The New Pack Order
And you thought your life was complicated - try and get a babysitter for this group!
Since my other article on Pack Dynamics, life has changed and become more complicated. Losing Nova upset the order a little, but because she was a low ranking member, it didn't change too much. However, as our 2 eldest aged and became unable to "run" the pack day to day, things began to slowly change. Finally, losing Penny then Homer created a major void in leadership. Even though Star and Hoover had been in "training" for the alpha jobs for a long long time, neither really had the opportunity to rule without question. Both had to endure the grumbles of the elder telling them they were doing it "wrong" and like most kids, endure parental "advice".
Then once she had "free rein", Star decided to rule like Hitler...Hoover prefers a more democratic approach (perhaps having run for President he values democracy - if you missed it, Hoover ran for President against Gore & Bush and technically "won" in 2000 - at least according to our straw poll here). So the pack is in flux. The insecurity of new leaders has created a tension in the pack with Holly & Gracie. Holly had always been Star's protege, but once she had Riggs, she
Key - Yellow - neutral or order not completely established Red - Strong dislike, will fight at any opportunity Green - Friendly/care about each other
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formed a new alliance with him. Meanwhile, Gracie wasn't born into the pack and therefore was an "intruder" in her eyes (it didn't help the timing wasn't good - Gracie arrived just as Holly was about to have puppies). To make it worse, and cause more jealousy, Star took Gracie under her protection (at least while she was small) adding to Holly's jealousy. One day Holly accidentally got let out with Gracie and instantly went for her. Needless to say, they no longer like each other, so must be kept separated permanently. The key to keeping them from fighting is a system of baby gates, crates and doors - and sometimes a solid panel placed so it's difficult to make eye contact with each other. Meanwhile, though Star and Holly get along just fine most of the time, it's tense in a way it never was before. As Gracie grew up, Star began to be more "bossy" - either because she could be (Gracie was quite submissive) or because she was half her size and felt she needed to. Gracie has taken on Nova's role in the pack - attaching herself to Dan as protector, and always looking for Star's approval by avoiding eye contact, doing what she thinks Star wants, and making no waves.
Meanwhile, Riggs gets along with everyone except his father Hoover - who just plain doesn't trust him (but not for any good reason I can see). Hoover just doesn't like Riggs all that much (though they don't fight when accidentally put together) but Riggs likes Hoover and adores Shadow (though because of Shadow's issues we never let them be together). Shadow surprisingly, is neutral to Riggs - probably because he doesn't smell like a "boy" from being neutered. Riggs is extremely sweet, but not submissive in any way. He obviously learned much from his long "talks" with grandpa Homer before he died - Riggs refuses to fight with anyone, especially the girls - even if they start it and won't stop - he just turns and turns and tries to get away from their wrath, but NEVER fights back (Grandpa told him a gentleman never fights with the ladies!). In a sense, we now have two overlapping packs with Shadow the outsider.
Just when things were beginning to gel, the pack got upset again. Star died, Dan & I splt, and he took Gracie & Chevy - and I kept 2 girl puppies from the most recent litter. So what do we have now? As for Dan's pack, I don't know. But here it's almost back to the way the original pack operated. Holly is alpha bitch, Riggs is her minion, with the puppies on the bottom of the pack order - all 4 can be together without a problem (for now - and that may change as the puppies grow up). Meanwhile Hoover, alone after Star died, is doing the bachleor thing, as is Shadow. They don't seem to mind at all and kind of enjoy the exclusive attention and quiet of no other dogs to bug them.
What is the point of this article? It basically illustrates a few things about a pack - neutering can help pack harmony - Riggs would not be so tolerant of Hoover's growls were he intact and Shadow would definitely not tolerate Riggs' poking his nose in his crate. Secondly, it illustrates what a unique pack our first was - probably due to the family ties the first group had. And once you add "outsiders" they do not get along well without major intervention - which is more typical of malamute females in general. There would have never been peace between Holly & Gracie - that was only achieved by barriers and keeping them from making serious eye contact. The same with Shadow and Hoover - Hoover will ignore Shadows' taunting barks as long as they don't make eye contact. If they do, all bets are off. Though an accidental meeting recently showed they are both slowing down - neither really WANTED to fight, but apparently felt they should. As soon as I separated them, it was over. Shadow now makes extra sure Hoover isn't in the vicinity when he goes by....
Another point is you MUST have a back-up plan with multiple dogs that include a malamute. Beyond a male and female, personalities become an important part of the pack dynamics, as well as age, and your own "alphaness". When you have 3 or more malamutes (or other dogs that include a malamute) you must always have a backup plan should a serious personality clash develop, particularly after that magic year and a half mark - puberty. One good fight can change everything. Gracie & Holly had a very tense but amicable relationship until the day Holly attacked. Sometimes you can rebuild the trust between them, more often you can't.
Why is it that Riggs the most easygoing, and Star the Dictator can both get along with everyone? You would think Star would be the hard one to live with, but surprisingly she got along with everyone. I would say another feature of pack stability is confidence. Star and Riggs are our most confident, unflappable dogs. They don't get upset when you yell at them (in fact they can be oblivious!), their feelings aren't overly sensitive, and they know what they want - they aren't looking for constant approval. I suspect Mulan will fit in this way - she is also confident and unflappable.
So what is the cohesive glue that holds a pack together? I would say it's mostly trust. The dogs that get along best can trust each other and know they are friends no matter what. Even when Nova and Holly had a big fight, they eventually learned to re-trust each other. As alpha it's your job to instill the trust that you won't let one take advantage of another, won't allow petty jealousies to get out of control, and lastly will have control so they can feel safe - even if it means keeping them apart. Hoover doesn't feel safe around Shadow unless he's behind a barrier - ditto for Shadow but a barrier isn't even enough. Riggs naively feels safe around everyone - but then he's neutered which eliminates many of the competitive issues.
The moral of the story is have a backup plan. Our back up plan is that fact our house can be safely divided into "zones" with doors and baby gates - and it works. Some make no attempt at house harmony and use kennels, but I think you lose out not having your dogs with you in the house. It's not the best situation, but it's a good compromise and all the dogs still get loads of attention - particularly when they are in the kitchen or by a computer! As long as you have family members that can be trusted to close doors and replace baby gates it will work - the dogs hang out in their zones with compatable dogs, and become experts at knowing the routine. Riggs knows that when Shadow goes to bed, he can then hang out in the living room instead of the kitchen. Dividing up the house is not something I'd try with very young children (our kids are now teenagers) and the teens have complained it crimps their style for having friends over (you can't always train friends to close doors and climb baby gates). But overall it works...