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Originally Posted by SWHouston  GEES !, is that a touchy situation !
One would have to pick up on that from the first sniff, to keep the resident in the Alpha slot. Which is not bad, just a little more difficult, and he would need a lot of support. The Alpha doesn't have to be the "Monster of the Year", to hold the position. I would probably be most likely to do this, if the resident was older, and earned/deserved to keep his Crown. |
I agree, it would be rare to let the rolls reverse. I have read about cases here where it was better though -- usually in groups of 3 or more actually -- to let them establish their own pecking order.
My 2 boys demonstrate that there can be a lot of gray -- they are both strong males, but neither a monster dominator. Max, the older, is top dog but will let the younger Teddy push him away from his food and water bowls. He lets Teddy stand on his back, or rolls over and lets Teddy stand over him. I was confused by this at first, but a wise person here suggested that Max was allowing this because he doesn't feel threatened in his position.
We do have moments of jealously and competition for attention. But the tension is easily diffused by redirecting the doggies to an activity.