Hello everyone, my first post here.

I wish we'd done our research; we didn't realize that 2 young dogs at once might not be such a good idea. Too late now; we are following the Leerburg puppy video (next one to be ordered today) and doing well.

We have 5 month old Buddy, a beautiful bull terrier mix. We added 11 week old Baby, a tiny but pretty GSD. They are kept separated portions of the day, and given individual time with us as well.

The question is this: When we do allow them to play (always supervised), they want to wrestle and play-fight as pups in a litter do. They really enjoy it, but sometimes get overexcited and it seems to go too far - one pup gives off the "Ok, I'm done now" signal, while the other just pushes harder.

Is it OK to let them play so rough? How far to let them go? Buddy is about 20 lbs, Baby about 8 or 9 (she was underfed by Breeder and had hookworm, working on this but she's strong and determined!), so of course we worry that he's going to over-power her. Other than that, what should we be allowing / disallowing? They like each other, and we want to avoid any potential problems down the road with 2 big dogs.

Thanks in advance!

Suzanne
Ed has some articles about this subject you should read them ! asap , click on the hyperlink that says articles on Leerburgs main page .
But in short , you should be the center of your dog(s) world . Your dog(s) have to and should look to you for everything including play . Each dog has its play time and that time is with you , not each other.
Sooner or later they will mature and their play might (will) turn into a pack ranking match and that could lead to some costly vet bills .
My personal opinion is that a bull terrier (apbt ?) is not a dog you want , use to playing with other dogs , mix or not .
May I suggest if you haven't already , that each dog have its own crate (kennel)
Oh and you might want to go through the old post , there are alot of members here and that equates to alot of questions asked already that have been answered <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Thanks for the reply Rob. Actually we are doing everything you mentioned already. Just looking for a litte more detail on what kind of play is appropriate between two puppies.

Thanks though!

I've had lots of dogs and I see no reason why these two can't get along. You have to be the pack leader though and set the tone for what behaviors are acceptable and what behaviors are not. If "you" think they are playing too rough, correct them or separate them for awhile until they settle down. Good luck.

Suzanne------- check your pm's

Suzzane I have a Rottie/Pit mix that I leave alone with my male GSD and a visiting Female GSD pup. All is Ok because there is a pack structure.

The GSD male is the alpha, and the Rottie is Alpha bitch. The two bichtes play right now, and the two worse dog mix outweighs the 5 month pup by about 50lbs but she just sees the puppy as a hassle and just a pup. No serious bitting just play.

As she gets older and revisits I know I may have to watch this because the puppy is strong willed and may challenge for Alpha Bitch and may even for pack Alpha.