Home Forums Birds & Dogs Hunting Dogs Mistakes to make with a second dog

I used to train dogs, but always one on one, and never had to deal with two at a time.

NOW I have mama's lap dog (16 lb terrier) and a 4 month old Brittany that went from started at 13lbs (9 weeks) and hit 25 lbs a Month later...

The mistake I made - TOP DOG...

The Brit was the biggest dog in the litter so he was alpha... But guess who momma and even dad pets first... Little scampy.

Lesson learned, if you treat the little guy as the alpha, the bigger dog not getting his place in life will take it out on the little guy the second he gets a chance to remind him whos bigger.

So recognize the bigger dog, and life gets easier fast... Human nature says nurture the little guy.. But if you do it things in the pack will not be well.

The alpha dog will be the alpha dog regardless of size. My wife's 6 pound Yorkshire/Maltese mix runs the roost at home by terrorizing two 70+ pound wirehairs, a 55 pound English Setter, and an Australian blue heeler/pittbull mix. They don't do anything she doesn't approve of first.

The only dog which she hasn't been able to boss around has been my newest setter pup. He is too active for her and by the time she gets round to chastising him he is across the room or the house and out of her reach. Where she excels is guarding the bed from his intrusions. The pup dearly wants to get up onto the bed but that little dog does a good job of keeping him on the floor where he is supposed to be.

I had to take her on a hunting trip one time, again she bossed around all the other dogs. They recognized her as being in charge and pretty much accepted the fact. A significant factor may be that all the dogs have been well socialized and introduced to many other dogs during training, testing/trialing, and hunting by their handlers/owners which taught the dogs proper manners. It really is a training issue more than a dog issue.

Most of my dogs are alpha-ish, keeping the peace is a matter of letting them know I and my wife are the top of the pyramid. Everyone else shakes out someplace below and in all but one case, they have all done so without issue. That one dog was likely due to a chronic medical issue which eventually resulted in his having to be put down. It really did not affect him until he was 6 years old with him getting along well with the other dogs in the years leading up to then.

Nope. One day at a shooting club a Newfoundland let out a bark when Sam a 25 lb English Cocker entered the room. Sam put him under a table between his owners legs and wouldn't let him come out.

Toby the current English Cocker was the biggest of the litter and remains huge for a hunting Cocker. He is around z when it comes to an alpha rating. Another Dog gets aggressive and he is on his back belly up.

So you guys are saying size doesn't matter......


Kidding aside....my experience is the same as above.....or in other words....size really doesn't seem to matter with domestic dogs.....

That Newfoundland could have sent Sam skidding across the room with a half hearted chest butt. So it matters, but you have to know how to use it.