Brother and sister "playing"

[drkenk22]

I have a new brother and sister at 9 weeks. I brought them home at 8 and while the "playing" at first seemed playful now they mostly play with each other often, to me, quite agressively. I don't want agressive adults, how far should I let there playing go?
Thanks. I have always gotten good info here!

 

[lambeau'smom]

Right now we only have 1 boxer, but anytime we go to the dog park, doggie school, play dates, etc with another boxer, they always play so aggressively together. I think that is just the boxer style of play. And if either are vocal, it can also just sound really bad too. I always feel bad for the non-boxer dogs because Lambeau is so aggressive with his play. Never mean--just in your face, on your head kind of play. I think they are probably fine...but I'm sure someone who has raised 2 puppies can give better advice about them growing up to be aggressive....

 

[deesboxers]

my thoughts are as long as they will stop when you call them and come to you that the playing is fine. My two will play ruff together and get very vocal. They do stop when I call them and will settle down quickly. My biggest fear is one may hurt the other in some way more so than aggression.

 

[Poohsmom]

I have a brother and sister duo,they are 26 mos. Boxers do seem to play with each other differently,at least from what I've seen and read. My two play rough with each other,boxing,growling-you'd think they were in a WWF match But they aren't aggressive in any way,never have been.
I'm definitely not an expert but at 9 weeks they are babies and still learning what things are. Life is one glorious party If you think it may be getting a little too rough,if you have separate crates,put them in for a few minutes,like a timeout. The best advice would be to check out the "rearing puppies"forum.There is a lot of great info there.
Good luck with the babies,I remember well the fun we had watching them play

Sue and the kids,
Pooh,Bownser,Dozer & Cissy

 

[lisabethshaw]

Siblings

drkenk- How are they with you? We have a one year old (Shiva) and 4 month old (Kali) - technically brother and sister, though I don't think they know that! - and their play is noisy and appears rough. Shiva was a wild little puppy and had to be taught not to use us for teething. Kali never nips at us. We were thinking it might be because she gets her playing needs fulfilled with Shiva.

Are yours gentle with you or are they constantly squirming and nipping?

 

[Lisa_p]

Sugar & Ray are two weeks apart in age and we got them when they were both pups. It has been great, they have always done absolutely everything together. They have always played quite roughly, but nothing agressive at all. Even now at nearly 9 years they still enjoy a good rough and tumble. They have always stopped immediately if we have intervined. We have had the odd snap over food or a toy, but that was purely a dominance thing, which they quickly sorted out between themselves.

Lisa
Sugar & Ray

 

[sandy's mom]

My two are not brother and sister but when they play you would think they were trying to kill each other. All I have to do is say settle down and their little nubbies start wagging and that is it. Five minutes later, they are back at it again. This goes on all day. They are either sleeping, eating or playing.

To me this is the sound of happiness. They are doing what comes natural.
Of course, it is hard to talk or watch tv or anything else over the growling and snarling but I love it!

Debbie

 

[lisabethshaw]

To me this is the sound of happiness...
Of course, it is hard to talk or watch tv or anything else over the growling and snarling but I love it!

Too true!

The only show I consistently watch these days is LOST and I try to get them settled down by 8 on Wednesdays - No luck last night! Always during the good scenes, too!

 

[kassa]

Definitely normal behavior (especially if they voluntarily take breaks and wander off to get some water or find a new toy to fight over).

As they mature, they'll be less physical and MUCH less vocal about it. They'll eventually probably spend more time doing "the mouth game" (where they kind of wrestle with their open mouths without touching?) while whining more than they'll snarl and pounce and growl. Think of it as young kids running around screaming on the playground versus older kids playing organized games or just spending time side by side.

As far as tv watching goes, I highly recommend tivo -- you can pause live tv until they take it down to a dull roar, and I can't say enough how much more pleasurable this round of puppy raising has been over the last time. No more frustration or blasting the sound at a zillion decibels so that I don't miss anything. Makes housebreaking easier, too, because I don't feel tempted to wait for a commercial break, or frustrated when I can't. I also can save the shows (like LOST) that require attention for times when all is quiet on the western front

 

[Alidog]

My mother has always told me that a male and female of the same size & especially the same breed will never purposefully hurt or kill the other. She bred dogs for approx 12years, fostered dogs and even dealt with behaviour issues so i am very certain of her advice. It is generally females on females that are difficult as they tend to be a lot more aggressive & hold grudges compared to males. I would say that your brother and sister are fine, just healthy little babies!