[Steve n Gayle]

We have rescued a 6 year old female, just 3 days ago. We are Americans living and working in Germany. She was found by the police sitting next to her elderly owner who'd passed away several days before. She was in the shelter one month before we adopted her. We have very little information on her, except that she went into heat during her month there. She is going in to be neutered in two weeks. She was extremely happy to see the different volunteers at the shelter, and wanted a lot of petting. The shelter manager told us she felt Petunia was quite dominant (food and toy possessive) and would need experienced owners. My husband (second marriage for both of us) owned a rottie when his kids were young, a female. No dominance problems. I owned an Old English Mastiff female who was incredibly gentle and easy going. As soon as Petunia was home we noticed the dominance thing - forcing herself on us to be petted, rumbling in her throat when we dried her off from walks, rumbling at me. So we have choked on the floodgates of Google, trying to find the right way through this. Frawley's DVDs are arriving any day now, we have Petunia crated. And here is the rub. In my gut, not anthropomorphizing, I think she is a really centered, stable, good animal. We are very committed to being the pack leader, to the NILIF lifestyle, but, not having experience with altering dominant behavior, we are very aware of what Mick wrote about, the confusing or defense aggression. Everything is new, so we need to set the rules, boundaries and limitations immediately. Firm but without abuse. Got it. But then people are posting about how their rotties "talk" and it is just a rottie personality thing. Are we going overboard? Establish pack hierarchy first, obedience training next. I keep telling myself that even if we did misread the growling thing that all this structure can't hurt. But at the same time, another voice in my head (yes, it's true) whines about the loss of the big cozy doggy tv pillow on the floor. I know that can never be with Petunia. I know there will be great moments in the future with her, they will just be different and help define a new picture for me of how wonderful a dog relationship can be. I also know that we are in this for the long haul. We've never given a dog up. They are part of the family until it is time for them to pass over. But we could really use some guidance from the elders (not necessarily in age, but in wisdom) as we make this journey. Suggestions?