Two puppies

[Nadinebeddowes]

Hello,

This may be a bit long winded.

We have two English bull terrier puppies (different litters) Bruce 4 months and Alfie 10 weeks.

Day to day they are genuinely fine, no particular behaviour that is bad (they are only rather young and still learning). However, we are experiencing some slight aggression between the two regarding food. Little treats here and there is no problem, dinner time isn’t that much of a bother, over time they are getting a bit better. Mostly it is big treats such as long lasting chew types, once one is finished (including dinner time occasionally) they will try and intrude on another’s treat or bowl, this is where the issue lies, they haven’t physically bit one another, just jump at each other and growl no matter which one starts first. I was just wondering if there is something we can do to tame this behaviour before they are big enough to do some real damage.

An example of most recent incident, get given treat, go their separate ways and enjoy their treats, Bruce finished first, I knew he would go over to Alfie’s so to avoid the conflict I distracted him away, then Alfie finished, as he did Bruce went over to sniff around maybe hoping for some left overs. Again this was fine until Alfie went over to the spot Bruce was eating his, about five minutes passed by this point, then I see Bruce’s mouth go into an almost snarling position, I then called his name and he stopped, 30 seconds after they were both growling and jumping at each other.

 

I would really appreciate the advice, thank you in advance.

Nadine

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hello Nadinebeddowes,

Welcome to the forum!

 

You are so right that it's best to nip things in the bud now that they are young and things are more manageable! There are several ways you can make mealtime more relaxing so to reduce conflict.

 

If you feel that mealtime is starting to get a bit chaotic that your dogs can't comfortable (and safely!) enjoy a meal in the same room, by all means, give them some more distance from one another so that they can enjoy their meals without tension. If tension keeps building up, you'll end up with dogs eating in a hurry (which is not healthy) and mealtimes becoming more and more a time of conflict.

 

Dogs need distance so that they can relax knowing that no dog will get in each others' way. When meal time leads to tension, it's therefore a good practice (if you aren't doing so already) to feed dogs in opposite corners of the kitchen or even in different rooms. Should one dog finish faster, a sit-stay or down-stay as explained in the obedience course (reward by delivering a treat every now and then and then gradually wait a little longer each time before delivering the treat) can help prevent him from accessing the other dog who is still eating. Your younger dog may be too young to hold a longer stay, so you may have to initially use body blocks if he finishes up first or simply keep him with a leash tab on and as soon as he's done keep him with you.

 

If one dog is always faster then the other, slowing him down using a slow-feeder bowl or a puzzle toy may buy you enough time for the other dog to finish first and remove the food bowl so that there is something less to be worried about fighting over. In the meanwhile, keep the other dog busy with you. Training a solid leave it, may also be an effective cue to give if you notice one dog getting close to the other during meals. Voice control can often be very helpful in preventing confilict from erupting.

 

 

Another option if you have a dog who eats faster and goes trick-or-treating in your other dog's bowl, is to create a habit of having your faster eater meet you in another room (right after he's done eating) where he is given several treats that are superior in value than what's in the other dog's food bowl. This creates a good habit that offers the dog an alternate behavior than bothering the other dog who is still finishing up.

 

 

If both dogs happen to finish at the same time, you can invite both of them to join you perhaps in another room or yard and ask them to sit and feed them some yummy treats. Feed the calmer dog first and right after the other dog. If you make this a habit, they'll look forward to their structured "after meal party time" each day. While you enjoy their company, a family member may remove the food bowls so when they come right back in, their first thought is not to go check each other's bowls leading to potential sciuffles. Picking up food bowls as soon as each dog is done may help reduce some tension as you remove a potential source of problems.

 

It is therefore important preventing your pups from rehearsing these behaviors so to reduce this conflict during mealtime.

 

 

If tension instead erupts over high-value long-lasting treats such as bully sticks, bones or stuffed Kongs, then in those cases it's best to keep dogs once again, at a distance from each other or even locked away in a different room or in their own crates until these goodies are consumed. Feeding these goodies in their own crates by the way is an excellent way of creating positive associations with their crates!

