# Dominant dog in multiple dog household



## eiksaa (Jun 8, 2012)

I've been observing my two very closely to figure out who's boss. And I think I'm realizing more and more there isn't one! They are both very equal. One does not show dominance over the other. 

They both do their own thing. They haven't really claimed anything as theirs so they aren't territorial. Mieka usually wants Gustave's bully sticks, but she sits and stares at him till he leaves it and goes to her bully stick. There are times when she will grab it from him, but then he takes it back. Or not, they are very nonchalant about it. 

Mieka sometimes follows Gustave around, but a lot of times she does her own thing. Occasionally I've seen them growl at each other when they want space, but nothing too serious. 

Makes me think the dominance theory involving humans is even more bogus if even dogs don't behave like that with each other. 

If I really had to pick something out I would say they take turns being dominant. 

Did I just luck out? What is your experience with multiple dogs? Are they both(all) equal or is there a clear dominant dog? 




Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Grace'sMom (Feb 22, 2012)

Take that as a huge compliment to your pup parenting style!

It means YOU (and your DH) are the boss! So good job! 

Also some dogs are just born followers... which both of yours may be...which makes it easier for them to accept you as boss, rather than try to be one.


----------



## Furbabies mom (Jul 25, 2011)

Oh my Gosh!! I just write a long response and hit the wrong button! Dewey is by far the more dominant one! He butts in, tries to take what he wants, doesn't want anyone on my lap but him! Laurel doesn't act dominant at all, but no one messes with her. Dewey particularly is dominant over Hardy and Violet. Maybe it has to do with having more than two? When I just had Laurel and Violet there was no dominant issue. They took turns sharing each other's bully sticks, and both would sit in my lap together. When Hardy came along, Laurel became dominant over him. From day one Dewey took over!!!! The last group of dogs that I had were one male, and one female Maltese , and one male Yorkie. He was the younger by three years and was also the dominant one . He acted exactly like Dewey(minus the chewing) before him, the Malts got along equally,my experience has been more than two, you've got a pack, and someone wants to be the BOSS! Even though chaos abounds at my house at times, I wouldn't change it ! I have to keep reminding Dewey that I'm the ?Boss, not him!


----------



## edelweiss (Apr 23, 2010)

Lisi is definitely the dominant one of my 2---even in the baby photos w/her brother she was always on top of him! The breeder told me on Sun. that her brother is much bigger than she is. . . go figure---dynamite comes in small packages! :HistericalSmiley:


----------



## aprilb (Jul 9, 2010)

I have 3 girls, but none of them are dominant..they all get in a "puppy pile" on my lap...no squabbles, either..all get along great together..I am blessed.:wub:


----------



## mdbflorida (Feb 28, 2013)

Boo definitely! But occasionally Zach will rule and Boo will bow down to him, but for the most part Boo is gets to rule the house.


----------



## hoaloha (Jan 27, 2012)

My two take turns being "dominant" but I think it's not really dominance, just Owen being more of an obnoxious puppy brother trying to bother Obi  Obi is more dominant when they play, but this just might be his playing style as he likes to pummel Owen and Owen LOVES it. That being said, they have quiet play too where Obi rolls on his back and lets Owen go at him :wub: They share food easily and even clean each others' bowls. I think certain personalities can be bolder/stronger and maybe this is just labeled as "dominance" by common people. i guess it doesn't matter when we humans are the boss of them all :-D


----------



## silverhaven (Sep 6, 2009)

I think mine take turns for different reasons, but if I have to give to edge to anyone it would be to little Penny LOL.


----------



## Fluffdoll (Aug 9, 2012)

Kelly is definetely the dominant one in our house. I didn't have her till she was already 9 months old so someone else practically "raised" her and once she got here she was already dominant over Dolce, who was the most submissive dog I've ever known. Kelly is still super territorial and dominant even with my brother's giant Greater Swiss Mountain Dog. She goes crazy when he comes near me... :blink: Anyways, I'm trying to correct this since it might get her in trouble one day!


----------



## LuvMyBoys (Jan 2, 2012)

I have never once seen or heard one be aggressive toward the other. They play and do the grr grr but that's it. They lay on each other, share food and double team the cat. 

I gave them both bully sticks earlier. Jasper dropped his and went and stood by Dusty. Dusty got up and went and got Jasper's while Jasper picked up Dustys! Then they laid in an L and chewed away. 

They do take turns doing the humping and being the humpee. The humpee just stands there with an 'oh well' look in his face. He knows it'll be his turn tomorrow. 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## zooeysmom (Aug 1, 2011)

Currently the pecking order in our family is:

1. Scout, 4 year old girl Shih Tzu
2. Zooey, 6 year old girl Malt
3. Fiona, 3 year old girl Golden Retriever (by far the most submissive)

We've had several boy dogs in the past, and it was always a girl who was alpha.


