Alpha Dog-Anyone else have the solution for them to get along?
I have two male dogs (pembroke and cardigan) that don't get along some of the time. They will be best buddies for days and then Barkley (pembroke) gets in a bad mood and fights with Cooper (cardigan). I know that Barkley is the alpha dog and I think Cooper is fine with it, but it gets out of control. My boys are well socialized and get plenty of exercise, but something snaps and the fight is on. I would like them to get along better, but sometimes I know it is not possible. Please help.
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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Hmm. A confident "alpha" does not find the need to fight with the lower-ranking dog. Is there something you can notice that is triggering the fights? A toy? Food? An over-vigorous play session? Attention from you?
Are you unwittingly trying to boost Cooper's rank in ways you might not realize, by feeding him first or petting him first?
Are they close in age and size and perhaps never properly sorted their rank? It's not always obvious who is really dominant; my male Jack is my more dominant dog, but he's also laid-back and he will allow our newcomer, Madison, to take a favorite toy or outrace him to a dropped treat with no problem. If you just watched them briefly, you might think he was deferring to her but in reality he was just trained to not be food or toy-possessive and he lets it go. But in other ways you can see where he will push her around, or hook his chin over her shoulder if she gets too pushy. So sometimes the one you think is alpha isn't always.....
It's so hard to say without seeing them together what the motivation is. Anyway, in my house I would allow a basic manners correction between dogs (one can snark if the other is rude) but if they curled a lip I would step in. I also don't allow one to steal a toy the other is actively playing with. I decide who gets petted or played with; if one is on my lap the other can sit next to me but can't barge in and try to climb in too. I always feed the same dog first and let the same one go ahead of the other in and out of doors, and I will reinforce this if the female tries to push.
If you can make your "dominant" dog see that you are the wise one in charge and you make and enforce house rules, not the dog, you may be able to stop the behavior. However, sometimes two same-sex dogs who are similar in size and strength do get into a situation where they are constantly testing each other, and it can get quite dangerous to the dogs. Don't be afraid to consult a good behaviorist. A little snarking is probably ok, but a full-blown fight could lead to injury of one or both dogs, or yourself.
Good luck!
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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on
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They are probably challenging each other to determine who is in charge. It needs to be you! What are their ages and Beth's question re whether they are neutered is good. If they are not both neutered you will need professional help. We introduced my son's dog last December and knew that my dominant corgi, Sparty, did not like her. I kept Sparty leashed and when he got the "stare" I corrected him. I also worked on Misty not doing things that would set him off (ex. running in the house). I do not allow checking each other's bowls (pick them up after feeding) or taking each other's toys. I always feed and give treats in the same order. These are specific trigger areas for my dogs. My three get along now. Sparty will never play with Misty but he tolerates her very well. You just have to be clear that you are in charge.
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Permalink Reply by Harmons on
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My dogs are both neutered. You brought up some very interesting points...I don't always feed them in proper order or pet them in order. I guess I need to be more observant with my habits in order to keep peace in the house. The only trigger that I can think of is my husband and me. If I reassure Barkley of his dominance will this solve the aggression issues? By the way...thank you advance for the help.
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It is really more a matter of you and your husband being dominant. For example have them sit before you feed them and stop behaviors that you don't like. Sparty would stare at Misty and then get up and go over to either take her toy or lay in the spot she was in. I just corrected him anytime he did it. Giving food in order just helps them to have clear signals about it. You can pick which ever dog you want. This goes for both dogs by the way. It would be unusual for one to be innocent of helping to cause the problem. Sparty may have gone after Misty but she frequently exhibited rude behavior too. If you have to trail a leash or short rope on them so you can catch the offender right away.
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Bev is right that you should be the dominant one; you might want to look up "Nothing in Life is Free" and start following those guidelines and see if it helps.
Let me give you an example of what I'm talking about with well-meaning humans sometimes provoking a fight.
Maddie, our female, is quite the lover and cuddler. She's fairly submissive (not meek; she'll stand up for herself if another dog is rude, but she also isn't a bossy dog). She wants to be the center of attention all the time.
Jack, our male, is not much of a lap dog, but every few days he will decide to come lay in your lap for a neck rub.
If I have one dog on my lap, the other is not allowed to barge in. My husband, though.... well, he's a big softy. He adores Maddie because she is so sweet and affectionate. She's the sort of dog who will roll over on the sidewalk for a belly rub from a total stranger.
So, soon after we got Madde, Jack was in my husband's lap and Maddie jumped up too. Oh, my husband thought that was so cute! She squeezed her way right in, and Shawn let her. Jack doesn't like to be hugged or crowded, so it was too much for him and after a minute or two he hopped down. I explained to Shawn why he shouldn't let her do that, but Shawn as I said is a softie.
