2 brothers fighting

Hi I have 2 male staffy brothers, they are around 20 months old and just recently they have started to fight, today being the worst where one of them just wouldn't let go of the other, got very nasty and drew a lot of blood, most of the time they are very loving towards each other, but one day i'm scared it will end in real tragedy. one of them is the bouncy in your face loves running around type and the other one is the quieter one, it's the quieter one that really loses his temper and won't let go of the other one. I don't want to have to split them up unless i really have to, anyone have any ideas on what to do?

I'm sorry but I have only ever had 1 at a time.

From knowledge you are going to have to keep them seperated for now to be safe, I'm sure someone will give you some advice.

Good luck and welcome from me and Moo Xx

Hi & welcome to the forum.

It's always advisable to not have siblings together, but that's not a lot of help to you now, is it?

I think you're going to have to watch them very carefully - try to pinpoint what makes the quiet one snap & then try to pre-empt it. Learn to recognise his body language & step in with a correction before it escalates.

I would also recommend that you never leave them alone together, even at night. It isn't worth the risk.

janey wrote:

I'm sorry but I have only ever had 1 at a time.

From knowledge you are going to have to keep them seperated for now to be safe, I'm sure someone will give you some advice.

Good luck and welcome from me and Moo Xx

Hi thanks for the reply, it's very awkward to keep them apart, they pine for each other, really don't know what to do

Junglistjames wrote:

janey wrote:
I'm sorry but I have only ever had 1 at a time.
From knowledge you are going to have to keep them seperated for now to be safe, I'm sure someone will give you some advice.
Good luck and welcome from me and Moo Xx

Hi thanks for the reply, it's very awkward to keep them apart, they pine for each other, really don't know what to do

Unfortunately it's something you will have to do, even if it's only when you're not there to supervise them. The slightest thing could start a squabble & if you're not there to stop it.....doesn't bear thinking about.

If you watch their body language, though, you should be able to spot any problems before they start.

you could try 2 crates near each other at night just so they are near each other but can't get to one another?

Caryll wrote:Hi & welcome to the forum.

It's always advisable to not have siblings together, but that's not a lot of help to you now, is it?

I think you're going to have to watch them very carefully - try to pinpoint what makes the quiet one snap & then try to pre-empt it. Learn to recognise his body language & step in with a correction before it escalates.

I would also recommend that you never leave them alone together, even at night. It isn't worth the risk.

hi thanks for reply, it probably wasn't a wise decision to take the 2 on, never would of thought of this happening though, they love each other to bits most of the time, separate them and they pine for each other, it's so awkward not knowing what to do, the quieter one just literally snaps, i don't know if it's jealousy or one wants to be the top dog or what!

Does he snap because the more boisterous one is getting on his nerves? If that's the case you might have to step in to calm things down - give both of them time out. Maybe, as Steve says, two crates might help if you have room for them?

Caryll wrote:Does he snap because the more boisterous one is getting on his nerves? If that's the case you might have to step in to calm things down - give both of them time out. Maybe, as Steve says, two crates might help if you have room for them?

i'm not sure on that, i'm going to try and split them up at the first sign of trouble in the hope they will realise that's what will happen if it carries on, the pair of them do seem quite intelligent and always very inquisitive so i wonder if it will work?

Try and watch them & see if you can pinpoint where the friction is coming from.

I agree that you will have to watch then quite carefully. Two crates next to eachother are a great way or even one in a crate and one out so they can be near eachother but can't get at eachother when you can't watch them.

with my 2 boys it was a hierarchy thing,sibling rivalry is a similar thing & you have to work out which dog is the naturally more dominant one & acknowledge that ,have you considered talking to professional dog trainer/behaviourist? it helped me considerably with mine & things seem to have reached a balance in our house.

just because they are staffies doesnt make them more likely/less like to fight than any other dogs

Perhaps engaging the services of a professional would be of value. The calmer one would be reacting to the excited energy of the other and you need to take a leadership role and step in at these times.

It's always recommended never to keep two male staffies and especially not two siblings. They will start to fight for dominance and its near impossible to stop. I would never leave them alone together unsupervised from this point on. Although I'm rarely one to push for neutering, are they both entire as this will exasperate things?

shakespearesdog wrote:It's always recommended never to keep two male staffies and especially not two siblings. They will start to fight for dominance and its near impossible to stop. I would never leave them alone together unsupervised from this point on. Although I'm rarely one to push for neutering, are they both entire as this will exasperate things?

2 males can live happily together, we have quite a few members with 2 males together. As advised, its a case of never leaving them together unsupervised, and trying to figure out what's triggering the aggression so you can step in and stop it before it gets out of control. It can work, it'll just take some observation and work on your part. Good luck

shakespearesdog wrote:It's always recommended never to keep two male staffies and especially not two siblings. They will start to fight for dominance and its near impossible to stop. I would never leave them alone together unsupervised from this point on. Although I'm rarely one to push for neutering, are they both entire as this will exasperate things?

I have two males and they are fine. There are times I have to tell them to chill out but they know who is boss and they are best buddies. The key is training, knowing your dog's well and understanding body language.

I have always been taught that two male staffies and to a lesser extend two females is a recipe for trouble. I am glad lots of members on here have no problems but I have also heard several horrible stories about brothers and best friend male dogs getting on great-then the owner coming home and finding one dead. Its always best to err on the side of caution and keep them separated when out.

Here is a link on body languauge that would be usefull

http://staffy-bull-terrier.co.uk/dogbodylanguage.html

Agree with the advice given and I would keep them seperated if you are not there to supervise