[Dailydrool] Multiple Dogs

[Swartz]

I have enjoyed reading the multiple dog thread. I find it very interesting the difference in some of the multiple dog households. As for me before the Bad Ass Basset Brothers there was the Fab 5 who ruled over me.  Shadow was definately the Alpha and ruled with an iron paw and a hairy eyeball.  There were never any fights, a few snarks and even fewer growls, but mostly just looks. Shadow could just give looks and everyone toed the line. The only major issue that I ever remember was when we had a litter of buppies I don't remember if they were Shadow's or Princess's Shadow's daughter.  Anyway when the pups got old enough to be in the yard Comanche the Alpha male (who should have been named loki for all the mischeiveousness) would try to play with them and get them to chase him...luring them to run into the electric fence that we had about 4 inches off the ground to keep Comanche from digging out.  He would do this to test the fence to see if it was on...pup hit fence, yelp...yep fence on guess I ain't going anywhere.  Shadow didn't like this and would go stick her nose under Comanche's ear and give him what for.  One day he got Shadow to play with him and he tried his little fence trick on her.  Yep she hit the electric fence and it was on...she yelped.  Then she grabbed Commanche by the jowls and dragged him around the yard throwing him head first into the electric fence every few feet.  She dragged & threw him around the entire fenced in yard. If I hadn't have seen it all for my self I would never have believed it. Needless to say that was the last time that Comanche every tried to trick one of the other hounds or pups into testing the fence again.  After Shadow went to the bridge Comanche ruled but by this time had mellowed out and so had the other hounds.  I never tolerated any hound fighting and tried to establish myself as Alpha...even when Shadow was around. I would  alternate who got treated or feed first and would always step in with any growling, snarking of any kind by using strern growling NNNNNOOOOO!  Slowly one by one the Fab 5 made their journey to the bridge. I did have a little trouble with Storm and Wolfgang in the last year or so of their life.  It was always when I was out, I would come home and find Storm (who is the father of Wolfgang) with puncture wounds on his face, neck and ears.  Sometimes blood all over the walls by the door.  Not sure why, maybe Wolfgang was attacking Storm due to seperation anxiety,  dementia, maybe he was having pain somewhere, or maybe because Storm was in the process of  Kidney failure.  I have read of some animals attacking and sometimes killing sick members of their family/pack/pride/etc.  I can't imagine Storm ever starting it, he was always so laid back...the sterotypical basset in that if breathing wasn't necessary he wouldn't have done it.  After this happened a few times I started seperating them...Storm got to stay in the saftey of my bedroom where he would pull my dirty t-shirts out of the laundry basket to lay on unitl I returned. And Wolfgang got the run of the house. With the Fab 5 it was me the Extreme Alpha and Shadow the Basset Alpha my second in command. 

Now that I have the Bad A** Basset Brothers; Colt and Ruger things are a little different.  There doesn't seem to be a true pack leader.  Again I try to establish myself as pack leader by controlling the food & treats, and not tolerating any snarkiness....not that there ever has been any.  no fighting over toys or food.  They are always given a treat at the same time and if I can't then I rotate who gets his first. As for food they have always eaten out of the same bowl. But now because Colt started to get a little chunky I have to make them eat their own food out of their own bowl to control the amount of food that the chunky boy gets.  Ruger will step over his brother or whoever else is in the way to get to his perch to look out the window. Colt will sometimes root Ruger and wiggle his way into a better Momma position. But never any fights or growls...sometimes a yelp if one gets stepped on then it is noses together like "oops sorry, you okay?"  So with the boys it seems I am Alpha and they both are just content to both be seconds in command.  Ruger rules the perch and Colt the momma.   The only growls came when Rambo the great dane mix stayed with us, and believe it or not it came from Ruger.  (out of the yard Ruger is a bit of a scardey cat, inside the yard he is a fierce...at least with the squirrels or other critters that venture inside his fence) Anyway on 2 occassions Ruger had plooped himself in my lap, which he only does on occasions becasue he is to busy keeping watch on the back yard.  Rambo comes up and sticks his head in between Ruger and I for a pet.  Ruger not amused growls at Rambo. Of course I gave the growling NO.  But thought to myself, wow, little Ruger protecting the Momma.

Drool to all in need.
Michele Momma to the Bad A** Basset Brothers

Women are Angels...And when someone breaks their wings..They simply continue to fly....on a broomstick...They are flexible like that...
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