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  1. #1
    Senior Dog Labradorks's Avatar
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    Sibling rivalry?

    This is my first time having two younger dogs at the same time. Sam is 4 and Linus is about 18 months. Sam was neutered at the age of two and Linus is intact. I have noticed that over the past few months, Sam will sometimes get really riled up and grab Linus' neck skin (there's lots of it) and really pull him around. Very rarely does Linus cry and when he does, Sam lets go (and looks at me like, "uh oh ... I didn't do it!").

    There's also some body slamming, rolling, etc. which tends to be pretty rough. Not aggressive but too much, if that makes sense. Things get loud with Sam and he sounds like an angry bear. When he was younger he acted a little bit like this, not as much, toward my friend's dog who he started playing with as a puppy. As he got older, he got rough and occassionally bullied until she "told him off" and that was that.

    Linus does not tell Sam off and he does go back for more, though when Sam is really going after him Linus will sometimes submit or run behind mom. His neck is covered in little scabs and he developed a hot spot over the summer from Sam. They are both nearly 100 lbs so at least they are equally matched, but Sam does tackle Linus often and I worry. I do think it bothers me more than it bothers Linus.

    When it started I would tell Sam to be gentle and now he doesn't really listen when he gets in this zone, so I will leash him up (it always happens off leash, like on a hike or when they are swimming or at the beach and sometimes in the yard) and put him in a time out. It doesn't seem to have made much of a difference unless I am right there.

    Thoughts?

  2. #2
    Real Retriever fidgetyknees's Avatar
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    I will be interested what others think but it sounds like they are playing and Sam gets a little too riled up. I would say if he is getting too rough, stop the game and get Sam to calm down.

    My almost 10 year old will pull my 3 year old down. And the games get really wild in my house but I am dealing with much smaller females so I cannot imagine almost 100lbs dogs playing like that in the house ..... yikes.

  3. #3
    Senior Dog kelsyg's Avatar
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    Sounds like Sam is correcting Linus and a whole lot of playing by young dogs. My 4 year old girls still play bitey face and when it gets loud or rambuncious, I open the sliding door and command them to "take it outside"! They tumble out the door and after a lap or two around the very small backyard are back, minus the excess energy. They can also bitey face while laying down, they must be having fun because neither tries to get away from the other one. I occasionally will find a little scab, but it doesn't seem to bother them. They are doing it less as they get older.
    They also correct each other, when one isn't cooperating with whatever they are both being asked to do, the other will give a sharp bark, nudge or nip at the offender.
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  4. #4
    House Broken
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    I don't think it's sibling rivalry but two buddies playing rough. Our 5 yr. old Lab gets roughed up by our 2 yr. old Newf daily. She pulls at his jowls, neck folds and even his collar. She has done it since we brought her home @ 10 weeks. We waited for our Lab to correct her or stop her. He wouldn't / didn't. We have to continually separate them. They are similar in size/weight but the Newf is much stronger. They also do the lay on the ground bitey face. The 2 yr. old Newf just wants to play more than the older 5 yr old Lab does.

  5. #5
    Best Friend Retriever emma_Dad's Avatar
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    I think it also just brotherly rough housing. There both young, and if he's going back for more, they are having fun.

  6. #6
    Senior Dog Maxx&Emma's Avatar
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    My 9 y/o girl plays rough like this with my much larger 3 y/o boy. Once in a while he will get a bit rough but for the most part he gets his butt kicked daily, I think he likes it, lol! I enjoy the gentler, on the floor bitey face. It is much more vocal and the noises crack me up.
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  7. #7
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    Bruce and Sophie will go at pretty hard, with Bruce being the instigator. Sophie will kick his butt pretty good right now, she is way faster that he is, and she will roll him with very little effort. Of course he jumps right up and the game continues. I do step in when I think she's being a bit to rough. A sharp command of "enough" generally stops things, which I've really been working on. He's a bit taller than she is right now, and they are about the same weight. Should be interesting as he matures. I don't allow any bitey face in the house. They are just to big to be wrestling in the house.

  8. #8
    Senior Dog Labradorks's Avatar
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    It's definitely not corrections at play since Linus can be 10 feet away minding his own business when Sam decides to go at him. But I am glad to hear that it's pretty normal. I am thinking that maybe, at some point when Linus is a big kid, he'll not put up with it and that will be that. They generally play nice indoors and we definitely have some bitey face, though occassionally they try to go all out, which usually results in a timeout so they don't destroy everything in their wake.

 



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