One Dog, or Two? - Page 1

I know that there's been some who have posted on here who have struggled to keep the aggression in check with their Mals, or any high energy, working breed of dog. Everyone has different theories on how to handle this, whether through more obedience, scent work, exercise, etc... All of those things are definitely important, but I had another idea that I tried, and its working marveously-- consider getting your dog a best friend.

I haven't been on here for awhile, so for those who don't know me, I own a beautiful, 3 year old, female Belgian Malinois named Valkyrie. She was originally rejected by a Sheriff's Department for police work because she was far too timid, and her timidity was turning into the wrong kind of aggression. Unfortunately, I think whoever had her before the Sheriff's Department just didn't know what they were doing. Instead of building Valkyrie's confidence, they turned her into a nervous wreck, and the more nervous she became, the more aggressive she became too. This is definitely not a good recipe for a police dog, so I offered to take her off their hands. 

Two years later, and we've made some phenomenal progress. Valkyrie is now acting much more like a proper Malinois, getting into mischief and game for anything. However, she still had some issues with other dogs. She went from being the omega to being a very dominant, alpha female, and it didn't matter how hard I exercised her before we went out to the dog park, she still wandered into the park with her chest thrown forward and her tail straight up. We've done obedience, scent work, you name it... Nothing seemed to fully tame her newfound dominance/aggression towards other dogs.

My dad has always bought his dogs (Rottweilers and German Shepherds) in pairs. He said it was because he didn't want them to be lonely while he was at work. I was so used to seeing Mals being kept solo that it took me awhile to realize that Valkyrie had never had an opportunity to function in a pack, and since she wasn't an actual working dog (just an at home one, with runs and scent work), then maybe I was being unfair. Maybe her aggression was in fact her frustration from being lonely when I was at work. So, after considering it for over a year, I finally went out to a farm and got a chubby little German Shepherd/ Rottweiler mix puppy. My hubby picked him out, insisting that he wanted a more mellow dog to be his, but I insisted he be named Thor :)

Thor was the missing piece to the puzzle. He has a calming effect on Valkyrie, and they play ALL DAY LONG! It took some patience and a little bit of discipline, but her toy and food issues have disappeared too. Now when we go to the dog park, Valkyrie has so much more patience, no longer immediately snapping when another dog jumps on her. Instead, she jumps into play mode, just like she does at home with Thor. I'm convinced that it's the magic that comes from being in a pack. I know not everyone can handle two dogs, and my neighbors all laugh at me when I go running with a leash in each hand, but now that I see how good my pups are together, I can't believe I didn't do this sooner. It's not a solution for every dog owner, and it's not a solution for every dog, but Thor has brought out the easy going, loving lady that Valkyrie was meant to be.

I laugh every time I go outside, because I realize that there was no need to buy that second dog house-- they always insist on curling up in the same one, together.