dominance between my 2 FB pups...

[StellaBabe]

hi everyone. I'm hoping that someone can lend some advice...

I have 2 french bulldogs: Stella (Female/1 yr/Spayed) & Che (Male/8 mos/Neutered)... they get along so well and everything has been running smooth until last week. I've always fed them together -- Che finishes like a made man & Stella takes her time. Slowly, Che has been showing his aggression/dominance towards her at mealtime.

When he finishes... he stares her down.. and tries to "pressure" her into leaving her bowl. I noticed that she was becoming very timid and often wouldn't finish or even eat. Then, this week... he bit her cheak hard at a few meal sessions. I scolded him & he persisted in "threatening" her. It was very unlike his overall personality... calm & loving.

So, this morning I separated them. Him behind a gate while Stella eats first. When she finishes -- he can eat. All went well... so I thought. But,
he was "pressuring" her all day. She would shake and bend... trying to seek my comfort for any reason at all. I try to ignore her so that I don't "give" in to her fears... further complicating things... is this right? I do feel sad about it.

I assume this must be common dog behavior or basic growing up?... trying to gain dominance over their mate. But, 1) does this behavior persist throughout their various life stages? 2) should I continue seperating them at mealtime? 3) how can I stop Stella's new timid behavior?

...any advice for multiple dog owners... thanks!

[citygirl]

I have two pups who are very close in age (within two weeks of one another) and one of them attempts to be dominant over the other, especially with food. It's kind of hard for the more submissive one because the dominant one outweighs her by about 5 pounds.

You have to step in and be the dominant one over both of them. When Maddie gets aggressive (mostly about raw bones), I either take them away and put them up for a while, or if it's really bad, I'll step in between them with a very dominant posture and she backs down. Since I've started doing this, we rarely have a problem with food aggression.

I think that if you don't do something about it now, it's only going to get worse.

Good luck!

[StellaBabe]

thanks citygirl... more than anything -- it just makes me feel bad.

Yeah, the food dominance thing just started and I do punish him right away. I'll say "no" sharply, stand over him (as you suggested) and wait until he calms down a bit. But, he "gets" her later or stares her down (which I hate!)... he stares & leaps at her.

I'll just keep repeating myself and in time... he hopefully should learn.
He's still only 8 months.

thanks again!

[imogene]

This would probably be difficult but if you want to try reinforcing his negative aggression with a passive action move him away from the dishes and put him into a down stay, while still letting you other dog continue eating. I would keep him in a down stay until your other dog was finished eating and then feed him from the same dish. A down stay is a passive position and it may help him if he is trying to assert his dominance to correct any aggressive behavior by making him do a passive action every time he does it. If it continues on I would consult an expert.

[Martina]

I'm really fortunate ... with my 3, I have rarely had any food aggressiveness.

If someone does act up (and it's usually Tigger), the first course of action is to take away all food and ignore the dogs completely. After about 5min, I put all of the bowls back down. The second course of action is to give Tigger a time out and seperate him by putting him the bathroom for 30sec - 1min (not long at all). That seems to calm him down immediately and he comes out behaving beautifully.

However, sometimes if it seems like the other dogs are still hungry (Tigger being the youngest and being male) - I might put more food down. I feed kibble w/ probiotics supplement and my three are, in no way shape or form, overweight. We walk everyday and they play, play, play! Sometimes they eat more, somedays the eat less. I actually put food down twice a day and then leave it. They eat what they want, when they want. I seem to be fortunate in that regard. Che, at 8mos, might just need to eat more. He's still a young growing boy.

If all else fails, I am a huge proponent of getting a dog behaviouralist in to watch the interaction and give suggestions.

[franp]

First , I think we need to stop feeling "bad" for our dogs...they are after all pack animals and asserting dominance is a natural behavior..Yes, we need to be in control..

I have always been in favor of feeding seperately; crating the dogs if necessary while eating..You might want to try this..Particularly to stop the "stare" of your male to female..The Alpha stare is one the major behavoiral tools of a (wouldbe) dominant dog to attain or maintain dominance.

There is an article on the site "Frenchie Boot Camp" which talks about making YOU the alpha in the house.. the first step to correcting the situation..

And as the others have said, your boy may need more food.. along with wanting to be more dominant..So, try feeding in a crate with extra food..and If it were me, I would not introduce food in a common situation ie treats etc..
Martina has also given you some excellent advice. that has worked with her three..

[StellaBabe]

thanks everyone. this site rocks. I don't feel bad anymore. I have continued to seperate them during meals and I already see a huge difference. I also read "Who's in Charge Here" (found on this site) and have re-gained my Alpha role :)

I can see areas which I was perhaps, enabling that behavior... but I caught it early! so, they are no longer sleeping with me (in my bed), they eat seperately (Che gets a little more since he's such a hungry boy), the toy box is put away until needed, and I have them "sit" for everything... getting food, going for walks, wanting a toy, etc.

Since they are both very young -- things improved right away... in just a few days :) Che's recent acts of aggression towards Stella have ended for the time being and my Alpha role looks to be the most important step...

thanks!!

[bulldoggin30]

I'm glad things worked out so quickly for you! Keep us posted.

[Martina]

That article has GREAT information - I'm so glad that you found it and that it helped so immediately. There are a lot of little things that we can do to establish dominance over our dogs, that are quick and easy that really, really affect their behaviour. Again, glad things worked out so well for you!

[Piperloo]

I don't know if you are beyond this or not but I can tell you how I handled two dogs eating together and NOT KNOWING what would happen...

When I got Hudson, Piper had been an only child :) for 7 years and never had to share her dinner space - ever. The times we had other doggy guests they ate in their crates - as per their owners instructions. In order to make the feeding ritual different when Hudson arrived I moved all of the dog food paraphenalia out of it's usual spot and into another room. When Hudson arrived I first fed them seperately for a few days - preparing their food when neither dog could see it being prepared. After a few days of non events I let them see me prepare the dishes - in the "new" room - but still fed them seperately. After a few days of THIS, I fed them breakfast together, on opposite sides of the kitchen, while I sat on the floor between them. After I was 100% positive that all was going to be fine I moved all of the food and stuff back into the kitchen. There has never been an incident - and I'm not sure if there even would have been - and I can walk around while they are eating. Hudson usually finishes first and I have to tell her to "leave it" so Piper can finish appicon but all's well.

I don't know if this is helpful to you or not or if you have to be more aggressive with your dog's problems. Food aggression can be a real monster. Perhaps you may need to call in a professional trainer into your home? Good luck.....:)