----------



## Maidto2Maltese (Oct 19, 2004)

I truly think Naddie and Quincy feel they are 'equals'. They are both very layed back and mellow with each other. Sometimes Naddie will grab a toy from Quincy.... but sometimes he'll push her aside to get to me or daddy first. Other times that's not the case. 

Naddie will sometimes hump Quincy's head ( yeah I said that!:blush: ) and sometimes Quincy will hump Naddie's side ( yup.. two little 'nut-cases" :HistericalSmiley


----------



## Bailey&Me (Mar 8, 2010)

Bailey for sure is the "boss" around here and Emma is the adoring little sister who is completely gaga in love with him, so she does whatever he wants! I'm not sure that I would call Bailey "dominant" - he is never aggressive or super pushy with her but he likes to let her know if she's bugging him (a soft growl, a nudge, that kind of thing). I am very lucky that my two get along so well!


----------



## eiksaa (Jun 8, 2012)

hoaloha said:


> I think certain personalities can be bolder/stronger and maybe this is just labeled as "dominance" by common people.


Good point, Marisa.

I'd like to clarify what I meant by dominance. This quote from an ASPCA says it better than I could, so copying pasting - 



> When scientists use terms like “dominant” and “subordinate,” they’re referring to a *relationship between individuals*. But when people use labels like “dominant” and “alpha” in casual conversation, they’re usually referring to an individual dog’s characteristics or attributes, such as confidence, fearlessness, assertiveness or aggressiveness. These characteristics often have nothing to do with whether the dog would be dominant in a canine social group. In wolf packs, the alpha is rarely the most aggressive animal. In dogs, we simply don’t know what personality attributes make one dog more likely to be dominant over another.


I know a lot of us take issue with the word 'dominance' and that's definitely because of the negative association we have built around it because of some 'traditional' method trainers. Definitely mean to ask about the relationship between the two dogs. Not about whether your dog is or isn't a jerk (mine might be :innocent 

Here is another interesting thing from the same article. It says whether a dog becomes dominant or not over the other dog is variable and depends on a lot of factors.



> The tendency for multiple dogs living in a household to form dominance hierarchies is variable. Some seem to do it, and others don’t. Experts aren’t sure why. As we’ve reduced dogs’ aggressiveness through domestication and breed refinement, we might have reduced their need and ability to establish dominance relationships among themselves.
> 
> In some pet dog packs, there is a clear rank order, with one “top dog” and the rest falling in line like rungs on a ladder. In other packs, the order of the dogs depends on the resource. For instance, one dog is the boss when it comes to food, and another is the boss when it comes to toys. In still other packs, there appears to be no ranking of the individuals at all. They follow more of a “finders keepers” rule for determining who gets what. Finally, some dog packs just seem to share things without strife.


I think G&M are somewhere between the 'finder's keepers' and sharing without strife status quo.

Read the whole article here - 
Is Your Dog Dominant? | ASPCA


----------



## hoaloha (Jan 27, 2012)

eiksaa said:


> Good point, Marisa.
> 
> I'd like to clarify what I meant by dominance. This quote from an AVHMA says it better than I could, so copying pasting -
> 
> ...


LOL :HistericalSmiley: the different variable makes a lot of sense. I think Obi and Owen are also finder's keepers. Interesting that different households can have different dynamics.


----------



## Sylie (Apr 4, 2011)

Well, Ru is the queen for sure, but she is no longer interested in bossing anyone around. The other two will stay out of her way. MiMi is not dominant, just self-centered. Ray is not submissive, just humble and very polite.


----------



## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

Actually your situation of altering who appears "top dog" depending on the situation is one of the most common inter-dog relationships. Domestic dogs do not have static hierarchies, especially in small groups.


----------



## Madeleinesmommy (Nov 30, 2012)

When we had the three dogs in the house there wasn't really a dominant one. After my brother's dog moved out then the two started bickering more. Johnny needs to be the center of attention and will push Maddie away and is bossy towards her but she doesn't let him take her treats or let him cuddle with her. He will take toys from her.


----------



## sherry (Jan 4, 2013)

Sissy will walk up to Riley and take whatever he has in his mouth away from him and walk away! It's hysterical, the look on his face! But when they play they're more equal. However, Riley is dominant over DH!:HistericalSmiley:


----------



## babycake7 (Jan 30, 2012)

LuvMyBoys said:


> They do take turns doing the humping and being the humpee. The humpee just stands there with an 'oh well' look in his face. He knows it'll be his turn tomorrow. :HistericalSmiley::HistericalSmiley::HistericalSmiley::HistericalSmiley::HistericalSmiley:
> 
> 
> 
> Ha ha ha! This made me laugh and I sooo needed the laugh this morning!:HistericalSmiley::HistericalSmiley::HistericalSmiley:


----------

