Just letting off a little steam...

Cookie has been getting mad at Treader lately. She will start to look at him, and then she will growl at him. Then she acts as though she is attacking him, but if you look closely it seems that she is only mouthing him. Treader doesn't seem to be hurt at all after these "attacks". Cookie does scare him when she does that though.
There's this guy that was here to see Cookie do this with Treader. He's a retired Navy guy and so far as I know he is not a dog trainer. He keeps telling me that it will only get worse and that if Treader were bigger he'd be the boss instead of Cookie.
Basically, he's saying that males are always dominant over females unless they are smaller than the females.
Maybe he should tell that to all the large male dogs that have bowed to Cookie's authority over the years. And, actually, contrary to what he said,

Quote :

it will just get worse

, it has gotten a lot better. By now, I know what signs to look for before Cookie does these "attacks" on Treader. She tenses up, sometimes she will growl first. When I see her do that, I say "no!" and she will walk away. It has gotten far less common by now.
Funny thing is, Cookie is good with other dogs, but not always with Treader. I think it is a jealousy issue, as she usually attacks him when one of them is being petted or when I have food. Once, Cookie took attacked Treader for taking her treat. Cookie knew that when I had tossed the treat that is was meant for her. So, I aimed wrong and Treader got it first.

Oh, and when I told that guy that I think I have a way to fix it he just told me that animals are animals and you can't train instinct out of them.
He's a nice guy and all and listens to both sides, but I just needed to rant a little on this.
Also, does anyone have any extra advice for Cookie's jealousy issue? I think that I have it under control for the most part, but if something else will also help I'd like to know about it.

In my house, it is just the opposite. Baby, the female, JRT is the boss.
I taught them that I am the boss They are not allowed to fight over toys, food, or attention. Or, they are in a down/stay and get nothing, until I decide!

Rexandbaby runs her house the way I do mine. Somebody has to be the boss. I know we'll all be a lot happier if that boss is me, particularly since the next "dog" in line for the job is an 8-lb. Iggy. :-) They have to sit to get their leashes to go on walks, and they cannot bolt out the door yanking me along with them at the end of the leash. They have to sit and wait quietly while I get their dinners ready, and they cannot leap upon the food but must wait quietly until given the signal it is okay to eat. And on and on it goes. They don't even get little treats without doing something little to earn it. This latter is harder on me, sometimes, because I think they're darling and just want to give them a treat, but it works out better if I make them sit or down or something ... anything at all ... before they get a treat.

In my house, all humans are above the dogs.

We are all 'pack leader' so to speak.

Hmm, to me it sounds like Cookie is trying to rank higher than Treader on your heirachy. As in, she knows you are the boss, but she believes she is the boss of Treader, so she is trying to dominate him.

You see this allot in wolf packs... The dog don't 'attack' as such, just a bit reminding who's higher up. Because Treader is lower on the heirachy, if he eats before Cookie who is heigher, she'll get annoyed and remind him he shouldn't do that.

Thats what it sounds like to me, anyway xP