Having more than one dog in a household can sometimes lead to disharmony in the family pack. Dogs, being social animals, SHOULD get along in multi-dog households. Why then, in many cases, do they not?
The answer invariable lies with the owner. How the humans interact with the dogs in the family will greatly influence how the family’s dogs react to each other.
In a wild dog pack, each dog understands their role and place in the pack. It is a strict hierarchy, with the most consistently dominant individual being the leader and the most timid and youngest members being at the bottom. Those in the middle each have their place and rank which is in accordance to their personality, age, and level of dominance. Fighting is rare and limited to scuffles over rankings among closely rated individuals. It would never occur to the lower ranking individuals to try for higher status. Peace is the order of the day. There is no such thing as “equal”, and therefore, everyone knows their place. It is either above or below the other individuals in the pack. There is no reason to fight.
When humans get involved we sometimes upset this balance with our concept of “being fair”. By treating each dog “fairly” we disregard the true balance of the hierarchy and create the problems between the dogs. It is natural for the more dominant dogs to eat first, go through doorways first, have the choice sleeping spots and the first crack at treats and toys. Then people mess it all up by insisting on “being fair”. We may give lesser dogs the best treats, the biggest chewie, and we don’t pay attention to what order we put down the food bowls. Then, we really stir the pot of trouble by letting EVERYBODY up on the couch.
From the dominant dog’s point of view, he or she really has no choice but to put the underlings back in their places by starting fights. And, because the humans in the family are encouraging the underlings by encouraging false status, the underlings think they have a chance at being top dog and actually fight back. What a mess!
What do you do to fix this problem?
First, get rid of the human notion of “fairness”. It has no place in a dog pack hierarchy. Figure out in what order the dogs rank and treat them accordingly. Top dog should be fed first, allowed to choose first, what treat or chewie he or she wants, and allowed the choice sleeping area. Bottom dog or dogs should be fed according to rank, given chewies that the top dog passed over and never allowed on the top dog’s bed. Let the top dog in the house or out doors first. Occasionally, give them special treatment so that they know you see them as above the other dogs. However, NEVER allow your top dog (or any dog) to see itself above the human members of the family. The rules apply to the humans as well as the dogs. Humans eat first. Humans sleep on the bed and dogs are not allowed on the bed either at all, or, at least without permission. Humans always walk through doorways first and anything in a dog’s mouth belongs to the human if the human decides he or she wants it.
This is truly being fair to your dogs. By taking the role of leader and setting the example, there is no reason for the dogs to fight. Everyone is aware and happy with their place in the pack. If you find you still have problems, you may have missed the true natural hierarchy. Rearrange the dog’s order and see if that helps.
Sometimes, a little more help is needed. When I lived with two dominant Alaskan Malamutes, a male Pit bull, a Cairn Terrier, and an Airedale that was rescued after being fired from his job as a police K-9 because of aggression toward other dogs, I used this method to help establish order: Every evening I set up either a dog cookie buffet, or a dog chewie buffet and had each dog, in order of rank, choose which cookie, chewie, or other treat, he or she wanted. One by one. Female Malamute first, Airedale second, Pit bull third, male Malamute fourth, elderly Cairn Terrier last. If I was training or boarding any other dogs at the time, they would be put in the mix as well, usually last, because they were usually the youngest.
By showing each dog on a regular basis what their rank is they have no reason to squabble. The leaders are secure and the bottom members have no illusions of grandeur.
Peace returns to the pack.
