Please help me with my bully puppy problem

please help me

i have two 15 week old cavalier king charles spaniels both female

and one has started bullying the other constantly i firstly put it down to rough play but its happening al the time and its getting worse

the one thats getting bullied tries to hide but the bully finds her and well i call it attacks her

my partner now says we might have to get rid of the bully as its not fair

when ever we put them in their kennel all i ever hear is crying and whimpering as the bully attacks her

please tell me what i can do if anything as i love them both dearly and would hate to have to get rid of one of them please please help me im lost with this one :help: :( :cry:

Chastisement rarely works (properly) with dogs so I wouldn't go there despite the temptation, and one is always going to be dominant but obviously you don#t want them fighting.

First off have you tried some distraction techniques like a water pistol when she gets nasty with the other pup?

Chastisement rarely works (properly) with dogs so I wouldn't go there despite the temptation, and one is always going to be dominant but obviously you don#t want them fighting.

 

First off have you tried some distraction techniques like a water pistol when she gets nasty with the other pup?

i dont hit them no

i will try the water pistol technique

thanks tony

The puppies are working out a pecking order as dogs are pack animals and are never equaly ranking, if you try to make them equal they will fight, the dominant dog is the one bullying the other.

It might be a good thing to now be more assertive with both of the puppies make sure that they know you and your OH are the ones top ranking and that you do not allow fights, step up training for both puppies and keep them busy.

I am really sorry to say it is hard to stop the fights and when bitches fight it can be serious and they can be very unforgiving of each other, if the training does not help you may need more profesional advice .

Good luck i hope it all calms down and works out with the puppies:)

First of all, I agree with everything Moonbird says, when bitches fall out it's very often beyond reconciliation.

However, your pups are only 15 weeks old and like Moonbird said they have to work out the pecking order. Believe it or not, the best thing you can do is treat the dominant one as the dominant one. Make sure that although you are top ranking, you also assert the dominant puppy's dominance over the submissive one. The fact that the other pup is being submissive is a great help because it should reduce the risk of fights. However you will have to get some positive experiences with other dogs going for your submissive pup.

Feed the dominant puppy first and treat her as though you agree she is the dominant one. If you try to assert your submissive puppy she will start thinking she can fight for dominance and it will result in arguments.

Also, our dogs playfight and one cries all the way through it whilst the other growls deeply. It may just be a case of you not recognising it, or it may not be the case at all but submissive dogs will whine and cry during play whilst the dominant dog will make deep growling noises so it may be that your pup is a lot happier than you think to be submissive.

Make sure you separate them when it gets too much for your submissive pup so that she knows that she can have a break away from her sister when she needs to.

Don't tell your dominant puppy off when she 'attacks' the submissive one because this will lead to more problems as well as your submissive puppy trying to become dominant thus causing fights.

Sorry this is a bit mumbled I'm so tired!

Our girls all did this too, it is natural & should work itself out, i was at my wits end with it, however spaniels are notorious for not getting on if they are from the same litter !

Have you spoken to a behaviourist ?

First of all, I agree with everything Moonbird says, when bitches fall out it's very often beyond reconciliation.

 

However, your pups are only 15 weeks old and like Moonbird said they have to work out the pecking order. Believe it or not, the best thing you can do is treat the dominant one as the dominant one. Make sure that although you are top ranking, you also assert the dominant puppy's dominance over the submissive one. The fact that the other pup is being submissive is a great help because it should reduce the risk of fights. However you will have to get some positive experiences with other dogs going for your submissive pup.

 

Feed the dominant puppy first and treat her as though you agree she is the dominant one. If you try to assert your submissive puppy she will start thinking she can fight for dominance and it will result in arguments.

 

Also, our dogs playfight and one cries all the way through it whilst the other growls deeply. It may just be a case of you not recognising it, or it may not be the case at all but submissive dogs will whine and cry during play whilst the dominant dog will make deep growling noises so it may be that your pup is a lot happier than you think to be submissive.

 

Make sure you separate them when it gets too much for your submissive pup so that she knows that she can have a break away from her sister when she needs to.

 

Don't tell your dominant puppy off when she 'attacks' the submissive one because this will lead to more problems as well as your submissive puppy trying to become dominant thus causing fights.

 

Sorry this is a bit mumbled I'm so tired!

that makes perfect sense actually and thankyou

BUT

will she stop being so nasty i mean sometimes it gets very aggresive and yes i understand that sometimes they playb rough but sometimes it gets really serious and it worries me tbh ?

that makes perfect sense actually and thankyou

 

BUT

 

will she stop being so nasty i mean sometimes it gets very aggresive and yes i understand that sometimes they playb rough but sometimes it gets really serious and it worries me tbh ?

How does the bullied one act ? Does she ever lay on her back and expose her tummy to the bully ?

Does the bully ever 'grab' her neck from above ?

Ok if she is laying on her back and exposing her tummy then dont worry.

That is the most submissive position any dog can ever be in. If the Bully wanted to hurt her, she's got her right where she wants her.

When we brought a new puppy into the house we had HUGE problems - SHE was the bully.

Give it time they should sort themselves out, if not you should speak to a behavoiurist

Katy, like Lindsey said (I think!) if she is exposing her tummy then fights shouldn't ensue and if the bully wanted to be aggressive she could easily be.

Sometimes Eddy gets fed up of Takara (particularly when she sits on him and hurts him) and his face contorts to nastiness and he looks very scary but they sort themselves out.

Takara backs off and Eddy calms down, as long as the submissive pup is taking the hint and backing off when dominant puppy says so then you shouldn't have too much of a problem.

You will probably find that in time they will become best of friends but if they don't they will tolerate each other.

Takara gets possessive over toys and food and she has snapped at one of her friends in the park, at Ed when he goes for his own food and during her phantom she wouldn't let him on his bed but as long as they can either sort themselves out of you can act as referee when things get a bit strained (like we move their food if Takara's in a funny mood) then it shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Also, if one pup is bullying the other one, make sure you feed them in different rooms - this will reduce the risk of a fight and make sure that submissive puppy gets enough to eat! You may find that submissive puppy leaves some food every time she eats. This is to show dominant puppy that she recognises her as dominant.

Good luck!