[Mdawn]

As some know, I recently got an English Mastiff puppy. I already have 2 other dogs. Dan isn't really an issue because he's really old and we try to keep him away from the other animals. They tend to get on his nerves and we are trying to keep him as comfortable as possible during however much longer that he will be with us.
Anyway, my Lab Eddie, whose is about 8 months and Uallis, whose 14 wks, love to play together. They roughhouse and chase each other, etc. However, there are times when both get really angry with each other for some reason. They get into staring contests then run at each other full speed (Eddie is much faster than Uallis) and start fighting. It isn't playing either, I know the difference. They are seriously trying to get at each other to cause damage. Eddie has had patches of hair ripped out by Uallis and has cuts on both sides of his face where Uallis has grabbed his skin. I think that both are trying to assert their dominance over the other. What I've been doing so far is letting them go at it to some extent and breaking it up when they get too rough because I think that they will sort it out between themselves. So, my question is am I going about this right? And if I am, how long can I expect this to continue? I'm worried because Uallis is going to be SO much bigger than Eddie eventually and I worry for Eddie's safety when that time comes. Also, is 14 wks a little young for Uallis to try to assert his dominance?

[Lightwingcreations]

I don't have an answer for you, and can't wait to see what others do say.

[sillylilykitty]

I dont have an answer for you either, but I too wanna know what other people have to say...

[opokki]

They get into staring contests then run at each other full speed (Eddie is much faster than Uallis) and start fighting.

I would interrupt them as soon as you notice the staring match, before they get physical. Interrupt them and get them involved in something else....maybe even just a short session of basic obedience.

If this tends to happen during play sessions then I would get into the habit of making them take frequent short breaks during play so that neither of them have a chance to get so aroused that a fight ensues.

[Debbie1224]

Ahh, an issue I am learning quickly on. I brought home a male pit/rottie/lab mix who was 10 weeks old. The other two we have are 5 & 6 years old. The 5 year old acts like the mama to the puppy, the 6 year old thinks it's a playmate. There are dominance issues as well as jealousy issues. They play but they also fight. I supervise them at all times (ok, not all-because the first 4 weeks I did, but the last few weeks they are getting better). Stewart (the new addition) is really thinking he is going to come into the "pack" and rule. Missy (the mama type) puts him in line, knocks him over and holds him down when he is getting out of hand. He in return attempts to hump her anytime he can-we stop that and correct him. Missy is humping back-we also stop that and correct it. Princess gets really jealous and will just go runnig over to Stewart and nip at him-I correct at all times-unless they are just playing-you really can tell. When Stewart starts getting tired-he is like a toddler, cranky, this is when I give him him some alone down time in his kennel away from the girls. I don't let it get out of hand because when the baby grows up and he is bigger than them both-I don't want there to be issues. I try to distract them when they get that starring thing going, because that always leads to trouble. I also correct when Stewart just goes lunging at them. I know he will end up being the dominant one but I am trying to curb that and make him a little more submissive, mostly because I confess, I am worried about the pit part of him. He is really obnoxious at times and the girls had a wonderful life before him. They are well behaved with each other-seem to trade roles as the leader in some areas, but all in all, they were really content with each other and I don't want Stewart to upset the balance. Besides the fact that at 10 weeks he was 13 pounds and 3 weeks later he was 20 lbs and he looks like he is even bigger now. He is almost as tall as Princess the 6 year old who weighs 48 lbs. I do believe he is going to get quite large, and I don't want him to hurt either one of them, although Missy is 68 lbs and can probably hold her own, Princess is the most submissive of the bunch. If I were you Mdawn, I would moniter closely, and correct accordingly. But I am no expert at all, just a little junior member, so let's see what some of the more experienced people have to say. I would be curious to see if I am doing ok, or if I am all wrong in correcting also. I don't think they will just sort it out on their own, I think they need help in sorting, after all I am the pack leader, or like to think I am anyway

[borzoimom]

Originally Posted by Mdawn

As some know, I recently got an English Mastiff puppy. I already have 2 other dogs. Dan isn't really an issue because he's really old and we try to keep him away from the other animals. They tend to get on his nerves and we are trying to keep him as comfortable as possible during however much longer that he will be with us.
Anyway, my Lab Eddie, whose is about 8 months and Uallis, whose 14 wks, love to play together. They roughhouse and chase each other, etc. However, there are times when both get really angry with each other for some reason. They get into staring contests then run at each other full speed (Eddie is much faster than Uallis) and start fighting. It isn't playing either, I know the difference. They are seriously trying to get at each other to cause damage. Eddie has had patches of hair ripped out by Uallis and has cuts on both sides of his face where Uallis has grabbed his skin. I think that both are trying to assert their dominance over the other. What I've been doing so far is letting them go at it to some extent and breaking it up when they get too rough because I think that they will sort it out between themselves. So, my question is am I going about this right? And if I am, how long can I expect this to continue? I'm worried because Uallis is going to be SO much bigger than Eddie eventually and I worry for Eddie's safety when that time comes. Also, is 14 wks a little young for Uallis to try to assert his dominance?

