I do think alot of it, is because jess is ill., She is a strong character and i think sometimes its her way of saying, watch out, i am still strong you know Unfortunately she has been really ill since december so this is ongoing...

I've been reading this with great interest as my older (nearly 5) dog is very insecure and barks at anything going on outside. He doesn't like to be approached by other dogs outside and will take food from Myrtle if given the chance. When we were thinking of getting another dog, at the forefront of my mind was the possibility that she would become top dog and take the pressure off Dan. She's almost a year old now and doesn't take quite as much c**p from him as she used to! Is it possible (or advisable) to encourage her to take this position, or is she too young still?

Although Flynn appears to be top dog on first glance...bullying toys from Jed, pushing him around...I realised he's far too anxious and insecure in general to be the leader. When he's out and meets other dogs, his body language is extremely submissive and he also tends to use his voice alot when he's unsure of something.

Jed on the other hand is very calm and placid and very sure of himself when meeting other dogs (although he always backs down from a telling off but never submits to the extent Flynn does). He only barks when necessary and will stand his ground if he sees or hears something he's not sure of.

I think Jessie, our new addition, will be top dog when she's settled in 100%. She doesnt take any nonsense from the other 2 and if their playfighting gets too OTT, she sees it as her job to sort it out (this is something i'm trying to relieve her of!) She's also dominant with other dogs, even to the point of placing her paw on them or humping them.

Her and Jed have had a couple of brief set to's but i've been there to stop them. I'm not sure if they are having a slight battle of wills and sizing each other up because she doesnt behave the same with Flynn. She's perfectly comfortable in his company but seems more guarded with Jed.

I wont allow aggression between them and I always supervise meal times as Flynn would take everything for himself. It's a rare occurrence that any genuine aggression is displayed so I hope they are all happy in their roles and see me as the boss so they dont have to sort it out themselves. I dont encourage any one of them to be top dog as it's my job to provide for and discipline each one of them, they shouldnt feel the need to sort things out themselves.

I do feed Jed first and give him treats first simply because he was the first dog we had and the one with the best manners so I reward him for that. The others have come to realise the order I dish things out in and respect this.