Chow siblings fighting

[Nixi]

Hi
I hope some one can give me advice because i do not know what to do with my chow. In our family we have had chows our whole lifes. But this time i baught my 1st chow for myself. So i know there tempremant and personalities, ect... I baught to chow chow sisters from the same breeder both on 6 weeks. Yes i know that was too soon, only now. Realised i should have only taken them at 8 weeks.!! But my question is, on 8 weeks age i took them to my sister's place to meat there other extended family that would be reunited very soon. My older chow are on her land, sharing the land with her sister sibling and there is no problems. Me and my sister groomed both the older chows and bathed them that day. Everything was fine, and i suggested that we bath the 2 little ones as well. Now the red chow Bella, was calm, no problems during the bath, but her sister Savana, was from 1st moment scared and not standing still, jumping up the whole time. We finished as quickly as possible with her. Meanwhile Bella is outside doing her thing. My sister and I towel dried the 2 pups. We all got up and walked back to clean the bath and pack everything up. The next moment i see Bella going to her sister (wanting to play i think) and then the sounds came that said they wer not palying anymore. We pulled them off each other. That day we tried 5 times more and every time they faught and we pulled them off.
The next day i took them back to there 1st home with me, to try and see if they get there smell back, that they would be fine, but know it happend agian....
So i split them up, Bella with me and Savana with my sister.
Meanwhile am i training her and showing my dominance, so that she does take changes with me. And this is working. With Savana i do not see that, but there is disipline that is taught to her.
They have been split for 2 weeks now. And i need to get them to like each other agian because i am moving to my sister's place in a short while.
Any suggestions. Please help. I do not know if it was dominance fighting or if it was the missing sent that caused this..?
I want to try and put them back again but i am scared and do not want to give Bella away...?
Help.

[Fozzbear]

Are you sure that they werent just playing? 8 weeks is very very young and I would imagine that it was puppy play - when my two play there is a lot of noise and it might seem to others that they are fighting but they are not.

[Victory]

Chows play rough, it is one of the breed's traits. They also will sound like they are trying to kill each other, growling, snarling, along with huffing and puffing. From 6 to 8 weeks is when they should have been learning how far they can go with rough housing. If they haven't learned it now, it's not too late, but keeping them seperate is not the way to do it. They are too little to really hurt each other right now, but in a couple of months they will be able to. let them play, if one puppy yips, play should stop, if it doesn't take the puppy who got to rough and put her in a time out, 10 at least, the other puppy should ignore the one that was too rough, you should as well. Being ignored for being too rough is the natural, it is what would have happened with mom and the other sibs as well.

use of this technique will set a firm ground for future training. Timeouts and NILF, (nothing in life is free) are really the only things you need with chows along with confidence.

[sue]

At this young age they are deciding which one of them is going to be the dominant female.Put them together & let them get on with it watch over them one will back down & move away walk up to dominant one & give praise.Let the weaker sister see you do this that will then reinforce to her who is the boss between the pair of them.Over the next few months the weaker sister will challenge now & again.I would suggest you book a course of dog training classes & take one sister alternate weeks this will give you time to spend with each one & let them know you are in charge in a full training enviroment.Practice the command of down the most then in the future if they start picking at each other you give the command down & both should drop this will put a stop to any potential fight.I hope all goes well for you

[applebear]

The top is great advice, just thought I'd suggest looking up litter mate syndrome as well.