[Dailydrool] Pack Leader contest?

[Dale Rutz]

Hello,

As anyone on this list can plainly tell you I am the clueless momPerson.  That 
said I've lived around dogs all my life.  I know quite a bit about labrador 
retreivers actually .... I wound up with a basset (Snoopy) by mistake .... we 
was at the pound and he was adorable and next thing you know .... yeah ... turns 
out a basset isn't much like a labrador retreiver, frankly, he's more like a cat 
than a dog but that was then and this is now and I've grown to love these little 
beasts which we now suspect are alien beings done up (rather poorly) to look 
something like a dog.

Back to your post.  Well, it is hard to know what is in the mind of a basset.  I 
have seen Cyrus (my lab) push Snoopy out of the way and had Snoopy (my basset) 
take significant offense and take out after him snarling and such.  I have seen 
Snoopy tell Cyrus to back up and had Cyrus take offense and yell at Snoopy in a 
nasty way.  Now these dogs have lived together for over a year (both rescues) 
and neither has bitten the other.  At all.  Not even a scratch (yes, I know, I'm 
jinxing myself but there it is)

I honestly think the answer to your question is that they are dogs (probably, 
they are bassets at least) and one took issue with something the other did or 
didn't do.  My mom (who raised labs) always said you should let them settle it 
out themselves within certain bounds (no injuries certainly).  Do they sleep 
together?  Do you find them laying around the house touching (butt to butt or 
back to back).   Are they intact?  If they are laying around together touching 
and they are neutered I would think you have significantly less to worry about 
than if they lay down apart and are intact.

But then, they don't call me the clueless momPerson for nothing.

good luck,
Dale
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