I have 2 dogs, a 2 year old Standard Schnauzer and a female cairn terrier. The Schnauzer demands a lot of attention, and I'm getting really frustrated with him. He's much bigger than the Cairn and any time she gets any attention at all, he comes over and starts to bully her. He's very insecure in general and gets very bad separation anxiety. I just want to be able to have both dogs in the same room without having to worry about what he'll do. Please help!

If you have freeview, have a look at the dog whisperer on sky 3, on most nights 6pm and 7pm, these are older episodes, I think there is a new series on nat geographic wild.

He teaches owners how to be pack leader, and helps to rehabilate insecure, dominant or aggresive dogs to live peacefully with their owners and other dogs. It is truly amazing to see.

I have learned a lot from watching and have used his techniques on my own dog, she hated being brushed, apart from that she was mostly ok, just a bit nervous about somethings, and over friendly with people. She now lets me brush her without a fuss, and is not excitable with people, but still pleased to see them and enjoys being petted but in a calmer fashion.

You did not say how old the Cairn is, or how long you have had both dogs, both factors can make a big difference.

In my experience of having male/female pairs of dogs the female has always been very good at putting the dog in his place, even when considerably smaller. The dogs get attention in their own way, usually by blundering head nudging and sad looks while the bitch will always sneak in somehow to be the nearest for cuddles.

Please don't go down the "Dog Whisperer" route. Cesar Millan's methods have been completely discredited by proper scientific research into dog behaviour. His methods are just old wives' tales dressed up as pseudo-scientific twaddle & have no basis in modern views on canine behaviour. Plus some of things he does are down right cruel & even his programmes say that you should not try his methods at home. The reason for this is because people can be bitten/attacked if they try his methods which are totally unsuitable for unconfident dogs (& often lead to confident, normal dogs developing behavioural problems!).

An attention-seeking dog is not being "dominant" as such. All it means is that your attention is SO important to your Schnauzer that he is prepared to do almost anything to get it. You've already identified the problem anyway ~ your Schnauzer is insecure, has confidence issues & separation anxiety. These are the real problems that you need to address ~ not any so-called dominance issues.

It is difficult to give correct behavioural advice without seeing your dog & taking a full history of the problem but I would really recommend that you seek the advice of a qualified canine behaviourist, preferably under vet referral. That way you can really understand why your Schnauzer acts the way he does & how to help him build his confidence & stop being so dependent on you.

The Cairn is older than him, but she's a rescue dog so I'm not sure what her exact age is. I've had the Schnauzer for about a year, and the Cairn for just under a year.

The Cairn is a bit more dominant in general, but he can physically bully her more because of his size. She usually just hides under the table to get away from him.

Thanks for the replies. I think I'll consult my vet and take things from there.

Good idea, at my vets they have a folder with names of trainers, behaviourists etc. They invite feedback.

It is difficult with rescue dogs when you do not know their history. Cairns are usually quite feisty dogs if she is hiding under the table you are right to be concerned. What happens if you give her attention to get her out from under the table and tell the Schnauzer to wait?

My small dog gets nervous with thunder and fireworks (always has, we had her since a pup), the larger male (rescue) tries to get in on her cuddles but knows now to get his share he has to sit on my other side, then he gets praise and attention.