My first time with two male dogs, we've had one female and one male for a while and added a male here a bit ago. He's pretty chill but my present male is fairly onry with the new guy. It's only be a few days and it is getting better but they need to be safe to be without human intervention.

They're just snoozing close together now. They get fed separately and such. Crate training the new guy as well.

quote:

Originally posted by Riley:
My first time with two male dogs, we've had one female and one male for a while and added a male here a bit ago. He's pretty chill but my present male is fairly onry with the new guy. It's only be a few days and it is getting better but they need to be safe to be without human intervention.

They're just snoozing close together now. They get fed separately and such. Crate training the new guy as well.

My wife (who is in charge of the dogs) always lets the guys settle it themselves, with no intervention. It takes a few days to a few weeks sometimes. They share a common free feed bowl and water. Both boys are 130 lbs, but the 70 lb totally deaf rescue female rules them both.
 

As we all know, dogs are supremely social. If you leave them to themselves, they will almost always figure it out.

I have two boys (and 2 girls, as well).
For the most part they get along great and play quite a bit (separate crates and separate bowls), but occasionally (like once a quarter) there will be a snit. I've always been around when they're loose together, so I just yell "HEY" and drag one off to crate, then grab the other.
The "hey" stops it for long enough for me to regain control.

Been a long time, but I had a bloodhound once that I used to have to grab by her hind feet and drag backwards to free her up (she dropped the gloves at ANY infraction from ANY dog, tail up and wagging, and I never saw her take a beating, she was always giving it). I loved that dog, but geez... constant vigilance.

When I first decided to bring another male home, I consulted a breeder, who felt that 2 girls were more trouble, and that boys generally forgot and let it go, but girls never did.. so far, so good- they always let it go and go back to being best buds.

Check out Caesar Milan. As he would say, you need to be the pack leader and both dogs will follow. It sounds like your first one is trying to be the dominate male in the house. To minimize issues, make sure there is no food or toys that would spark a fight. Also, make sure they both have their own bed or place to relax. Other than that, they should leave each other alone.

One of them is going to be dominant, regardless of who the pack leader is (you). There will be a second-in-command, etc., all the way down the line.

One of them is going to be dominant, and it isn't always the one who is barking/growling/acting aggressive. I try to tell clients to back off as much as possible so long as there isn't bloodshed, and that noise is just noise while they sort it out.

Once there is a clearly dominant dog, do your part to reinforce their order. Don't go "taking up for" the weaker dog, feeding him first, or petting him first. Pet the alpha first, then the second in command, etc. This reinforces that the natural order they sorted is what you want, where taking up the cause of the weaker one can send the message that the pack leader is trying to reverse their pecking order. If they get that message, they CAN get pretty nasty re-sorting the whole affair.

There's a pretty good book by Baer and Duno titled Leader of the Pack. Lots of insight there, it's an easy read

If they both are dominant, the fights can get messy. I would crate them while away until you have plenty of time observing how serious their altercations become, and if the new dog is submitting to the existing dog, or vice versa.

As SIG4EVA pointed out, be mindful of anything that could be considered a valuable resource (food, chews, toys, etc.) they might battle over. If one dog always submits to the other when there's a dispute over objects, that's a good thing. Be advised that one, the other, or both of them may place a high value on an object for mysterious reasons. For example, my co-worker's dogs once got into a bloody fight over a bungie cord that had fallen off the gate and into the back yard. They were fine most of the time, but if something new entered the backyard, they'd have a serious throw down. My American Bulldog occasionally will think she's found something special, and I have to finesse the situation to keep her from getting into a resource-guarding mode. Lots of dogs can go primal, under the right conditions.

Group walks/runs are a good way for all of you to bond as a pack. Learn to keep them both in heel. They should only go in front of you when you give them permission. If you can do obedience sessions with both of them where one has to wait while the other does a trick and gets a reward, that can improve their patience with one another.

Thanks! They do well on the lead, like a sled dog setup but for pulling me on the scooter.

Here's a question: what breed(s) are we talking?

Malamutes and a Malamute/GSD mix.

I have not read all the posts to your post Op, but it has been my experience that the males usually work out their pecking order. The only time that this does NOT work is if you have two alpha males. At that point they may be willing to fight to the death. If you have much experience with dogs, you should be able to determine if either male is an alpha.

The new guy will turn away and just doesn't seem to care. He's hiding between me and the island counter now. He's a good 3" taller and 10lbs heavier than our other guy. He's just chill so I'm sure he'll not be an Alpha type.

Our female only cares if they go at it.

Bump.