[Dailydrool] Multiple and unrelated bassets

[Pam McQuade]

We started out with one dog, Jane, and slowly added to our pack when our 
spoiled little Jane was about four. We fostered Bel for Tri-State, until it 
became obvious that Jane (and I) wanted him to stay. Fortunately, Drew, the 
DH, had no problem with that.

>From the first, Jand and Bel got along like best buds. Jane loved being the 
head of the pack. We brought in a number of fosters with no problem. After 
the first "jousting" that comes with a new hound, everyone was fine as long 
as no one tried to take Bel's food (he's mildly food aggressive to any dog 
lower in the pack order) or got too much affection from Bel's favorite 
person, me.

When Alexis stayed with us for a year and a half as a foster, we decided to 
adopt her--one of the best choices we've ever made about the dogs. She was a 
gentle senior who just wanted a place on a chair and food. Jane was 
perfectly happy to share. Bel wasn't quite so happy, because I paid 
attention to her, and he is so jealous of me. It's been the same with the 
addition of Abner. Bel always wants to make sure the third dog in the pack 
knows that he is number two. He has no issues at all with Jane, who is 
clearly head of the pack, but that last dog has to be under Bel's paw.

A while ago we had a foster for less than a week. Abner was not pleased. He 
didn't want anyone horning in on HIS time with mama. He was fine with foster 
Tyler until I started falling in love with this sweet hound. Happily, Tyler 
found a new home before things got difficult.

Some behaviorists can say that dogs don't love. I don't believe them. There 
is a special connection between a dog and its human, and that shows up in 
the whole pack-order thing.

But largely I believe that dogs need to be able to work out their own pack 
order. It does keep fighting in check. We've had tiffs, but never a serious 
attack. The only dog who attacked anyone was a very squirrelly rescue who 
bit me when I tried to keep him from counter cruising. But I believe he'd 
been abused rather badly in his former life. Even he found the perfect home.

We've never had related dogs, but these unrelated hounds have always worked 
things out. I think the method of introduction is important, since all of 
them met on neutral turf and no one had to immediately defend its home from 
a stranger.
Pam, food slave to the Dashing Bassets