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Power struggle. Or too soon.

2K views 17 replies 8 participants last post by  dogma13 
#1 ·
So lately I have been noticing Apollo and Athena trying to figure out where they are in the structure of things. Rosko still seems to be top dog when he wants to be. A lot of times if Athena wants something more than him and gets snippy he will let her have her way. Bit if it is something he has and really wants her will keep it and she will stop trying to bully it out of him. Up until a few weeks ago Apollo would just give in then come back in a few minutes later and try again. However, lately he has been more interested in ignoring Athena's growls and warnings and keeping whatever he has. What have other dog owners done in the past. I have read that me intervening too much will confuse them and cause bigger issues later. I have spoken with the trainer I use and she has said that they will definitely be figuring out where they fit in. I take them to her in a few weeks so she can observe and offer guidance. In the meantime what if any role should I play in this
Besides the obvious of not letting them outright hurt each other.
 
#3 ·
Take your own advice per your last sentence and don't micromanage:)Sounds like you can already tell when a situation is about to get out of control.The few times mine have begun to reach that point,I just walk between them to break the death stare.Then gate one off in another room for a while.If there's one specific item of high value to all they all get their turn separately and it's not available when they're all together.
 
#5 ·
I don't allow any of these shenanigans. My dogs are taught from the get go that they MUST respect another dogs signs that they are unhappy.

To this day, if a dog has something and another wants it's, if dog A growls to say "back off its mine" and dog B persists, dog B gets a correction. I back up my dogs and enforce it. Period.

If one of your dog keeps getting pushier and not respecting clear signals the other dog is going to stop warning and you will have a fight.

There is no top dog. There is you and then everyone else. They don't get to "work things out". You tell them how to behave and respond.
 
#8 ·
Their isn't any true aggression between any of them. No resource guarding. It is all in play when this all happens. I do crate when giving bully sticks, pig ears, anything I think they may fight over. Food and water they can all share with no issues. It's probably nothing just me watching and over analyzing my dogs.
 
#10 ·
Part of your original post, I believe, has a typo or two--the 'he, she, her, his' stuff looks a little mixed up and makes it hard to understand the situation.


But, 5.5 months old? He's still a pup and just seeing what he can & can't get away with. Athena is an adult and will tolerate his antics and "gently" correct him herself, if he goes too far. However...she is rather old (don't tell her I said that, though), so she may be a bit more snappy about things. Crabby old lady. :D She's not going to be super accepting of too many of his antics.

And I believe dogs hit sexual maturity at around 8 or 9 months, if I recall correctly. This is when males will usually start lifting their back leg when peeing to mark (although a young pup may start lifting earlier to copy another male in the house (your Rosko), but that's just parroting a motion & not actually marking). If he isn't lifting his leg, I doubt you currently have a power struggle between the two. Just a pup being a butt, and an old lady not in the mood for too much of his Tomfoolery. If Athena was 3 or 4 years younger, she would probably be more accepting, like Rosko is. Or does he not even bother with Rosko (who may have previously made it completely clear to not annoy him)?


Also, Apollo is at an awkward age. Yea, he is a pup still, but not a little one anymore. But certainly not matured yet. "Not a girl, but not yet a woman." You're probably going to have 'fun' seeing him go through personality & behavior changes seemingly every month until he hits maturity.
 
#17 ·
Be careful of the face licking stuff. That is puppy behavior. Eventually the older dog will stop tolerating that stuff and tell him off. The older dog already looks annoyed at it. If the younger dog listens and gives him his space at that point, all will be fine. If the younger dog continues to try to get in his face, you'll have a fight. And if two males close in age start going at it, you're going to have to really step up and take control. It's not a sweet and gentle fix.

I wouldn't worry about male-female fights much. Never seen that happen.

I would worry about keeping two males and an intact female. It's going to be tough around the heat cycles, behaviorally, and you're going to have to be very careful, once those boys hit full maturity. It's a big hassle, and not something I'd really recommend to take on unless you have a good reason.
 
#18 ·
The first five minutes when you return home and the dogs are released you're seeing super excited greeting behavior plus "we really need to pee NOW" behavior.
What I do is leash up Misty(not trustworthy) and let the boys out first to let them get their adrenaline rush over with.Then exit with Misty and wait while everyone empties out.I don't acknowledge them at all,or even look at them until they chill.It takes under a minute.
 
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