Edited July 7, 2018 by Adrienne Farricelli

[JMFS]

My brother had dogs who shared treats and toys. They'd play tug-of-war with a rawhide and a child could take it from them while they were playing. The dogs would go find some other way to entertain themselves as if it were no big deal, and this was with a house full of people. Color me jealous! My 8-yr old (Momo) is an absolute jerk about resources. I feed him and my "teenage" pup (Gertie) separately. Gertie will watch patiently through the window as I'm working with Momo. I make him do a few tricks (sit, dead, high five, shake, spin around) in various numbers and orders as many folks have suggested making him "work" for his supper. His eyes switch from his bowl, Gertie, and me because he knows what's coming, regardless of whether his bowl is inside, or if it's in my hand, or if it's empty on the ground and the food is in a cup. He's no dummy. I've tried umpteen suggestions to no avail. He'll eat his entire meal from my hand with no issues, but if that food is in the bowl he's in "grrrr" mode. Not fun.

 

Momo doesn't get long-lasting treats because he's given my daughter a black eye, has nipped at me, and lunged at the other canine residents when any deign to go near his Precious. Sometimes dinner time is no big deal, and other times he's wound tight and visibly shaking, regardless of exercise (honestly a long distance runner should have adopted him - he Might get enough exercise then) or mental stimulation. He can be exhausted and he Still has fight in him. It's been a 7-year struggle (he didn't really care about resources the first year of life - I've never been able to figure out what flipped the switch in him)! Gertie, on the other hand, is carefree. I can touch her, move her bowl, sit next to her, and she simply doesn't show a care. She often chooses to sit next to me while she chews her treats. Totally different personality / energy.

 

Anyway, not wanting to hijack your thread - I wanted to give a flash forward scenario that Could be Your life if you had let things continue as-is - and I applaud your foresight. I posted this so you can recall it in your moments of frustration, because there are likely to be some. You'll be able to remind yourself of Momo, and hopefully that will help strengthen your resolve. Better to handle a little aggravation now than to give in to a (dog's) lifetime of annoyance! I didn't know much about much when I got Momo, and I made some mistakes with him. I definitely could have used guidance all those years ago.

[Nadinebeddowes]

Thanks both!

We’re still struggling with the after treat aggression between them both, if anyone has any tips.

 

Thank you,

Nadine

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Nadine,

Can you please provide more details on what you have tried so far among all the tips provided and which ones didn't work out? That will be extra helpful in troubleshooting the issue. Thanks

[Nadinebeddowes]

Hi Adrienne,

They’ve started to randomly start fighting now, we aren’t sure of why as sometimes it tends to happen when you aren’t looking.

We’re perhaps guessing that one bites a bit too hard on the other and then one starts growling which leads to an altercation.

We had one scenario yesterday as we was training them, in separate areas so they don’t fight over treats.

They just starting fighting around 5 minutes after they were given little treats, however it was only about 3 hours before that they were sitting side by side waiting patiently for one another to each have a treat.

 

Hope this helps,

Thank you,

Nadine

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hmmm... If it's happening randomly, then I wonder if they are just "play fighting." Are these your very first puppies?

Sometimes puppy play can get quite intense at times and since there is a bit of an age gap here, it could be that one pup is a bit too rough with the other. Generally, if one pup appears to "attack" the other, but they are not hurting each other (I am talking puncture wounds here) and then, the pup who is "attacked" comes back "for more" and then follows more rough play, it might be play fighting--but don't take my word for it. Seeing the behavior and the interactions among the two is the only way to make better assumptions.

 

For rough play, both puppies benefit from guidance under the form of close supervision and training the pups alternate behaviors at the first signs that things are starting to escalate so to prevent rehearsal. In that case, training a positive interrupter (for example, having your pups respond to a verbal cue or sound which prompts them to rush towards you no questions asked is important.) You would first train this when the pups are away from each other, then together in low distraction scenarios, middle distraction ones and then despite higher-level distractions such as play. I wouldn't use the "come" command but another cue specifically crafted for this. It is very important that your pups learn to mind you and not just play all day. Otherwise you may see the deleterious effects of over bonding between the pups. Try your best to train, socialize, walk and play with your pups separately and individually so they have the opportunity to bloom to their potential.

 

If one puppy though is bullying the other excessively, there are frequent squabbles and the other party appears hurt, frightened or emotionally upset, then sadly, sometimes there are cases referred to as "sibling rivalry" where the relationship among the pups leads to perpetual conflict and re-homing one may be neccessary. This is why many breeders are reluctant to give away two pups of the same litter or that are too close in age. This is a very impressionable age and if the pups are not provided with proper guidance, then it just gets worse. The fact they are both males and not one male and one female is unfortunately an aggravating factor here. Same-sex sibling rivarly tends to be worse and this applies to both males and females. You may need a veterinary behaviorist or Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist come in person to evaluate their interactions for an accurate assessment and a treatment plan.

Edited July 15, 2018 by Adrienne Farricelli