Raising two puppies one of which is deaf

Question
Jill,
My husband and I have two Frenchton (French Bulldog/Boston Terrier)
puppies, both girls, ten weeks old, not littermates. We did not intend to
purchase two puppies at once--nor did we know anything about deaf dogs
(one of the pups (Fanny) is deaf and was revealed to be as such by the
breeder)--but we fell in love with both Fanny and Zoe and now here we are.

Immediately upon arriving home I began to research about training deaf
dogs. Although the pups have been here only two weeks, we are making
some progress with hand signals ("good dog" and "come" are working so far)
and feel we have an understanding of the challenges posed by canine
deafness. We remain committed to the extra attention Fanny will require and
optimistic about her potential to become a great well-trained dog.

At this point, two weeks in to our puppies' new lives with us, I am much more
concerned about the challenges of raising two dogs at once. I feel foolish for
not looking in to this sooner, and I'm so discouraged by the negative
information out there about raising littermates. Although these dogs are not
siblings, they are the exact same age and breed, so I regard them as
littermates. They are already showing signs of aggression toward one
another. They fight and jealously guard their toys. Zoe, who has full hearing
and is only half the size of Fanny, seems to be the dominant dog, but Fanny
is pretty rough on her. We've been socializing them with children, other
people, and other animals. So far Zoe is very friendly and outgoing with other
dogs, while Fanny is more cautious but not aggressive. We have been
spending a huge amount of time with these pups since we brought them
home (almost all day, every day), and they both appear to be bonding with us.

We have been crate training the pups in the same crate for the past two
weeks. Yesterday we began separating them in their own crates, and the
results are not so good. They both cry and bark and take a long time to settle
down (if they settle down at all). I've read that in order to establish separate
identities, we must do everything with the dogs separately. Our schedules will
allow one dog to go to work every day with my husband and the other to stay
home with me. With effort, the dogs will have plenty of time apart.

I have read that re-homing one of the pups is the best option, but we are not
ready to seriously consider that yet. We hope that since the pups are so
young we have a chance at making this work.

My questions are these: What advice do you have for reducing separation
anxiety in young pups? Is it true that these dogs will never be allowed to play
together for more than a short time?  I've read that two female dogs can be
most vicious together. Do you have any advice about that? And, finally, how
does Fanny's deafness affect the potential for littermate syndrome?

Thank you in advance for your reply. I'm sure it seems like we've gotten
ourselves in over our heads, but if there is any way we can create a happy life
for these dogs in our home, we want to give it our best shot.

Answer
These dogs ARE NOT littermates, so don't treat them as such merely because they are the same age!  I have no idea where you acquired both these puppies from (breeders, pet store, etc.) or how you came to be in possession of two puppies of the same sex and the same age.  Fanny appears to be the product of very bad breeding (too large a size and deaf) but Zoe might also be the product of very bad breeding: I can't see that from here.  It is absolutely possible to have two bitches (female dogs) of the same age and raise them without aggression problems between them.  These two appear to be working things out between them vis a vis toys and other trophy objects (treats, YOU, etc.) and that's fairly normal for puppies.  I can't see that from here, either.  Separating them into different crates is an absolute must, regardless their very first response to it; however, at ten weeks of age, this might not be the best time to do it.  Eight to ten weeks (give or take a few, depending on the dog) is a FEAR PHASE that all dogs go through; this is the time when a puppy will leave the den on its own, and this fear phase is crucial to help the puppy to develop a finer sense of potential danger.  So long as these two do not demonstrate any aggression toward one another in the crate, I suggest you allow them to remain together for about two to three weeks, after which time you CAN and SHOULD separate them (put the crates right next to one another).

A deaf from birth dog does NOT KNOW it has a disability; the one single trap an owner can fall into is defining lower threshold of behavior and making excuses for the dog because of its "disability".  The dog does NOT KNOW it is "disabled".  You must treat them both equally.  You must also learn a great deal about dog body language, multiple dog households, positive reinforcement training (you're doing wonderfully with hand signals), etc.  I strongly suggest you find a certified applied animal behaviorist (NOT a dog trainer! Remember, multiple letters after a trainer's name just means they pay dues to the organization that issues those letters.) Contact the veterinary college in your geographical area and get referral to a professional.  Meanwhile, attempt to find a puppy kindergarten with a highly experienced positive reinforcement trainer and be absolutely CERTAIN this person understands the situation you have and that one of your dogs is DEAF and relies HEAVILY on its other resident senses (sight, sound AND TOUCH.)

It is absolutely UNTRUE that dogs of the same age/sex cannot play together or be together for long periods of time.  By bonding with each puppy separately, training each puppy separately, socializing EACH PUPPY SEPARATELY to external stimuli, you are doing the right job.  STOP READING and start DOING.  Find a professional who can educate and assist you.