Which is the order of my dog pack? How do I tell?

Question

All of my dogs respect my commands, and I can take their food dishes, walk through doors ahead of them, and they know they have to ask to come on the bed, etc.

I have three female dogs:

Smallest (10 year old Scottish Terrier
Medium (2 year old Beagle, but has been with us the longest)
Large (6 year old Rottweiler)

I try to reinforce their current pack positions, but I am really confused! Can anyone suggest how to tell the dogs pack order? It seems they take turns!

-The Beagle is the first one out the door yet she is the youngest.
-The Rott always eats first, the Scottie eats her food when I give it to her, and the beagle will eat after the other two dogs are done and she will finally walk in the room and eat.
-They all take turns at the big water bowl
-The Rott insists on greeting my husband first when he comes home.
-The Beagle greets me first when I come home.
-The Scottie always gets her preferred place to sit on the bed.
-The Scottie occasionally gets the Rotts favorite bone and will not relinquish it to either dog and both avoid her when she has the bone.

Also, the beagle & scottie, and the beagle & rottie will occasionally do what I call the "pack testing each other dance" yet I can't tell who wins! The beagle is NOT submissive and the Rott isn't necessarily dominant although she has snapped at the beagles head before when she got overly obnoxious. They just dance around, and look at each other occasionally, and then walk away. My Beagle always gets really rowdy afterwards...does she think she won?

When the Scottie & Beagle test each other the Scottie will snap at the beagle for being pushy, but it doesn't seem like there is a "winner" either, and the Scottie & Rott just give each other space.

Help please! I have no idea!

Answer 1

Not all dog breeds feel the "pack mentality" as strongly as others. I have 4 siberians, they have a strong pack mentality and it can be very lively here! The pack order is necessary to survival for dogs like siberians -with limited food and harsh conditions, you really need the smart guy in charge!



The alpha isn't necessarily the biggest or toughest dogs, it's the dog the others respect. My alpha male is a good father-figure, he teaches the others. He guides them when we mush, he teaches them to obey. He waits until they are done eating and then they sit around him and watch him eat -the puppy cries and begs. He will usually give the puppy a few bites that he left in his bowl.



Also, humping is a common alpha behavior. It can be very embarrassing to the human owners but it is not sexual -it is dominance. The puppy tries to hump and gets put in his place fast.



Some dogs were bred for hunting, like beagles, some dogs are territorial and make good guard dogs like a Rotweiler. These dogs can be kind of casual about dominance and leadership. Sounds like your dogs all respect each other and live happily together. In a pinch they might all get behind the Rotweiler for protection but these breeds don't really need the survival pack order. They may also adjust positions as they get older.



Pack order is more about how they treat each other and not how they treat you. We have a good alpha male and female and we feed them first but as I said they won't necessarily eat first.

Answer 2

1.) Will she be in a lot of pain? No--as long as the vet gives you pain medication for her at home. Ask about this prior to the spay, she should have this for pain for 2-4 days at home. 2.) Should she be kept in her kennel for just a couple days so she can rest a bit? Yes, she should be kept quiet, no running or jumping, leash walked. I see she is an outside dog--she should be kept inside for several days (hopefully permanently!) after the spay to make sure her incision stays clean, and that she isn't too active outside. You need not clean or apply anything to the incision site at all, not even water. It should be kept dry and clean. If infection occurs, talk to your vet. 3.) How soon could she eat, after the surgery? (which I'm sure that she won't be very hungry right after) She may be hungry that night, but a small meal is best. Don't be surprised if she still has no appetite the day after the spay. Any longer than that, call your vet for advice. 4.) Do the vets usually keep her overnight? Some vets will keep a spay patient overnight, this is mainly to make sure that she is not overactive. However, I would ask if there will be staff overnight monitoring her. If not, and you can assure that she will be kept calm and monitored at home, then that might be a better option than staying the night. 5.) How long do the "stitches" stay in? Sutures are removed 7-10 days after the spay. Usually the follow-up visit with suture removal is part of the cost of the spay procedure. Your vet should give you information on monitoring the incision site, and what signs to look for as far as possible infection, etc. She should go home with an elizabethan collar (cone) to prevent her from chewing on the incision. A dog can rip out sutures in less than a minute, and to go back for her to be re-anesthetized & re-sutured would be expensive. Good luck!

Answer 3

Here's the good news -- you don't have to have any idea!



I see so many posts like this on various forums -- people twisting themselves in knots trying to figure out who is alpha among the dogs (or worse, deciding who is, based on very little evidence).



There is no such thing as a strict heirarchy in which one dog must be the alpha. That is entirely based on myth -- flat earth, alligators in the sewers, myth. It was based on some badly-done wolf research, which has since been debunked.



Dog negotiate, have some heirarchy (which shifts around), have things they care about and other things they don't. Some are polite and communicate well, others are rude. Some lean more towards the timid side, some are calm and confident, some are pushy.



What matters to you, as the humans, is that they all get along and are peaceful, and behave as you want. That's all that matters.



Isn't that a relief? :-)



More info can be found here:



http://www.kathysdao.com/articles/Forget_About_Being_Alpha_in_Your_Pack.html



http://www.apdt.com.au/files/dominancestatement.pdf



http://www.jeandonaldson.com/jeans-blog-mainmenu-51/64-are-dogs-pack-animals



http://www.nonlineardogs.com/100MostSillyIntro.html



http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090521112711.htm



http://www.wolf.org/wolves/news/iwmag/2008/winter/alphawolf.pdf



http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090611065839.htm

Answer 4

God I'm dizzy trying to keep up with that myself - let alone you.



Whenever there is a terrier involved then they are often the boss, and I would say it is no exception here especially as she is the oldest.



I would then probably put it as the rottie next and then the beagle.



Rotts will often settle for the quiet life UNTIL it is something important and then they show they mean business. A pack order does often change around a lot.



With a pack of rotties your 2nd in command (next to you) is often the quietest one as nobody challenges that one, they all just squabble underneath that, but only to a subtle degree as I wouldn't allow it to become anything more.

Answer 5

The true alpha isn't usually the one fighting or putting on a big show, so I'd be included to say your eldest, the Terrier is the alpha.



Here is some great info about reading dogs' subtle body language cues - http://www.canis.no/rugaas/onearticle.php?artid=1

Answer 6

I wouldn't say there was a 'pack order' they are all friends that get along great. Be thankful for that. I have a friend who has dogs who will fight each other over the water bowl when yours share the bowl.

Answer 7

You..the human should always be the pack leader! All of your dogs should be content to follow your lead, if not you will have the problems of snapping, aggression, etc. When you are the leader there is no need for your pack to fight for position!

Answer 8

You should try living with 4 cats!



three dogs, three personalities



probably they are so different they have different roles in different situations



do they think you are a dog, or do they think they are people?



enjoy.

Answer 9

Wow, it sounds like they all have their place in the pack and maybe you are the leader. That's how it should be and you may have achieved it without realising!