Fighting Whippet puppies

[Soniclass]

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Hello everyone I am new to the group and need some help with what to do with our 2 whippet puppies. 

At 8 weeks old we brought the sisters home, less than a week ago.  With the breeder they were so docile but once here they seemed to hate each other. They were crated together but because of their constant fighting I have bought a second crate and I am now trying to feed, play and train them separately. Fortunately my husband and I are retired so we have time but I an unhappy with this situation and don't know if we are right with this separation thing. We have tried a few times to bring them together in the garden but they still fight viciously and we are so afraid of what those needle teeth might do we separate them pretty much immediately.  Which is easy while they are little but if this continues into adulthood it is not what I envisioned. While they are tiny and still sleeping quite a bit I have just about enough time to keep them separate but I am worried that once they require more exercise will we have time to do this separately and indeed how will their response to other dogs and puppies be when we can take them to classes. 

Does anyone have experience on how I should manage this? Is it worth trying to let them sort it out themselves? I'm supposing it is a dog status thing.  I should perhaps add that we live in a semi with a small but secure garden. They are so beautiful but little demons. I can't tell either which one is starting the attacks.

Thank you in advance.

 

[JoanneF]

Girls, particularly of the same age, can have very strained relationships. However before anything else, are you sure it is real fighting? Puppy play can look ferocious. Not to say you shouldn't intervene but it would influence how you proceed.

 

[Soniclass]

Girls, particularly of the same age, can have very strained relationships. However before anything else, are you sure it is real fighting? Puppy play can look ferocious. Not to say you shouldn't intervene but it would influence how you proceed.

Thank you Joanne. I haven't had 2 puppies at the same time so this is very new for me. I have no idea if it is boisterous puppy play or not but they had a good romp in the garden earlier and the garden hose on spray seemed a better deterant than separation. I'm hoping I can get them to enjoy play together before the cold weather! Early days and perhaps I'm fretting about it too much. Fingers crossed.

 

[dogmatize]

hello Soniclass and welcome to the forum. First of all a  little background about me. I own 4 whippets currently, have been involved in the breeding of 8 litters over 27 years  and have kept 2 puppies from the last litter who are coming up for a year old. I consider that i know what i am talking about when it comes to whippets - having lived with 29 whippets over the last 30 years.

I have found that you get some litters who are calm sweet biddible dogs from the start and there are some litters who are little hooligans . We currently have hooligans and they even at nearly 12 months old are still exercised separately -

I am dismayed that a breeder would let you have 2 puppies together and i am almost certain that it is not going to work for you. It can be done, but it is not a challenge that i would recommend to anyone. Your entire time and effort is going to be taken up by managing these 2 and it means that you will not enjoy a puppy as you should. Double everything has to be done : double the lead training, double the housetraining, double the car training, double the feeding, double the vet bills and you need to have eyes in the back of your head. 

 I am going to advise that you return one of the puppies to the breeder, explaining to them that you simply cannot manage 2 together. It is unreasonable for nearly everyone to cope with 2 puppies. I suspect that you would soon come to  feel that you are not be able to do as good a job of raising them as you would like. It is early days and it would be better for you and the puppies if you send one back now. I cannot state this strongly enough.

The breeder should be happy to take a puppy back - with a full refund as it's young enough to go to a new home with no trouble. If the breeder refuses or kicks up any fuss you should name and shame them. The welfare of the puppy should always come first and returning the puppy seems to me to be in the best interests of the dog and also of YOU.

 

[Peegee]

Hello Soniclass and welcome to the forum.  I am by no means an expert on dogs and have found the advice on this forum invaluable over the past 12 months with my puppy.  I do feel for you in your current situation but can only really recommend that you follow dogmatises advice and return one of the girls.  All the advice I have ever seen always recommends one pup at a time and having now completed our first 12 months I can't imagine what life would have been like with two of them.  I am surprised that the breeder let you have two in the first place.  It would be such a shame if you keep two and then end up not enjoying the time you have with either of them growing up.

 

[gypsysmum2]

I agree with the above comments. Even if it turned out to just be boisterous play at the moment, all the perceived wisdom is that it is wrong to raise two bitches of the same age and breed together. By far the best match for two dogs to co habit peaceably is that of two different breeds of different sexes and different ages.

Bitches can be very territorial and once they fall out there is rarely anything anyone can do and one of the two usually end up being rehomed. I have known of this happening on several occasions.  It is very difficult to rehome an adult bitch that has been fighting with its litter mate. Much easier to find a loving home now for one of the puppies. If the breeder will not help, and they should, then there are breed specific rescues that may have people waiting for puppies to come up.