2 Puppies - Random fighting and growling

[jillianwahto]

Hello! I have two 6 month old pitbull puppies, brothers, who for the most part are great with each other. Recently, within the past two months there have been a few quarrels during playtime. It isn't just aggressive play, however, there have been no punctures or injuries. I have recently had both of them neutered and after doing so the frequency of these sibling spats has decreased. There are no warning signs of it happening. They can be playing together and then boom it happens. If they are both being aggressive I will tell them no and put them in a "time out" in separate areas for a minute to let them calm down and then I do some sort of brain game or training for a few minutes to redirect their brain. If only one is being aggressive I do the same as just stated but only one will get a "time out". After the "time outs", they seem to be just fine together again. If they were fighting over a certain toy, I also remove that toy to avoid another spat. Any ideas or suggestions on what can be done to help avoid this from escalating even more?

 

Also, one of the boy has started to growl throughout the day. He has started growling when he gets kenneled, is hungry and especially when he is tired. He has not really shown any signs of aggression with the growling. Occasionally he will growl and get stiff and rigid and look at the other pup but it has not yet escalated. I have not encountered this with any of the dogs I have ever owned.

 

Any advice, suggestions etc would be greatly appreciated!!

 

Thank you

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Jillianwahto,

I am so sorry you are going through this. Unfortunately, your situation is not unusual and having two puppies so close in age and of the same sex may lead to what is known as sibling rivalry. Generally, male and female combinations of sibling puppies have a better chance of getting along. Although this combo may still turn out quite problematic for various reasons, it appears that things are a bit more manageable due to male dogs being a bit more lenient in getting the females "get away with things." With male-male combos things get more difficult. It may start with a few squabbles here and then, but then as the pups mature and approach adolescence things start escalating and becoming more and more difficult to control.

 

I am not necessarily saying you are dealing with sibling rivarly (only a professional coming to your home and observing their interactions may do that), but when getting two pups of the same age and same sex, this is unfortunately not an uncommon scenario which is why many reputable breeders and rescues refuse to give two pups away at the same time.

 

You may need a veterinary behaviorist (DACVB) or Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB) come in person to evaluate their interactions for an accurate assessment and behavior modification plan. There are many dynamics that may be going on and seeing them in person is important. While these spats may seem like they happen out of the blue for no rhyme or reason, often there are subtle dynamics taking place and it's important to have these recognized so to know how to correctly proceed. The growling during the day seems concerning and may warrant investigation from a vet to rule out medical conditions before attempting behavior modification.

 

Unfortunately, several of these cases have a tendency to get worse rather than better if not addressed and at times may result in one puppy being rehomed if the situation reaches a point of not being manageable. Although there may not be injuries, things can progress with time to that point, and it's also important to keep in mind the emotional aspect if one dog is being bullied around by the other. Of course, there are cases of dog owners raising two male littermates successfully, but this requires constant supervision, meticulous management and separation when not closely supervised. There are risks though with this and things can get ugly quickly not matter what as the dogs mature.

 

Please let me know if you have any further questions.

Edited July 14, 2018 by Adrienne Farricelli