can anyone give me any information on haveing 2 males together, I have a 3yr old who is spoilt rotten but very loving and trained, i have now got a 7wk old staffie pup who is mad and just wants to bite the older one, he has growled and snapped a couple of times, the older one wont look or be near the younger one. i have been told that they could fight and to get them done but due to the older one having a heart murmur i dont really want to put him at risk of a operation.  i have tried to get them to play, they have both got a end of a rope but the older one is not gentle and throws the younger one round. they have only been together for 3 days and i am really worried, does this mean they wont ever get on and the younger one will have to be rehomed. which is something i dont want to do.
please help any advise will be appreciates.

Even castration may not prevent a fight if that is the way it goes.I would suggest you keep them seperated while you are not about...try a baby gate
Archer

My mother had to male dogs a dobermann and an alsation, they had to be separated constantly, once someone left the back door to the yard open were the alsation was the to dogs confronted each other and had a really bad fight my mother tried to separate them and the dobermann bit her on the leg, she ended up going to hospital to recieve stitches and the to dogs were covered in blood from nose to shoulders, both dogs lived to old age and my mother was okay.  I personally would never keep to male dogs together because their so terrirtorial they end up following where the other one marks their territory and then they remark it with their scent.  I do hope that your dogs get along, maybe someone else can give you tips to stop them being agressive towards each other.  Good luck

The older one is probably just wondering what on earth this little bundle of teeth is doing!
I wouldn't leave them together unsupervised just yet as the older one may attack! Staffies do play very rough. My two sometimes sound like they are half killing each other but they are only playing and stop immediately if I tell them to. (Doesn't mean they dont carry on 5 seconds later though!)
Good luck!

i have got a dog crate in the kitchen which the puppie sleeps,and eats in i have also got a baby gate on the kitchen i would never leave them unsupervised to gether but just need to know what i have let myself in for, the elder one has become very very loving and wants lots of attention and is also following me more than usual.  the puppie seems to want to play and they do play at times but the puppie keeps nicking the elder ones bone and he just lets him have it and then comes to me and crys. i just wish i could see the future if they did fight it would break my heart just the same as if i have to get the puppie rehomed but i would rather rehome him than have one of them dead or hurt from fighting.

They sound as though they are getting along ok for now. As others have said, just keep a careful eye on them. If the pup is becoming too much for the older boy simply pop the pup out for some time out in his crate.
Providing you are sensible, and it sounds as though you are being, there is no reason they could not live togther quite happily.
Unfortunately fights are inevetable with multple dog ownership. I have three pairs of mother and daughters who have regular barneys. Luckily its usually over something stupid and a quick "OIIII" from me and they look at me as though im the one being unreasonable. I have only had bloodshed once and that was a tiny little puncture that healed within a few days.

If i were you i would just keep up what you are already doing, just make pup have a few more time out sessions when he is being a little too boistrous and big lad is getting a bit fed up. Pup will soon learn when its too much and pack it in.

Having only had your puppy for 3 days it's way too soon to be getting into a tizz about future fights, castration issues etc ;)  Most older k9s, regardless of age, sex or breed can be "put out" by the arrival of a new puppy - as much to do with confusion about this boisterous, mannerless whirling dervish with needle like teeth as anything else!  You've already had good advice about *time-out*, crates, baby gates and not leaving them unsupervised - observation and appropriate intervention by you are the main points for now.

ALL tiny puppies play too roughly - they've shared wild racing, biting, tumbling and chasing games with siblings and when arriving in a new home with a resident dog (or cat :P ) will try and continue in the same vein.  This settles - initially with your guidance and after a few weeks usually with a firm but non-antagonistic telling-off by their older doggy friend.  Don't *try to get them to play* yet - particularly with sharing a toy.  This puts too much pressure on your existing dog and also more supervision is required around food and toys with dogs unknown to each other.  You should see a gradual improvment in your older dog quite quickly, just remember to not let him feel left out :(

Good luck and keep us posted, Teri :)
 

Also worth remembering that a lot of adult male dogs just simply do not like being around puppies of either sex. Some appear to be scared of pups, other will just ignore them and refuse to interact, others will give them a 'keep away' warning. The older dog may well come to accept the pup once the pup himself is older. Follow the advice given, and don't try to force your older dog to accept the puppy. Acceptance, if it happens, will happen in his own good time.

