Due to family matters out of my hands I have landed with 2 ten week old toy breed bitch puppies. I only intended to have one. I already have an adult retriever bitch. I am totally inexperienced at handling multiple puppies but have had several single puppies throughout my lifetime. I am desperate for advice.

They fight ALL the time! Is this normal and is there a point at which I should intervene?
One eats all the food but they won't touch their meals if I try to feed them in separate rooms.
Should I give them separate crates or put up with the squabbling when I put them in one?
How do I cope with toilet training them?

I really want this to be successful but am totally at sea.

I dont have any experience with bringing up 2 pups at the same time but i have a 6 month old pup and an 8 yr old (who thinks he is a pup :D) Play fighting is fine, they will sort themselves out and although it may seem too rough they know what they are doing. The only time i intervien is if there is lots of squeeling or whincing going on, apart from that leave them to it :)

The BEST thing i can suggest is a book called 'The Perfect Puppy' by Gwen Bailey this tells you all about the socialisation of the pups and in the case of 2 pups together the importance of time alone socialising without one another, its important that they become 'human' dogs and not 'dog' dogs if that makes sense.

As for the other things, feeding and toilet training, its gonna be tough but worth it, Time alone will cure this and again the book covers all of this in fantastic detail and the tips she gives are very easy to do and great resulsts can be achieved.

Get the book and you will be fine lol.

Good Luck!

Roxanne.

i have 2 pups one jack russell terrier 6mths and one border collie 5 months they play fight loads and have never caused serious injury to each other,as for crating them mine have a crate each wouldnt put them in together just incase especially if i was out,as for feeding them mine get feed in different parts of the house,toliet training well mine are both trained to go out side now ,well my jrt i trained to go outside myself but the bc she was all ready trained to go out when i got her sorry cant help you very much but i wish you all the luck in the world.

Hi,
I have no experience of toy breeds, but I have raised two puppies from the same litter. It is certainly possible, but it is very much harder than one puppy. To get the best results, you have to spend the same amount of time on each puppy individually as you would if there was only one, which means a very busy day! You have to work hard to avoid their becoming more attached to each other than to you.

I never had feeding problems like yours have - I would suggest you have two crates and feed the pups in them. That way they can be close to each other but only get their own food.

Toilet training - you have to do all you do with one pup, but twice. Like everything else it will take much longer because, unless you have independently-moving eyes, like a chameleon, it is impossible to watch two puppies at the same time. I found that, while I was stopping one pup from chewing something he shouldn't, the other had puddled on the floor. While I cleaned that up they would both go and get into mischief!

I would watch very carefully to see if they are actually fighting or just playing - puppies play very noisily together, and it often sounds like they are trying to kill each other! But it's the way they learn bite inhibition which is a vital social skill - and it means they don't practice on you!

Generally it works out fine in long run. They will decide between them who is boss (apart from you, of course) so you should favour that one over the other to avoid hierarchical squabbles when they become adolescents. It will be hard work, and will take more time than you imagine, but it is possible. You do have the advantage that you can pick them both up at the same time to put them somewhere safe - after 6 weeks that wasn't an option with mine!

Good luck.
:)

I have often had sibling puppies, the bitches always seem to "fight" more this I have found is them sorting out who is more in charge, basically I have let them squabble but if it sounds like it is getting out of hand I intervene by clapping my hands. One of them has to be in charge that is animal nature.

I brought up two pupies from the same litter once, a dog and a bitch, and they fought most of their puppyhood and adolescence, each one trying to establish themselves as top dog. It destroyed a lot of the pleasure of having a puppy for me. I finally ended up with one quite dominant whippet (the bitch) and a timid one that wasn't allowed to sit near me due to the jealousy of the dominant one. I don't know what to advise. They never actually hurt me or each other badly, it was just a playful sparring, but it was really annoying. As a result I don't think it is a good idea to bring two puppies up together from the same litter, but it's not always the case I know. Are they siblings from the same litter? I've since introduced a puppy to a fully grown dog in my house, and although they play in a rough and tumble sort of way, and the older dogged snapped on occasions, it was never anything like the way the two siblings carried on. Never again!

