How can I know who is in charge?
They eat fairly well together and if anything she is the one who is fiercest when it comes to special treats.
She will run off with his stuff, bury it and then demand her own, leaving him with nothing.
I just get the feeling that he is still being 'tolerant' of her youth...she is almost 10 months now.
When out and about on walks, it is he who leads the way and she chases after his lead.
Any clues?

Karen :)

Hi Karen,

FWIW none of mine are or ever have been 'top dog' in all situations :)  Some appear to take the lead spot over food, another in games, another in ensuring first cuddle etc but none have ever been genuinely out and out 'alpha' - although occasionally a youngster will think it is.  Usually the most calm and least obtrusive of a pack is the main 'alpha' in my experience - they don't need to assert themselves in ways obvious to us because they are quietly confident of their superior status LOL.

Currently anyone viewing my lot would think that my youngest, a male, is TD - no chance :-D  The girls simply don't figure he's a threat to their superiority and so he's on licence for a while yet but if there's to be a definite 'bottom of the heap' in the household I can be fairly confident that in the next 6-12 months it's going to be him!

regards, Teri

Same here Teri, the littliest muppet thinks she is boss at the moment and the others' are quite tolerant of her in all things except food :)
Maddie, the quietest and eldest of the four, rarely has a cross word and gets pushed out of most things by them but on the odd occassion when she asserts herself, they take heed :)

If you find that the youngest does take over Karen, as long as there are no quarrels I wouldn't worry too much :)

I dont mind what it happens, but somebody said I have to go with what the dogs decide.
If for instance it's her then I must treat them accordingly, ie; first food and cuddles etc.

Karen

Unless there are obvious fights between two dogs - usually in same sex situations and more often than not two bitches, 'rank' has IME little or no place in a domestic situation, i.e. house dogs which are equal family pets :)  Yes, you may find one is more pushy for attention than another and if you choose to fuss that one first that's your option however, all of mine bounce off one another in a scramble to be '1st' - there's no clear leader LOL.

A very good friend of mine only kept males, between 5-7 and all used at stud.  There was an 'alpha' male among them, the quietest and calmest of the boys and he took on this mantle at around 2 years and retained it into his teens :)  Never saw him fight or scuffle - he just appeared to 'give a look'. 

Now when this lady got dogs back for rehoming (she helped with a couple of breeds rescue) the new arrival always got fed FIRST - flying in the face of alpha, then beta etc as the text books would have us believe.  Her reasoning was that a newcomer didn't have a status and she didn't believe in creating the potential for issues by allowing any jostling for position among the residents - the other dogs of her own were fed in no particular order at any other time.

I think there's a lot to be learned from not making the assumption that dogs need a hierarchy - IME with my own and friends' dogs it leans me to believe that in most instances they don't :)

I don't allow top dog situations in my household. I'm top bitch here ;-)

Actually it tends to be very flexible, but at the moment my pregnant bitch is calling the shots. They are all behaving themselves, even the one that I would say is really the closest I have to a 'top dog'.

When I don't have a pregnant bitch, or puppies on the go, then my male tends to be the mediator amongst the girls. If they start getting hot under the collar he just steps in between them and looks :-D They get the message and walk away. All my dogs are treated the same. Whoever pushes their way in gets stroked, whoever gets pushed out has to wait :-) It's never the same dog though. Unless it's my male who gets jealous and pushes everyone out of the way :-D He is definately a mummy's boy ;-)

I never feed mine in any particular order, depends whose bowl I put down first, or which one of them is waiting the most patiently ;) How they interact between themselves is up to them but they are all treated the same by me.

Thanks, I think it is what my instinct tells me, to just go with the flow.
I do love to get advice from people, but when it's unsolicited it throws me into confusion. As (just like a dog) I only ever want to please so try to do as suggested.
So far there have not been any major problems.
Karen :)

My back door is a good indication to me of who's in charge, now its not exactly scientific but...

My 9 yr old bitch always went out the back door first, but in the last few months I've noticed she has started giving way to my male dog who is 6 months younger than her, even if he's way behind her and she has the opportunity to go out first.

I guess he's top dog (after me of course) either that or she'd rather he got attacked by whatever might be lurking? :-)

My 9 yr old bitch always went out the back door first, but in the last few months I've noticed she has started giving way to my male dog who is 6 months younger than her, even if he's way behind her and she has the opportunity to go out first.

Or it could be as she's getting older she's worried about being pushed passed on the way out the door.  Could be lots of reasons :-)

> either that or she'd rather he got attacked by whatever might be lurking?

That's one smart bitch - def TD if there is one LOL

Out of my 2 (there is only 6 months between them) it would appear that my youngest is the top dog - he is always in and out of the door first, he grumbles when he has a anything worth guarding (not at me just at the other dog and the cats) he pushes my other boy out of the way if he is getting a fuss and he is always first in when we meet another dog on a walk (my older boy prefers to avoid confrontation) BUT if he pushes it too far my older one will have him, which is very rare,  I think my older boy is just very tolerant, probably because he knows he is in charge.

> I think my older boy is just very tolerant, probably because he knows he is in charge.

That would be my view too Claire :)  This is why I think lots of folks make mistakes about which dog to 'promote' (for want of a better word!) as often there is no obvious hierarchy or when something apparently dominant between them is observed the alpha status is attached to the wrong dog.  This IMO is why in most instances it's best to let the dogs sort out their own pecking order - within reason - NOT fighting bitches ~vbg~

regards, Teri

Hi Karen
I have a 5 year old male and a 2+ year old old bitch.  She THINKS she is the boss - or would like to be, but actually HE is, but can't necessarily be arsed to exert himself in all situations.  Sooooo.........he picks his 'fights' and is boss in those situations that matter to him!  He has pole position in front of the fire;  he has first pick of the RMBs; he has pole position in the car and is in charge of the hunt.  Otherwise, she can do as she pleases!  (Or so she thinks!)  

At 10 months your bitch will still have a degree of puppy licence, so situations will still evolve.  If there's no hassle, then just let them sort it and go with the flow!

I agree with Terry. we had a strange dog in the office this morning Jake was a bit agressive but when they settled down all 3 had fun. At home if Whistler pinches anything Jake will not take it off him he justs barks at him and keeps coming back to us to get it off Whistler. Whistler will not eat with Jake watching.. I think they just set certain patterns rather than me JAne you Tarzan approach..

Mine all think they have what it takes to be top dog and often have a little bash at it in different situations

But,
I have a real TD and she's tiny and pretty and wouldn't say boo to a goose but as Teri said " Never saw him fight or scuffle - he just appeared to 'give a look'."
That's my little Dude, 18lbs of benevolence and kindness but when it matters she's got 'the look' and no one ever argues the point.