Last night he decided to test his 'place' and challenge Zeus... This is common with any dog in a multi-dog environment... Someone is always on the bottom, trying to move up... But there are two things I do NOT allow around here - barking and aggression... Playing and snarfing at each other is one thing - aggression is another...
Zeus and Simba challenged each other while I was in the bathroom earlier on, right after dinnertime... The best I could do when they squared off is to hold each other static and de-escalate the situation... Tight, confined spaces trigger male dominance regardless... And why everyone has to follow me to the bathroom is beyond me, but they do!
Once we went into the family room later and I settled in to watch my twice weekly 'fix' of 'American Idol,' Simba decided to challenge Zeus' established spot on the couch (right aside of Paul)... NOT a good thing to do!... LOL... I'm VERY fair about making sure the regulars are polite to the newbies and the newbies don't come in and try to take over...
But both Zeus and Simba are about the same ages, both males, just about the same size and both tend to be a bit territorial...
Within seconds of coming up onto the couch last night, Simba began to challenge Zeus for his spot... And within seconds he became 'umbilical-corded' against his wishes... Hooked on his leash, he had to sit on the floor (leash around my foot) until he got a different mindset (i.e. from 'I WANT THAT spot' to 'I want back up on the couch')...
Then once allowed on the couch, he had to sit where I wanted him to and it took about 10 minutes or so until he realized he could only go so far and that if he sat and was nice, he'd get sweet pets on his head, neck and back... But if not? Nothing... Around here, 'nothing is free'... LOL...
When Simba gets his mind wrapped around it, he can do anything very well... When he gets a wild hair up his butt, you have to start at ground zero all over again... With time and 'practice, practice, practice' the 'ground zero' times will become less and less with smaller lengths of duration...
I have GREAT expectations for this little guy... I get the sense he has a heart full of love and SO wants to connect functionally and emotionally... He's not a bad dog at all... There are times he is so like all the others and it is no longer a consistent 'out there' mode he will stay in... He looks at me with those sweet eyes and sweetheart ears and my heart melts... I feel sad that he has had so many years on this planet without that special and unique bond between a human and other of his own kind... He has all the ability to do this... We just have to consistently show him the pathway to achieving this ultimate goal!
