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Originally Posted by Mike De Marco
Hello to all, I have two boys Troopert 3yrs. and Napoloen 1 yr. both are nurtured. Here is my dilemma;yesterday at breakfast W.W.3 broke out between the boys. I place their bowls at least 12 ft. apart to make sure there is enough D.M.Z. between them. I know how posseive “porky” are about their food.
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I recommend feeding them in separate rooms or in their crates. They've crossed a line which they may continue to test and with children in the equation, it is just better to err on the side of caution. They might be fine from now on, but just in case they decide to squabble again. Not worth the risk.
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This went 3 rounds before they calmed down. Scared the doggie doo out of the wife kids.
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It is very scary, but what I've found with the males is that they are more noise and bluster. Just be glad you didn't have two girls, they will go for the kill.
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My question is; has anybody else experienced this?
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Heavens yes, I'll admit to having had altercations over food.
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And did I make a BIG mistake in getting another male? Napoleon seems to be the aggressor, before this they got along like two peas in a pod…
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No, two males can get along fine and in placing rescues, I am far more prone to place two males together (if the backgrounds of the males indicate they are likely to get along) than I will two females. Age wise, Napoleon is hitting the adolescence stage of flexing him muscles and testing his place in the pack. He may also be trying to take over top dog. This is something that humans really can't decide, the dogs do this, but the humans are going to have make sure that both of them know the humans are the pack leaders and absolute "top dogs." Just make sure to keep an eye on situations where rivalry could occur. It may be necessary to end games of fetch for example before you would have in the past, to avoid potential altercations plus send the message that you are the one that is really in charge.
Get some training books and get the children involved in working with the dogs too. (I've known 3 year olds who could put their parent's dogs through their obedience paces <G>) Making the boys sit and wait for treats will help establish leadership position, plus being able to show off the tricks their dogs can do is a lot of fun for children. Dog Training for Dummies is pretty good. One we send home with our rescues is called Second Hand Dog by Carol Lea Benjamin. While oriented towards rescues, the second part of the book is a basic training manual and done with really cute cartoon type illustrations - so it is fun and easily understandable for children (of all ages
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That they are both nutured, is a big plus. Keep us posted!
Debbie