LoveToKnow Dogs:AllComments

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Hi Mary,

At nine-weeks-old, it's time to begin finding homes for the pups you don't intend to keep, and I'd especially recommend that you don't keep both alpha females. You'll likely need to keep the injured female separate from the litter since they've identified her as a target. The problem with curbing the aggression is that you can't always be there to diffuse the situation before fighting errupts. That's why it's so important to begin finding the pups individual homes.

Thanks for your question.

-- Contributed by: Kelly

Hi Teresa, and welcome to the site.

It's going to be imperative that you get this dog under control before he grows big enough to do some damage. You didn't mention your pups age, so let me base my recommendations on a eight-week-old pup and you can go from there.

To begin, you should enroll your puppy in puppy socialization classes at your local dog training facility. This helps teach basic manners and helps you establish yourself as your puppy's pack leader. Second, you'll want to follow up with basic obedience training to gain even greater control over you pet. Third, high energy dogs like Pits need a lot of exercise or they become bored and frustrated. If you puppy has had his shots, I recommend going for daily walks and jogs to help calm your pet.

Thanks for sharing your situation, and I hope you find this advice helpful. :)

-- Contributed by: Kelly

I have 6 mixed-breed puppies, 2 females, 4 males - Mother-Pit-Bull/Chihuahua (really) - father-German Shepherd/Rotweiller - puppies have been play fighting, but this morning, attacked one female and almost killed her. Both females appear to be Alphas. I've separated her. How should I control the others? They are 9 weeks old.

-- Contributed by: Mary

I have a pitbull mix puppy that is very high strung when I let him out of his crate he is wide open.He runs and jumps and nips. He will not leave our Jack Russell Alone.He won't mind or come when called.I'm at my wits end with what to do! Please help!

-- Contributed by: Teresa Christian

Hi Krystin,

Your puppy really doesn't have a true idea of his own size. In his head, he thinks like any other boisterous puppy and tries to play accordingly. It will be up to you to intervene and settle this big boy down when the play gets too rough for any of his canine friends. There's no need to be too harsh, but rather try to redirect him to another activity so he can channel his excess energy there. As he matures mentally, he will begin to settle down quite a bit more so there will be far less rough housing with dogs of any size.

Thanks for your question, and good luck!

-- Contributed by: Kelly

I recently adopted a 12 week old GSD male Puppy, He was one of the more dominant pups of his litter He has been doing great on his training, we are socializing him as much as possible although we have a problem, when he meets dogs smaller then him or other puppy's he play fights way to rough, tumbles over them bites at there ab's, there necks, shows them whos boss, The smaller dogs tuck their tails, tuck their ears there hair pops up and they run away in fear hide and grow for him to back off and he wont stop, With older dogs and our older shepherd he will become submissive, I really want for him to be able to get along with all different types of dogs How can I decrease his way to rough behavior with other puppies and still socialize him before this becomes a bigger problem later in life?

-- Contributed by: Kristyn

Hi, We have a 7 month old male shih-tuz. My family wants to have him neutered. I have some reservations about it. I understand that it might help them in the long run but how will it affect the personality?

Hi Michael,

I've had several males neutered and have never found it to affect their personality in any negative way, and it was certainly a relief not to have to worry about them siring any unwanted litters.

If you still have reservations about the procedure, don't hesitate to discuss them with your vet. The operation is actually very safe, and not nearly as intrusive as spaying a female. The recovery period is also very short.

Thanks for your question. :)

-- Contributed by: Michael

Hi, I have a16 month old pom. She is very nice and loves to play. We bought a 9 wk old female pocket beagle for her to have a play mate.The beagle is taking the poms toys a chewies and seems to harass her. they have only been together for a week. Is this normal or should I intervine?

Hi Rob,

Yes, this is typical with new playmates. They will struggle to figure out which one holds the dominant place in the pack. For the most part, you should resist the urge to intervene and let them figure it out on their own, but do step in to cool things down if they get into a serious scrap so no one gets hurt.

Best wishes.

-- Contributed by: rob wey

Our 11 week old male English Mastiff puppy has started to try to 'hump' my legs when I cover them with a blanket or sit on the floor to play with him. I have been told that this is dominant behavior and to make him stop. First, is this dominant behavior? And second, how do I stop the behavior in a positive manner (using positive reinforcement?

