8 year old male and a 7 month old male

Question
QUESTION: I have 3 dogs, 2 almost 8 year old and almost 7 month old.
They are all males. one of the older dogs and the puppy get along fine. My lab/collie and the puppy which is a pug. Get along some of the time.

Some times if the pug walks by him. He will growl and snarl at the pug.
Sometimes they can eat on the floor together and sometimes not. I have to keep an eye on them at all times.
I can no long give the older dog chew bones because he will go after the pug.
He's like Jackal and Hide and when he gets like that, I either have to put him in another room or the pug and I know this is not fare to either one of them.
I just don't know what to do?

ANSWER: As your pug is approaching the age where it is time for him to start establishing his place in the pack, your older dog is pre-empting any attempt he might make at leadership. This behavior is, of course, inappropriate but it's also natural. The best thing you can do is supervise them carefully and break up any fights *without punishing the aggressor* (otherwise he'll just get meaner and be more sneaky about it) and make sure that you are firmly established as the pack leader. This means taking control of the food. You will find tips at http://www.thegooddogjournal.com/2009/02/whos-boss-establishing-pack-leadership. please follow the tips there to the letter and see if that doesn't help clear things up.

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

QUESTION: We have tried some techniques the vet had recommended such as feeding but he continues to growl and promote violent tendencies towards the pug. He has already attacked our pug once which resulted in major eye trama. This occurred when the pug was 4 months old.

It is important to note that our lab/collie mix has always been extremely territorial and has never been fixed. We plan to get the pug fixed within the next several weeks but we are concerned that if we get the lab fixed he will not survive the operation. Do you think this problem will continue after the pug has been fixed or would you recommend getting both fixed, or will this not solve any of our problems?

This is a very disconcerting problem for us as we cannot leave the house with all three dogs unattended. As we both work it is becoming a major issue. We currently have our pug in doggy dog care while we are at work but later in the summer, we are going to loose this service for a month. We are hoping to correct the issue by then or may be faced with some tough choices.

Thanks in advance!

Answer
Fixing the pug may help and fixing them both is better, I am not sure why he wouldn't survive the operation, it's a very simple operation for males, unless he has a lung issue that would be irritated by the anesthesia. Neutering can help because hormones contribute to territorial and dominance drive. But those behaviors that have become habitual will still have to be dealt with through training. I encourage you to make pack leadership behavior a habit, yourself and every human in the household. It will help and neutering will also help. They will compliment each other.
You may also want to consider crate training your dogs and having them stay in separate crates when you are not able to supervise.