Question about two males from the same litter

Snowborder452

New member
Mar 1, 2014
1
0
Country
USA
Bulldog(s) Names
Carmello & Lebron
I am new to this site and am hopeful people will be able to help me. I have two male English bulldogs that at 10 months old now. We got them when they were 8 weeks and they have been best friends since the very beginning. We have had very little problems with them (every once in a while they sneak onto the couch and pee but that hasn't happened lately).
Anyhow, for about a week they have been fighting. Carmelo is always the one to start it, and it is usually after they eat. We didn't bother fixing them because they aren't around girl dogs, so now we are working on reinforcing the rules and considering fixing Carmelo or both Carmelo and Lebron. I was wondering if people think this will really help or if we should just keep up with the strict rules. We feed them in separate rooms and wait a few minutes before we let them be together, but Carmelo keeps starting a fight.
Thank you in advance for any help you may have.
 

aprilemari

Well-known member
Community Veteran
Sep 11, 2011
1,853
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Boston, MA
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Lola & Fox
sorry i have no experience with this, i just have one female. Brothers will be brothers…thats one way to look at it. I think (and others will disagree) that you should neuter unless you have a dog that has perfect genes for breeding. This may help with the aggression. If you neuter one, I'd neuter both. And make sure that they are both at the bottom of your pack, and you're the leader. Start making them sit or paw before getting fed. Try to identify the trigger for their fights and authoritatively stop them at that instant, make them sit and stay. Its important to have control mentally over the two dogs when they are in the same room. soo. others may chime in sorry I don't have more advice.
 

ddnene

EBN's SWEETHEART aka our little GOOB
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Jun 19, 2013
14,554
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Nashville, Tennessee
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Willow (2015) Walter (2014-22) Winston (2012-13) Wellie (2012-13) Bella (2007-13)
I have NO experience w/this, but I will tag some members that do… Good luck!!!
 

Manydogs

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May 2, 2013
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This is just a guess on my part-but I am thinking that it is natural for full males to assert their dominance when they are maturing. I know that is true with all other animals I have raised. When mature it is very unusual to have two uncastrated males together, who will not fight for the "top" spot. I am guessing it is the same for dogs. It is just nature. I have only had two male DOGS, but they were castrated.
 

cali baker

Worlds Greatest Chef
Feb 25, 2011
8,925
851
The Crown City (Pasadena)
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United States
Bulldog(s) Names
Tate Rory & Finn Paddington
I have two male dogs also who are half brothers. Tate is 6wks older than Finn and I agree with Lynn about the one wanting to show dominance over the other now that they're going thru their "puberty". I would suggest looking at the cues that are triggering the fights; you mentioned it happens mostly after they eat. This happens often with my two also and so I'll make sure they are eating far apart from each other. I have one eating in the kitchen while the other eats in the laundry room. Then after they're done I watch to make sure one doesn't wander over to the other's bowl b/c I know this will start a fight. Preventing these fights from occurring is a lot better for my stress levels (and I think theirs), than trying to break up the fight once it gets started. My two are neutered and I'm not really sure if it helped with the aggression but i personally believe it's important to do so for health reasons and b/c i never intended to breed them with another bully.
 

bullmama

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The Home of the Desert Sky Pack
At this age it's very common, enter in hormones and their attitudes can easily change. Hand feeding and doing plenty of "work" (tricks and commands) for food can help them become better listeners and not fight for food.




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Pati Robins

I'm Polish what did you expect! A lady like person
Community Veteran
Jun 12, 2013
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Cardiff UK
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UK-Cardiff
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Lily (British Bulldog) & Shy (American Bulldog X)
You received fantastic advice -I also suggest neutering them both to try and calm dominant behaviour
I would start by walking them together, this way its neutral territory and lessons the chance of fighting.I would separate their beds(or crates) into different areas of the house so when one of them have enough he can be undisturbed and unthreatened by the other dog.Loads of excessive can help-tired dog us a happy dog Treat for good behaviour, any aggressive behaviour, separate and walk in different ways from the other person with the other dog.I would then start by getting a dog gate so they can see/smell each other first in the house and just get used to being around each other again. Look for any signs of tension -mostly near food,toys or while playing -looking at dog body language and the triggers also helpsThen i would let them in the house together supervised, again treating for good behaviour, any aggression or bad behaviour then remove the dog who started it out the room for few minutes then let back in and ignore both of the dogs.
 

