2 males

Question
Hi Nancy My name is Chris I have the pleasure of having 4 dogs 2 female labs (sisters) 8 months 1 rat terrier maybe half Chihuahua 11 months old and a 2 month old german shepherd. I know you speak with a lot of people who have dogs who shouldn't and some people would say 4 is too many but Im a dedicated dog owner who saw four dogs needing homes and did not want to see the go to the pound. All of my dogs came with a bag of goodies. My labs had mange when i got them. My german shepherd was bit by its mom and had an infection ,and my rat terrier I got as a tip on a delivery ( Im not joking. ) So I am attached because I did what i had to do witch costed a lot of money i even go as far as to buy all natural dog food and thats about 200 a month. My problem is that every sense i brought my puppy home my rat terrier has become a big problem. When i got him he was the worst he was food aggressive territorial did not lessons and did not like sharing ,but over the last few months him and my labs were a big happy family. Non of my dogs are fixed its not that i cant afford it their all on insured plane that cover that but i don't intend on fixing them. Im not trying to breed any of them I just believe that tho it works that you can achieve the same thing with hard work and love ,and most people do it so they don't have to spend 30 minuets a day saying no and discipline their dogs but i believe in doing this the right way. I understand that my rat terrier is almost a year and thats why he is not that into my puppy's all day all night energy but their has to be a way to get them to get along with besides getting both fixed. I don't have a problem with the 2 girls my males don't try to hump them but every sense the puppy came my rat terrier has started (but its ok my labs put him in his place plus their 3 times his size. So what can i do to get my 2 males to get along because my rat terrier has already had a hard life with his first owner abusing him I mean he growls when u pick him up when you tell him no and when the other dogs come around and try to play he growls and when he plays is that normal. His tale wags and you can tell he's playing but he still grows. Thanks for your help.It will be great to have a good night sleep without my males fighting even tho my puppy thinks they're playing.

Answer
Most all terriers growl when they play....it is natural for them  it is a way of talking to the other dog....You will have a major problem when the females come in heat and both males are fully matured...The shepherd may kill the rat terrier at that time...This is not a discipline issue it is an instinct issue which a male dog cannot always fight against.  It is hard enough for a dog to learn many commands etc that go against his breeding and natural instincts, but when you ask him to go against the most basic instinct of reproduction, you may lose the fight.  Trust me on this,, I have a lot of experience here.  I have raised shepherds and terriers.  Your labs will tease the males into a frenzy not even realizing what they are doing because it is an inborn survival of the race so to speak.  If you don't want to spay or neuter you will have to separate them.   Even dog shows wont permit a female in heat on the premises, and this is with highly trained animals.....You might contact a guard dog trainer and ask him how they get them to ignore a female in heat.   I can manage my dogs when a female is in heat in my house, but they get extremely aggressive, and a dog as close to basics as a shepherd can really get out of hand.....   To get them to get along at other times...you must be in complete control as a pack leader....Ceaser Milan is very good at that (although he recommends neutering too)  he has 32 pit bulls together.  He is the absolute ruler of his "pack" you will need to do that.    they only get fed when they are submissive, or calm, you get and do everything first (such as eating, walking out a door).  It's a complete training program and I would go to his web site and see if there is something there you like.
I would also have a very special treat that is only given to them when they are getting along and are calm with each other...At no other time is this treat given...The association is that the best treat is when they are calm and getting along.
Well good luck and stay the pack leader always....google some wild dog studies so you know what your dogs are working with, how they are driven (also some wolf studies might help)
I like your ideals, but make sure you don't put those ideals before the happiness of your dogs..Remember if they have to hear the word no too much it will be ineffective...
Think about what some people do.....they crate train their puppies...Leave an 8 week old pup in a crate for 8 hours and then correct it when it goes to the bathroom in there...The longest an 8 week old puppy can and should hold his urine is 2 hours....The result of this is that you never have a housebroken animal...they have pushed the pup beyond its limits...nature usually wins out.  So do your best, but know when it is time to go to plan B...I believe you may be able to do this, so give it a try.
nancy
how are you making out