How do I keep a new dog from exerting his dominance in a new home?

Question

I just brought home a new 7 year old lab mix male (90lbs). My home already has an IG (20lbs). With his food and treats and toys he is very gentle with myself and my 3 year old son. Without toys his plays well with my IG (that is used to being around only big dogs.) But when he has a toy he snarles and growls at my IG. Not at my son or at me, just at my IG. I get that he is trying to establish his dominance in his new home, but is there a way to keep from doing that. If he ever did go after him it could be fatal? (90 lbs against 20!) When I leave I am kenneling him until I can trust him but can I do when I am home? Any suggestions are welcome! Just as a side note, he is terrified of my two cats, any suggestions there would be nice too!

Answer 1

Your dog does not see you as his Pack Leader. If he did, he wouldn't be growling at your IG, in your presence. Your new dog and the IG have pack/rivalry issues. Your new dog is already trying to take over, and he probably already knows how to work the owners. It is good that you keep him kennelled up while you're not home. If your new dog and the IG do end up in a dog fight (in your case, it's only a matter of WHEN it will happen) the results will be devastating. It sounds like you've never seen a dog fight. I'll tell you, it is fast, vicious, violent, and loud. If you can't control your lab now, you will NOT be able to control him during a dog fight. You shouldn't attempt it, either. Dump a bucket full of water right between them. Trust me, it works. I used to own a pack of 4 dogs when I was a kid, and this would work with all my dogs. Your lab should be wearing a prong collar, and should be getting a correction by it. When your lab acts aggressive towards your IG, in a calm-assertive manner, say "NO!" and jerk the leash. The prong collar needs to be on while you do this. How hard you jerk the leash depends on the temperament of your dog. If it's a stubborn dog, it most likely has a hard temperament. These dogs require strong corrections. Soft dogs, or dogs with soft temperaments, need soft corrections. You'll have to experiment with these corrections. Start off by giving soft corrections and work your way up, until you find a level of correction that gets your dog to pay attention to you. Once you find the level of correction for your dog, apply that same level of correction each time he does not want to listen. Your goal is to teach the dog that the word "NO" means to stop what he is doing because it is wrong. I taught this to my stubborn, hyper rescue Malinois dog. This breed is not recommended for average pet owners because of their temperament. They're dominant, hyper and require a Pack Leader, if not, it will drive you crazy, period. Police and Search and Rescue teams like to use this type of dog. Another thing, like someone had already mentioned here, don't let them play with toys when they're both running around at the same time. It's common sense. If there are problems because of toys, don't give them toys anymore. In fact, dogs don't even need toys, they need good pack structure and exercise. That means that they need a strong and fair Pack Leader. Dogs crave a Pack Leader. If they have that, they'll be happy dogs.

Answer 2

If he growls like that he has already established dominance! Also excessive fear is a sign of an unbalanced dog. I would say with the aggression and growling, you would need to leash him with a choke chain high on the neck, then put the toy in proximity of your other dog. AS SOON AS he begins to escalate gently but assertively pull on the leash and make him lay down. Keep doing this until he actually relaxes (doesn't look at the toy) and is submissive. For the Anxiety-Leash him, and pull him out when your cats are near. Eventually he will become comfortable with them. The entire time you must project calm Pack leader energy. If you aren't feeling that way, the dog will continue to to show insecure dominance

Answer 3

Hey there. This is the beginning of resouce guarding, and you're right - you don't want this to escalate. There are positive, non-punishing ways to solve this problem! I would start by not ever giving the dogs a reason to fight - valuable toys and chewies/bones go away when the dogs are together. Work on the Doggie Zen game (this is easily findable in a Google search) and work hard on playing the "Give" or "Out" game when you are playing with your dog and a toy. Be sure you have a foolproof "Give" on this dog, with all kinds of objects. It would be terrible if this bigger pup were to hurt your IG!

Answer 4

I too brought home a dog (female- Akita) and we already had a male Inu Akita for about 10 years who was use to have things the way he liked and did the cats. With your house having two males, your job will be twice as hard. If the have not been fixed, that may make things even worse. You will have to be firm in letting him know that certain things are not allowed in your home (like with children).

It was mostly the female that gave me the trouble and I started watching "The Dog Whisper" on the animal planet channel that gave me insight into the problem. If you can check this show out - it really helped me a lot. What ever you do - let him know YOU are in control.

I would also suggest you check with your local vet to see if they can put you in touch with a dog training class. Kennels can be expensive.

Good luck and stay strong.

Answer 5

Stand up very high and proud. When you do that, you are telling your dog you are his master. Say no, or just walk past them when they are in the situation again. Don't look at your dogs. Walk tall and proudly. That's all I got. This is risky, but give the new dog the toys and put him by IG then see what happens. If the new dog growls, yell no. Tap him in the head. Also take your dog out for some exercises.

Answer 6

There is no way to prevent this from happening, and infact, you will make the situation worse if you try and interfere. They have to sort it out for themselves and you need to let it happen.

Most times, dominance issues get sorted without an actual fight. If you have concerns for your iggy's safety, supervise their interaction. Separate them when you are not home. If necessary, muzzle both dogs, until they get to know each other. If you do decide to go the muzzle route, until you are SURE they accept each other and their new roles, be sure and muzzle both dogs. Any unfair advantage might provoke a fight.