Jack russell terrior twins always fighting with each other

by Ryan Richards
(Oklahoma City, OK, USA)

We have two jack russell terriers the same age but from different litters. Both were acquired at the same time from the same breeder. Both male and approximately one and a half yrs old. Both have been neutered. They have been aggressive toward each other repeatedly and have even drawn blood from each other because of the fighting. Its kinda bizarre really. They cant stand to be separated from each other but when together, one is always picking on the other (growling, and poking at him with his snout - we call this the chicken dance ;) Sometimes the growling turns into full-on fighting.

any ideas of what is going on here and what we could do to reduce this? Obviously play for dominance and or jealousy of our attention could be at play.

Ryan

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Dec 30, 2011
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by: Barbara

It's hard to have two dogs of the same age and sex, many times it doesn't work. What raises a red flag for me is that your two have drawn blood.

If you can afford to hire a licensed and trained pet behaviorist I would go that route. Fights between dogs of the same sex can be pretty bad and can often escalate.

In the meantime you need to establish yourself as pack leader. Make sure you do everything separate for them. Have separate crates, feed them in separate rooms with the door closed. Before you feed them, make sure they work for it by following your command to sit and then to wait. Have separate toys for them and don't leave any lying around that could start any type of fight. Walk them separately for awhile and gradually mix in some walks together.

Also, you need to anticipate when the aggression is occurring so that you can pinpoint ways to keep them apart(even though they also don't like to be apart it seems like it is for the best right now). Beware of situations that cause excitment - like people coming into the house, feeding times, walking times, etc and plan accordingly because those are situations where dogs can get worked up easily and start aggressive behaviors. The dogs don't have to be best friends but do need to coexist peacefully....and make sure you are rewarding them with praise and treats for being good in each others presence.

Keep us posted!

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