Thanks! Have ordered the book.

Yes they are from the same litter and I was aware that it was not generally thought a good idea but as I said it has come about due to circumstances outwith my control and now I just have to get on with it - albeit quite willingly!! They are in separate crates at present but the dominant noisy one barks herself silly in it. Would she be more settled with her sister or would the fighting reach explosive proportions? Both still refuse to look at their food unless they are having a competition over the bowls.

Am trying to spend time with each of them ,as much as time allows.

As for toilet training I try taking them out individually as much as possible but not making much headway at present. Feel like Old MacDonald's Farm!!

We have 2 pups from the same litter. They are 17 weeks old now. Both bitches, labs.
We use one large crate for them.
They play fight a lot but at first we were worried about it because they make the most horrendous noise and it sounds as though one is being hurt. We went along to puppy parties held at the vets, it's a great opportunity to ask anything that is worrying you. Our vet advised us to let the pups get on with the fighting and they are very unlikely to hurt each other at this age. Since then we have relaxed and leave them to it.
As for feeding we feed them both in the kitchen at the same time but in slightly different parts of the kitchen, they soon get to know where their food is. Sally eats faster than Holly and seems to be more dominant so we put her bowl down first but then stop her from rushing in to eat Holly's.
House training is difficult, you need eyes in the back of your head and two pairs of arms but it does get easier as time goes by.
Good luck
Chris

Hi Chris

Just be a bit careful and be prepared to intervene if it does get a bit too rough especially as they get older !! ASlso when they are due in their season you may find tempers are raised bit more ! Doggie PMT ! :)

Lucy

Re. not eating - there is nothing like hunger as a motivator. I'm sure after a couple of meals 'refusing' to eat if they're fed seperately they will very soon give in (although I've never had pups of your breed, so not sure if they are particularly stubborn). Remember, if they are having 4 meals a day, even if they miss 2 they will still only be 'fasting' themselves for 1/2 a day. They tend to just eat wherever when they get hungry enough, and then you've broken the habit. Good luck with it all, Imp

Thank goodness there's someone else out there going thru hell! though I don't wish it on anyone. I too ended up with a second pup which was not my intention. I chose Bertie when he was just a week old. I collected him at nine weeks old but there was one left, he had been rejected at last minute. So I have Bertie who is absolutely as soft as butter and his brother Jack who is 98% of the time a little dear, but the other 2% are horrible.
They are Jack Russells so I should have known I couldn't get two softies. Most of the time they play brilliantly, rough and tumble, Bertie take dreadful liberties and gets away with it. From 12 weeks Jack started to show a darker side. We attended a puppy party at our local vet, Jack was very nervous, always has been. He was cornered by a much larger pup who only wanted to play but Jack chose to attack as his defence. The next day we went to a neighbours house who had a nine week pup thinking we should socialize as much as poss. Jack attacked the pup and pinned it to the floor. He has since then attacked his brother on several occasions. He just seems to go into a strange mood, his whole demeanour changes and he gives sideway glances, growls and then flies. Worse still he is getting scary in the evening when curled up on couch. He can be fine some evenings but sometimes he suddenly changes mood, ears down, looks nervous. Anything that moves gets growled at and he will snarl and snap. I keep a rolled-up newspaper with me and he gets a thump on his bum when his behaviour is unacceptable, I don't hurt him but he gets the message. I don't trust him with the cats, I feel if one of them, (a particularly fiesty female) should attack him, he would do something other than run. I love him and it breaks my heart because I know he is unhappy when he turns 'funny' but my nerves are shredded, I always have to seperate the boys at night because Jack is more vicous in the evening, which means with only one cage that Bertie is loose in kitchen and his toilet training is back sliding. I have spoken to vet and had a thorough examination, she suggested David Appleby but I am very confused about my options and financially I am not a bottonless pit. They are now 21 weeks and I am worried he will get worse. I have considered he might be happier in a home without other animals, but I couldn't let him go while he is nasty to humans. Like you I am desparate for help....................

