Fighting betwen brothers

iky

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#1
As Buddy and Codi seem to get older and bigger, I find, seeing that that are both males, that they like to fight, and its cute and all when they play, but I am scared that something serious might happen. Especially when Buddy starts the fight because I dont think he reaslises how hard he bites or how hard he plays.

I have tried to seperate them, but the problem is that each sit in their part of the garden and cries until we bring them together again, and its not little whinning, its loud howls, its very disturbing, and I am worried that the neightbours are going to complain again.

Does anyone have any advice or comments, I would appriciate it.
 
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#2
You should HEAR mine wrestle! It sounds like they're trying to kill each other. Shiva sounds like Chewbacca (remember, the Wookie in Star Wars?); Kharma sounds like a grizzly on the hunt, and Bimmer, well, he sounds like a wolf. They grab and pull and bite (never breaking the skin), gnaw on each others' legs, hold each other by the nose, flop down on top of each other, pull each other off the sofa, you name it - they do it.

If things are getting more intense than we can stand, or if they're just creating too much chaos, either we tell them to chill, or Bimmer stops and snaps at the girls. No one gets hurt, and things settle down.

You'll probably notice that if one of them gets to rough and the other whimpers, the play calms down for a few seconds. It would be very unlikely, especially with everything those two have gone through together, for either one to have any desire to hurt the other. Just be aware, and make sure they know that you've got the last word, just like Serena said.

I'm so glad to hear that Buddy's playing normally now. I'm guessing it's easier to keep his meds regulated now that he's not growing at such a fast rate?
 

Debi

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#3
Iky, I'm asking this because I truly don't know..and am curious. Are they neutered yet? Would this make a difference later on with them being the same sex? I guess my question is should they be neutered to make a difference later on when they are older males?? (do I sound like I'm repeating myself here..lol) Sometimes play seems rough around here.........and I see little marks on Hammie's face where Addie's tooth has met its mark. BUT...I notice him laying belly up for her constantly now.....something he would have NEVER done prior to neutering. I step in when I think it's all gone beyond 'play'. BUT..as mentioned, sometimes just play sounds horrible to me, but it's really no big deal at all. I cringe when I see Hammie wrap his entire mouth around Addie's neck.....to me, it looks positively awful, but seems to be nothing to her. I do know that my friend has had major problems with her two females now that they are both mature.....major to the point of real fighting. She was told they will fight to the death if both are in heat.....don't know if that's true..someone here may know for sure. Her hubby jumped inbetween a fight and was bitten pretty bad. So.....is it the same for females and males if not altered? I bet your boys are just playing, tho. Nothing more sad to me than the pitiful husky howling. It sounds so soulful (is that even a word?) and I'd be like you...not wanting to keep them apart. How old is Codi now? They are such beauties...I love hearing about them ..and seeing them. :)
 

iky

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#4
Both of them are now going tobe 7 months next week, they are only going to be neutered at 1 yeay, both of the vets have advised that we try and hold out for one year before we do anything. The vet says that with both being male, they will fight for the alpha male position, and what i am scared of is that because Buddy is sick, what happens when they fight and he might seizure, Codi wont realise it and I am scared that they might actually hurt each other, unintentionally of course.

Also, it always seems like Buddy picks the fights, they will both be sleeping like little angels and suddenly Buddy with get up an dgo start biting Codi's leg or lip. But the again, Codi also likes to push Buddy around, especially if its close to a stair, I think they more spitful to each other than anything else really.

They also seem to be waking up at 3am every morning crying, which is wrong,we try and stop them but they just carry on doing it, its been going on 4 almost 2 weeks now. Can you suggest anything for that as well?
 

iky

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#5
We do ignore them, but after hour 3 of them just carrying on and on, we have to step in! But it seems to be Buddy mostly who starts the crying, maybe he feels unsettled? I dont know. It has been going ok the last 2 days.

As for the fighting, as soon as we step in, they stop, and then when they see we not watching them anymore, they just go and fight elsewhere where we cant see them? Very sneaky.
 
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#6
Just like brothers - or sisters for that matter. Sending them to separate corners for 'time out' might help settle the situation and get it through their thick, adolescent skulls that you mean business. When they grow out of adolescence, believe it or not, they'll suddenly start exhibiting some sense again. In the meantime, you just try not to go crazy.

Where are they sleeping? That might provide some clues as to what the crying is about.
 

iky

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#7
they sleep in their kennel, Buddy sleeps in his basket outside, undercover its out of the rain, its away from the cold, and in summer its cool. so i dont know why they keep crying?
 
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#8
Okay. Outside. . . Next question: are you sure they're crying, or are they vocalizing? Huskies, Malamutes, and other dogs of that type are famous for their nocturnal vocalizations. They may be serenading. :rolleyes:
 

RD

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#9
The thing that I've learned with dogs that whine and cry because they want something (whether it be to play with his brother, or just to be paid attention to) is to IGNORE them. Yes, you might have dogs whining and crying for days, maybe even a couple of weeks, and it will be obnoxious.

One thing that you need to keep in mind is that you raised these pups together. They weren't separated before, and now, when they are getting difficult, you are having trouble. This is one of the main reasons that so many people don't recommend getting two pups at once.
If they were my dogs, I would keep them separated at all times from now on, until I could supervise them, or until they stopped this rough play. By you giving in and letting them be together again, you are reinforcing their unwanted behavior (crying) and that is just teaching them to do it more often. If you don't like the noise, get some ear plugs or turn your TV WAAAAAYYYY up. :p
 

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#10
Oh and by the way, if you don't want them to get out of control with the rough housing, put tabs on both of their collars, and if they start to get too out-of-control, the tabs will make it easy to gain control of them.
 
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#11
You know, a good, strong, well-aimed water gun (not one of those little pistols) might take care of the serenading/howling. Splat, right out of the window where they don't see you doing it so that they'll just associate the unpleasantness with their own concerts.

Barring that, sleeping indoors may be the answer to the 3:00 a.m. concerts.
 

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