[Angie]

Is Ginger getting older? Maybe the alpha status is changing. I noticed this lately with my boys. Albert, 7 yrs, has always been dominant. He is always on the couch and Brody, 3yrs, is either on the ottoman or floor. In the last week I've noticed the opposite is happening and have wondered if the alpha status in my house is changing.

 

[Pamela]

ACtually they are about the same age but he hurt her once playing and since then she shies away from him sometimes - sometimes she plays with him but only if I am near and sometimes she give him 'what for' if he bothers her. But if she is yielding to him he doesn't seem to know it. He follows her every move - won't even go out to go potty if she doesn't come too. And she always used to love to go out in the yard - now we have to push her out when its time to go potty. She may be afraid of him. Just wondered if waiting to eat the biscuit was a dominance thing. thanks!

 

[rmillstein]

Could be a dominance thing, yes. Our trainer told us that we should always eat first (or pretend to -- she said to spit in the dog's food -- yuck) in order to show our dominance.

 

[Pamela]

really....interesting. I just wondered because she son't let him eat her food and believe me he tries - to get everyone's food. Ginger would growl at him unless she doesn't want it. He never tries to take her biscuit although he stands there and stares at her eating it! lol He does that to me when I eat too!