added a third dog, other two having trouble

Question
Hello!  I'm at my witt's end with a problem with my dogs.  I've had Clover, a beagle/boxer mix, since she was 8 wks, and she is now 7.  Two years ago we got another 8 wk puppy, Izzy, (lab mix) after our bulldog (Ophie) passed away.  Then, about 8 months ago I found a little 7 wk mutt puppy running down the highway and brought her home.  She's Peanut, now 8months old.
Here's the thing, Clover has always had a dominant streak with other dogs, but was always FINE with Izzy.  For 2 years they lived in harmony.  Then Peanut came along, and things were fine until Peanut got to be bigger than both of them.  Everyone gets along with Peanut fine, but CLOVER AND IZZY have started fighting everyday!  Clover usually starts the fight, but ALWAYS gets hurt the most because she's small.  She is quite obedient, even does "tricks," but I don't know how to stop her from starting these fights and getting hurt.  By the way, Izzy is typically very submissive and is typically afraid of everything, but once Clover attacks her of course she goes in to fight mode to defend herself.  I can't let Clover keep getting hurt!  What can I do??

Answer
Hi Heather;
Could Clover feel left out, and be a little jealous of Izzy?
When she attacks, grab her up, chew her little butt out and trell her she is bad and has to go to time out.
Time out at my house is a half hour in the small hallway bathroom.
No toys, not enough room to play or do anything but lie on the bath mat and be bored, and hear what is going on they are missing out on.
My best friend ( since high school) comes down to visit a couple of times a year, and brings her little Youkie.
she is a soft voiced, "Now, dooooon't do that" type of mom, and her little Youkie ( Mighty Mite) is a spoiled brat.
He was used to my dogs, and he and my Lhasa mix are best friends, but after his coming down a few years, we added a Sheltie that was a rescue.
Mighty Mite just decided he was not having anther dog is aunt charlotte's house, so he would attack Laddie.
Laddie is a non violent one too, but when Might mitr brought blood, aunt charlotte decided to over ride his mom.I picked him up, looked him in the eyes while I chewed his little butt oput, and put him in time out.
After about 30 minutes, I took him out, he plowed into Laddie again, so I put him back for an hour.
He is very high tempered and it took that long for him to cool down.
When I yook hiom out, I looked him in the eyes, and said :"Now aunt charlotte moves you, but I don't tollerate fighting, and every time you misbehave, I will put you in time out. so, you just be a good boy, because L:addie is here to stay".
He hasn't attacked since then.
Witrh the Lhasa, it took a few more times in time out.
He is by far the smallest one I have, but he bosses my australian shepherd, because Rowdy allows it.
When we got Max at 6 weeks old, Rowdy took over the puppy and acted like he was it's mother. Rowdy was just a year old then.
He resented me even scolding "his baby", and would take up for the little tyrant, and he spoiled him rotten, so Max still has to go to time out a couple of times a year ( he is 7 years old), and he has to be fussed at ( MAX! Do you want to go to time out?" a couple of times a month.
Threatening is enough to make him straighten up and act like a little gentleman.
Clover need to be reminded that YOU are the mom, the alpha, and the boss of the group, and you don't TOLLERATE fighting.
When it no longer suits her interests to misbehave, she will stop.
she wont like tiime out. they know it is punishment, and it is boring and a come down, i guess.
Anyway, it works better for me than anything I have ytried.
Just separating them and correvcting them isn't enough. that is something they can do standing on their head, but HARD TIME? LOL
Time out might work that well for you. Worth a try.
Charlotte