Connie you've mentioned the bacon thing more than once and I keep forgetting to use it with the dogs before I eat it all myself.

There's usually just enough left after breakfast to make what most might find gross, a Peanut butter & bacon sandwich.

There's usually just enough left after breakfast to make what most might find gross, a Peanut butter & bacon sandwich.

I should preface the following epistle by noting that over the years I've undertaken to introduce no small number of foster dogs as well as pack additions to each other with the objective of having dog interaction peaceful a balanced.

Whatever that meant, my first rule is that everything in the house is mine. My bones, my beds, my food, my crates, my toys, my treats, the list goes on and on. I use structured bones for gnawing because I'm lazy.

No dog in my world is over another dog. That goes for older v. younger, established pack member v. new foster or pack arrival.

That noted, a puppy can get into all kinds of trouble as he or she learns the ropes. As one noted, a young male seems more inclined to be tolerant of a female's corrections than another male. But I am the source of real correction, and that requires vigilance.

At the moment, the pack includes three females and one young male. He has learned to read the look of the females, and in turn has come to understand my vision of the world for tranquil interaction. I try to correct before some thing comes down. Usually a grunt or a word diverts any unacceptable behavior.

But some times a dog just has to be a dog. I try not to single out one dog if there is an incident. Both dogs, and all dogs get my attitude. Probably wrong but I choose to emphasize common behavior than chase the behavior of each dog.

I work to create balanced, socialized, trustworthy, reasonably well trained pets in the first instance.

So I would observe the puppy, emphasize the rules the older dog has already accepted, not hold the older dog or puppy to different rule sets, and emphasize a level playing field. I do not expect an older dog to train a puppy, nor do I expect my pack to train a foster. I expect they will all abide by my rules, which I emphasize.

It is easy to cut a puppy slack because it is new and a puppy but such an approach can send a poor management message to the older dog, in my opinion. What is fair is fair for both older and younger dog. You train the dog today for the dog you want tomorrow.

In the instance described, I probably would have just removed the bone, with a distraction command like 'hey.' Both dogs would have heard me. And the immediate area would have no issues that would continue the situation. I'm probably wrong but I see the instance as addressing the nose to nose situation and not the bone issue.

But what do I know?