Can I ask, did the breeder you got the puppy from know you already had a 3 year old male stafford? I ask because most people would not reccommend keeping 2 stafford males together. It has/is being done well by some people but it I would say is the exception rather than the rule.

And 3 days is not long for them to be together you can't really tell much, and as someone has said not all adult dogs especially males like or know what to handle puppies.   

Yes the Breeder and i use that work lightly knew i had another staff I took him with me but the so called breeder was only interested in my money, and as he was for sale for only £200 with papers he wasnt bothered what kind of home he went to, but at least now if I do have to have him rehomed I know that he will only go to a good home that I will carfully vet first, if I feel that the poeple arent right he wont be going no where.  he has just had his injection and will have the second on 14 march he will then be straight into training. Thanks to everyone for the advise.

Can I also add that if your adult is telling the pup off when he becomes 'out of order' you shouldn't interfere...as long as he doesn't go overboard.It is important that pup knows how far he can push your adult before he gets too old.
My 'pup' is now 12 months old.The old man of the household is alpha male and only has to produce a low rumble and bare teeth to the youngster to show submission and avoid confrontation.
Archer

hi , i have heard and read you should never have 2 staffy males together. because only one of them can be the top dog (alpha male). o.k one is only a pup at the moment,but when he gets bigger i think you may have trouble. but then again who knows for sure. i've heard 2 females are o.k together. hope everything turns out o.k. all the best steve.

2 male staffs CAN live happily together BUT the owner has to be a ware that IF the dogs to have a 'spat' whereas with most breeds it may end up with a few scratches or ouncture marks with a staff the end result is likely to be MUCH MUCH worse.Hence it is always wise to keep them seperated when not supervised.
Bitches can in fact be worse than dogs since dogs seem to have a disagreement and then forgive and forget...bitches hold grudges and once they fall out tend to never get along again.
I knew a man once who left his staffy and 2 GSD bitches together while he went out.They had never so much had had a cross word in the  2 years he'd had the 3 dogs.When he returned he had one dead GSD and one badly maimed!...the staffy was 'blooded' but pretty much unharmed.....its just not worth the risk of leaving them together
Archer

hi, this prob isnt much help but i have 2 staffies (bitches)molly was just over 1 when we got libbi at 8wks,the night we brought libbi home molly wasnt interested at all the only thing molly wanted 2 do was get into a seperate room so we let her in the bedroom whilst libbi was getting settled ,called molly down 4 bed she wouldnt come into the kitchen she was so scared of libbi (laughed 4 ages )next day molly wanted 2 escape into the bedroom again she was so scared of libbi made her stay in the same room 4 a while they had a sniff libbi then went for the ears the legs anything she could get hold of molly would just stand there and take it, then let molly have her peace in another room this went on 4 about 3 wks.now u should see them they do eveything together sleep in the same bed ,sit give paws ,roll over and i mean together LOL .thankfully things haved worked out great with them ,give yours some time x

Hi, I have 4 Staffords, 2 girls & 2 boys. 1 of the boys is 8 year old & the other is 8 months old. The 8 year old dog loves having a pup around more so than the girls. We never ever leave any of our dogs together unsupervised no matter how well they they seem to get on. I have known someone to arrive home to find 1 of the bitches killed by her sister even though they were best friends.  But it can work & it works well with our lot. They only thing we watch for is arguements over toys of food.
Tad

