we have a 4 month old staffy bitch. she is really great with other dogs and people. we take her to puppy partys/classes every week and dont have any problems. were now buying another staffy bitch who will be 8 weeks when she comes home. weve bought her a seperate crate and have both crates in our bedroom. i was reading some of the posts here about having two bitches alone at home and now im kind of worried.

does anyone have any good tips on raising two bitch puppys at the same time? also is it really impossible to leave them alone at home? i know other dog owners who leave their dogs at home with no problems at all.

anyone please?

hi red,
well i have 4 bitches (although i have six dogs in total) and mine dont fight at all,not even the odd spat.
with them being so close in age and not being related i cant see there being a problem,others may disagree.
but i hope that puts your mind at rest a little.

Hi Red
How long will the pups be left alone together ? Will they be confined to certain rooms ?

Knowing what pups can get up to when you're not with them, I'd be a bit wary of leaving two on their own together for very long, especially in the early days.

thanx everyone for your great replys. as for those who asked why were getting another puppy so soon, hmmm... were just doing so well with this one that we felt it wouldnt be much harder/extra work if we get another one.

we absolutely adore staffs. our puppy is totally crate trained so were planing on leaving them in their own separate crates. (thanx for the advise) we had planned on leaving them in a few month in one big crate together so they could keep each other company while were out.. (for 3-4 hours) but now after reading the replys were reconsidering that!

were having our first baby spayed a week after the second one comes so hopefully that will eliminate mood problems between the two. (were planing on spaying both) we also know about the rank thing, and know that our older one has to be the top dog and so we have to feed her first but ofcoarse we wont favor any. as we love them both so much.

weve done lots of reading and questioning and research about staffs. this is our first time and we LOVE IT.

Sounds like you're giving it all a lot of thought I don't see why it shouldn't work for you if you keep an eye on things. One thing though don't expect the older one to stay top dog a lot will depend on the nature of them. My terrier was 5 years old when we got our current cocker, the cocker is much more dominent by nature and took over as top dog almost right from the start. You just have to be tuned in to how they are playing it and go with it. Of course you are top of the heap anyway, I find my cocker too bosy with my poor old terrier sometimes so I infact feed her last, throw her off the furniture occasionally etc to remind her who is in ultimate charge that is not the usual advise given in these instances but it works for my two as neither are really that keen for a fight with anyone, but again you have to know and understand your dogs to work out how to play it.

Hi Red,
I have Staffords, 2 bitches (mother & daughter) & 1 dog. Some people I know who have had Staffords for a few years would not seperate there 6 dogs when they were out. The first time they had a fight ended with just cuts & bruises, the second fight they had to go for stiches, then a few weeks ago they came home & found 1 of there dogs dead on the floor.
mine have the odd arguement (nothing major) & luckily they stop as soon as we shout. I ALWAYS seperate them when we are out, that way I know I will come home and my dogs will be safe & exactly where I left them. My way of thinking is that it is in a Staffords nature to be anti dog no matter how well they are trained that gameness is still there.
Anyway thats just my opinion, but I do know that is the same opinion as alot of Stafford people.
good luck
Trace.

Hi,

I agree with Trace. I would keep them seaparate when you were out. I think a lot depends on the breed and nature of the dog as well as training. I'm continplating getting another dog. I already have a bitch who is 12 months and still very much a puppy. I'm wanting her to be fully trained until I get another one. If you read some of other threads about bitches fighting it seems to show you are either lucky or not. I'd take adivce from other owner who have your breed.

If it was me with staffies I would keep them separate when I was out (better safe than sorry). Cos your crate training they will be use to it. Whenever you did go out you could always alternate and let one out.

Hope this helps!

Totally agree with you Trace :-). However, some on here may disagree :-(

After seeing a Jack Russell yesterday that had had an ear torn off and her throat opened by her "best friend" lurcher, i would never leave two bitches together alone :(

I can't really comment on Staffie's generally as it is not my breed, but I would say that I think any 4 month puppy will play too rough and have too much of a weight advantage over a 8 weeker to be safely left to play together unsupervised.

