Not sure where to put this so here it goes

[RosyPosy]

Rosy is trying to push Roxi around & I'm not sure why. Anyone have two dogs that don't get along at times? Remember that I'm not new to training dogs or having them but I've never had two dogs do this.

Any nice thoughts would be appreciated.

[c_mcrae1]

Cassie pushes Barney around a lot. It was awful at first because Barney was our first pug and we loved him to bits, but they've worked it out and Cassie is the boss. She does everything first, first out the door, first to the food bowl etc etc.

it will get better, just remember to not shower the under dog with too much attention or they'll get bullied even more. Accept the boss and do everything with them first. Make sure they both get time with you, but just in that order.

good luck.

[HomerNMarge]

Marge does the same thing to homer... I was afraid at first, because of their size difference... but Marge is still boss around here and homer lets her.

[pebblesmom]

Ooooooh yes, how familiar ... I have an alpha at my house (anyone with more than one dog at their house is going to have one) and she is the grand fromage and doesn't let the other dog forget it. Ever. Talk about walking around the place with a confident little body language.

All dogs have a hierarchy, sounds like your two are just working that out ... or at least Rosy is trying to let Roxi know that she's the big kahuna around your place.

Just keep an eye on them, if Rosy is indeed the alpha, she gets everything first: food, treats, hugs, pets, up on the furniture first, out the door first (after you of course ... because you're the top alpha), in the car first, etc., etc. People have a tendancy to want to baby the dog getting pushed around by the alpha but that could just lead to problems. Once they have worked out an understanding, everything will be fine and back to normal.

If you want to read up on it, you can Google things like "dog pack behaviour" or "hierarchy + dogs" -- if you want something more extensive, Jan Fennel's The Dog Listener and The Other End of the Leash by Patricia McConnell are good resources.

[Blanche]

It's also a girl thing. The worst alpha squabbles in my house have always been between the girls--don't ask me why. Rosy may be testing to see how far she can push the limits. Just keep an eye on them so no one gets hurt.

[Puglove2]

i agree with the others. i can never quite tell if it's winston (my black pug) or charlie (my yorkie) who is alpha, but they both push basil around. charlie more than winston. and charlie used to push winston around, but it seems like winston doesn't have much to worry about these days. i've had a few major fights between the dogs, but you just separate them, take away what they are fighting about and keep a close eye on them.

[luvmypug09]

It sounds like Rosy is asserting herself as queenbee.

Bruce was a year old when we brought Layla home. He had demonstrated dominate traits with other dogs, so it really wasn't any surprise when he immediatley let Layla know who was boss. When he was a wee puggy at just 4 pounds he tried to take on a 150lb rottweiler at the vet's office.

Fortunatley, Layla is a very docile and sweet puggy. She lets Bruce boss her around. However, there have been times when he went after her toy that she was playing with and she knocked him down a peg or two.

When I open the backdoor, Bruce absolutely must be the first outside or Layla gets howled at. When we walk them together around the neighborhood, he must be in front of her or he'll try to bite her (not to hurt her, just sending a message). When it treat time...well you can guess who gets the goodies first.

All in all, the two get along great. It took a few months before they snuggled together but now they're the best of friends. However, there is a definate heirarchy in our house.

Rosy seems like a tough little girl! Just keep an eye on them to make sure no one gets hurt.

[Dieselsmom]

I agree with Blanche -- it's a female thing! Makayla is the alpha in our house and she never fails to remind Diesel of that fact. We laugh and say she has split personalities -- Makayla is our docile little angel; Witchy Woo Woo is her other personality that makes appearances from time to time just to remind Diesel that she's in charge!

[RosyPosy]

HAHA Thanks you guys. I should add that Roxi won't let Rosy take over & that's why they have the odd squabble. I know Rosy is trying but Roxi won't have it. Roxi is the alpha so far besides me. I let them know that I'm the alpha but between the two of them, Roxi has been. It may change & I do try to let them work it out without any harm to one another. They haven't got vicious but there is definately some protest between who's the boss.

It's funny bc Rosy is only 5 months old as of yesterday. Could her hormones be kicking in?