Growing Dogs God's Way

In case you haven't heard, we have 3 dogs.

First came Jynx.  She joined our home shortly after we bought our house back in 2009.  Since this is "her house" she's pretty much the Queen Bee.  As the first dog, she is stubborn, bossy, and she sure as heck doesn't need her "mom."  She can take care of herself, thank you very much!

Then in May, Toby joined us.  He's laid back, a people pleaser, and will put up with just about anything.  Typical middle child-- easy to get along with, and most neglected.  Sometimes we call him "Gramps" because he's 12 years old.

Then there's Tico.  I think this picture about says it all.


Our home has changed considerably with the addition of these canines.

There are dog beds all over, which Tico likes to destroy.

Road kill in the living room...

..which have been dismembered,with sqeakers and tails hidden under the couch.

We go for lots of walks...

...which requires lots of plastic bags...

...and leads to muddy paws that need to be wiped before they come into the house.

We also go through a few milkbones.

But there are some "inter-canine conflicts" that naturally arise when you have 3 crazy critters in one home.  And this is where I need your help.

Jynx found a renewed interest in her bone last night, so she has been working on it steadily.

Which sounded like a good idea to Tico.


1 toy + 2 bossy dogs = intense moments in the Taylor home.

Meanwhile, the "middle child" happily stays out of the way and plays on his own.


If Jynx steps away from the bone for one second...

Tico moves in.  And yes, that bone is just about as big as he is.

So after one particularly tense moment (read: dog fight), Jynx ended up here...

And Tico was sent to the time-out room.


But here's the thing.  I have about 4 more of those bones stowed away. 


So do I get another one out, and then they can each have their own?
Or do I leave it at one bone, and call it a lesson in "sharing"?


I tend to think that conflicting situations that can be prevented should be prevented.  But if I get another bone out, will they both totally lose interest, because it's one of those toddler "I only want it because you want it" things?  I want them to want to chew on bones, because it helps burn off their excessive, never-ending energy,  especially as the weather gets colder and they don't play outside as much.

Parents?  Dog-owners?  Help me out here!