Just out of interest (not having a go, just genuinely wondering) why you are getting another puppy so soon? Mines 15 months and as much as i would love another one i still think it would be too hard at the moment. I think you are very brave, and i mean that in a nice way, ( it is easy to read nasty things into a post but honestly just curious!) :-)

The main problem wil probably be when one comes into season - they can get really niggly with each other .
Out of curiousity I would also like to know why you have chosen to get anoher at such a young age ( not criticism just genuine curiousity ) .
I have a six month Staffy - he is a gem . Housetrained early , no problems with house eating etc etc but I have to warn you they can be a handful .
Dont know whether you have had a Staffy before so if you are aware of the breed traits then I apologize .
When are you due to bring the pup home ?
They may get on ok - it will depend mostly on the individuall dogs themselves and the way you teat them . I know Gus gets jealous if he thinks we are paying too much attention to the cat even and you will have to ensure your eldest pup doesnt feel left out but also she will have to know when she is crossing the line by playing rough and getting out of hand . I wouldnt personally introduce another at such a young age but thats just me
I wish you luck an hope it works out for all of you
Lel

Various potential problems arise when contemplating allowing 2 pups (not to mention staff pups) alone.

I have a pitbull/bullmastiff mix and a jackrussel and there is no way the pit bull can be left alone in the room for 10 min, let alone hours at time without him chewing on something or tearing something into tiny little pieces all over the room.

Why do dogs do this though? Most dogs engage in this type of destructive activity because they are either simply bored or because they are experiencing seperation anxiety. Dogs are extremely social animals and this trait is directly attributed to their evolutionary background. What does this mean for you and your dog? Well, some dogs become almost obsessively attatched to their owners and experience extreme anxiety when left alone. Most owners probably don't like the idea of that.

Fortunately, seperation anxiety is not untreatable and dogs can be rehabilitated with some clever tactics and consistency.

For example, crates are extremely useful tools in housetraining and seperation anxiety. After a dog becomes accustomed to their crate, they look to it as a safehaven and gives them a sense of security. When first introducing the crate to your dog start from the beginning and try to make it a positive experience. Give him a piece of bologna or ham or some other delicious treat from inside the crate first. Allow him to sniff around and inspect freely without the door closed. After 2-3 sessions of that, graduate to actually closing the door. If the pup/dog cries or protests, ignore him until he is quiet. Once he is quiet, even if its for 3 seconds, praise him lavishly and let him out. Repeat each time allowing more time to elapse until the pup learns that silence is the only way it's getting out. Do not yell at the puppy because this is giving attention and some pup's will purposely irritate their owners for attention, even if it's negative attention. Once you have conssumated the crate training phase, you can move on to actually stepping outside of the room. Use the same chronological system by stepping outside for a few seconds and developing up to minutes and ultimately hours at a time. Grand reunions and departures are very detrimental to your progress because your exciting your credulous doggy and then abruptly leaving and expecting them to just calm down now and not miss you after all that warm, yet brief affection. This will stress your dog out more if anything.

In regards to your dogs fighting, I wouldn't be too concerned being that they are so young. More than likely, i would anticipate them to tear apart the room if anything. However, when they get older i would be very wary about leaving them alone together. Especially during the doggy version of puberty when they become aware of sex. Conversely, all dogs are unique and it's hard to say how your dogs will handle it. If they have gotten into any type of an altercation in the past i would seriously advise you to crate at least one of them. In your case, it's probably wiser to crate the youngest because the crate encourages them to hold their bladders and bowels. This is logical since dogs are very sanitary animals by nature.

Furthermore, unsupervised dogs/pups can inflict inadvertant harm to themselves because curiousity can kill the dog as well as the cat. Make sure all wires and small objects are out of reach because they love to chew on rubber and swallow small things. Socks are a big favorite among many dogs and are potentially lethal too. Chocolate is poisonous to dogs, even in small amounts.

Sorry for making this reply so superfluous but i believe in fully answering a person's inquiry to the best of my knowledge. People and their relationships with dogs should not be taken very lightly and training is often very difficult and frustrating to do. There are enough dogs put to sleep every day because of owners who couldn't "train" them.

Best Regards,
Oblivious