Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I recently(about 25 days ago)got a 2 month old German Shepherd/Siberian Husky mix pup, she is a good dog, now yesterday we brought home a 2 month old Shepherd/collie mix pup and our old dog acted calm around her, but would not stop following her, and then she began to start nipping at her and it turned into a fight. Ive read that I should slowly introduce the new dogs scent to my new dog and once my old dogs acustom to the new dogs scent in the house that introducing shouldnt be the problem. How long could this take? Its very hard giving the same time for both when I also own a conure that needs attention. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated. Thank You.

Well I know with my breed it is best to go with a male/female combination. Having 2 unspayed females even though they are still relatively young may be asking for some problems. There might be a bit of bickering especially from the first dog until they are old enough to be spay at around 6 months. Usually a first meeting should take place on nuetral ground but since both dogs are now in the house one suggestion I can make is to be sure to give all first attention to the first pup. Since she was there first she'll act like the alpha female. Greet her first, feed her first, pet her first etc. before the second dog gets attention. If none of this works you might have to crate one or both dogs until they can be spay.
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If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.

What genders are these two puppies? Both are very much still puppies right now. There should be no real fights between them at this age. Are you sure it's a real fight and not just play fighting?

Quite honestly, real fighting between puppies of this age needs immediate attention from a specialist. This interaction needs to be watched by someone who knows dog language and can see why they aer fighting. There are many many reasons- food, toys, personal space are just a few reasons. Having two puppies is a TON of work. Are you sure you are up to it?
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Chelle and the rest of the crew including, but not limited to Kita and Taiko (the shiba inu wrestle maniacs), Adi (reserved and dignified tabby cat), and all 28 reptiles

They are both female and both already spayed. I thought 2 months was to young but the shelter required they be spayed. We(my family) havent had dogs in a while and this is the 1st time we had puppies. They seem to get along well when were not around, but really were watchin or peakin around to see if there being good to each other. I cant really say if it is playing or not since we have never had puppies this young or more than 1 dog at once for that matter. The older dog will constantly follow the new pup whenever there outside. The fighting usually starts when there playing and the older dog pins the other on the ground. Than the older dog starts biting and I hear the new pup whelping, I dont let it continue so I dont know if its play because I dont want to take the risk of letting them continue to see if its play or not because it doesnt seem like play but then again I could be wrong. Is it acceptable to let the older dog feel like she is the dominant one like posted in the responce? I thought they should be treated just the same so there is no jealousy or compitition going on. When I acknowledge the dogs I pet them both at the same time and thats usually when they behave well until the new dog starts to run around the yard, thats when the older dog starts to stick right behind her and wont stop pesturizing her. I appreciate the responces.

There's a lot of things going on here and I can give you my opinion based on what you wrote, but in person help from a dog trainer woudl be very helpful to you especially since you are novice puppy owners. In my humble opinion training classes are mandatory for all puppy owners and a great way to head off future problems a dog can have later in life.

1) Two females living together is tough and could be tough for their whole lives- altered or not it does not matter.

2) Raising two puppies together is also tough and the two need tim away from each other to develop normally.

3) There is always going to be a dominant female in a pack and a subordinate female. It's not man's job to decide which dog that is. Dogs do that on their own with their own language. Dominant dogs are not bullies though so if two dogs are picking fights, typically the one picking the fight is the subordinate trying ot be dominant, but not succeeding. In my house, I do not tolerate fighting, but my dogs get loud and seem to be fighting when they are in fact playing. Determining if it's playing or actual fighting isn't too hard- is one trying to get away from the other and they aren't being allowed to leave? Are they going after throats?

4) Each dog should have their own space to call theirs- a crate tends to be ideal for this. When yo ucan't supervise- the two dogs shoudl be crated and not have access to each other.

These are just a few things that may help out. Again, seek the advice of someone in person who can watch these two. Dog language is complex and puppy language is immature. It's hard ot tell if there's a real problem or not.
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Chelle and the rest of the crew including, but not limited to Kita and Taiko (the shiba inu wrestle maniacs), Adi (reserved and dignified tabby cat), and all 28 reptiles

Thanks very much for the responce, and I will take your advice.