doggie middle child syndrome

I think Morgan might be getting jealous of Riley(our 4 mth old pup)....lately she seems to be acting strange...she is very nippy with the puppy and when we go for walks she is aggressive with Jessi and Riley, trying to bite them and she growls...Seems like she gets upset when she is not the leader. "...Jessi is soo laid back so she could care less what goes on, and Morgan has always been the assertive leader, and now that Riley is growing (she is now taller than Morgan) it seems like she might be asserting dominance, but I feel like its TOO aggressive.

Anyone have any advice on how to mesh a sucessful "pack"

Re: doggie middle child syndrome

Honestly, the two of them will have to work out who is Alpha. If you want to help that decision, you can begin by feeding the Alpha first, walking the Alpha first, etc, until the boundaries are very clear to both pups.

Good luck

Re: doggie middle child syndrome

Posted by MsMBV

Honestly, the two of them will have to work out who is Alpha. If you want to help that decision, you can begin by feeding the Alpha first, walking the Alpha first, etc, until the boundaries are very clear to both pups.

Good luck

Message edited 9/18/2007 12:44:25 PM.

Re: doggie middle child syndrome

Thanks for both of your input...I really thought that since I already had two dogs, who LOVED each other that adding another into the mix wouldn't be too horrible.
Jessi, our oldest, its so laid back and is not at all the Alpha female, when we brought Morgan home, she pretty much let her run the show, but knew when to put her in her place.

Now Morgan is struggling for the Alpha spot with Riley I guess...its just upsetting to watch and I'm sure if I should discipline them or let them go at it.