Help with puppies!

andrewire

Hello.

I have two puppies - a miniature Jack Russell and a West Highland White Terrier - and I am worried because they fight a lot. They sleep together with no hassle at all but during the day they just want to chase each other and bite. I don't know if that's just normal puppy behaviour or a real problem. The Westie is very aggressive and hyper most of the day. The JR is quiet and likes to snuggle to everyone in the room. But when the Westie starts playing, the JR knows how to bite and defend himself.

Do I have a problem here? This are my first pups and I am not sure about this kind of behaviour. They are 9 and 10 weeks old, respectively. Also, I would like to know when can I give them normal dry food without adding any milk or water to it. I think they are ready but wanted to know other people's opinions.

Help!

votejohn

if they're ten weeks thats fine to give them dry food.

It sounds like they're playing, at that age play is very important to learn dog to dog body language, but if the jack russell is indeed 'defending himself' you may need to start teaching the westie to play nicely by crating him whenever he gets over excited.


the biting eachother is actually a good sign, they are learning bite inhibition. for example if the westie bites to hard, the jrt will yelp and stop playing, so westie learns deep bite = no more playing.

Supervise them but try not to intervene too much as they will learn a lot from eachother.


Id love to see pics, they sound adorable!!!!

lrushe

andrewire wrote: »

Hello.

I have two puppies - a miniature Jack Russell and a West Highland White Terrier - and I am worried because they fight a lot. They sleep together with no hassle at all but during the day they just want to chase each other and bite. I don't know if that's just normal puppy behaviour or a real problem. The Westie is very aggressive and hyper most of the day. The JR is quiet and likes to snuggle to everyone in the room. But when the Westie starts playing, the JR knows how to bite and defend himself.

Do I have a problem here? This are my first pups and I am not sure about this kind of behaviour. They are 9 and 10 weeks old, respectively. Also, I would like to know when can I give them normal dry food without adding any milk or water to it. I think they are ready but wanted to know other people's opinions.

Help!

Pup play can seem serious as they bite and growl alot but if they have spent enough time with their mother and littermates (8 weeks at least) then they should have learnt how hard they can bite without hurting their playmate. Do you have crates for them? If you find the Westie is bullying the JR you can crate him as a 'time out' and bring him back out when he has calmed down or if the playing is getting to serious, you could crate them apart from one another for awhile.
You can start giving them dry puppy kibble now, puppy kibble is small enough for them and is made with pups in mind so they will be fine.

Paul91

I wouldn't worry too much, unless there is sign of one hurting the other seriously, I have six pups (German Shep/Newfoundland) of 6 1/2 weeks old and there bumping heads with my four year old box/lab (whos 35kg 70lbs) - no damage

Sigma Force

As said puppies play fight a lot, not sure if your two are fighting or play fighting it's easy enough to tell the difference but if you haven't had dogs or pups for a while it can be easily mistaken for fighting. Puppy socialisation classes would be a great idea for these two either way.

I'd avoid giving them milk it can give them the runs, no need to add water at that age either just make sure they have plenty of fresh water available.
If you are feeding a good quality puppy food there's no need to add anything extra to it it'll have everything a growing pup needs.

Once the pups have had all their vaccinations, if not already, taking them out for short regular walks a couple of times a day will get rid of excess energy.
Play is good though it can seem rough at times, there will be one pup a little more bossy than the other. The puppy classes would help with any issues that will come up over the next few months like teething, biting, toilet training etc. plus it's fun for owners too.

votejohn

on another note, with two pups of the same age, its important to spend one on one time with them, teaching them tricks or playing so they associate you as the pack leader and dont just play with eachother.

ghost_ie

I'd say they're only play-fighting. Two of my dogs are Jack Russells, one is 7 and the other is 2. When we got the younger one just over a year ago the elder one forgot her dignity and they both play-fought on my bed every afternoon. In fact, they still do it on occasion. I know it looks and sounds like they really are fighting but if you watch them you'll see that they never hurt each other. The fact that they sleep happily together would also suggest that they're just playing with each other during the day

lorebringer

votejohn wrote: »

on another note, with two pups of the same age, its important to spend one on one time with them, teaching them tricks or playing so they associate you as the pack leader and dont just play with eachother.

This is also a good way to help them be a bit more independent of each other, lets them know they don't have to rely on each other all the time.

You can start to feed them totally dry food now, they may not want to eat it initially so if you gradually reduce the amount of water you add until they get used to the crunchy texture so that when you stop adding it they don't have a dramatic change. A good quality food is important for dogs of all ages, if you find a food you like and want to change (maybe you have already found one you are happy with!) do this gradually too to prevent any dodgy bellies. Also, milk (except mothers milk) is a no no for pups, and dogs in general. They can't digest it well and it gives them an upset belly.

What you are describing really sounds like normal puppy playing. My adult dogs still look (and sound) like they are killing each other when they play. It's how puppies interact and play. It would be a good idea (once they are fully vaxed) to bring the two of them to a few puppy classes, socialising is very important when they are young and they can meet loads of pups, big and small, at these classes.

andrewire

Thank you all for your responses. I was worried because I never had puppies before and this two seemed very nasty when playing with each other but as you all said, they are just playing.

They are very funny together. Thanks again!

Will try to post a photo of them. How can I do that?

Paul91

when you hit "Post Reply" you will see a symbol like two mountains which you can use to insert a picture saved on your PC

andrewire

Here's a video of the pups:

Sorry for the quality.

lrushe

I lovvvvvvvvvvve Jack Russell pups, they are sooooo cute!!! Nice video!!