Hi, I'm looking for some advice on keeping two dogs in the same house. I have a 22-month old male lab mix (neutered) and we just adopted a female beagle (spayed) from the local humane society. I think that she is 4-5 months old because her baby canines just fell out. The male lab has been completely friendly to her and to the other dogs he has met before. He seems to want to play all day long. However, the female beagle growled at him when first introduced to the house, tried to mount him (when he was laying down), and snarls and yips when he approaches her while she has a bone, toy, etc. When she snarls or yips, her tail is tucked down and she is tensed. However, the male seems to think she is playing -- he play bows, barks, and wags his tail. They will both stop this behavior when I verbally correct them. I have also been forcing the female beagle's head to the ground so that she lays down and submits to me after the verbal correction. The male lab already sees me as dominant, so I have not been correcting him physically. The two dogs seem content to play together as long as there are no toys involved. The two dogs are kenneled and fed separately during the day when I am at work. The male lab is also obedience training, and we are working with basic commands with the new female. We also have a fenced back yard where they can run.

After reading the articles and other posts on this site, I am trying to determine if I am using the right approach to keeping these two together (I am not an experienced dog trainer). Also, when the female snarls and nips at the lab, is she just trying to defend her position, or should I worry about her trying to be dominant over the male? I would appreciate any advice that you can give me.
Thanks in advance.
Heather

I'm not sure why you're making her submit to you after verbal correction, especially like that. It's not like she is growling at you over her toys, right? Especially if you just got her...you're probably scaring the crap out of her! Please stop! It might even make the problem worse, she'll start thinking that whenever the lab comes over, you hurt her, so she'll start growling at him more.

If she's growling at him over a toy, then don't let them have toys. Both of my dogs are possessive over their toys (to other dogs) but they respect each other, and don't try to steal each others toys. If the lab is turning it into a game, then you probably don't have to worry too much...he's a typical typical, goofy lab, he doesn't want to take anythign seriously! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> But he knows she's not letting him near her toys and he's not trying to steal them, so if they don't get into fights over the toys, then you shouldn't have too much of a problem.

If she's mounting him, then she's probably seeing herself as dominant. Don't "worry" about it, it's not a bad thing. One has to be dominant, and a lot of labs could care less if they're not. Just don't confuse them, and show preference to the submissive one, like petting her/him first, giving treats first, etc.

Thanks for the advice -- I'll certainly use it! Also, after watching them carefully for the last few days, I realized that they were getting snippy over one particular toy, so I took that toy away from both of them.

Another question, if I may. When the beagle puppy and the lab are playing together, they tend to start roughousing each other (shoving, nipping, growling, etc.). I know when this is play behavior, and they will stop when I tell them to. However, I noticed that the beagle tends to bite and nip the lab's ears and muzzle, and she actually made him yelp in pain the other night. No blood, no permanent injuries. How do I know when I should step in and break up their play before one of them really gets hurt? Are there any signs that I should be watching for (tucked tail, upright posture, etc.)? Also, I try to separate them to cool down when they get over-excited. Is there a given length of time to keep them apart, or just until I think that they've both calmed down?

If they're getting a little aggressive, don't separate them (at least not to separate rooms), if they're really mad at each other, it'll be worse if you bring them back together again.

I've never had any problems with dogs playing and then getting hurt. They'll play real rough, but then if it gets too rough, one of them will usually stop, posture over the submissive dog, and then they'll both walk away and that'll be it. I could see it being a problem if the dogs aren't too sure about who's dominant, and doesn't want to give in to the posturing. Then a fight could start. But if you see posturing and try to pull them apart, that often will make one dog go after the other. They *should* be able to sort things out themselves, but if you're nervous about it or notice them starting to have issues, just don't let them play. Usually a shoe chucked in their general direction and a loud "QUIT IT" or similar phrase will get their attention (but of course, don't hit them with anything).