# Puppies being aggressive towards each other



## MrSilver1286 (Jul 2, 2007)

My Gf and I just got puppies. They are 8 weeks old and are both male littermates. We bought them from the same litter in hopes that they would teach each other the basics of bite inhibition and the such even from being away from the rest of the litter. Things were great at frist but now they seem to be behaving more aggressively towards each other. We can't have them together without having them start going at it. I don't know where to draw the line between playing and fighting. They consistently go for each other's face and I'm worried one of them is going to get really hurt. Any advice anyone?


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## BoxMeIn21 (Apr 10, 2007)

Actually that sounds absolutely normal, at that age they are far from serious. Let them play, they will let each other know when the other has crossed the line - it may sound nasty, but that's what puppies do. 
Do each of them have alone time with either of you?


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## MrSilver1286 (Jul 2, 2007)

We each have our own dog with us at night and in the morning but they are together from about 10am-10pm. It looks to get pretty nasty when they do get into it and they yelp pretty bad sometimes. Especially since they are going for the face more it worries me that one might lose an eye or sumthing.


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## Curbside Prophet (Apr 28, 2006)

Do they look like they are playing? How long do you let the play sessions go on? Much of ritualistic dog behavior can appear very scary to us. It may be worth it to you to bring a dog trainer in to assess the situation. However, if they are escalating beyond your comfort, you should pause the play session ever 30 seconds or so. Hopefully, to ask for a sit. But if I remember, you're still teaching that, correct? Regardless, make them pause often and reward attention or name recognition, or work on sit.


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## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

What you describe is exactly the thing they should be doing to learn bite inhibition from each other. They are playing ane each will tell the other off when something undesirable is done. Be patient, be sure to give them places to go to escape each other (crates are ideal) and be patient. Remember these pups are still infants and have much to learn from each other and from you.


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## MrSilver1286 (Jul 2, 2007)

Even when i pull them apart they run back to each other as soon as they hit the floor. When i have my Gf's dog on my bed and mine on the floor mine barks like crazy at him and then they just start barking at each other. My dog is a total attention whore so i think he might be jealous of the other dog for gettin any attention.


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## redox (May 21, 2007)

So are we talking full hackles up, snarling, drooling, and drawing blood or more like high-pitched barking, growling, bouncing around, and snipping at each other? What happens when one of the puppies yelps? Does that end the play time or seem to encourage the other puppy?


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## MrSilver1286 (Jul 2, 2007)

The second one


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## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

That's typical puppy play. Let them have fun! They'll wear each other out and not practice biting on YOU!


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## redox (May 21, 2007)

Yeah that's normal. I might still try to calm them down if they get too hyper so they don't tear up the house, but it's nothing to worry about.


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## Durbkat (Jun 26, 2007)

I'd just like to add that to just let them play and only separate them if they get to rough, like drawing blood.


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## echo8287 (Jul 5, 2007)

I have 2 girl litter mates. They do the same thing. They run after each other and roll each other. They are always biting each other, but I rarely hear them growl or howl when they bite each other. I was worried about them putting one of their eyes out at first. They were biting me and my wife hard at first when we brought them home. They will be 4 months old on July 25th, and they have learned how hard to bite me. I actually think they are getting better. They bite each other's nose's and ears but so far no blood. They will just naw on my finger now, they don't bite hard. They are getting a little better about paying attention to me too. They can sit, shake,look,lay and do a short stay,and thats training them together not separate, David


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## BoxMeIn21 (Apr 10, 2007)

echo8287 said:


> They can sit, shake,look,lay and do a short stay,and thats training them together not separate, David


You need to make sure you take the time to train them seperately as they need to bond to you not each other. Separate training sessions, walks and outings together are always a good idea with two.


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## Mdawn (Mar 3, 2007)

I should post a video of my 9 month old Lab and my 4 1/2 month old Mastiff playing. It looks VERY scary. I've had company say to me, "Your just going to let them fight!!!" LOL!!! I tell them that they are just playing, but somehow they don't believe me. When you see a REAL dog fight, there is a very clear visible difference between playing and fighting.


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## Shalva (Mar 23, 2007)

my litter of pups plays like this and even a little blood is not a bad thing as long as they aren't pulling out chunks of the other pup..... 

this is how they learn.... I agree with the others.... let them play..... 
we call this game "bite face"


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