What I did was this- Hottie is the first one here- and the "boss" BUT he is now smaller and less agile than Zubin. Femka is smaller than Galina- but here first as well...
I put my dogs in " pack social higher- archy" by who was here first.. I acknowledge that one as the "boss" in alllllllllll my activities.. I feed in the same order Hottie, Femka, Zubin and Galina-.. I give treats same order - Hottie,Femka, Zubin, And galina.. I let out the door- same pattern - H/F/Z/G.. I pet in that order, I brush IN that order..
If Zubin gets pushy with Hottie- I chastize Zubin.. If Galina gets Bossy with Femka-- I chastize her..
Dominance is subtle- our lack of recognizing the prior displays is where the problem comes into.. I am attaching a video of a fight.. I want you to watch how fast something can turn- and understand WHY it happened.. I put the camera down QUICK- but you will see/ and hear me step in IMMEDIATELY..
What happened was Zubin- using his bigger size and weight- tried to push Femka too hard- Femka retailated- and it was Zubin I yelled at- and sharp.. She is above him in "my pack" with me the "leader"...
Dominance is subtle- its warning signs before escalating to a arguement. Putting their heads over the shoulders of the one " I set" as the boss.. Or things like- drinking at the water bowl- the one I placed as "boss" ( under me- but boss) drinking- a sub dog comes in to drink- they are to wait until the "boss one is done..". Its pushing out the door before "the boss dog" goes out-.. Its licking a domanant dogs food bowl afterwards.. ( pick up the bowls so a sub dom. dog cant do this.. ).. Its your actions i.e. if you dont solve it- they will.... WAtch for subtile signs- if you can tell me when its the most likely to occur- I can see where the TRIGGER STARTED..
I AM the "pack leader"- " I set" who was where.. and remember- while it takes two to fight- the one you back up is the one you set in your house as the boss- and never leave two dogs that without your internvention could fight. .. HOttie is neutered- Zubin is not ( show dog)- but "I SAID " Hottie is the boss dog ( under me..).. And a pack would "honor" the boss ( me) wishes or get disciplined by me..
Zubin kept trying to push femka. She is 20 pounds lighter, and about 6 inches shorter than she is. He pushed too hard, she went after him to tell him to stop- Zubin came back-.. NOW- WITH WHAT I JUST SAID- WHICH DOG did I "correct"????? IF YOU GUESSED ZUBIN- you are absolutely RIGHT!! Not femka that fired back at him- she was right- .. He pushed too hard- the one I yelled at was Zubin- he didn't take her "sign" to stop..... And notice- I go from silly songs and words- to INSTANT action... View My Video
What happened here was Femka went to play with Galina- and Zubin didnt back out-... ( and no one was hurt, and his yelp is his submission to Femkas dominance.. ) Femka went to galina- to take the blue bone- notice Galina backed up- that was fine- but Zubin tried to step in the take the bone- uhhhhhhhh not from femka he doesnt and he was WRONG..
( sorry just realized you might not know who is whom- Femka is the tri- Zubin is the bigger white with black- galina is the smaller white with black )

[Inga]

I have brought several rescue dogs into my house and there is always an ajustment period. I think in your case close supervision is a must. Are both dogs neutered? Males will often fight to assert their dominance. Usually once it is established thing calm down. I do agree with borzoimom. I don't know if everyone will agree, but I think you need to help decide who will be dominant and feed them first, treat them first and give them attention first. It might be a good idea to practice submissive positions with both of them. Long down stays, stepping over them controlling the food (making them down before giving it to them.) It is hard to give advice without seeing their behavior. When things get out of hand that is the time for a controlled down. In order to keep peace in the house hold you must be the boss. Good Luck. I am jealous I want an English Mastiff puppy.

[borzoimom]

Remember- the previous dog KNOWS how the house was- the new dog doesnt.. USE IT.. i.e- this IS THE way it is here....