In this situation, yes, it's a display of dominance. The best thing you can do is firmly tell your puppy no, and then engage him in another behavior that is appropriate, like chasing a ball or going for a walk. Since your puppy is going to grow very large, I also recommend enrolling him in an obedience class as soon as he is old enough to attend. You want to establish good manners that will last him a lifetime.

Thanks for your question and best wishes.

-- Contributed by: Brindlemastifflover

Hi, recently we adopted (purchased) two chocolate/tan mini dachsund females from the same litter. We have a geriatric black and tan male, at about 20 pounds. He tries to get them to play and sometimes they do. Should I have not adopted two of the same litter/sex? They have each chosen their person and do well at this time. Please let me know, that way I can determine what to do next, I have not sent in their AKC papers yet. They are healthy and weigh about 4 lbs right now, expected weight is 8-10 pounds. I plan on crate training them and using a Wizdog for the potty. They are very happy pups at this time. Please let me know what you think. I am familiar with the breed, these are our 4th and 5th dachsunds, but the rest were males. They will be spayed asap.

Hi Pam, I see no reason why anyone shouldn't adopt two pups from the same litter, as long as they don't plan to breed them to each other. Since you have two girls this isn't a problem. Enjoy your new babies! :)

-- Contributed by: Pam

We bought two male siberian huskies. So now we have 6 male dogs. We crated them together and now about 4 1/2 months old they are horribly fighting and I am afraid one of them is going to get my daughter. And now they are fighting with 2 older males. What should I do?

Expert Reply

Hi Erika,

I'm sorry to hear about your difficulties. It sounds like the situation has gotten out of hand. Six males equals a lot of testosterone under one roof. Are any of these males neutered? If not, it's time to get this taken care of. Neutering lowers testosterone levels and this may lessen some of the tension in the pack.

You also need to quit crating the dogs together. Each male should have his own crate, his own territory so to speak. This will also lessen more of the tension.

Finally, you need to consider your daughter's safety above everything else. If these dogs are too much to manage, you may need to give a few away to other homes. Although dogs are basically pack animals, some do better as single pets.

Thanks for your question, and I hope you are able to work things out.

-- Contributed by: Erika Emery

Is it a dominant behavior when my new puppy, will come up to my 12 year old dog and lean against him?, he also does this to people in the house sometimes when they sit down. He will come up onto ur lap and lean his side on your chest.

Expert Reply

Hi Edward,

No, I don't think it's necessarily a dominant behavior. Dogs are basically pack animals and feel reassured by physical contact. Since there doesn't appear to be any other aggressive behavior going on, I would take it more as a sign of affection to both your older dog and yourselves. My own Jack Russell does something similar, and we refer to it as "Russell hugs".

Thanks for your question!

-- Contributed by: Edward

Hi Tamara,

I've bred Shih Tzus and shown Lhasa Apsos extensively, so please take my advice seriously.

As a Shih Tzu breeder, I too would be hesitant to sell a puppy to a home with an adult Lhasa, especially one that has your bitch's particular behavior issue. I have the utmost love and respect for the Lhasa breed, but these dogs can be quite territorial, and a Shih Tzu is simply not defensive enough to handle a Lhasa intent on doing harm.

I think you should concentrate on your Lhasa's food issue first by taking control of the situation. Set her dish on the ground, but physically place yourself between her and the dish. Block her from getting it, and give her a firm "No" command. She needs to learn the food is not hers. When she is complying with your command, reward her with some of the food from your hand. This teaches her she is not in control, and that she must submit to your leadership before she can have it. You are the leader, and the food comes from you.

Once she has resumed a submissive role with the people in her pack, you can think about adding a new puppy to the household. It's crucial that the Lhasa is going to listen to you and follow your leadership, otherwise she will bully and perhaps injure the pup.

I hope you find this advice helpful, and thanks for your question.

-- Contributed by: Kelly

We have a 3 year old Lhaso Apso female and recently after 15 yrs of age lost our male Lhaso Apso. We would like to introduce a new dog to the family. Our intention is to get a male Shih Tzu puppy, however we are worried. Around feeding time, our female Lhaso tends to get aggressive to the point of guarding food and fiercely attacking any dog that would get in the way of her and her meal. We've talked to four breeders and two of them out right refused to sell us a dog, while the other two were apprehensive to do so. Is there any advice or things you could suggest to us to help us allieve our anxiety in our plans to get a new puppy? Thanks for your advice! Tamara

-- Contributed by: Tamara Thomas
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