Pecking order

[COLLIEKATE]

Thoughts required on whether dogs who dont normally live together when out playing ball should determine pecking for themselves. Rough and tumble nothing nasty ie hackles but a bit of growling and mouthing. Seems my bitch thinks she top and put younger ones i their place. Whilst this isnt always the case as depends on whos out playing. After some recent comments (another dog walker) i feel the need to call her off when it starts but dosent feel like she then gets good impression of other dogs. Also sometimes it feels like other walker has the impression their dog should be top dog but isnt and that leads to comments around the mouthing. Hope that makes sense. I suppose the question is do you encourage the dogs to decide pecking order if so when to intervene?

 

[JoanneF]

I suppose it depends. If another dog approaches her and she tells it off, I'd see that as the other dog's owner's failure to keep it under control. We don't like space invaders, my dog has his friends but doesn't like strange dogs approaching him at speed or sniffing his bottom. I don't blame him. Equally if he ran up and started to annoy another dog I would be quite embarrassed. After appropriate introductions if both want to play then that's fine. And then we normally find that one takes a chasing role and the other a running role (this varies depending on who he is playing with).

 

[COLLIEKATE]

Sorry should have made it clearer. These dogs have been introduced and play together maybe 1-2 times per week. I was really asking about pecking order establishment not introductions

 

[gypsysmum2]

Dogs will normally decide their own pecking order. If it were me I would try to take a detached look to see if one dog was being overly intimidated.

Mostly older bitches will control things. This is natural. Most dogs accept it. If another dog was not accepting of it then a fight might start. This is where the detached watching comes in. Do not be influenced by the top dog being your dog and much loved by you. If the under dog is having a miserable time then I would interrupt the behaviour and distract the top dog into doing something else.

Unlike us, most underdogs do not mind being underdogs. It is much easier than taking on the responsibility of policing the rest of the pack. The owners of underdogs, I find, get quite upset about the "fairness" of it all. They project human feelings onto dogs.

I presume your dog is a collie, Collie Kate? As a breed they can be particularly controlling because they have been bred to control sheep. This may well upset other owners. It is up to you whether you keep the peace with the other owners and play with your dog separately for a short while so that the other dogs can play a different kind of game to that allowed by your dog. It is not something that your dog needs correcting for. She is just behaving normally but the other dogs and their owners may not enjoy it as much as she does.

Your dog should enjoy the other play, with you, or she may resent the other dogs having fun without her and decide to "control" them even more.

Hope this makes sense? All in all as long as the other dogs body language is not too cowed and they are not too worried by your bitch then I would leave well alone.

 

[COLLIEKATE]

"Unlike us, most underdogs do not mind being underdogs. It is much easier than taking on the responsibility of policing the rest of the pack. The owners of underdogs, I find, get quite upset about the "fairness" of it all. They project human feelings onto dogs." In short sour grapes lol my gut said leave it alone its nice to reassure your gut instinct.

 

[COLLIEKATE]

I really dont doubt all the dogs enjoy it as mentioned no aggression. She does tend to dominate fetch game but thats because shes too darn fast lol. Other dogs dont seem to mind at all playing catch up and theres usually more than one ball in play so nobodies left out. Owners issue me thinks!?!

 

[COLLIEKATE]

I really dont doubt all the dogs enjoy it as mentioned no aggression. She does tend to dominate fetch game but thats because shes too darn fast lol. Other dogs dont seem to mind at all playing catch up and theres usually more than one ball in play so nobodies left out. Owners issue me thinks!?!

 

[gypsysmum2]

Quite common for owners to think that losing is "not fair". Much the same with parents and children I think?