Is this correct or incorrect

[lv4dogs]

Yes you should if you have any dominant issues in your house. Ever once in a while you come across some multiple dog households where the dogs appear to have no leader of the pack and it doesn't bother them, if that is the case then it doesn't matter who you pet first.

The dominant one should always get his meal first, treats first, first one to go outside, first to get pets, gets the better toys, treats & foods. Similar to what a King or Queen would be treated like.

[Vela]

Yes you should if you have any dominant issues in your house. Ever once in a while you come across some multiple dog households where the dogs appear to have no leader of the pack and it doesn't bother them, if that is the case then it doesn't matter who you pet first.

The dominant one should always get his meal first, treats first, first one to go outside, first to get pets, gets the better toys, treats & foods. Similar to what a King or Queen would be treated like.

This is the best way to handle the issue, if you have a dominant dog. Good advice there.

Cataholic-- it's capitalize (just giving you a hard time in jest)

[Glacier]

Yes you should if you have any dominant issues in your house. Ever once in a while you come across some multiple dog households where the dogs appear to have no leader of the pack and it doesn't bother them, if that is the case then it doesn't matter who you pet first.

The dominant one should always get his meal first, treats first, first one to go outside, first to get pets, gets the better toys, treats & foods. Similar to what a King or Queen would be treated like.

Not neccessarily. I have 23 dogs and a very clear pack order with a well defined alpha male within the pack. I treat Muskwa no differently than the other dogs. I don't feed him first--whoever sits first gets their scoop first. I don't pet him first. I pet whoever I want or whoever is closest. I don't let him through the door first. He gets the same food, treats and toys as all the other dogs. He has the same rules as all the dogs and he will follow them or he will be punished in the same manner.

I don't buy any of that alpha theory stuff. I am the boss of all of them and I don't particularly care how they work out the rest of the order.

[Cataholic]

VELA- don't you go giving me a hard time! I have problems, too! Or, is it two?

Glacier, you are so funny.....as long as you are boss, things work out, right?

I am going to try treating my cats differently, with an alpha theory, and see if there are any changes. Right now? I suspect I am at the bottom of the heap, with only Jonah to step on.

[Karen]

Dyslexia ranges quite widely in what it makes people get wrong, and in its severity. It can affect numbers more than letters in one person, just letters in another, etc., etc. One person I know, for example (not a Pet Talk regular) is very dyslexic, to the point where, when a spell-checker give him a choice, he honestly does not know which one is right, so eeeny-meeny-miny-mo's it.

I am not one shred dyslexic, but am sometimes a bad typist.

All we ask is that people try hard to do the best job they can with typing clearly.

On the original question asked, perhaps it depends on *your* place in the pack, if you are the Alpha, they should defer to you, right? Hopefully it isn't an issue enough to make in what order you pet them become a problem.

[Vela]

I can see the validity of what Glacier is saying in her situation, but sometimes in a two or three dog household, there are actually more problems than with a larger group. My two don't have an alpha amongst themselves, I'm alpha, and do the same as glacier, whichever dog responds correctly first is dealt with first, etc., but if you DO have a problem with an alpha dog and fighting with other dogs, then the other things discussed can help diffuse those situations. Nothing is 100%, but I have seen it work well with those who do have problems with their two dogs, or even three, trying to vie for alpha status under the pack leader (you). Sometimes it just happens and in those instances it often can help if the "alpha" is treated as was stated above. But there are no hard and fast rules for every sitaution, it really depends on the dogs and their temperaments and each situation. Also, you could be causing the issues by not asserting yourself enough as the alpha (pack leader) and giving the dogs a idea that they ought to try for it. That doesn't mean abuse them or be mean to them or anything, but you need to be in control of the pack, and not let the dogs dictate what happens. If there are temperament issues though, while working to rectify the problems, it can be helpful to treat the alpha dog as the "king". IMO of course=)

cataholic-- it is definitely two! hehe

[Cataholic]

What I want to know is who in heck's name feels like they have to go running around 'telling' on me all the time? Sheesh...if one is old enough to be on this board, one is old enough to take a tiny joke. Sheesh, sheesh, and more sheesh.

And, Vela....why I oughta take TWO aspirins and call it a day!

[lv4dogs]

Not neccessarily.

Which is why I said "Yes you should if you have any dominant issues in your house."
Notice the IF?

[Glacier]

Which is why I said "Yes you should if you have any dominant issues in your house."
Notice the IF?

And I do have dominance issues, just not with the alpha dog. The issues tend to come from the lower ranking dogs who might want to move up the pack order. Ozzy currently is trying to raise his status, but as long as he realizes that he is not my alpha, I'm not changing the way I treat him. Ozzy is spending today in a pen alone because he was a big ol' jerk this morning. If Muskwa had been acting like Ozzy was, he would be in that pen by himself(Punishment in my pack tends to be through isolation. Nothing a husky hates more than being alone)

There are some behaviors I won't accept, even if a dog is trying to move up. Fighting, picking on each other, ect are not ok from any of them for any reason. They can work out the pack order without aggression & without hurting each other--Muskwa is the boss dog and I honestly can't remember him ever being involved in a major fight. I believe a true alpha dog doesn't need to resort to aggression to assert his dominance and that true alphas are rare. Dominance and dog aggression are not neccessarily signs of a good alpha dog.

[.sarah]

Does the alpha dog treat the other dogs differently? For example, a dog that's not the alpha dog but isn't the lowest in the pack, would the alpha treat him better than the dogs who rank lower than that dog?

If not then I don't see a reason why a human should do that with their dogs, because if you're the alpha then it wouldn't matter right?

[lv4dogs]

I understand where you are coming from Glacier. I also do not follow those rules, I do the same as you do. I am alpha in my pack.

I was just trying to clarify that for a less experienced owner or for one with major dominance issues it may be best to treat the leader as the leader.

I guess I should of took more time to explain. Thats why I made sure to include words like if & should. Guess that wasn't enough. lol


(this thread is almost more about grammer, proper wording & the like than anything else) LOL

[WolvesRawk]

With my pets, I'm the alfa so tey respect me and everything I do. If I want to pet Gaia, Mojo waits even though he is a higher rank than Gaia. It really depends on your rank in the pack.

[lizbud]

I guess I never think about who to "treat" as an Alpha. I pet each
when I want to & let them work out their order in rank.
Interesting thread.

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

You should be the dominant *dog*, the leader of the pack. Your dogs should be subordinates. I have read this in many, many books and on websites. Dogs should look at their owners as the dominant ones, not themselves. But if you have say, 3 dogs, you are the leader and the dogs are subordinates. This can mean that some are lower in the pack than the other, but you should always be the leader. It makes for better training and a well mannered dog. The leader of the pack thinks he should eat first, even before the humans. I would establish this by feeding my daughter, then my BF and me - BEFORE I feed the dog. That way they understand that YOU are the master! Go here to read about it.

Remember, this is my opinion and there is no need to argue about it...

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

Pssst... Haven't you noticed that *most* of the new members have so called Dyslexia?