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I have a 10 yr old Aussie mix and a 6 mon old Boxer mix. They keep stealing each others treats. Is this normal?
This is my first experience with multiple dogs. Sometimes the puppy gets aggressive about it and needs to go into "timeout". Doesn't matter if the treats or rawhides are identical, they want what the other one has. Please help.
Asked by
Merlin Snyder
on Oct 29th 2009
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in Other Behavior & Training
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- This question is closed.
Best Answer
Oh, my gosh, that is so totally normal! It has more to do with survival than dominance - just as young children are selfish, so are dogs! The dog that gets the most food in the wild is the one who survives to breed, so they have an inborn drive to snatch as much as they can.
My Katie and Rupert are constantly going after each other's toys and treats. Rupert is about 4 months old now, and he is getting much more pushy with Katie, who is 2 1/2. I keep an eye on them, and if they get too rambunctious, the loudest one goes outside or into a crate for a few minutes. They have learned that if they want to wrestle, tug, or fight over toys, they do not get to stay in the house.
Make sure the Boxer mix gets plenty of exercise, so he/she doesn't spend a lot of time pestering the 10-year-old. Sometimes an older dog will start showing signs of stress because of the constant activity caused by the puppy. Make sure your Aussie has a safe place to get away from the puppy, so he/she can relax. GL!
Katie answered on Oct 29th.
Other Answers
Answers
they could be trying to show dominance between the two.
Roscoe
answered 3 weeks, 3 days ago.
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It is extremely normal! I have two Boxers and they both steal eachothers bones, treats , ocassionally food. The best thing to do is to feed them their food seperately. And feed the Aussie mix first. It will show the Boxer pup that aggressive behavior is not ok, that the Aussie mix is the older, and dominant dog. If the pup keeps getting aggressive create a quite space where he can go and calm down, it is possible that he is intimidated by a larger dog. It is also possible that he needs to be socialized somemore, with calm non-aggressive dogs. If you need more info let me know.
Ringer
answered 3 weeks ago.
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