Constant wrestling
Submitted by RAM on August 30, 2015 - 9:40amhi I have two 1 year old males , nine days apart in age. I am not sure what to do ... When I have to leave the dogs are contained in my kitchen, they hate the crates. The problem is that if they are not tired they wrestle, destroy their bedding and become overly excited! I come home to a mess and chaos and both are usually panting heavily, I could be gone 20 minutes one time or two hours the next, it does not matter. They have water and toys to keep them busy. It's getting to the point that I can't leave my house. I've tried separating them but that is worse! Any help would be appreciated.
What do they do it...
they are in separate rooms? You could try something like Bach's Rescue Remedy to calm them down before you leave. We once hired a trainer to help our lhasa with separation anxiety since we couldn't get him into a crate and he ate through a door jamb trying to follow us. That was successful but it took a LOT of time and effort.
When I contain them in the
When I contain them in the kitchen they usually lie down in their beds, there are toys and water with them. But, when I return, the bed might be chewed up, they might have drank all the water, they are panting and wrestling, sometimes so hard someone might actually have a bite or a few drops of blood on them. I have a camera to watch and to talk to them if necessary but they don't listen to the commands from the camera. I can not leave them free to roam the house because they can't be trusted alone. When or will this behavior pass? Are they just still too young and full of puppy energy?
It sounds like...
they need to be separated. You could try crate training, it will take a lot of patience and treats. You can start by crating them for short periods of time while you're home and then make it longer and longer until they are used to it. Don't let them out when they are barking or being crazy but wait until they are quiet, otherwise they will think being loud gets them out of the crate. How are they together when you are home with them?
Ok, so what this sounds like to me is not wrestling...
But one of the two males is exerting dominance over the other one or trying to be "top dog". I have never seen blood drawn while play wrestling. Ever. Are these boys both still intact? I would seriously neuter them BOTH if that is the case, otherwise you are asking for trouble from the sounds of it.
Generally, puppies learn from each other if they are not taught by a leader. Take the lead. Get them crated for short periods of time, as Kathy has suggested, and then go for longer periods of time until they can be crated for several hours with no issues. You can crate them in the same room, the kitchen in this case. Put a "bye-bye bone" in with each one. You can purchase them at Petsmart or similar. It is a pull-apart bone that you can put a treat into the center, then the dog has to get the treat out. It works well for training to crate. Be strong, do NOT let the crying or barking or whatever lead you to open their crate doors before YOU are ready for them to come out. Make them stay in until they are quiet, at least for a few minutes at a time until they get the hint that quiet is "out"!
Good luck!
Amy and Sophia
Kind of long and rambling
First, quite often owners get puppies close in age or litter mates so they can keep each other company. Wrong. We should only get dogs as companions for us. They learn to rely on each other too much for play, companionship, learning etc. I have had several dogs here, personally I never cared if they liked one another, they just had to learn to be tolerant and be respectful of each other. I had them as my companions, they came to me for playtime, comfort, information, training.
Puppies do much better when the grow up confident and able to function without a sidekick. I would start by taking them for walks/car rides/play/training sessions etc., separately. Feed them in separate crates. Crate them for short periods of time. Let them out only if they are not fussing. It allows them to develop independent personalities. I am not saying that they should not interact/play together, you just want them to rely on you as their primary source for all things.
Good luck
Lynn King CPDT-KA