Not surprisingly, I suppose, I have several clients who share their homes with collies. As is often the case in homes with multiple dogs, many of these clients like to get a second dog when their first dog is young or middle-aged, but sometimes don't end up finding that second dog until their first dog is more of a senior. One of these collie clients has a 9 year old male collie and got a collie puppy back in March. The puppy is now a rambunctious adolescent who is challenging her older dog in every way possible. There have been skirmishes over everything from dog beds to toys to food to getting attention from the humans. My client is running out of patience and tired of refereeing these "confrontations" between her two dogs. This is not an uncommon problem but it is one that doesn't have a simple answer. What you will need to do in this situation will depend on several factors. Let's take a look at those factors one by one.
First thing to consider is the age gap between the two dogs. If there is a significant age gap as with my client's 9 year old dog and the now 10 month old puppy, the humans may have to step in and set the boundaries. If the older dog is still interested in being in control of resources like beds, food bowls, toys, etc. and willing to defend their access to those resources, then it may be time to back them up on their position, meaning help them hold onto their place as the "top dog." When they are being challenged by the pup, let the older dog growl, bark, snap, even put the pup in their place, so to speak. If the pup continues to push back, step in on your older dog's behalf and remove the pup for a time out. This let's the puppy know that the older dog "has backup" and trying to push him too hard will result in consequences for the puppy that serve to remind him that he is still "second in command." If, however, your older dog is really mellow and easily pushed around by the younger dog, it is often better to just let that play out; letting the younger dog take over as the "top dog" in some households restores the peace faster than constantly trying to prop up the older dog's position. Finally, while it is true that adult dogs cut puppies a lot of slack with regard to their behavior, those same adult dogs will begin correcting puppies as they get older and puppies need to respect those rules that are being enforced. Letting dogs sort out their differences on their own does work best IF letting them sort it out does not result in injury. In most cases, dogs who get into skirmishes with other dogs in their own home aren't out for blood; they are trying to establish (or re-establish) boundaries. If the humans step in too often, they can actually make fighting worse as the dogs have not been allowed to resolve their issues on their own. I am not endorsing dog fights here, I am simply saying be a good observer of what your dogs are arguing about. And understand your role in those skirmishes as well.
Which brings me to the second issue to consider which is you, the human. If dogs scrambling with each other makes you uncomfortable, then maybe a multidog household isn't for you. Dogs get into it with each other and that's normal, much as human siblings don't always agree either. Determine if there is something you could have done differently to keep the situation from escalating. Did you try to give out cookies in a "fair manner?" Meaning, did you give cookies to everyone at the same time? That was your mistake. Whichever dog is your "top dog" should get the bigger cookie and get it first. Cookies (and food bowls) should be given out in pecking order. Dogs don't believe in fair and equitable; they believe in getting what is rightfully theirs. A puppy might be allowed to push her way in and get a treat before the adult dogs when she is under 12 weeks of age, but guaranteed she will be corrected by those adult dogs for that kind of pushy nonsense when she's an adolescent who should know better. And as the human handing out the cookies, or putting down the food bowls, you have control over this. Don't give the puppy the cookie before the adult dog. Make the puppy work a bit harder for it. This relaxes the adult dogs and lets the puppy know exactly where they stand. Same goes with giving attention. Everyone loves puppies and wants to hold them, love on them, etc. That's all fine and well and good, but your adult dogs need attention too. They need to know that they still have value. When your adult dog pushes the puppy out of the way to get attention, LET THEM. They are telling that puppy, "Hey, you got your attention, now it's my turn." Don't punish your older dog for teaching the puppy any of those important lessons. Maybe it's in everyone's best interest if only your adult dog is allowed on the furniture and the puppy has to stay on the floor. Or maybe the adult dog gets the spot next to you while the puppy has to lay in a less optimal spot. These are all things that dogs think about.
A third thing to consider is size/breed of the dogs involved. If your new puppy is a Bernese Mountain Dog and your older resident dog is a Shih Tzu, then it is likely that the Berner is going to become "top dog" in any situation that arises where size will play a deciding role. Meaning, your little dog may have to let that big puppy go through the door first in order to avoid getting trampled in the process. You can, however, control the food, toys, etc. in that relationship and you should do so as needed to maintain the status quo.
A final thing to consider is temperament and personality. If your younger dog is pushy and demonstrating resource guarding behaviors, you will need to determine what is in the best interest of both dogs long term. If your resource guarding younger dog is putting your older dog at risk, you may need to step in and remove those resources to even the playing field. You may need to feed your younger dog in a crate or pen, for example. Or maybe that younger dog can only have bones and bully sticks when confined for the safety of the older dog. If, however, your younger dog is an opportunistic resource guarder, meaning they are willing to guard just about anything (including the air around them!) at any given time, you may need to reconsider whether this second dog is a good match for your home.
When Ozzie first came home, he was an 8 week old spitfire of a pup who loved to pull on Desi's ears and tail, following Desi around everywhere, always in Desi's business. We confined Ozzie to give Desi a break from his little shadow. It wasn't long, however, until Ozzie started trying to take things from Desi and Desi would let him. I watched this situation carefully to see how Desi felt about this. Desi seemed to be fine with the stealing until Ozzie was about 6 months old at which point Desi would holler at Ozzie and chase him a bit if he tried to take a toy or bone that Desi had. Ozzie respected this, albeit begrudgingly, and they now lay near one another eating bones, no problem. When Westley is here, however, they both try to eat their bones in places where Westley won't try to take them away! It appears we've come full circle. I am there to monitor these interactions and make sure Westley doesn't overstep his boundaries; he can watch the older dogs eat their bones, but he can't take them away for himself. He can certainly clean up the crumbs, however, when Ozzie and Desi move away!
As always, if you have questions about your pet's behavior, you know where to find me.
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