Advice On 2 Puppy's

[BigDaz]

We recently picked up our 2 SBT females who are 8 weeks old, they are very cute but also a lot of work, which was expected, but I have a couple of questions.

1) Will having 2 females create any issues, we will be having them de-sexed.

2) They fight (or play) a lot and there is a few concerning noises coming from them when they do, but they always go back for more. We havent been able to work out which is the dominant one as they seem to swap the agressor role often. Is the fighting a problem or is it puppy's playing aggressively?

Their playing does become extra agressive now and then, at which point I seperate them, but as they will be alone sometimes I dont want them to seriously hurt each other, just wondering if this seems normal.

[Rysup]

I have 2 puppies left from my litter and they are 11 weeks now. They play very roughly at times, and its all a learning curve - they learn the boundaries, when to push, when not to push, and I would say its all play at 8 weeks. I can look terribly rough and sound awful, but its all "play" at that age.

If you are having them both desexed I would not expect any trouble from having two bitches together.

All sounds normal to me!

[BrunoBella]

Welcome BigDaz

Don't know about SBTs but 2 females together often causes problems although some people on the forum have had this without problems. Two puppies together is a humungous job and will fill all your waking and sleeping hours for the next 6 months. You're braver than me

The pups fighting is pretty normal as long as they don't draw blood. My two do it all the time and I cheer them on. Separating them for periods is good for them so they get a bit of rest. I personally don't pay any attention to which of my dogs is dominant or submissive. The only important point is that you are the pack leader. The rest is just interesting to watch but the dogs will sort it out themselves.

There are lots of staffy people here who can give you specific breed tips.

Have double fun

[Dogsfevr]

Personally i wouldnt have brought 2 females even if they are getting desexed..

Male & female is a way beeter match especailly in staffies.

Didnt your breeder discuss this area with you or suggest that a male/female would be a better match??

[sas]

WOW you are keen!

It's generally not reccomend to have 2 puppies at the same time as they tend to bond with each other than with you which can make training & leadership difficult.

2 bitches as well.....I guess you'll have to wait and see, I probably would have gotten a boy and a girl to be on the safe side.

Staffies are known for the noises they make, you'll get used to that in time.

The rough playing is just them sorting out where they stand and generally isn't advisable that you step in unless you think it's a full on fight and injuries are going to occur. To people who don't know my dogs they would think they were fighting but they just play fight very rough.

[Andisa]

I have 2 Rottweiler puppies from my litter that are still together They will be 12 weeks tomorrow. They play very rough at times and I know that the longer they are together things will get more serious. I am keeping one girl and the other girl is still waiting for the right person to come along for her.

I have been concerned about their play and I have spoken to the stud owner and my girls breeder about them. I have been told that it is perfectly normal puppy play. I would like to separate them soon and if the other girl stays much longer I will be setting up separate yards for them.

I would really love to keep both of these pups but I don't think I am really prepared for what they would put me through if I did. I have been told that 2 females together can be very hard if they fight over the top dog position. If they don't care then maybe you won't have this problem. But the fighting can be very serious so keep that in mind as they grow. I know this will be a big concern for me too even though mine will be mother and daughter.

Right now I have both pups asleep on the floor at my feet along with their mum. I also have an elderly desexed male Maltese and a 6 mth old pug bitch here too. All can be together under supervision. The Maltese is still trying to put the pups in their place but they are too rough for him which is why they are supervised when they are together - which is only when they are in the house.

It can be done but it is pretty full on most of the time.

I know it will be much easier when I do find the right home for the other pup.

Good luck with you two puppies, you will have your hands full.

[Cockerlover]

a lot depends on the temprement of the dogs ; I have a few bitches & thankgoodness not to many fights ;i find the worst times are when they are due on heat; so if you are getting yours desexed (a wise move); you shouldnt have 2 many problems .the behavior your experiancing @ the moment is normal puppyPLAY; good luck your gonna be busy!

[BigDaz]

It's interesting to see the varied replies, I am a bit concerned now that we have done the wrong thing in getting 2 females. Even after only three days though it would find it hard to give either of them up, but maybe it is something I should think about now instead of having to do it in 6 months.

[Andisa]

I know a lot of breeders would never sell two puppies to the same person purely for the reason of the pups bonding more with each other and making training more difficult. This was mentioned before. I would not do it either. The pup that I have still here is here because I would prefer she go to a single dog family. She needs extra training because she is so determined. I could have placed her weeks ago but I am thinking this is the best interest for this pup is be be one on one. As it is both of these girls are very close and I am having to separate them when I am going through some basics with them just so the listen to me and not wanting to play together all the time.

But as mentioned before also it would depend so much on the temperament of the pups. Many people have got two dogs at the same time and would do it again.

How committed to training are you, and can you handle both pups together? Do you have someone else to help with the training?

It would be a shame to give up one pup now. Would the breeder take one pup back since it has only been a few days? I would talk to the breeder before I make the decision to re home one of the pups if I were you. But it is your call and you need to be comfortable with your decision.

Good luck.

Edited December 25, 2007 by Lisa M

[Gayle.]

