Even if your dog loves other dogs, spend a little time teaching them to interact appropriately with each other.

Remember, your dog may like playing with a second dog, but is still losing some of your attention. Start with both in a “sit” and then touch the other. Praise whoever is not being touched. Touch ears, tail, belly, paws, nose, etc. Also do slow, gentle petting all over. Verbal praise only. If you attempt to use food rewards, one or both could become possessive over the food and hurt each other or you.

Practice this a few times every day. Do this for about 2-3 minutes at a time. Over time, you will slowly decrease the distance and increase the time. You want them to look over at the other dog and think,”Hey, my sister is getting petted. Ah, so what, so am I. Just because she is getting petted doesn’t mean I lose out on anything.”

The following exercise will help the dogs learn to tolerate the other being touched. This will help combat them fighting over affection. Simultaneously pet each dog for five seconds on the chest (it is less arousing to the dog to be petted there and we want to keep them in a calm state). If they are sitting quietly, mark the behavior with a “yes”. Repeat a few times. Each session should only last about 10 minutes. If they do not tolerate it, stand up and walk away. You are taking away the resource (your attention).

By Lisa Lipinski