Dear Bruno

I have a problem with my two dogs. You know Bobby, he is not aggressive at all. My other dog, Sheila, who is a Cross-Chow (smaller and not so hairy) is lovely, but she is constantly ‘at’ Bobby. I have again today had to pull them apart. Bobby is spending the night at the vet. I know that I need to become the Alpha dog, in order to stop Sheila from wanting to be pack leader. Unfortunately, as much as I try, I can get this right some of the time, but should I lapse for even a couple of days, it results in Sheila attacking Bobby. I really don’t have either the time, as I work very long hours, or energy for this. I have come to the conclusion that I am not doing Sheila or Bobby any favours and need to re-home Sheila. She is very affectionate, loves people and cats, but does not seem to get on too well with other dogs. She is an excellent watchdog, does not bark for nothing, is well behaved and would be excellent in a one-dog home, or, with an owner who has the time to be the Alpha. She is about four years old, has been spayed, all her inoculations are up to date and she was dewormed a few months ago. I really need to find her a good home rather urgently, as at the moment I have to keep them separated. She will be a loving companion for whoever takes her in.

Kind regards
Danny

Dear Danny
Thank you very much for your message. Reading it makes me rather sad though. Let us try to analyse the situation. Bobby is, as you say not aggressive at all. I would translate this by saying that he is a submissive dog and that he accepts your other dog Sheila as his pack leader. Unfortunately you say that you really don't have either the time, as you work very long hours, or energy for this. Someone must have told you what being a pack leader means. I have difficulty accepting that you do not have the time for being one. You know my opinion: if you do not have time for your dogs, you should not have them.

The Ten Commandments from the A-Z Guide of dogs.
1. Don’t allow your dog on the bed or the furniture and don’t allow your dog to sleep in the bedroom.
2. Don’t feed your dog before you have eaten your own food or have pretended to eat some of your meal.
3. Go first through doorways and passages.
4. Don’t be inconsistent.  and keep the rules constant.
5. Don’t give a command that you cannot enforce and always give a reward for obeying.
6. If you play fetch games with your dog, you must always win with possession of the toy.
7. Don’t reward the dog for bothering you. Ignore nudging, whining or bringing you toys.
8. Don’t let your dog decide when grooming him is appropriate.
9. Don’t neglect obedience training.
10. Don’t let the dog control the direction and the pace of your walks.
Are you respecting the guidelines set out in the box? You don’t need to spend a lot of time on them, as soon as you have introduced the system at home. They establish and confirm your position as a pack leader forever. It is ridiculous to think that you can be an Alpha dog some of the time. Of course, if you ‘sometimes’ allow the dogs on the furniture or in the bedroom... If you ‘sometimes’ feed your dogs before you eat... If you ‘sometimes’ want to spoil them and if they ‘sometimes’ ignore you when you call them... Then I know that you are not consistent. I am also quite sure that Sheila has a go at Bobby, only because you keep on pulling them apart. Let them sort out their position in the pack. This is OK, as long as your position is clear. As Sheila is clearly the dominant dog, you have to confirm her dominance, for instance by feeding her before Bobby. The more you confirm her position, the less trouble you will have with both dogs. If you are consistent you will not have to ‘rehome’ Sheila.