I had two females together for almost 13 years. It was wonderful! They were not bully breeds though, they were little fluffies. One was definitely dominant but surprisingly, she was the passive one when we were out. The non-dominant one was the one who would have defended her family with her life if she needed to.

My girls used to play and play and play. They only time they'd fight was after they'd been to the groomers and they both smelled differently, then I had to seperate them for a few hours til the clean smell wore off.

We lost our older girl to a stroke in May.

[becks]

2 from the same litter can work if they are different in temperament, the closer they are in size, age and temperament then the more likely they are to fall out over things.

Do make sure they regularly spend time apart when you can groom, walk and play with them without the other one getting involved, they will need to learn some independence from each other.

[Poodle wrangler]

Sounds like normal puppy play at this stage, but as others have said, that could all change as they grow up.

Pups that bond to another dog will be hard to leave alone later if you want to/ need to later on.

My pup has barked loudly and solidly for 20 minutes when I had to take other dog to the vet.

It's been said here b4, "they don't call them bitches for nothing". People say bitches can fight more determinedly than 2 males.

If you're inexperienced as a dog owner, it's better to rethink the situation asap.

[Christina]

Oh I just think its double the fun. Had up to 5 together with no problems. They do play rough when young but thats normal. Thing is you do have to spend individual time with them for training,2 together is too hard. Things like eating in their own spot & not fighting over food,sit, etc are fine together but walking on a lead has to be done one on one until they are trained,then they are fine together. Toilet training was the hardest bit for me. I never knew which one had done it unless I saw it happen. Depends if you are used to dogs really.

[WreckitWhippet]

They may live their entire lives without incident or you may come home one day to find their have torn shreads off each other. Be very clear in setting your boundaries and establishing yourself as the pack leader. Build seperate runs and begin to lock them up whenever you cannot be around to supervise.

As good as my guys have been to each other over the years, I know of many who had the same peace I have enjoyed, shattered in an instant and have come home to dead dogs.

[Swizzlestick]

I personally would be a little concerned with two bitches together, even if you plan to desex as you said. I work with many dogs, and it's often the girls that start trouble, and that's just in the run next door. No way would I ever leave two girls together.

Once in my early vet nursing days, we had an owner (a silly one) who left his 4 entire female SBT's in the garage all night. Two were dead the next day, and it took about five hours to suture the other two.

Not saying this will always happen, but you just never know.

[Rebanne]

while I have never had two bitches of the same age together I never had a moments trouble with keeping 2 German Shepherds bitches or a shepherd and a smaller cross breed bitch. But I have had trouble with greyhound bitches and the crossbreed. Depends on the dogs and how strong you are in leadership.

[Christina]

Must agree about the seperating part posted,if you are not around. Had 2 girls developed a hate thing for each other around 3 & 4,no problem before then. Ok when I was there but never left together if I wasn't. Forgot about that long ago. Good advice for you.

[peaceful]

Would hate this to happen to anyone .

Edited February 29, 2008 by Miffy

[Cosmolo]

Just for a little bit of balance- i have 3 bitches who all run together with no problems. It depends largely on the dogs temperaments, your leadership and willingness to do training etc. It can work if you are careful and get things sorted out now.

[MarkS]

Yes I would also be a little concerned about the bonding issue. During this period I would be seperating them as much as you can and spend lots of time with each pup individually, and of course also together. Also you want them to get used to being apart so you don't end up with seperation issues latter. SBT's can end up being overly anxious dogs, and seperation anxiety can be a big issue at times, between them the owner and/or the other dog in the household.

Bitches can tend to be a little more aggressive towards each other, especially when older. I am suprised you weren't advised to take one of each sex. But every situation is different, and you may not have any aggression isues with them. Rough play isn't bad, and puppies need to do this to develop their social skills. However keep an eye on them incase it goes overboard. If the fighting becomes too intense (many owners get too concerned and may missinterpret when play is becoming overly aggressive, as many tend to see their pups through human eyes and values), then I would intervene. Start setting early rules, that overly aggressive behaviour will not be tolerated. Your major issue is that you will not always be there to confront these aggression issues 'if' they happen. So consistency is going to be a bit of an issue here. This may help sort out overly aggressive behaviour between the pups, but later on in life things 'may' change. Keep a close eye on them.

Remember, what is MOST important here is establishing yourself as packleader. You don't want either pup growing up believing it controls the house, if you do, then I am sorry to say you may probably end up with problems in regards to leadeship issues. Start setting early rules for your pups. I would be setting bounderies and limitations now. Also have a professional come around and assess the pups for you, a good trainer/behaviourist will be able to assess your pups and let you know if there will be any issues, and also how to deal with them in the correct way before they develop. Issues tend to arise if both dogs have a lower fightdrive threshold, once a dog switches into fight, then you have major problems.

Advice really shouldn't be given without actually having your pups assessed, as usually owners don't see the issues as they really are, especially if they are judging each situation from a human perspective. Putting human values tends to cloud our assessment and judgement of what is actually happening. So if you are not sure..Then call a professional to come out and help guide you.