dandybrush Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 Ok so i was chatting to a friend, and they basically told me that when willow gets a bit older her and raz will have a fight over who is top dog (alpha dog) now is this true? cause i do not want my puppies fighting ever and is there anything i can do to prevent it? apart from keep them separate forever... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agility Dogs Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 Ok so i was chatting to a friend, and they basically told me that when willow gets a bit older her and raz will have a fight over who is top dog (alpha dog) now is this true? cause i do not want my puppies fighting ever and is there anything i can do to prevent it? apart from keep them separate forever... Hey there, Whilst I don't know that there will definitely be a fight between your dogs there will inevitably be some form of soting out at some point. This might just be that Willow is willing to accept that Raz is the boss or it might be that they do go to war over it. It might be for all things or just some things like toys or their favourite spot in the garden. Really depends on the dogs, their temperaments and how you manage their interactions. The best thing you can do is to make sure that both of them know that you are the boss and that if there are problems then you will be the one who sorts it out. IMO control of resources is the key to this. So, they need to look to you and not each other for reinforcement and value that reinforcement above anything else. With our 3 there has been the occasional discussion between the dogs (who get on famously most of the time) when one or the other over steps a boundary, but generally they look to me when I am there. Of course you can't manage that when you aren't around. At the end of the day they are dogs and you can never guarantee that there won't be disagreements. Oh - the really loud, noisy discussions sound horrible, but at the end of the day are not the ones to worry about as a rule. When they are quiet you tend to have a problem. Happy to chat about it at training if you like. Cheers Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandybrush Posted June 8, 2011 Author Share Posted June 8, 2011 thanx Tony so you dont leave food out when you are not home during the day? no treats or anything? i tend to put treats out and hide treats in bottles so they have something to do with their day im beginning to worry big time about them, i put alot of effort into raz he has never been in a fight, i have removed him from any hairy situations :/ i hate to think i might have brought a possible fight situation home to him Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agility Dogs Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 thanx Tony so you dont leave food out when you are not home during the day? no treats or anything? i tend to put treats out and hide treats in bottles so they have something to do with their day im beginning to worry big time about them, i put alot of effort into raz he has never been in a fight, i have removed him from any hairy situations :/ i hate to think i might have brought a possible fight situation home to him Hey, DON'T WORRY!!!!! Seriously, the chances of it all turning feral are pretty slim if you are managing it. That said, realistically any dog/dog interaction is a potential fight so unless you want to leave Raz on his own forever there is always going to be that risk, albeit minimal. The big thing is making sure you recognise the signs and keeping an eye out for them, then managing them as they crop up. FTR - I will leave them with pigs ears or bones or biscuits that I know they can all finish without leaving scraps around. I won't leave bottles with food in them or random treats as we have had a couple of scuffles over those treat balls and random scraps of food are to be jealously guarded. Toys fall into the same category - not many are left lying around and only the low value ones at that. DON'T WORRY, just continue to be careful and all will be fine. If its not then its not the end of the world to manage it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandybrush Posted June 8, 2011 Author Share Posted June 8, 2011 mmm ok thanx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 (edited) I don't believe in leaving food lying around if there are two dogs . Great idea as a boredom buster for a single dog .. but two dogs have each other to annoy yes- YOU are the boss .. and yes, they will/do have their own hierarchy .. and they will be continually sending out tiny messages to each other as they walk/play /groom It is a natural thing . provided you reinforce with both of them that it is YOUR pack ... that's a very good boundary for them You have a male & a female? It would be very odd, IMO, if they ever had a serious fight over the order .. Your female is still young .. so she will still be on her puppy stage anyway ;) Bitches are often the boss... So .. It may be wise to NOT leave bones/treats etc out if you're not home . Don't try to set up their order yourself ... feeding one first, etc. I would suggest you give them their bones/feed them separately- out of sight of each other, and let them eat in peace ..and don't leave bowls down . treat them both the same as much as possible ..and don't worry too much if one tells the other one off for being rough when playing .. they have to do that Edited June 8, 2011 by persephone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandybrush Posted June 8, 2011 Author Share Posted June 8, 2011 yes i have a boy and a girl. i might stop putting treats out, but since i've been doing it willow has stopped digging, i think she was bored :/ i do feed them in their crates, i put raz's bowl down first followed by willows then i release them to eat at the same time. if im patting raz willow will put herself between him and i, i have to push her out of the way gotcha im the boss, they can tell each other off in play ok, no food together, she's gonna start digging again :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuffles Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 Having dogs is an exercise in management. All you can do is observe your dogs, know their temperament, and make calls based on that. Issues like this aren't clear cut. Mine get food while I'm out and I will deal with the consequences if anything bad ever happens. Mine have a very obvious pack structure and my girl has no ambitions to be the top dog. She's been told off before for getting too close to another dog's treasure, she knows to keep away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 Ok so i was chatting to a friend, and they basically told me that when willow gets a bit older her and raz will have a fight over who is top dog (alpha dog) now is this true? cause i do not want my puppies fighting ever and is there anything i can do to prevent it? apart from keep them separate forever... I've never had a "fight for dominance" amongst my dogs. Sure they have had conflicts from time to time but never a mark on anyone and all quickly stopped. My advice? Don't fret over what might never happen. Observe your dogs and manage them based on what you see, not what someone told you might happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corvus Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 I've never had one either, and I have 2 male dogs 18 months apart. Sometimes they get snarky with each other, but they basically act like kids. They have slap fights and scream at each other and usually I tell them to cut it out or they'll be sent to their rooms without any dinner. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Fox Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 Ok so i was chatting to a friend, and they basically told me that when willow gets a bit older her and raz will have a fight over who is top dog (alpha dog) now is this true? cause i do not want my puppies fighting ever and is there anything i can do to prevent it? apart from keep them separate forever... I've never had a "fight for dominance" amongst my dogs. Sure they have had conflicts from time to time but never a mark on anyone and all quickly stopped. My advice? Don't fret over what might never happen. Observe your dogs and manage them based on what you see, not what someone told you might happen. ...actually I think I need to print this off and stick it to my forehead for future reference Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandybrush Posted June 8, 2011 Author Share Posted June 8, 2011 ...actually I think I need to print this off and stick it to my forehead for future reference same Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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