2 Jack russell pups brother and sister

Question
I've had the two Jack Russell pups for about two weeks now. They fight on and off daily. But two times now they have really attacked one another. The female seems to really sink her teeth into the male. The second time the attack happened was today. And the female drew blood by his arm and chest area. The other time there was also some blood. Near his eye and ear. The female had a little bit of blood on arm. She seems to be the aggressor. I would like to know if this could be  bad temperament? We did see the mother when we purchased them. But the owner held her. We didn't pet her. I need to do something soon. Because I can't keep the other one if this is how it's going to be. Thanks

Kim

Answer
Hi Kim,

In every "pack" there is a dominant dog and the rest are submissive. It sounds like your female is absolutely the dominant one in the family. She needs some serious training right away - (before she decides that she is the boss of YOU too).  You need to take over the role of the dominant "dog" in your pack. You are the leader. This is going to sound a little strange but you have to "act" like a mother dog who is teaching her pups to behave. No words are used. This method is tried and true by Cesar Milan, The Dog Whisperer.
The very second ANY aggression appears, YOU need to give an immediate correction by "soft biting" the aggressive pup with your hand on the back of the pups neck. Just give a firm squeeze and nudge her out of the way, while at the same time making a "noise" command like a "PSSSST!!!".
If you yell or lock her in a crate, or take away a toy, it only confuses the puppy - immediate and firm canine correction works well! Eventually after doing this, you will find that you only need to make the "PSSST" noise and she will back off.  A little wrestling and sibling play-fighting is OK, but never to the point of blood. Keep a watchful eye on them and intervene when it seems to be getting too rough.  It sounds almost too simple of a thing to do, but if you are absolutely consistent and stay calm and assertive, you will send the message that you're the boss and will have no part of the fighting.  Try to catch an episode of The Dog Whisperer on Friday nights on the National Geographic Channel if you can, you can see this method in practice, and you will be amazed by it's efficiency.  Good luck!!!
P.S. It wasn't right for the breeder to hold onto the mother dog while you were there. You should have had a chance to interact with her, play with her and get a good feel for her disposition. Jacks can be temperamental as we all know. Good luck with the puppies - they should be fine as soon as you gain control. I definitely suggest puppy kindergarten and obedience classes for ALL dogs.
Take care, hope this helps.
Carol