[Inga]

Yes, I agree. Seniority rules. We have to always keep safe the dogs we have committed to. Puppies will be easy to teach these rules to. Again Good Luck. It would not be a bad idea to seek help from a local trainer in your area if it seems things are not settling in very soon. Better safe than sorry right?

[poodleholic]

As a general rule, one doesn't bring a new puppy into the household and give it freedom of the house and the other resident dogs. Puppies are notorious for bugging older dogs, so access should be limited, and always under supervision, so to intervene when that puppy is pushing the envelope. Otherwise kept separated from the other dogs. Your puppy will be much larger than your other dogs, and needs on-going training from you beginning right now. One-on-one time is necessary for each dog in multiple dog homes, to keep the bond with the handler/owner stronger than with each other, and to cement your leadership role.

I don't buy into the practice of petting, feeding, or giving attention to the supposedly "top dog" in the pack first, then the next in line, and so on, to allegedly support the hierarchy based on first here, first serve. Waste of time and effort, and it often causes problems. There's only one leader, me. No under me "bosses" exist. I have house rules, and that's that. There's lots of give and take, and with foster dogs involved, be they male or female, I only see problems of dominance issues, or what could be perceived as dominance, by lower ranking dogs who are simply wannabes, and they are very quickly put in their place when necessary by Maddy or Bo or by me.

I have 5 right now, 3 of whom are fosters who have been with me for about a month. I have two Standard Poodles, one male (Bo), the other female (Maddy). The fosters are a Pom (male), a Pitt mix (female), and a Heinz 57 variety mix (male) - all of whom are spayed or neutered. The Pom and Pitt mix were only semi housetrained, the Pom is food aggressive, and the Pitt mix is reactive, and lunged/growled/barked at my dogs whenever they were interacting with the other two dogs, or with me. I kept her tethered to me whenever in the same room with the other dogs, unless contained in a crate. My dogs pretty much ignore her, other than throwing calming signals (yawning, turning sideways, walking slowly, licking lips, turning their backs to her and sitting, or laying down). The Pom and Heinz 57 mix have integrated into the daily routine with my dogs, without any problems. Maddy is a marvel at working with other dogs, calming them, correcting them when necessary, and teaching them wanted behaviors (just as she did with Bo when he arrived).

Maddy came first at 9 wks. of age, then Bo at the age of 16 mo. (he and Maddy are the same age, only 3 mo. apart). Bo was reactive and dog aggressive, had serious health problems and behavioral issues. That was 4 yrs. ago. Today he is a well adjusted, healthy dog with impeccable manners, who can be taken anywhere and everywhere. They are fed at the same time, bowls are placed on the floor, and they only begin to eat when I tell them to "eat." I don't give Maddy preferential treatment, or feed or pet her first just because she was here first (and she is my heart dog). That would be silly, and is completely unnecessary, even with foster dogs added.

Maddy and Bo help keep the fosters in line, when I ask for their help, and are non-reactive to displays of bad behavior by the fosters. It took 4 days to take care of the housetraining issues with the Pom and the Pitt mix, and two weeks to stop the lunging/barking/growling behavior of the Pit mix through desensitization and counter conditioning (though I still do not trust her). She responds to my direction, be it a verbal "EH!" or pointing my finger at her (she stops in her tracks). The Pom had issues of resource guarding, so he was fed by himself in his crate until last week. Now, he eats side by side, but with enough space for his comfort (my two tolerate him eating from their respective bowls, and ignore his growlies, which have toned down considerably, and are fewer and farther apart). The Pitt mix is fed on the other side of the room. My two lay on the same bed to chew their raw bones; the Pom and Heinze 57 mix are in the same room, the Pitt mix is sent to her crate, door open. I supervise at all times.

I give attention to whomever I call over to me, dismissing the others who may come, and when playing "doggie pushups" with all 5 of them, the dog who responds first to the cue given (be it "sit," or "down") is who gets the treat first. We're now working on a version of "Simon Says," getting the fosters to learn to respond only when the cue is prefaced by their name.

I walk one of mine with the Pitt mix. I walk the Pom, the Heinze 57, and both of mine at the same time. No problems. We have a daily routine with some structure, which helps reassure the fosters considerably. They've come to know what's going to happen next, so feel more secure, and thus relax. The daily 30-min. down/stays in the same room are without incident, and the household is running smoothly. If I had to even think about who to "support" as a "boss dog" and then 2nd boss, etc., I'd be pulling my hair out! LOL In my house the rule is, what I say is what goes. No exceptions. It doesn't take them long to get it.

