Hi Everyone,

I am new to this forum as well. I currently have three dogs in my household. An 11 year old Shephard/Retreiver Bandit, 23 month old English Mastiff Athena and a 23 month old American Bulldog Diesel. I have learned the hard way about having puppies the same age in the house but we are working our way through it.

We already do the pack structure stuff in regards to going up and down stairs first, in and out of doors first, the dogs are not allowed on furniture or beds and for the most part are required to sit and/or lay down for affection.

My first question is about letting the dogs outside, if I am going out as well to put them in the dog run I go out first but if I am not going outside as well I usually just open the door - is this conflicting message to the dogs.

Bandit is well behaved normal 11 year old dog and our "canine alpha", Athena for the most part is a gangly teenager coming into her own but is pushy for affection and very typcial mastiff in needing reassurance/guidance, and Diesel is starting to show DA issues that started at about 17/18 months that we are working with. All three dogs are great with our kids (4 & 2) but with the DA we are learning some new training methods as well as investigating what we can do differently as Diesel is our first dog that has had this problem.

I send my dogs through the door a lot of the time. Probably as often as I make them wait. But only one at a time not all at once.

If you have a situation where you want to allow an activity which you think may cause a dominance issue, make it about getting your permission 1st. My dog sits at the back door I open it then release "word" him into my backyard. Sometimes I feed him before I make my own food or while I am cooking but he only eats on my command not just because I put food on the floor. He is allowed to sit with me on the couch but only when I ask him to.

 Quote: steve strom

I send my dogs through the door a lot of the time. Probably as often as I make them wait. But only one at a time not all at once.

I've always wondered about this! I send Conan out before me too, if say my hands are full and it's easier to send him out first and try to single handedly lock the door without dropping anything than vice versa. I still make him sit and wait, he just gets to go first when I give him the ok.

 Quote: steve strom

But only one at a time not all at once.

Okay stupid question time...I have troubles of getting them to listen individually (not sure if that makes sense) so come means they all come. We work independantly with each puppy so they have their one on one and they are mostly walked individually partly in reason to the Dog Aggression in Diesel I can't handle him and Athena at the same time if he lunges/goes for another dog.

So do you make them all sit at the door and then release one at a time? I have a fairly small space by my back door as it is off where the kitchen table is so would it be better to practice getting them to sit in the kitchen space not right at the door?

Tamara, I have 2 dogs & also a small space by the backdoor to go in & out to the backyard. My dogs ALWAYS sit before going out the door,otherwise I'd have a free for all at the door to get outside to the yard. I usually let one dog out at a time to the yard. To get the dogs better able to work independently while in the presence of the other, I spend time with OB with both of them together. I will put them in a down & call one (using their name)to me & have that dog sit or down & then move back & call the other to me while leaving the first one behind where it was called to me. I do this across the yard or out on the training field. I also will throw the ball for one & have the other wait for his or her turn. This teaches them to work both together & seperately while in the presence of the other one. Then you can transfer this to going in & out of the door. Hope this makes sense & helps.

ETA.... when I am taking them out on leash to go out to the truck...I have them sit...I walk out the door release them to come out & them sit them again so that I can close & lock the door. I them walk down the steps (3 steps) & them release them to follow me. My dogs know that they have to sit before going in or out or up or down steps with me.

Too often people think the right actions alone with establish your position as the alpha leader. It is less about WHAT you do, and more about HOW you do it. I agree with Rob. Instead og focusing on what you do in what order, focus on you being the one who makes the rules, protects the pack, and metes out discipline. The rest of the packmust look to you for permission, whether going out the door first or last.

Tamara, my above post is in no way meant to replace the need for pack leadership with your dogs or your dogs recognizing you as the learder. Obedience is a way of enforcing the rules & establishing that you make the rules. It was meant as some ideas on how to get multiple dogs out the door in a confined area without having a free for all. Given the opportunity,(when my son is here & wants to take the dogs out in the yard with him to play ball with them) my dogs will try to climb all over each other & bite at each other in the excitment to see who can get out the door first. Needless to say, I don't allow him to take the dogs out without my being there.(he doesn't live here, just visits) The obedience info I posted & the way that I do that was just to give you some ideas on how to train the dogs for being able to do this, since you stated that getting them out the door peacefully & having the dogs listen to you individually when they are together was a problem. Hopefully some of this will help you.

I guess my problem comes from thinking that it is all going well and that I am the pack leader but not being 100% because of obedience issues.

In the house the puppies follow me (even to the bathroom) and I am sure part of it was I was home on mat leave when we received them and part is due to the fact that I am took them for their obedience classes and do most of the exercise with them. My husband is up there too but mostly for the deep voice/punishment reasons.

I am overwehlmed this time around with what to do with the dogs as we have never had 3 before, always only 2 and always seperate in ages. Trying to train the puppies has been a challange as they feed excitement off each other which is why we work with them independantly.

We have previously done the "alpha method" training re: brad pattison and now are going to another trainer due to Diesel's dog agression. There is so much info out there and so many different ideas to what is correct that I am now becoming confused to what I need to follow to be sucessful.