So, whether you have two dogs or twelve, rules and boundaries aren't just a suggestion but the keys to long-term success. Just to clarify: I'm not talking about a dominance hierarchy here with one of your dogs as the "alpha." Gosh, can I tell you how much I *hate* that terminology. While the terms pack, pack mentality, pack hierarchy, alpha, beta, etc. have been bandied around for years, and consequently applied to dogs, this has done nothing but a disservice to dogs and their people.
The term "alpha wolf" was coined in 1947 by Rudolf Schenkel, an animal behaviorist studying captive wolves in a zoo in Switzerland. The problem with this research lies in the fact that all of his results and nomenclature were based on a captive population. This isn't the real world for wolves! Wolves live in large family groups called packs, absolutely. But there is no clear animal, male or female, who rules that pack in every situation. In fact, wolves divvy up all the tasks related to pack maintenance and productivity based on who has the skills to accomplish the job most efficiently. So, to say that wolf out in front of the pack "must be the alpha," acting as sentinel for the group as they move about, is inherently misleading. Oftentimes, the group leader on that jaunt may be out in front BUT the true leader/sentinel is that wolf at the back making sure everyone stays together and safe. So, why am I telling you all of this? Well, because anyone who tells you that one of your dogs is the alpha, or that you need to make one of your dogs the alpha, is someone whose knowledge is not only outdated, but invalid. The dynamics in your multi-dog household are much more complex than that!
Let's clear the air here. If anyone in your home is the "alpha," it's you, the human. Period. You have thumbs and can open cupboards, use a can opener, and pay for that Chewy delivery. Even still, I hate that term as it somehow implies that whoever is the designated alpha gets to make all the calls and that just isn't true. Packs are families first and foremost and we all know that family dynamics are fluid and ever-changing. Yes, you buy the dog food, but if your dog won't eat what you've purchased, who's really making the decision there? If, instead, you take your dog to the pet store and let him sample a couple of different food options before purchasing one, you are acting as a true pack/family; you are making the choices together that benefit you all as a group. You don't spend money on stuff your dog won't eat and your dog gets to eat what tastes palatable to him. That's a stable pack decision.
So, let's get back to those multi-dog households where there is discord beyond not liking the food they've been given! Dogs are competitive with each other for attention and for access to resources, meaning that they'll compete for your attention, but they'll also compete for beds, sofas, doorways, resting spots, places to poop and pee, and of course, toys, bones, and chews. There is absolutely nothing wrong with competition as long as no one gets hurt and everyone has what they need to survive. If your dogs push and shove to get you to pet them, for example, choose one dog to pet first, pet them as long as you like while ignoring whoever else is trying to push their way in. This is important because if you try to be "fair," thinking "I've got two hand, one for each dog," you're actually wrong as you are helping build up resentment between your dogs! Again, pet one dog, finish petting that dog, and move on to the next dog. I like to step it up a bit and ask whoever is waiting for their turn for attention to sit while they wait. This just looks so much more controlled than having dog number two (or three) dancing around in the background and/or circling the dog I'm petting first. Bottom line? My dogs know that pushing and shoving each other to get to my hands won't increase the likelihood that they are attended to first. The dog waiting patiently, sitting and wagging their tail though? Yeah, that dog is getting lovies first.
When it comes to beds, toys, chews, etc. we all know it doesn't matter if you've got several beds, enough for every dog in your home to choose one to rest on, or enough bones so everyone has one exactly like their housemate's; each of your dogs is going to fervently desire whatever the other dog has. That's just the way it is. Should you involve yourself in their jockeying for the "best bed," or the "perfect bone?" Absolutely not. You are Switzerland as far as your dogs are concerned UNLESS an actual fight breaks out. You'll stop that and ALL parties should have consequences for not resolving their issues properly and without escalation. You see, dogs have a lot of body language and verbal communication that they can utilize to either gain that desired bed from another dog OR to hang onto the desired bed. I've watched Ozzie issue a withering stare toward Henley for trying to get him to move off of a dog bed. Henley will try play bows first, move on to barking, and often attempt to get Ozzie to move by offering him a toy. If Ozzie wants to keep that spot on the bed, he does the stare, a low grumbling growl, and then turns in a circle on the bed, facing away from Henley. Basically saying the bed is his and no amount of nonsense is getting him to move. Henley is good about this. He'll do a dramatic yawn and move to a different place to lay down. But make no mistake; if Ozzie gets up off that bed for a drink of water, for example, Henley is on it in a heartbeat, claiming that warm spot Ozzie left behind. I've never seen Ozzie take offense at this at all. If he's chosen to walk away, he doesn't care about it anymore.
So, what should you do if actual fights are breaking out between your dogs? Get better control over those resources that they are squabbling over first and foremost. If one dog is actively defending a sofa large enough for two dogs, then maybe the rule should be no dogs on the sofa at all since then can't share. And it's definitely the case that furniture privileges should be removed from any dog who aggressively defends said furniture from the humans. You bought the furniture, it's yours. You get to choose who you share it with (or not). If your dogs get into it over bones or chews, but you recognize that bones and chews are good mental and physical exercise for your dogs, then compromise. Give your dogs their bones and chews in their crates, or at a minimum in separate rooms. And if it's just one dog who is always picking the fight while everyone else can eat bones at the same time, no problem, then simply remove the aggressor. They should eat their bone in their crate or another room and only be let out once the others have finished theirs in peace.
And, remember, if you have to break up a fight, don't put one of your body parts between your dogs! Instead, keep some party air horns readily available and blast them to get them to break it up. Some dogs might stop if you throw water on them, but I'm not a fan of the clean up that thrown water indoors creates! If you've got two people breaking up a skirmish, you can each get behind a dog and grab their back legs, just above the hocks, and wheelbarrow them backwards. They'll let go of each other as they'll be focused so much on walking on just their two front legs, giving you time to separate them safely.
You all know how much I love dogs, but I don't think I could have more than three dogs in my home at a time, and even three is a challenge for me long term. I love having my granddog, Westley, come for a visit, but I also like it when he goes home and it's just my two, and our little established pack, in my house. My granddog is an "only child," so to speak, so he thinks everything is his. When he stays with me, he can be a bit demanding as he's used to getting everything first and having everything be his. He shares nicely though and only gets a little bent out of shape with Henley when he tries to displace him from a bed or the couch. I let them handle it themselves, however, as no one has ever drawn blood on another dog, but they sure as heck have made their point and Henley is a good listener! He's not a beta, or a gamma, or whatever those old school folks are calling it. He's family and family figures out a way to get along as that's what benefits everyone.
As always, if you have questions about your pet's behavior, you know where to find me.
Gang's all here. Nothing special about the order in which they are in standing. They all went into the kitchen, with Henley in the lead, thus placing him at the rear when I walked in behind them. Does that make him the alpha and me the gamma? Nope. It just means Henley gets there faster than the rest of us, but I'm the one with the thumbs to open the treat cupboard, which they all very clearly understand.
