Labradors

Question
We currently have a nine year old yellow lab and are thinking about gettin another one. Do you think our dog will be affected by getting another one?

Answer
I doubt it will be pleased.  Who is in charge?  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

At 9 years old, you may not be able to change the older dog too much.  You may just have to support it wanting the new dog to leave it alone.  Aster came to live with us at 10 years old in 2003.  Since then, we have inflicted 4 new puppies on her plus numerous other dogs for short visits.  When the new puppy tries to chew on old Aster, we give it an ''Ut,ut,ut!'' and distract it with a toy, just as we would if the puppy was chewing the sofa.