we have two brothers who are 18 months they started play fighting and now have had to be seperated tree days ago because their fighting is serious, someone suggested to me to rehome one of them when they were 11 weeks old i laughed at the suggestion but now i really wished i had listened

my male yorkie is exactly the same i only have him now because living with other animals makes him unhappy. Last year i got a gsd 9weeks old, at 1st they was fine together but after a few hrs my yorkie just attacked, he did this twice and to cut a long story short my parents took the shepherd to live with them, i took the easy way out so both dogs are now happy, i was too stressed worrying when he was going to attack, he was the same if he was on the couch especially near me. He wud turn his head to the side and stiffen his body etc. think a lot of it has to do with jealousy, my yorkie is 3 years old, all this seemed to start after a year old, hope you sort things out because its not nice having to live every day on edge. good luck

Personally I would rehome the 'additional' one. As you had no intention of having two at a time you haven't been 'geared' up to it and believe me bitches when they get to a stage and fight you will probably not be able to put them together again ever. SO best let one of them go to a loving home now when young rather than rehoming an older dog.

Jesse

My original post was two weeks ago which in the lives of 12 week old pups is quite a time. They are doing much better thankfully. They still play fight some of the time but give up if either of them gets too rough and the other yelps. I have also found that my lovely golden lab bitch has a calming influence on them if things get too out of hand. She just walks over to them wagging her tail and they stop immediately and start licking her. They will also lie quite happily one on top of the other for ages and then play chase. They are sharing their crate as if I left the doors open when they were crated separately they just ended up in together asleep.:)
Food wise they are eating like horses on the food that I have weaned them onto although I have to watch the faster eater to make sure that she doesn't steal her sisters food once she's finished.
Toilet training is still a bit hairy at times as they appear to be in complete synch with each other about when and what they need but I am a bit calmer now and learning the signs that say "now is the time".
They are definitely settling in much better although had they not made such huge progress in living together I would consider the radical action suggested.

I don't know how people manage with two puppies, you need the patience of a saint and all the time in the world. By choice i have a 19 month old BC and a 5 month old GR, and it is still incredibly hard work. It was helpful that my older dog had basic training, such as recall, wait, and she is fully toilet trained. I am finding that i just cannot train my pup at all when the older dog is around and taking them out on a walk together is nigh on impossible at the moment. The pup is very independent and despite all my efforts, has no idea of recall and only focuses on my older dog who being a very energetic dog is running around like a loony. I think if they were both the same age i might have gone completely mad! (Mind you prehaps i have ended up with two awkward dogs!!)

I replied to Gee earlier this month when I was in a very anxious state while my two pups Jack and Bertie were having problems. Jack who has got a Jeckyl and Hyde character was constantly giving me the willys, I never knew when he would fly at Bertie who is so placid. After days of pulling my hair out and being close to tear I can happily report that they have sorted themselves!!! Being brave enough to let them scrap proved to be the turning point. Bertie showed Jack that he was capable of defending himself......blood was never drawn thankfully but Jack was put in his place. So at last I don't have to worry about leaving them together unsupervised. BUT they do sleep in separate cages at night because that's when Jack turns into a werewolf. So although we still have a behavioural problem to deal with I would like assure those with similar probs that it can work-out.
I too wondered if I might have to find Jack a new home. If we can sort out the snarling/snapping odd behaviour which occurs when Jack is at rest then he can stay.....we love him to bits.. So fingers crossed. We see a behaviourist on Oct 9th.

How are things going Gee?.....:(

I have 2 Cavalier King Charles Spaniels aged 4 and 6mths. They also fight alot. The youngest Tilly will guard the food until she has had enough and then she will let the eldest Ozzy have some. they growl, snarl, bite, chew, pull ears and collars and fight on back legs, sometimes the odd yelp is heard. I have been told this can be quite normal with pups and they are fighting for the position of the top dog. I am hoping they will grow out of it soon.

best of luck