Friend or Foe: 4 Ways To Help Two Dogs Get Along

Now, to start off, I can’t guarantee love. While I can help you get your dogs to get along with each other (i.e. tolerate each other), every doggie relationship will be different. Let me share with you my experience as an example:

When I was in my young teens, my family bought a Chihuahua/Poodle mix puppy from a family-friend. His name is Odie and he is an amazing puppy, but he contracted Parvo when he was one. He fought through it and beat it, but Parvo changed him. After weeks in the hospital, Odie became on edge around people and other animals.

Fast forward about 3 years and we adopted a Lab/Great Pyrenees puppy from the local pound that we named Dallas.

When Dallas came, Odie wasn’t very thrilled. Odie was absolutely miserable and growled at Dallas all the time.  We felt guilty for bringing home a new dog. However, to this day, we still have both dogs, and they tolerate each other. Here are 4 tips I used to help my dogs get along.

Alpha | The alpha position means your dog thinks they are the boss. This means that not only will your dog think they are the boss of the other dogs, they will believe they are the boss of YOU. This can lead to a lot of bad behaviors like aggression, refusal to obey, and resource guarding. Thankfully there are ways to train dogs out of these behaviors.

Beta | Contrary to what you might think, beta dogs can still seem like the leader of the pack. They will be more dominant during play, and will let the other dogs know when they do something the beta doesn’t like. However, these dogs are also more likely to listen to you. These dogs still need a strong pack leader though to keep them in check, or they may start testing the waters and start pushing back on your commands. 

Omega | Omegas are the most submissive of dogs. Basically they will listen to you and any other dog in the pack. These Omega dogs have no intention of climbing to the top and are perfectly content following along with their pack. These dogs really have no negative interactions with their siblings, as they are just trying to please everyone.

Keep in mind that there’s a lot of debate on if this pack structure is useful or not. The reality is that many dogs can be a mix of multiple types, and sometimes they can change their position in the pack over time. The takeaway is you should be aware of your dog’s behavior and how they interact with other dogs. Some dogs are naturally going to be leaders or followers, and that’s ok. You just have to make sure that dominant dogs are trained so that they will listen to you when needed.

In our house, it works quite simply. Odie takes orders from us while also commanding Dallas. Dallas recognizes when he’s getting on Odie’s nerves and then leaves him alone. On good days, they chase squirrels and trot around the backyard together. It’s a delicate balance.

If your dogs are anything like mine, it might seem impossible that they will ever be on civil terms. However, dogs are less stubborn than we are. Approach them with patience and love and they will adapt, change, and learn to form a relationship with their siblings like no other (including wearing matching sweaters). Become a spotter for dog training tips and tricks every week!