Questions for those of you with multiple dogs

[jedimaster91]

Last weekend Mr Jedi and I adopted a second dog as a companion for the dog we already had. For the most part, they seem to be getting along great. However, since I didn't have dogs growing up and I don't have experience with multiple dogs, I want to make sure the behavior I've seen from them is normal and I'm not missing signs that something is amiss.

First, let me introduce the cast of characters:

Ziggy: The first dog. We got her from some friends when she was between 11-16 weeks old (I could look it up, but I'm too lazy) and she's been an only child ever since. She's a year and a half now. VERY bossy, but not aggressive in the least. Loves everyone and everydog and thinks everyone wants to be her friend. Somewhat hyper, but is starting to mellow out. A little. Sorta. I hope.

Tag: Recently adopted 4 month old puppy. Likes to play, but is MUCH more laid back and mellow than Ziggy was at that age. A bit of a doofus, very sweet boy. He also trips over his massively huge feet and it's hilarious to watch.

Our dogs are mostly outdoor dogs per Mr Jedi's rules. I'm home most of the day during the week so I watch them through the back door or from the porch. They run and chase each other and wrestle. I know enough about dogs to know that when they play, it looks a lot rougher than it really is. I also know that they will work out dominance between themselves. I can tell when they "bite" each other, they're not biting hard enough to hurt each other or there would be a lot of yelping and squealing. But is it normal for them to be going for each others' feet and faces? They also chew on each others' mouths a lot.

Ziggy is a little instigator. She'll nip at Tag until he starts chasing her because she wants a game. I've seen her do this with our friends' dogs complete with play bow and wagging tail. And as bossy as she is, she doesn't seem to mind showing her belly. Especially if she wants to play. I haven't really heard any growling when they wrestle. They tend to do it quietly. The noises I have heard sound like play noises more than problem noises. What should I be watching for in terms of possible aggression issues?

I know this seems a bit disjointed, but I really want to be sure they're getting along ok. My gut tells me that while they are hashing out who's boss, they are just playing. It just looks really rough. Thoughts?

[Boozy]

You'll know if it turns to real aggression. The sound of the growls and yips completely change. You won't be standing there questioining it; it becomes very, very obvious.

As long as they keep coming back at each other, they're probably just playing. It's not until you see one cowering from the other that there's a problem.

The important thing is to stay out of it unless one is going to get injured. They need to work out the pecking order themselves. From your descriptions, I'm guessing that the older female will be considered by your puppy as the beta dog to your alpha. I don't know if you planned it that way, but it's a perfect scenario! Introducing a young male into a family with one slightly older female is usually pretty easy.

Edited to add: Even if they get along great for months, don't be surprised if there's a few aggressive incidents when your puppy gets older. Mine challenged for dominance at about the age of one (both with us and the older dog). It was quickly nipped in the bud, and he's a happy little omega now.

[jedimaster91]

I'm guessing that the older female will be considered by your puppy as the beta dog to your alpha. I don't know if you planned it that way, but it's a perfect scenario!

We didn't so much plan it that way as accept that it would probably be the case. She bosses her brother around, and he's quite a bit bigger than she is. And I've seen a Yorkie boss a Shepherd, so I know size doesn't matter.

ETA: When it comes to meals, should I be feeding them separately or together? I've been feeding one and then the other so that Tag can go potty first thing in the morning, and so I can have at least a few minutes one on one with each dog. I also don't want them in each others' food bowls since right now they're on different foods (as a side note, Science Diet STINKS really bad). I have fed one in the cage and one outside the cage before, but Ziggy scarfs her food and Tag is more nonchalant--which I suspect is partly him adapting to a new home and a new schedule. And if Tag sees Ziggy go outside, he doesn't want to eat, he wants to go out with her and play. He needs some fattening up, so I want to make sure he gets enough to eat.

[MaggieTheCat]

I'm just curious as to how big both of them are. Neither of them look like very small dogs, which is good, because a small dog and a big dog can have problems together, at least from what I've seen. Some good friends of mine had a small westie terrier that weighed about 20 pounds, and a much larger akita that weighed at least 100 pounds. They got the dogs within about a month of each other, and both were very young at the time, so they grew up side by side. But, the little westie still got in trouble with the big akita sometimes. On at least two separate occasions that I can think of, the akita bit the westie hard enough to draw blood and she could have easily broken his neck if she wanted to. I think during the first incident, she actually did pick him up off the ground. I'm not all that knowledgeable about dog behavior, so I'm not sure WHY she bit him, maybe the westie tried to challenge for dominance or something.

[flutes_and_fabric]

Ok, so I have 10 dogs of many various sizes (11 if you count the bunny that thinks it's a dog):

A westie
A mutt
A bloodhound
A golden
2 miniature poodles
A grand poodle
2 papillons (evil)
A black lab

Hate to say it, but it's completely normal for them to go at each others faces. My westie used to do it to one of my dogs until we got the mutt, then they did it to him. The papillons are evil. They growl, and go at each others faces and snap. Their favorite thing to do is stand on their hind feet, open their mouths, and kinda box with each other. It's hard to explain. But yeah, it's normal. I'm positive you'll know if things get serious. Only had that happen twice between my own dogs. I think they'll be fine. It sounds like they get along and are playful, so that's good.

[jedimaster91]

Glad to know what I'm seeing is normal. I figured it was, but I just wanted to be sure.

I'm just curious as to how big both of them are.

Ziggy is a purebred 15 in beagle and she weighs somewhere between 30 and 35 pounds. The last time she was actually weighed was a yearish ago and she was 28 pounds then. It doesn't look like she has gained a lot more weight since then.

Tag we were told is a treeing walker coonhound/beagle mix. Right now he's about 40 pounds and my research on the breed tells me as an adult he'll be around 2 ft tall at the shoulders and between 50-70 pounds.

[draggar]

A few things to remember:

Female dogs are bitches - and not just because they're a female dog.

Female dogs wil rule the roost.

You will know a fight - if there's no blood, it's nothing serious. (They'll work it out).

A few suggestions:

Crate train both (seperate crates) and feed them in their crates at the same time.

Remember that YOU (well, the humans) are the alphas. Grumbling when you tell them to get off the furniture when you want to sit down is OK, growling is not OK.

Go for walks and take both dogs - this tells the dogs that they're equals with each other in the pack.