Inherited dogs

[9 Legs between them]

Hi

New to the forum.

I have a rescue dog (5yr old, 3 legs) and with the passing of my parents I have inherited their two dogs.

One is a highly strung miniature Yorkie (14) and the other a Maltese (7) type rescue (broken back, only use his front legs, hence user name). The Maltese needs to be toileted as he has no or little feeling behind his shoulders and is quite messy around the house (move to wooden floors only since we got him). My issue is managing the new hierarchy in the house.

I want to let the original (Babs) know she is still number one, but the Yorkie is quite dominant and they have all become really needy. I still allow Babs to sleep in our bedroom but feel guilty not letting the other two in the room.

Am I doing the right thing or over thinking the issue?

Many thanks for any advice.

Darren

 

[JudyN]

Welcome to the forum, and I am sorry for the loss of your parents.

The idea of a strict hierarchy in multi-dog households is rather outdated - it's more like human families, where there is give and take. One dog may have 'rights' to the best sofa, another may be able to claim all the toys as theirs, and so on. I don't have any experience of multi-dog households, but in general it's best to let the dogs find their own equilibrium. Your task is to ensure that each gets what they need to be happy - so if they're nervous about one of the other dogs being too 'in their space', then make sure that each has their own space a comfortable distance from the other - and avoid any potential flashpoints through management (e.g. toys, food and chews are only available when you can manage them). And ensure each gets the individual attention they need to keep them happy. I've heard it recommended that you have one more dog bed than there are dogs, so they always have a choice.

It's fine for Babs to sleep in your room and the others to sleep elsewhere - they will just accept that that's what the sleeping arrangements are. Equally, it would be fine for them all to sleep in your room... unless it meant that Babs (and you!) wasn't so relaxed, so you're best to keep the current arrangements at least for now.

How long have they been with you now? Are there any particular flashpoints that cause problems, like food, toys, access to sofas?

 

[9 Legs between them]

Thank you for the reply JudyN. And thank you for the condolences.

Molly and Bobby arrived in April. I suspect I am over thinking the issue. They all seem happy enough, Molly has put weight back on after losing it with stress, It's just Babs sulks every time the others get any extra attention when they are being needy and I feel guilty.

Welcome to the forum, and I am sorry for the loss of your parents.

The idea of a strict hierarchy in multi-dog households is rather outdated - it's more like human families, where there is give and take. One dog may have 'rights' to the best sofa, another may be able to claim all the toys as theirs, and so on. I don't have any experience of multi-dog households, but in general it's best to let the dogs find their own equilibrium. Your task is to ensure that each gets what they need to be happy - so if they're nervous about one of the other dogs being too 'in their space', then make sure that each has their own space a comfortable distance from the other - and avoid any potential flashpoints through management (e.g. toys, food and chews are only available when you can manage them). And ensure each gets the individual attention they need to keep them happy. I've heard it recommended that you have one more dog bed than there are dogs, so they always have a choice.

It's fine for Babs to sleep in your room and the others to sleep elsewhere - they will just accept that that's what the sleeping arrangements are. Equally, it would be fine for them all to sleep in your room... unless it meant that Babs (and you!) wasn't so relaxed, so you're best to keep the current arrangements at least for now.

How long have they been with you now? Are there any particular flashpoints that cause problems, like food, toys, access to sofas?

 

[Tinytom]

Sorry about your loss .....
We have always let our dogs sort themselves out ...dont overthink things and they will sort themselves out ...
One of ours Tom sleeps with me and the other 3 have the run of downstairs and there isn't a problem....
Good for you taking on your parents dogs what a wonderful thing to do

 

[Hemlock]

Just a little explanation of one aspect - if a dog is incontinent, then other house-trained dogs can get very anxious about it, especially if accidents happen on the other dog's bed. You might want to adjust who has access to where.

 

[Victoria Salter]

Hi

New to the forum.

I have a rescue dog (5yr old, 3 legs) and with the passing of my parents I have inherited their two dogs.

One is a highly strung miniature Yorkie (14) and the other a Maltese (7) type rescue (broken back, only use his front legs, hence user name). The Maltese needs to be toileted as he has no or little feeling behind his shoulders and is quite messy around the house (move to wooden floors only since we got him). My issue is managing the new hierarchy in the house.

I want to let the original (Babs) know she is still number one, but the Yorkie is quite dominant and they have all become really needy. I still allow Babs to sleep in our bedroom but feel guilty not letting the other two in the room.

Am I doing the right thing or over thinking the issue?

Many thanks for any advice.

Darren

This may be controversial, but actually the whole pack hierarchy thing is false. It is based on flawed research done on captive wolves. Please research this.
When training dogs, it is more about being a good teacher to your dog/s, rather than a dominant leader. You do have to have authority over your dogs, but this can be more like a teacher has authority over the children, or a parent is in charge of their children, rather than a dominant alpha thing.
Loving all your dogs equally is admirable. However, it is okay to have favourites, as long as you still love them all and treat them all fairly. It is understandable that your original dog will be closer to you, as she has been with you for longer.
Are the other two okay about not being allowed in the room? If so, there’s nothing to worry about. If you’re really worried though, you could always give them some things with your scent on and also play some calming music for them and even give all of your dogs (Babs included) some treats before bed (just not too many, and only providing they can have treats). You could always give them some healthy treats, such as apple, banana or blueberries, before bed. You could even give them dog peanut butter (or any peanut butter that’s low in salt and sugar and doesn’t have xylitol - please check the ingredients).
As long as your other dogs are happy, that’s the main thing. As long as all your dogs are happy, you should be happy for them, too.