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BPO General Forum => General Board for Big Dogs with Big Paws => : CalistogaPyr April 23, 2009, 06:09:38 AM

: Challenging the HBIC-sort of long
: CalistogaPyr April 23, 2009, 06:09:38 AM
So the other night, my husband took the dogs out to pee (about 2:30am).  Bo ran to the spot near the deck where the 'coons have been and was searching for them (this is her usual behavior).  The strange thing was, Ripley totally squared off at her and challenged her, which lead to a rather loud fight on the lawn that took both of us to break up.  There was no biting, just a lot of snarling & growling.  My husband said that Bo was totally minding her own business until Ripley challenged her.  Ripley is about 2 1/2 now (fixed), so I'm wondering if this is some kind of developmental stage where he's trying to assert himself as top dog?  Bo is pretty much the HBIC in our house (amongst the dogs, that is), and she outweighs him by about 80 pounds, so I'm just wondering if this is normal or if there's something we can do to thwart this behavior.  I'm enrolling him in formal obedience in June and he has some knowledge of basic commands that I've worked with him on.  Has anyone else had this kind of an issue?
Thanks!
Jenn
: Re: Challenging the HBIC-sort of long
: navarre1316 April 23, 2009, 04:57:31 PM
My two year old female tries to one up my old lady every once in awhile!!!!!  I do think it's the age, they're the teenagers moving into adulthood so they are testing their boundaries.  I just make sure that Issy knows that Daphne is the alpha by doing little things, like always feeding Daphne first and giving her treats first.  And when I'm giving Daphne attention Issy always comes in between us so now I block her so she can't move Daphne out of the way.  When she does get out of hand though when she hears me call her off she does listen so it doesn't get out of hand.  Since it took both of you to pull them apart maybe when he's really into something, whether it's a toy, bone or his food try different ways to get his attention.  It may not work, but it's worth a try!!!  Oh, and ALWAYS make him do something: sit, down, shake...., before he gets anything.  Good luck