"Today I kept him on leash during all contact and things were perfect. "


Excellent! Like other moves that Tracy pointed out, this is a good step.

Connie,

Thanks for your input.

Question: Do I change some of the rules for the other dogs now?

Examples of that are things like eating and drinking from the same bowls and being allowed on the couches (with permission).

I am very strict with regards to such things as going in and out of doors and vehicles. That hasn't changed. In fact, Rocky is fantastic at this as he pretty much auto-sits when going out, coming in and while waiting for me to lock or unlock the door. He learned this routing in one week.

Max and Lady are used to sleeping with my kids. They'll wait to be allowed to jump on the bed. They usually spend fifteen to twenty minutes on the bed, get hot and continue sleeping on the floor. Rocky is not allowed to roam free at the moment. He sleeps in a crate.

Are you the one with six dogs? I guess I couldn't imagine allowing six dogs to get on furniture unless they are mini poodles. What are your thoughts on this?

Thanks again.

Some of the posters advising you have packs while I have one dog, so I'll not comment on the pack issues, except to say taht I think they are spot-on about being a leader. I want to comment on the mouthing.

Would a pack leader allow a member to mouth him? No way. I've used this approach with success, and it may help. When teaching bite inhibition, I take the role of pack leader, not packmate. If yelping or "no" don't work, I become much more demonstrative. Instead of yelping, I yell "ouch" loudly, and yank my arm away sharply. If the pup repeats, I do the same and then give a time out, fussing and muttering and shooting dirty looks his way the whole time. I know this sounds harsh and old-school, but I've not had a dog that didn't get the message pronto.

I've got a pack of of five, and the most recent one was a near-feral rescue adopted at age 18 months (best guess).

The others were added (one at a time) as puppies.

The rules are basically the same. No dog, regardless of age or tenure in the pack gets to be a butthead, or they get wrath from me. There's simply no other way to live with a pack of dogs, or it will be daily battles or lifelong stress for the dogs on the receiving end of dominance.

Yes, play fighting is normal and healthy if it is reciprocal and both dogs are happy playing, and they take turns pretending who's eating who. But that's not what you're describing in your pack. You've got one that's bullying and two others that don't like this rudeness. (Hackles raised, slinking around to avoid the bully, etc.)

They may someday be able to "play" with each other. I don't know. In the meantime, you'll have to monitor their interactions and step in when (or, even better, before) Rocky pushes too far.

He's pushing your buttons too. He needs to stop.

Furniture? Your house, your rules. Just because a dog can sit on the couch doesn't necessarily mean he doesn't respect you (or the reverse). Mine all lay in my bed. But they get down if I tell them to.

Edit: you ask specifically about bowls. I'm a big believer in separate feeding bowls for all dogs. For lots of reasons-- chief among them is because this act of leader providing food to each dog is the clearest signal you can send of who is bringing home the bacon in this pack. With free-feeding, the bowl's always full; it just appears by magic.

You also have no way of controlling how much food is being eaten by each dog. Or when a dog goes off food from illness.

Pack dynamics change significantly with 3 dogs from 2. I have 2 now, but had 3 GSDs in the past. All very strong personalitied dogs.

It took,the male I have now, a long time to learn to be nice & respectful around my female & other male that I had. He is a bully & very pushy by nature & took a while to learn the rules of the pack. He will still push hard & test all the boundries (with me & my female) if given the opportunity. Vigilance with him is very important to pack peace, harmony & respect.

Tracy's post (IMO) is exactly right. (Duane's is, too.)

About Tracy .... he makes very clear what perceptions need to be corrected.


I would start with the group bowl. This is such an unhealthy situation .... regardless of pure luck so far, this is not fair to any of the dogs.

Again, I'm relieved that you posted.

 Quote: Anne Jones

Pack dynamics change significantly with 3 dogs from 2. I have 2 now, but had 3 GSDs in the past. All very strong personalitied dogs.

It took,the male I have now, a long time to learn to be nice & respectful around my female & other male that I had. He is a bully & very pushy by nature & took a while to learn the rules of the pack. He will still push hard & test all the boundries (with me & my female) if given the opportunity. Vigilance with him is very important to pack peace, harmony & respect.

This is a good thread, and good points are coming up.

I have a nearly 7 month old pup, who has been with me since 9 weeks (and I've known her since birth). She's been in training with tons of foundation work work being done since day one. I have three other dogs (ages 17, 7, 3) with whom she interacts with on a daily basis. She is still a pain in the butt at this age lol. You have a lot of catching up to do with your pup.

RE: playing - She loves to play with my male and he loves to play with her. I have absolutely no problem if they want to goof around in the yard or play calmly in the house. The big "but" - they stop when I say stop. She plays a little with my older GSD (7) and has been taught to ignore the Cairn (17). The skies open if she bothers my senior. At 17, she is off limits!

They all eat in separate areas out of separate bowls. They do get treats together (bully sticks, etc.)But everyone is given a spot to stay in and if they move, the treat leaves. With practice, everyone gets their goodie and heads to their usual spot. They are NEVER left unattended with things like this.

We live fairly peacefully LOL. I am big on reinforcing the behaviors I want from my puppy and she is quick to understand.

The other dogs aren't having a good time and with a 7 months old pup the dynamics of you pack could change quickly. For sure in the next yr. Not necessarily for the better.
I've had multiple dogs my whole life. Some have played well together and some have just wanted to be left alone. That is always the pack leaders job to enforce that.
I can't add much more to the excellent advice above.

Just a quick thank you to all who have responded. I'll address individual posts later on when I get back from walking Rocky.