Fights between siblings

by Carolyn
(Alton, Mo, USA)

I got a male & a female Great Pyrenees puppies 3 weeks ago. They were the last of the litter to go and they were alone together for 2 weeks. I got them when they were 8 weeks old. Everything was fine with them, they played at fighting and were affection with me. They went to the Vet yesterday to get wormed and more shots. When they got home, all seemed well, but when I went by them they started really fighting. Today was a repeat. I had 2 siblings before(both died) and we decided to get another. The other dogs were 4 months when we got them. Will these pups out grow this behavior or will I be forced to rehome one?

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Dec 20, 2017
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by: Donna

Perhaps they are vying for your attention. Make sure you pay equal attention to both. The higher ranked (very secure and confident dog) one first and the lesser ranked next (less secure and will fight out of fear).

Hold old are they now? It can be that siblings, as they mature, will not see eye-to-eye and you can't force them to get along.

See how things go. Keep them separate for a bit and then see how things go.

If things continue like this, the breeder contract will state that one of them must go back to the breeder for rehoming.
Dec 20, 2017
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by: Anonymous

It's almost impossible to predict how this situation will turn out. It appears that you did not acquire your pups from a registered breeder. Not all big whites are Pyrenees, and not all big whites that are not Pyrenees are suitable as pets. Do you know if your pups are a mix breed and if so, what breed the parents were?
If you cannot find a reason for their hostility towards each other (ie: competition for food, toys, territory) then they may not ever be compatible. As they grow, fighting will continue between them until one of them is taken away permanently or is killed by the other. Trying to be referee will get you hurt if you try to intervene when they are fighting.
If you are committed to keeping both, it will take all of your time to try to change this as they grow. This is a real challenge and I wish you the best of luck with it.
If they were mine I would rehome one of them now before they become permanently reactive and unsafe to be with.
Dec 21, 2017
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starstarstarstarstar 		They are calming down.
by: Anonymous

They are both pyrenees, I met the parents. They have calmed down some. I think it started with a by visit. They don't like there routine changed. I am working with them and I can calmed them down. They are not from a registered breeder, there parents are farm working dogs. The parents are not related. Thank you for your input. I believe it will work itself out.
Oct 25, 2022
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starstarstarstarstar 		Siblings
by: Donna

Make sure they are getting along. You don't want two stressed out dogs always having to watch where they step. High-ranked dogs are confident and don't need to do anything. Other dogs will respect them. They may try to take that dog on, but it's over quickly.

The medium-ranked dogs are more insecure and tend to bully. The dominance theory has been debunked. See this podcast on that.

The more space they have, the more likely things will be okay. They don't want to feel like they can't get away, and are confined with each other.

I hope it's working out. You want confidence and successful dogs. Always do-land.

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