The second time I saw this happen, Jack did not look very happy. Again he waited a minute, didn't like the crowding, and hopped down, but this time he shot her what I can only describe as a dirty look. I reminded Shawn again why he should not let this happen.
Then the other day I was upstairs doing something, and came down and my husband said "Jack was on my lap and Maddie tried to crowd in, and Jack growled at her." Uh-huh. Well. I asked what Maddie did, and he said she put her ears back and jumped down. So I explained again, and now he gets it cuz he sees it could cause a fight.
From my husband's point of view, both dogs wanted to cuddle. How cute! From Jack's point of view: 1) Maddie is being a rude dog for trying to barge into a space already occupied, 2) Maddie is rising above her station by trying to force him out of the way, and 3) My husband is backing up her rudeness by rewarding her with laughing and petting. Shawn should have been the one in charge and not allowed the situation by making Maddie wait til he was ready to pet her, and then if he wanted Jack to get down by asking Jack to move. Instead he let the dogs work it out themselves. Jack would rather defer to human authority (most times!) but if the human authority is lacking, he is not afraid to step in himself, but the key is he should not have to.
Can you see how this sort of thing, which started out seeming innocent, could easily escalate into a fight? Maddie does not have authority on her own to push Jack, who has more rank, out of a desired resting place, and normally does not try to. But my husband was encouraging the behavior instead of correcting it, and finally after several situations where Jack was the good dog who diffused by leaving, he got impatient with it and gently put her in her place. But if he were a less even-tempered dog, that first growl might have been a bite. And if she were a less submissive dog, she might have growled back instead of hopping down. And maybe some owners might have assumed Jack was the instigator, as he was the one growling, but really Maddie was the instigator.
So that's the sort of thing I meant. We as humans like the "kids" to be equal, but the dogs don't see it that way and if we give status to a lower ranking dog by giving it desired sleeping positions, or first dibs at food, or toys, or whatever, we can create a situation that would not have existed. Some dogs might be ok with letting another dog play first or eat first or whatever, but there may be one area where the higher-ranking dog just won't allow it.
It's much easier to see in bigger herds of critters, like horses. Walk into a field of horses with one apple and try to give it to a low-ranking animal. There is a good chance that the top horse will reprimand the lower-ranking one with teeth or hooves for daring to usurp her place and get the tasty treat.
I am not saying this is the case in your home; there are plenty of other things that cause arguments between dogs. But look with fresh eyes and see if there might be some way where the humans' actions are triggering the squabbles.
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Good example Beth. It also made me laugh because it is exactly what my husband would do. When Buffy reached about two she started to challenge Sparty some. At night while I was washing my face etc my husband would bring her in bed with him and make a huge fuss over her. Eventually she started to act like the bedroom was her room. He did not believe me when I pointed out that cute submissive little Buff was getting a little out of hand. Sure enough one night she attacked Sparty when he came in. He did not bite her back but she severely bit his paw. Bled like crazy! Poor Sparty just shook and cried! After that, I showed him how to correct her the minute her lip curled and she stopped pretty fast. To this day Sparty races into the bedroom at night gets in his bed looking nervous! We have not had the problem with Izzy because my husband believes me now!
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Yes, my husband loves the dogs dearly and would do anything for them, but his instincts are all wrong!
I asked if he minded if I shared the story, and he said "Why would I mind?" and I said "Because it's an example of bad dog handling." And he answered "But I AM an example of bad dog handling." LOL
Poor Sparty, he probably couldn't figure out what he was meant to do!
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Permalink Reply by Tiffany on
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are they both fixed? My 2 Cardi boys are not fixed and this does happen occaisionally. We try to get rid of any excuse for them to fight over anything.. ie.. food, bones, toys etc.
Cooper is finally getting neutered next Thursday... while Uno will be staying intact. But they have spats here and there as well...
Shaker cans work well to break up fights!
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Yes they are both fixed. I have gottten rid of anything that would cause a fight. I am going to have to be hard on them and show them I am the dominate one. :(
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You don't need to be hard, really, just consistent! :-)
Remember, in the dog world, the "leader" is he/she who controls the resources, not the biggest meanest one.
With Jack, since I have worked with him for years, I just need to snap my fingers and point and he moves where I want him. One "ah-ah" in a normal tone of voice will normally make him stop what he's doing. And a single raised finger will keep him from jumping on the couch. Mind you, as I said I worked with him a LOT. And this is my pushy dog who will sometimes sit down and bark right back at me when I tell him no! So it can be done with very little confrontation, which is why I like NILIF.
Maddie, softy that she is, is new to the house and gives me a blank stare if I point for her to move somewhere. LOL. She might learn, or maybe not, but she has learned already that if I put my hand up to keep her from jumping, and she jumps anyway, she gets put right back on the ground.
I give 95% of all my commands in a normal speaking voice. The one exception is "leave it" which generally requires a sterner tone.
Good luck!
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