Urgent, need advice

[KKsmiles]

  ..by tomorrows puppy playdate. Koda my 11 week girl pup will be playing with one of her sister/littermate. Problem, last time she was over, last week, there were some nasty sounding fights. They were playing and then one of them would get too rough and holy toledo, you would think I was running a dog fighting ring. Hair standing up, snarls, growls, and going after each other. It had to sound worse than the bites... I hope. When it got super serious I would get in between, make them lay down near each other until they were relaxed and focused on me (10-20 seconds). Then within a minute they were back to play attacking. I started to think maybe I shouldn't step in betwee and let them work it out...but will one get hurt. Koda was more dominent in the litter, but sister Osa was seems to have found her backbone. Watching them I saw them both acting as the aggressor. Koda does weigh 4 pounds more than Osa, I would hate for her to really hurt Osa (that might be a irrational fear since I saw Osa put Koda in her place a few times). The whole thing is I didn't expect this since they were littermates, and they really need to get along. Next week I am taking them both to the vet, and the reason my sister-in-law and I got littermate pups is so they would get along fine during campouts, parks, holidays, cousin sleep overs. I just need to know how to handle this tomorrow... to I step in at the first sign of aggression, only when it gets nasty, or just let them duke it out? Last week all the cousins (Osa owners) were over along with my three, so I am sure the energy did not help much. Tomorrow will be just me so that I can work on it.

[Scootergirl]

I would try a couple of things:

1.  Take them on a walk together before you let them off leash to play.  In the words of the Dog Whisperer (my hero), you need to establish them as part of the same pack (again) if you want them to be playing together all the time. The walk will put them in the pack mentality with you and your sister as the leaders AND work off some of that extra energy.

2.  When you get back to the house, make them lie down and become relaxed before you take their leashes off. If they try to get up and get to each other, step on or tug their leashes and get them to lie down again. When they appear relaxed, take them off the leash.

3. Are either of them food aggressive/posessive? If not, give each one a chewie to finish before they play with each other. This will give them something to focus on and relax them a little more before they go into play mode.

4.  Do you just let them play with each other, or do you participate in the play as well? Try taking them to the backyard and playing fetch or doing some basic treat training so they aren't focused so much on each other as entertainment, but you (as the pack leader) and doing a job. Maybe this will cut down on their dominance behaviors.

Good luck!!

[KKsmiles]

Scootergirl - my sister in law is dropping her off, before she leaves for work, so I would have to walk them both... both not good at leash walking yet. I have just started with Koda. What I will do is walk Koda before they come and then walk Osa before I letvthem play. I will do what you said about getting them calm , give them a treat. They are not food aggressive, or toy possesive with each other. I try to play with them, but neither pay any attention to anyone or toys when they are together. They just start jumping on each other, play bitting, as the excitement grows the harder there bite and then boom some gets mad and the other doesn't break down. I will try harder to wear them out first, and see if I can get some interaction.

gr8dame- teaching each other a lesson... yeppers! I will have to say since their first meeting Koda actually has calmed down on biting us. It use to be if we did the yelp or say "no" when  she nipped she wouldn't even hesitate, she'd just bite again. Now she will stop and lick or lay her head down, so I think she is learning through this. Yippee!

[KKsmiles]

Well they are together right now (over an hour now), we took them for a short walk and jog. I think it took an edge off their energy. Well okay maybe only a sliver. Only one serious episode, Osa finally backed down. Then a really short spat. So things are looking better. I stayed out of it and realized nobody is even yelping, so they can't be bitting for blood. Just sounds that way. I figure get them together once a week while the kids are at school, at least until I start working again at the end of January. Weighed them both today Osa 22.2 lbs, and Koda 28.4. Osa is only gaining 2 lbs a week, Koda between 3-4. Koda is on better food. Osa is on cheap food, but it is adult (for the low protien). Is 2 lbs a week okay? I take them to the vet next week, for thier 12 week shots.  

[KKsmiles]

My pup is on Nature's Recipe Large Puppy Formula. 21% Protien. It has no corn, no wheat, no beef, no artificial preservatives. It has chicken and chicken meal. I don't know if the chicken meal is supose to be good. As for Osa she is on Purina Dog Chow 22% protien (cringe). I mentioned that I would ask the vet if the growth rate is okay (trying to inaveringly bring up the food issue again), I am hoping the vet will tell me she should switch the food. Then it will come from two sources, plus the articles I sent her before she got the pup (I don't think she read). My SIL asked me if Osa was the runt of litter, since she is growing at half the rate of Koda. Nope Koda was the biggest, but Osa was right behind her. There really wasn't too much difference for the first two weeks she had Osa. Koda was just built wider. Osa just doen't seem to have good muscle like Koda, it just worried me a little when in one week there was such a differene between the two. When I start working in the end of January I do plan on switching Koda to Candea (might be spelled wrong).I have a freind with 2 magnificent Boerboels that said it was great, healthy food.

[VdogLover]

I have not read all the response here so if this has already been brought up sorry.

 So often humans think dogs are being aggressive, to rough, or mean during play. When often it is what it is, just playing nothing more. If you think one puppy is getting pushed around by another there is a simple test to find out if this is so.
While they are playing gently grab the "more pushy" puppy and pull him or her about 5 feet away. If the other pup walks away as if to say "thank goodness" then you are correct..if the other pup returns while you are holding the "pushy pup" and starts the game again then there is not an issue.
Being vocal, hackles up, snarling, etc.. are very normal during puppy play and I do not worry about it. However if one puppy loses its temper and pins another biting a body part and starts growling & shaking then I do give a cool down period.