adding a puppy to my home

Question
QUESTION: I have a 4 year old male (neutered) yellow lab. I have had him since he was 6 weeks old. He is very sweet and timid. I recently adopted a 10 week old female (spayed) black lab. When they play, she pins him down (he never pins her down), she moves his head out of the water dish, I feed them from separate bowls and sit between them while they eat. Is there any way to prevent her from dominating him? Should I even try? How far should I let her go without causing problems for my 4 year old? Thanks for any guidance you can provide.

ANSWER: I wouldn't worry too much about it.  A well socialized male will not attack a female.  It is quite common for an older dog to let a puppy pin it down.  We always have young puppies around and occasionally older dogs willing to play with them.  It isn't at all uncommon for the puppy to have the older dog pinned down.  For all the talk about ''alpha males'', it is often the alpha female that runs the show.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks your response to my first question was very helpful  Should I be concerned that she takes the older dog's toys away from him all of the time and pushes him out of the water bowl? Should I correct her?

Answer
That is just the way some dogs are.  As long as one of them is willing to be a door mat, everything is fine.  Just don't let her get the idea you are the same way.  The key to most behavior problems is approaching things using the dog's natural instincts.  Dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog.  Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones.  You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with a treat. Start at http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/  For more on being top dog, see http://www.dogbreedinfo.com./topdogrules.htm  That last site will help you understand what is going on, and how you need to stand up to her.