teenage boys with hormones running amok ) but it can be just plain old sibling rivalry where you've got two pups the same age, same sex and with personalities which are just too similar so they rub each other up the wrong way. Things can be fine when the pups are young - generally problems will only develop from about 8 or 9 months when mentally dogs are changing from puppies to adults. That's not to say that litter mates cannot get on - a dog & a bitch from the same litter are more likely to get on than 2 brothers for example. Also if there are complimentary personalities, things will probably be fine eg if you've got one placid, submissive type pup and one pushier pup, then the risk of the dogs not getting on is far less than if you've got two pushy pups We might very occasionally let go two pups go to the same home if the owners are very experienced with lots of time on their hands but we'd never let two brothers go the same home - it's just not worth the risk of it going wrong. We also wouldn't keep two brothers ourselves for the same reasons

Opinions differ on when exactly the time is right to get a second puppy but the general consensus is that it should be at least a year later but 18 months to 2 years is even better. A lot does depend on the temperament of the 2 dogs though as I know we have plenty of members on COL with 2 dogs close in age who have no problems at all

Jane

[Kim]

Please consider re-homing one of the boys - ultimately they will both be better off IMO.
This is why I would NEVER sell 2 puppies to one household.