I brought home Pesto (8 mo old spaniel/lab/retriever mix) to meet Smudge. They played well on the deck, then when in the house, Smudge got a bit agressive (he's usually pretty docile) and was definitely threatened.

After 2 days, Smudge is just about top dog. However, Pesto has more energy and usually I have to separate them because Smudge gets fed up and Pesto shows his teeth.

Now they sometimes play, sometimes fight. I'm trying to teach Pesto that when Smudge goes to his bed, Pesto is not allowed to go near him (so Smudge has a safe place).

So they'll work it out I'm sure.

BUT, I have one issue: Poor Smudge is losing all his toys! Even his favorite squeaky shoe. It makes me so sad. I tried bringing a new toy into the house and even that didn't work. They've been fighting over the toys. Then, I find Pesto laying with ALL of the toys and Smudge with none.

Any ideas? Should I train Pesto to stay away from a couple of Smudge's toys or let them duke it out? It's just so sad because Smudge may end up with nothing

THanks for all the help and support!

Here's a picture. It's not a great one but it's good. This is Pesto the new one. Smudge is my avatar (you can see they look alike)