Davidh

Head Pooper Scooper
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Mar 21, 2011
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Katy, Texas
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BeBe, Hazel, Lucy Lu, JLO, Hillary, Henri, & Katie
You have some great advice above. One thing to remember and you may be doing this already, but make sure they are crated when you leave the house so they will not get into a fight when you are not there to break it up.
 

agingermom

ink-a-licious redhead bully mama
Aug 31, 2011
4,243
439
Washington State
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Bulldog(s) Names
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Miss Bertha Bacon and Petey Herman (Frenchie)
Neuter them! My dear sweet Arnold is still intact and drives me to drink some days. He is increased aggressive and territorial
 

Scueva

New member
Sep 27, 2012
738
22
Chicago, IL
Bulldog(s) Names
Duchess
Neuter them! My dear sweet Arnold is still intact and drives me to drink some days. He is increased aggressive and territorial


Neutering NOT necessarily going to calm them down or make them stop scrapping this is a proven fact. Any good vet will tell you that neutering won't necessarily stop unwanted behavior.
 

brutus77

Skinny-Dippin' Smokin' Tidy Bowl Bionic Woman
Jul 18, 2013
6,940
593
Long Island NY
Country
USA
Bulldog(s) Names
Brutus, Frankie, and Jack
I am new to this site and am hopeful people will be able to help me. I have two male English bulldogs that at 10 months old now. We got them when they were 8 weeks and they have been best friends since the very beginning. We have had very little problems with them (every once in a while they sneak onto the couch and pee but that hasn't happened lately).
Anyhow, for about a week they have been fighting. Carmelo is always the one to start it, and it is usually after they eat. We didn't bother fixing them because they aren't around girl dogs, so now we are working on reinforcing the rules and considering fixing Carmelo or both Carmelo and Lebron. I was wondering if people think this will really help or if we should just keep up with the strict rules. We feed them in separate rooms and wait a few minutes before we let them be together, but Carmelo keeps starting a fight.
Thank you in advance for any help you may have.

If you think it is food aggression, you have to pick up the food bowls because they can guard up to 15 minutes after they are done eating. I go through this with my Brutus. He will go after my black lab if she even tries to go near him if there is any food involved. He won't act like this to my other bulldog but only the lab. It does not happen if his bowl is picked up.
 

agingermom

ink-a-licious redhead bully mama
Aug 31, 2011
4,243
439
Washington State
Country
USA
Bulldog(s) Names
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Miss Bertha Bacon and Petey Herman (Frenchie)
Neutering NOT necessarily going to calm them down or make them stop scrapping this is a proven fact. Any good vet will tell you that neutering won't necessarily stop unwanted behavior.

I would agree especially if dog is mature. However, I would tell you that as Arnold matured natural instincts have kicked in, such as marking, territorial etc that can be minimzed with neutering prior to maturity. Unless the plan is to breed, why would you not neuter? Which is why my answer was to neuter. And of course there are more aggressive or territorial dogs by nature/personality, for example dog or toy aggressive, just ask [MENTION=2014]JeannieCO[/MENTION] with Jack and Wilson, that training can minimize but usually controlling the environment is only effective method. All I can say is that at 10months I could take Arnold to the dog park with no concerns , whereas at 1.5 years with no other changes but maturity, the dog park was a nightmare
 

agentbunny

New member
Nov 2, 2013
353
24
San Francisco, CA
Country
USA
Bulldog(s) Names
Leo & Lola
I have a 9 month old female and an 8 month old male. They are spayed and neutered. They fight like crazy over those big natural bones we buy them to chew. They are ok with sharing food and toys, but when it comes to those bones, it gets frightening bad and we have to break it up as they have hurt each other. The rest of the time they are like two peas in a pod.

They each had their own bone but wanted the other ones anyway. Thats how it always started. We no longer give them the bones. To answer your original question: No, I do not believe that getting them neutered will solve this problem as one of your dogs has a food aggression issue that needs to be dealt with. That kind of aggression might transfer to humans if not quickly addressed.

Neutering them now will however solve a whole bunch of other problems that will soon arise that you have not even started to deal with yet. So yes, absolutely neuter them for their safety. If nothing else, it will prevent testicular cancer.
 

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