[applesmom]

Originally Posted by poodleholic

As a general rule, one doesn't bring a new puppy into the household and give it freedom of the house and the other resident dogs. Puppies are notorious for bugging older dogs, so access should be limited, and always under supervision, so to intervene when that puppy is pushing the envelope. Otherwise kept separated from the other dogs. Your puppy will be much larger than your other dogs, and needs on-going training from you beginning right now. One-on-one time is necessary for each dog in multiple dog homes, to keep the bond with the handler/owner stronger than with each other, and to cement your leadership role.

I don't buy into the practice of petting, feeding, or giving attention to the supposedly "top dog" in the pack first, then the next in line, and so on, to allegedly support the hierarchy based on first here, first serve. Waste of time and effort, and it often causes problems. There's only one leader, me. No under me "bosses" exist. I have house rules, and that's that. There's lots of give and take, and with foster dogs involved, be they male or female, I only see problems of dominance issues, or what could be perceived as dominance, by lower ranking dogs who are simply wannabes, and they are very quickly put in their place when necessary by Maddy or Bo or by me.

I have 5 right now, 3 of whom are fosters who have been with me for about a month. I have two Standard Poodles, one male (Bo), the other female (Maddy). The fosters are a Pom (male), a Pitt mix (female), and a Heinz 57 variety mix (male) - all of whom are spayed or neutered. The Pom and Pitt mix were only semi housetrained, the Pom is food aggressive, and the Pitt mix is reactive, and lunged/growled/barked at my dogs whenever they were interacting with the other two dogs, or with me. I kept her tethered to me whenever in the same room with the other dogs, unless contained in a crate. My dogs pretty much ignore her, other than throwing calming signals (yawning, turning sideways, walking slowly, licking lips, turning their backs to her and sitting, or laying down). The Pom and Heinz 57 mix have integrated into the daily routine with my dogs, without any problems. Maddy is a marvel at working with other dogs, calming them, correcting them when necessary, and teaching them wanted behaviors (just as she did with Bo when he arrived).

Maddy came first at 9 wks. of age, then Bo at the age of 16 mo. (he and Maddy are the same age, only 3 mo. apart). Bo was reactive and dog aggressive, had serious health problems and behavioral issues. That was 4 yrs. ago. Today he is a well adjusted, healthy dog with impeccable manners, who can be taken anywhere and everywhere. They are fed at the same time, bowls are placed on the floor, and they only begin to eat when I tell them to "eat." I don't give Maddy preferential treatment, or feed or pet her first just because she was here first (and she is my heart dog). That would be silly, and is completely unnecessary, even with foster dogs added.

Maddy and Bo help keep the fosters in line, when I ask for their help, and are non-reactive to displays of bad behavior by the fosters. It took 4 days to take care of the housetraining issues with the Pom and the Pitt mix, and two weeks to stop the lunging/barking/growling behavior of the Pit mix through desensitization and counter conditioning (though I still do not trust her). She responds to my direction, be it a verbal "EH!" or pointing my finger at her (she stops in her tracks). The Pom had issues of resource guarding, so he was fed by himself in his crate until last week. Now, he eats side by side, but with enough space for his comfort (my two tolerate him eating from their respective bowls, and ignore his growlies, which have toned down considerably, and are fewer and farther apart). The Pitt mix is fed on the other side of the room. My two lay on the same bed to chew their raw bones; the Pom and Heinze 57 mix are in the same room, the Pitt mix is sent to her crate, door open. I supervise at all times.

I give attention to whomever I call over to me, dismissing the others who may come, and when playing "doggie pushups" with all 5 of them, the dog who responds first to the cue given (be it "sit," or "down") is who gets the treat first. We're now working on a version of "Simon Says," getting the fosters to learn to respond only when the cue is prefaced by their name.

I walk one of mine with the Pitt mix. I walk the Pom, the Heinze 57, and both of mine at the same time. No problems. We have a daily routine with some structure, which helps reassure the fosters considerably. They've come to know what's going to happen next, so feel more secure, and thus relax. The daily 30-min. down/stays in the same room are without incident, and the household is running smoothly. If I had to even think about who to "support" as a "boss dog" and then 2nd boss, etc., I'd be pulling my hair out! LOL In my house the rule is, what I say is what goes. No exceptions. It doesn't take them long to get it.

Good post!

[borzoimom]

Having poodles, I am sure of not seeing the use in a set pattern of who is first. I always had working/herding dogs.. They need a set order or you have chaos.. I continued with it when we added other borzois with hottie here.. I have set the rules of who is who in the pack- and how they fit.. Its not up to them- its up to me..