Is there always an alpha?

[Leslie, Yogi & Maci Bear]

So I'm wondering as I wait for Yogi's sister, is there always an alpha? Will one dog take the lead, or sometimes do they share that role? I've never had multiple dogs before, so I'm curious what this will look like. What does the alpha do that let's you know which it is?

Will I feel bad for Yogi if it's not him? He is such a mild temperament puppy, I just wonder what it will change.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

We had a very interesting discussion about this not long ago that may provide you with some answers:  http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/do-you-believe-in-pack-hie...

IMO, yes, one dog does take "lead" role over the other (I hate the term "alpha" because it is so misused and poorly understood), but as I mentioned in the discussion I linked, it doesn't always look the way you think it will. 

And you will not feel sorry for Yogi, because not always being the boss has a lot of advantages in life, for dogs as well as for people. :) 

[Leslie, Yogi & Maci Bear]

Thanks Karen. That was an interesting discussion.

[Jarka, Monty & Auggie]

It will be interesting to see what happens once the little sister is home and growing up with Yogi. When we were about the get our second doodle, I also was feeling bad for Monty. I was struggling with the thought of having to share my love and attention between two dogs. First of all, I learned that you don't share the love. You just have more love for both.

As for the alpha roles, I'm not a big fan of "alpha" term either. It seems to me that in our house, the younger one is more bossy over the older one. But it's so hard to know. They do take turns in winning the tug-o-war. Monty goes out as first to the garage, but it's Auggie who goes out into the backyard through the door. So the truth is, it is not clear to me who the "alpha" of my two boys is. We've never had a fight over the "alpha" role.

You will notice that yours two have different personalities and you will enjoy them both. I'm sure Yogi will be thrilled to have a little sister (once she loses all her baby teeth). :-)

[Leslie, Yogi & Maci Bear]

Jarka, thanks!

Also Yogi may have it coming when it comes to puppy teeth :-)))

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

 :-}

[Marie and Hoka]

We have had a bunch of different looking relationships. 

Currently, Hoka pretty much took over from "big sister" Moxie day 1.  At 6 months, Hoka is definitely the alpha/leader of their relationship. He steals anything he wants from her, and she lets him.  He walks out front, he greets everyone first.  There is a big size difference here, so I am not sure how much that matters. He was bigger than her from day one.

In our previous pair, Tinker slowly took over from Torrey over the years (8 years together), but it was really subtle.  It was really hard to tell who took the lead.  They definitely seemed outwardly to alternate.  There were things one cared about more than the other, and it often seemed to matter who cared more. Sometimes Tinker stole all the bones from everyone, other times he sat their crying while Torrey refused to give it up. As soon as she was distracted, he stole it and she didn't take it back. They were well-matched and happy together.

[Joyce (Casey & Cody's mom)]

It is always interesting to hear so many varied opinions about this topic.  I have a household with 8 dogs right now. (not necessarily my choice - we have one foster, and are now the "people" for my mother's dog since she went into an assisted living facility.  My 6 consist of 4 wirehair dachshunds and 2 doodles.  Of the 8 dogs - 6 of them are males. The 2 females are mother / daughter dachshunds.  Now there are my alpha and the alpha -wanna be.  The older bitch is definitely my alpha, but she and her 8 year old daughter "tangle" frequently.  All the dogs just leave the room when they get into it.  So funny - last week, they started fighting (BTW - there is always LOTS of growling and yelling and wrestling, but NEVER a drop of blood or even any wet fur.) Anyway - the girls started fighting and Cody ran and got in my lap!  

[Jarka, Monty & Auggie]

Too funny, Joyce. From what I learned from our breeder, females usually are the "bitchy" ones....kind of like in the human world, LOL.

[Leslie, Yogi & Maci Bear]

Joyce, too funny!
Sounds like the girls do rule the roost ;-)

[Leslie, Yogi & Maci Bear]

I remember when we picked out Yogi, it came down to him and a female in the litter. The female was always jumping on Yogi, trying to instigate something. Yogi just took it in stride, just let her do her thing, then moved on. That's what sold us on him.

[Jennifer and Lily]

That's funny, I picked out Lily because she acted just like Yogi but the available males tried to instigate.

[Jennifer and Lily]

I only have one doodle, but in the group of dogs that Lily plays in she is the only female and she is considered the "alpha". I think it will take some time for you to see who is alpha, and the roles may change over time. No matter who is alpha, I would not feel bad for Yogi. The only time Lily showed dominance behavior that I did not like was right around the time we had her fixed. Her and all the other male pup friends had an abrupt change in attitude until her and her friends were fixed.