Aggression from the Alpha Dog to another dog

Question
Hi-
We have two teenaged dogs- one Lab/X mix (possibly pit bull, or boxer) and one Boston Terrier/Border Collie mix (Mister Pickle).  The lab, Daisy, is the alpha dog- she was here with us first, and a female. Between the two dogs, she probably gets a little bit less attention and affection from our family. She has recently been getting aggressive with Mr. Pickle around issues that seem to be mostly related to attention- or propriety-  i.e.: not letting Mr. P greet us, not letting him up onto the bed, stealing his food, and generally using a vicious growl and knashing her teeth at him a lot more frequently than before, causing him to do a high pitched yelp that sounds like he's in pain. Prior to this behavior, most of the time the two of them have seemed to be the best of friends. I believe that Mister Pickle is now beginning to be afraid of Daisy. We would like to know how to handle- or curb (?) this situation. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.


Answer
Hi,

If I understand your notes correctly, Daisy was the first dog to come into the family. You have suggested to me that Daisy, for whatever reason, is receiving less attention and affection from your family than she used to receive.

Mr.P, is a Boston Terrier/Border Collie mix breed. Neither of those breeds are dominant in nature (aggressive) when compared to pit bull, or boxer. This is not to say that Daisy is an aggressive dog. It's just that her family traits are probably more domineering than those of the family traits of Mr. P's.

Now, Mr. P is introduced to the family, and Daisy is neglected compared to the amount of attention and affection she usually receives. It sounds like Daisy and Mr. P were friends, until the family affection and attention leaned more to Mr. P. (An innocent but costly error on the family's part).

Daisy recognizes this and begins to rebel against Mr. P (Can't say I blame her). Her breed mixture, being the stronger of the two begins to overpower Mr. P. As time goes on, she (Daisy) recognizes this and, like any human or animal, seizes the upper-hand and pushes the unacceptable behavior to the limit, or further.

The family MUST devote equal attention and affection to both dogs, else you will find yourself paying some expensive veterinarian bills.

Try finding things to do with both dogs that each will enjoy, i.e. walks, tug-toys that both can play on at the same time. The main thing is that the attention and affection to each MUST be the same.

Good luck. Please let me know how you make out. It is not to late.

Harry