For those of you with more than two dogs, (or even two really) how does the pecking order work out? Has it changed on you at all, once a dog reaches maturity? I ask, because Indy seems to be coming out on top, for all the bluff and bluster Ozzy tries to put on.
Enzo defers to everyone except Jones, Jones defers to everyone when they're serious. Ozzy and Indy seem to be working something out and I'm not sure if it needs to be left alone, or intervened with. Indy gets what Indy wants pretty much when it comes to bones, toys, ect that are around the house, unless Ozzy is in direct possession of the item at the time. Sleeping spots as well. If Ozzy isn't in his crate, and Indy wants to lay in it for whatever reason, she'll go lay in it. She'll take Enzo's crate as well. Jones' crate she doesn't care for, as it's an airline, without bedding, but she'll saunter in and take toys or what have you.
Ozzy though, if he has an antler/bone/kong/whatever in front of him, Enzo and Jones will not even attempt to remove it from him even if it's a foot away. Indy will walk by and take it, if she wants it. Ozzy will usually lunge forward to correct her, and she will turn her cheek, lifted her lip and he stops. This is unusual, because the other two would be suitably chastised and drop the item, unless they were trying to instigate a game.
Normally, the "stealing" would have resulted in a very loud thrashing (Ozzy can control himself correcting another dog, well, most other (household) dogs) but for him to give it up made me start thinking about the fact that there might be a power shift going on in the household.
The one thing they seem to be, not having an issue with, but have come to some sort of understanding between themselves is in regards to tennis balls or chuck it balls, when they're playing with a human.
Ozzy is a jerk, plain and simple, and used to be perfectly content to take an item, usually a ball, right out of Enzo or Jones or Indy's mouth. Used to. I know this is rude, bad form, and against doggie etiquette, but Oz doesn't care. One day, Indy decided she had enough, and when she got to the ball first, and he attempted to remove it from her possession, she lit into him.
Of course, in a "real" fight, Ozzy will leave holes.
He left one on her neck that could have just been a misjudged bite, as it was barely a hole, so he wasn't "fighting" persay either. She gave him a good thrashing before I got there and told them to quit being as*holes and get back to the game.
They did, almost immediately, with no hard feelings. Now, whomever gets to the ball first, is the one to carry it back to me. Ozzy will get frustrated if Indy repeatedly beats him to the ball, so I try to throw so that he gets it often enough, and they both have a good time. Ozzy will occasionally get snarky and possessive, but Indy just turns her head and ignores him. This generally deflates his poor little ego, and he goes back to the game. Only once has he not let it go, and Indy flashed him all of her pearly whites in front of me and him both and he decided fetch would be more fun.
This is also unusual. Ozzy has never backed down from an offered fight until recently. I'm not sure if it has to do with him getting older and losing some of that DA tendency, if it has to do with Indy being a female, willing and able to challenge and best him in a correction, or if the fact that she's the first dog that has stood up to him and told him no has anything to do with it.
Anyway, the totem pole as it were seems to be shifting here. Enzo was low man on the totem pole, and is quite happy there until Jones got here, and naturally, as a puppy still, he's lower ranking than her, and she'll rightfully give him a thrashing if he oversteps or is too much puppy at once. She's really the only one that still puts up with his puppy, so they're best buds.
Indy and Ozzy have quite completely and directly revoked his puppy license about five months ago or so, and he is quite deferential to them.
Ozzy and Indy though, I can't figure out. Enzo and Jones will approach them from the side if they have something and Zo or Jones would maybe like to possibly share please, but Ozzy and Indy approach each other head on. I'm not seeing any tension in the approach, and neither one with each other has possession rights unless it's in their mouth, unlike with the other two. If it's laying beside Ozzy or Indy, or in front of them, the other two still seem to consider it in their possession and not attempt to take it.
Anyway, that's a novel. Cookie if you read!
Enzo defers to everyone except Jones, Jones defers to everyone when they're serious. Ozzy and Indy seem to be working something out and I'm not sure if it needs to be left alone, or intervened with. Indy gets what Indy wants pretty much when it comes to bones, toys, ect that are around the house, unless Ozzy is in direct possession of the item at the time. Sleeping spots as well. If Ozzy isn't in his crate, and Indy wants to lay in it for whatever reason, she'll go lay in it. She'll take Enzo's crate as well. Jones' crate she doesn't care for, as it's an airline, without bedding, but she'll saunter in and take toys or what have you.
Ozzy though, if he has an antler/bone/kong/whatever in front of him, Enzo and Jones will not even attempt to remove it from him even if it's a foot away. Indy will walk by and take it, if she wants it. Ozzy will usually lunge forward to correct her, and she will turn her cheek, lifted her lip and he stops. This is unusual, because the other two would be suitably chastised and drop the item, unless they were trying to instigate a game.
Normally, the "stealing" would have resulted in a very loud thrashing (Ozzy can control himself correcting another dog, well, most other (household) dogs) but for him to give it up made me start thinking about the fact that there might be a power shift going on in the household.
The one thing they seem to be, not having an issue with, but have come to some sort of understanding between themselves is in regards to tennis balls or chuck it balls, when they're playing with a human.
Ozzy is a jerk, plain and simple, and used to be perfectly content to take an item, usually a ball, right out of Enzo or Jones or Indy's mouth. Used to. I know this is rude, bad form, and against doggie etiquette, but Oz doesn't care. One day, Indy decided she had enough, and when she got to the ball first, and he attempted to remove it from her possession, she lit into him.
Of course, in a "real" fight, Ozzy will leave holes.
He left one on her neck that could have just been a misjudged bite, as it was barely a hole, so he wasn't "fighting" persay either. She gave him a good thrashing before I got there and told them to quit being as*holes and get back to the game.
They did, almost immediately, with no hard feelings. Now, whomever gets to the ball first, is the one to carry it back to me. Ozzy will get frustrated if Indy repeatedly beats him to the ball, so I try to throw so that he gets it often enough, and they both have a good time. Ozzy will occasionally get snarky and possessive, but Indy just turns her head and ignores him. This generally deflates his poor little ego, and he goes back to the game. Only once has he not let it go, and Indy flashed him all of her pearly whites in front of me and him both and he decided fetch would be more fun.
This is also unusual. Ozzy has never backed down from an offered fight until recently. I'm not sure if it has to do with him getting older and losing some of that DA tendency, if it has to do with Indy being a female, willing and able to challenge and best him in a correction, or if the fact that she's the first dog that has stood up to him and told him no has anything to do with it.
Anyway, the totem pole as it were seems to be shifting here. Enzo was low man on the totem pole, and is quite happy there until Jones got here, and naturally, as a puppy still, he's lower ranking than her, and she'll rightfully give him a thrashing if he oversteps or is too much puppy at once. She's really the only one that still puts up with his puppy, so they're best buds.
Indy and Ozzy have quite completely and directly revoked his puppy license about five months ago or so, and he is quite deferential to them.
Ozzy and Indy though, I can't figure out. Enzo and Jones will approach them from the side if they have something and Zo or Jones would maybe like to possibly share please, but Ozzy and Indy approach each other head on. I'm not seeing any tension in the approach, and neither one with each other has possession rights unless it's in their mouth, unlike with the other two. If it's laying beside Ozzy or Indy, or in front of them, the other two still seem to consider it in their possession and not attempt to take it.
Anyway, that's a novel. Cookie if you read!