Hi Tad, Thanks for the advise, did your dogs growl all the time, the elder one ZAC is growling all the time but the puppy Tyson has bit him and is climbing all over him.  He follows Zac everywhere but then they have a play. Im really scared at the moment and living on a knifes edge as everyone I have spoken to has said I have done the wrong thing in having 2 boys together but I have read that you are not suposed to have two males of any breed together not just staffs. Would you recommend castration as I have this option if I really need it but is there a guarntee that it would work if they did start fighting im not thinking of this right away but would it be recommended to help stop aggression if they were.  do you think that the training he will have will help.  I took Zac to training and he is a fantastic dog both loving and playful and has never shown any agression towards anything. He has run in the training field with about 25 dogs of all breeds and I had no problem at all. We take the puppy to the crate if he gets to much for Zac and also he eats in there but how long does it normally take for them to be settled with each other I know this can vary but just idea would good.
many thanks

The important thing is to mke sure your older boy gets the lion's share of the attention so that he doesn't resent the pup. Make sure he isn't bullied by the pup, and if he tells Tyson off, then back Zac up. It's important to not let him get jealous. After all, his world and peaceful life has been turned upside down, just as if your partner brought in another girl 'to keep you company'!

It often takes two weeks, sometimes even more, before a new pup is accepted.

how do we tell zac that what he is doing is normal.  if he growls at at Tyson i dont want to say good boy has he might take that this is acceptable behaviour at the moment we are telling him that it is ok has he looks for reassurance after he has growled.  i have been ignoring tyson when i come back from work and giving zac all the attention that he is used to when he has finished getting excited i then give tyson a cuddle to zacs disgust he just walks off and gives me the cold shoulder.

But Zac telling Tyson off is acceptable ... it's important that Tyson learns his place, and Zac speaks his language.

thanks for that advise so if zac is growling just tell him it is ok.

Hi, All 3 of our older dogs tell the pup off! thats the time to either put the pup away or amuse him with somthing else to do. We try to give the dogs a good walk or free run together to tire them out so they all crash out on the sofa together.
That way the pup is to tired to hassle the others & they get used to having him around.
It's got easier as time has gone on.

Forgot to say both our boys are intact, but both the girls have been spayed.

as we cannot take tyson out yet when zac comes back from his walk tyson just gets very excited and wants to play but zac dosnt understand, he told him off a bit rough tonite and i must say it was quite scarey we put tyson in his crate for 5 mins but as soon as he sees zac he just wants to jump all over him and annoy him. how can we stop this. zac has already had a cut by his mouth from tyson.

The best thing you can do is let Tyson get on with putting Zac in his place...it will save a lot of trouble later on.It may look rough to you but its normal to them.I have had an adult turn a pup over when its been 'out of order' and the pup immediately learns that what its done is not allowed.I've also had an adult put his mouth quite firmly over the pups muzzle and growl...its all dog language.
  What you need to remember is if Zac doesn't learn now when he gets older and bigger that telling off is going to have to be a LOT firmed and more aggressive to teach him his lesson.
Archer

would you recommend that we put a collar on Tyson(puppie) constantly in case they fight when older, Zac (the older dog) has never had his collar on in the house and knows that if it is on its time to go walks, if we have it on in the house he will be crying and going mad at the door all the time. and just to update you all they are playing together in the house and running around at about 100 miles an hour which is quite funny but when zac gives tyson a long deep rumble growl he backs off a bit and knows that it is time to stop but tyson keeps trying to cuddle up to zac and he just walks away hopefully this will come in time. the only real problem we have at the moment is when zac goes in the garden tyson stands guard at the door and bites zac when he wants to come back in, zac just stands in the garden wondering what to do and we have to call him in, also zacs dinner bowls have always been in the same place (in the kitchen) and never taken up only when we are out the house during the day as they are looked after by my father in law but tyson keeps taking food from zacs bowls and as zac is a slow and fussy eater he never eats all his dinner in one go when he goes back to it it has gone, or if he knows tyson is around he will eat really fast and make himself sick how can we stop this.