Q. We have a wonderful 8-year old Akita female. I have recently beat cancer so my husband got me a male Shih Tzu pup. For 6 months they have gotten along. Well, the Akita has tolerated the puppy. He seems to love her, he follows her everywhere. Last night she went berserk on him. She was my husband's dog and she really loves him best out of the family. They were watching TV and the pup came over to see what was going on. She attacked him, she growled her hair stood up, and she had him by the neck. My husband screamed at her to stop and she did, but she held on for a bit. It was so scary and the puppy didn't know what to do with himself afterward.

My husband says that if the Akita really wanted to kill him she would have and we would never have stopped her, she just wanted to show him who was the boss. I find this hard to believe. Is this normal for dogs to do this to each other? The puppy wasn't harmed, just scared half to death.

A: This may be normal, and it's certainly an excellent sign that the little one wasn't injured. Be careful how you intervene. They have a very sophisticated language with each other, and you don't want to interrupt them giving each other the necessary signals to keep an interaction from going to the point of injury. She is probably expecting more of him now that he is maturing, and there's a good chance he will be okay with it. Female dogs and male dogs each have their own roles in the pack, and usually can get along with each other in the home without injury. But if it you have any doubts, ask your veterinarian to recommend a behavior specialist who can observe the dogs in person.

Do be careful about things like food, extra-special toys, treats, and other things that could create excessive competition between them. Here are ideas that help when managing multiple dogs in the home:

1. Spay/neuter both of them. 
2. Work with your veterinarian to be fully aware of the medical issues affecting each dog. For example, a dog with hip dysplasia, a damaged knee ligament, deafness, or blindness will react differently to other dogs. A seizure disorder could make one dog the target of another, or could cause the dog in the seizure to become aggressive. Some medical disorders will call for separating the dogs at least part of the time. 
3. Give no food of any kind to them without enforcing complete separation until both are finished eating. Any toys they would fight over need to be removed, and given only when they are apart. Same for chew items.
4. Obedience training. You need to be able to control EACH dog without your hands or a leash, just your voice. Then you have a chance of controlling both when they are together. You do not want to be sticking your hands between two sets of flashing dog teeth.
5. Take each dog away from the house daily for training time away from the other dog. This strengthens your individual control over each dog incredibly.
6. Comb out or in some other way thoroughly groom each dog daily. This makes it a lot safer to put your hands on them when they are aroused, plus it powerfully strengthens both their individual attachments to you and their obedience to you.
7. Have them do a 2-minute Sit-Stay and a 4-minute Down-Stay about 4 feet apart, every day.
8. As long as you have concerns they might fight, separate them when you are not able to supervise them. 
9. When you arrive home, immediately let them out to run together. A fenced back yard is a huge help with this. They will argue a lot less if they can solve some of their relationship issues through running together. This is particularly important when returning with one of them who has been out with you. If they are cooped up in a small space when feeling this way, fighting is more likely.
10. Be careful about when and how you intervene. An owner interrupting the interaction between two dogs at the wrong time can actually trigger fighting. Dogs are also capable of fighting to get your attention.