dominance issue..?

[brandi's mom]

I've had my new boy zues for about 5 wks now. Brandi my female is now 9 months. Anyway, (they get along great, but!!) He has started to mount her. (i think it's a dominance thing as he is 13 wks) When he does this she knocks him off her and pins him to the ground belly up until he stops growling, etc.. My question is this.. I think she is asserting herself as top dog, will he eventually give up trying to do this, do i need to worry about him constantly trying to be top dog, or am i reading too much into this behaviour... I do feed her first, pet her first etc.. the only thing she does not do first is go potty because he needs to go really bad in the morning and she can hold it longer.... any advice, suggestions etc would be appreciated.

 

[Tulsa-Dan]

It seems as if you are positioning the female as Alpha between the two. This is ok, but be warned that they may change the rules on you.

I have two females. We go through the mounting and dominance issue all the time. I just leave them alone to work it out by themselves. They always do. Susie does the same thing when Maggie mounts her. She throws her off, wrestles her to the ground and snarls at her really loudly. Maggie then backs off and they are fine.

I personally feel it is best to let the dogs work out their own pecking order. I am just an innocent bystander, or referree in case it gets out of control.

Don't worry too much about it. They won't hurt each other when asserting their positions to each other. They are merely setting their limits. It is important that the dogs set their own limits with each other.

Good luck.

 

[brandi's mom]

thanks!!

You put my mind at ease...


thanks:D

 

[Elke]

Hi,

we had our Boxergirl do the same thing with Max, back then 7 weeks old. She always kicked him, pinned him down, stood over him etc. Now Max is a little too big for that, 6 Mon.

I would not worry too much, but never leave them unattended. This could get out of hand. I usually stopped this kind of behaviour after a minute or so, or when it got too rough.

With my girl, it was pure jealousy, so make sure the older dog gets the red carpet rolled out, meaning always first.

I tried to avoid cuddling the puppy too much, when she was around, it just makes them more jealous. It will get better as the puppy grows up.


Elke