Hi, I'm new here. I tried searching and have both 8 Weeks to 8 Months and Basic Obedience Training from Leerburg Kennels. For the most part I have tried to follow them to the letter. I have a bearded collie puppy who is almost 9 months old. According to everyone that meets her, she is the most well behaved, well trained dog they have ever met. She is sweet and attentive. She has had no vices until about 2 weeks ago. At 8 months she is now starting to show dominance toward the 2 geriatric shelties that she lives with. I have gone back to feeding her in her crate because at meal time, she would growl if they came near her while she was eating. She doesn't growl at me and I don't want her to start. I would even hear her growling into her bowl when no one (people or dogs) was in the room. She doesn't snap at the other two dogs, but this dominance is now happening with her everlasting treat ball. Also, she used to have submissive urination around new dogs when she got really excited and playful (so i'm not sure it is weak nerves). That seems to be lessening, but is still bothersome. This dominance is very disturbing to me. What can I do about it? She is getting spayed in a week, might that help? Thanks! Sara

Well, keep taking whatever precautions are necessary to make sure she doesn't terrorize your veteran dogs (separate feeding, no treats or toys left out, etc.) -- At 8 months, she might be just about to come in heat, so some of this recent aggro MAY be hormonal & not just due to growing up...

BUT, some bitches actually become more dominant after being spayed, so stay vigilant & don't leave them alone together -- be prepared to house them separately forever, if you must.

She has already had her first heat about 2 months ago.

Do correct her strongly for ANY aggro displays & don't allow her ANY opportunities to harass your geriatic dogs -- Now that she's maturing, your Beardie is getting bigger & stronger than the poor old Shelties, so her behavior toward them must be controlled at all times (prevention is much more important than analysis here).

I have been giving her a (in my opinion) hard scruff and shake. However, she has never cried, urinated or really even act like it bothered her. I didn't want to do any permanent damage by over correcting a puppy (like Ed warns against), but I guess I should up my intensity.

Personally, I feel that one good leash correction with a prong collar is better than 1000 nagging corrections with a scruff shake -- Also remember that displays of domiance aggression require an automatic correction for inappropriate pack behavior, which is not the same thing as a schooling correction in formal obedience training (so it should be followed by aloofness on your part, rather than praise for compliance) and if she keeps repeating the same misbehavior over again, then your correction was NOT strong enough...

However, with that said, you still don't want to injure this young dog OR wreck your relationship with her -- so, I would major in management (meaning separate feeding, treating & playing with toys) while minoring in yank & crank as much as possible <:-)

First, thank you for your help so far. Thankfully, at this point there is no outward aggression toward the other dogs. It is just that if she has any type of food or food treat and the other dogs get up close to her, she will continue chewing while growling. Should I have a prong collar on her while in the house? Right now she just wears her semi slip/martingale style collar.

Keep her in a separate room while she eats so the shelties can't even look at her. Pick your battles, leave this one alone until you've licked the rest. Do NOT allow her to pester the shelties with overt, physical displays of dominance. That will escalate the aggression. Do lots of OB work with her to build up your bond, and Candi's right on the correction quote. Find your dog's correction threshold and correct at that level, any lower and your dog may not respect you as a strong leader. Higher corrections should be reserved for infractions that escalate in severity. Don't let the shelties gang up on her either; show your pack what you will tolerate and what is never going to be tolerated under any circumstances.

Sara, right now she may just be guardy/possessive toward things that go in her mouth (food, treats, toys) so FEED her in a crate, ex-pen, kennel, gated-off area, or closed room, securely separated from your Shelties -- And don't give her ANY treats/toys while she's with other dogs, or leave them out where she will find them when the Shelties are around...

This should now be a black & white rule for your Beardie, period, to prevent escalating dominant dog-aggro -- She might never show any more aggression in other situations & she MAY never attack your Shelties, so perhaps wearing a prong in the house all the time will not be necessary (that's why "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure") but until she proves herself a non-threat to your other dogs, I would keep a collar & drag-leash on her whenever she's loose with the Shelties, just in case you need to correct her.