for those of you have more than one dog

[lovegem]

What''s the reason that you have more than one dog? Is it for the well being of the dogs (i.e. your dog needs a dog companion)? When is the best time to bring in another dog?

 

[luvmyhalo]

We had one dog (a Boxer - Dixie) for 5 years. She was our baby!!! When we had our daughter, Dixie was no longer the center of our lives and I could see that she was getting bored and depressed. My husband also started traveling and I just didn't have the energy to play with her and take care of my newborn daughter. Soooo, we adopted another Boxer to give her a companion and it has made SUCH a difference!

We brought Dixie to the adoption center and introduced her to 2 or 3 dogs. They kinda picked one another and now they are the best of friends! I'm glad we did it that way rather than just bringing another dog home. That way she didn't feel like someone was trespassing on her turf.

 

[Haven]

My family has a ten-year-old Border Collie, Tallulah, who has more energy than any dog I''ve ever known. When Tallulah was five-years-old we adopted a black Lab, Killian, in hopes that they would keep each other occupied. Well, Killian turned out to be the laziest (albeit, the sweetest) dog in the world, she would rather lie around than run around.

They still keep each other company, though, even though most of the time Tallulah is jumping around and barking at Killian, who just watches her from her favorite reclined position.

We brought Tallulah to the shelter when we went to adopt Killian. They allowed the pups to play around together in a little field.

 

[Harriet]

I have a 6 year-old and a 4 year-old. I got the younger one to keep the older one company. In hindsight, it would have been better to have gotten both as puppies. I''m afraid the 6 year-old became rather used to being ''the only dog'' and wouldn''t even look at his half-sister (same mum) for months.

 

[neatfreak]

I don't think there is a "right" answer to the "when" question. We adopted another dog who was 8 months old when our current dog was about a year and a half. He was a "foster failure" (i.e., we were supposed to foster him and fell in love with him!) so we didn't think much about it other than that they got along and we had wanted another dog.

The thing I think is most important is not getting two dogs who want to fight over dominance. We've had a bit of that here and there and that wasn't easy while they were figuring out their pecking order. There were quite a few incidents of one peeing on the other's bed, humping, etc. Now that they've worked it out though they LOVE to play with each other.

We got two because we love dogs and wanted two, but now with babies on the way it certainly is nice for them to have a companion to play with too. I would say it was a win win for everyone.

THE most important thing IMO is introducing them on neutral territory (i.e., at a park), then take them to the dog park until they are bone tired, THEN walk them together, then bring them home.

 

[Kaleigh]

We have 2, Casper is 13 and Callie is 9. I saw that Casper was getting lonely, so got Callie. They are the best of friends. When we leave for any perod of time I feel better knowing they have one another for company. I also feel that Callie is keeping Casper young at heart. She loves chasing him, and is very affectionate towards him.

Now after having two, I will always have two. Just makes everything so easy.

 

[mochi]

We have three dogs: Mochi (golden retriver), Vicki (Boxer) and Max (Boxer). Max is our baby and the newest edition. We decided to add another boxer into our family because we love the breed and Vicki needed a companion (Mochi is very laid back and elderly). We really didn''t have any dominance issue in our family because Mochi can careless if Vicki wants to be bossy (and she is). Adding another female was not a good idea so we added a male and it''s been wonderful.

We did introduce them in a neutral area before bringing them into our home. It took a week before she got used to the idea of having another dog in the family but now she thinks the world of him. Vicki will be 3 y/o in December and Max will be 3 month... still being housebroken. I''m just glad that it''s only one dog that I''m going through the puppy phase with.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

We have had Byron for 4 years and are FINALLY getting around to getting a second newf. For us the decision to get a second has been both easy (of course we would love another and love a companion for Byron) and hard (need to buy a larger vehicle, moving to a new house with a larger back yard, etc.).

Ideally we wanted to get a second when Byron was 18 months old, but at that time we were both in consulting and Byron was in a playgroup all day long, which obviously wouldn''t work for a puppy. We''d talked with our vet and several breeders and 18 months seemed to be the general consensus for ideal "second dog" time, though in my opinion there is no "bad" time. The problem with getting two at one time, especially littermates, is that they bond to each other more than you, though if you wait too long, the dog can be too attched to you and be grumpy old man about having a pup in the house. Eighteen months seemed to be a good combination of time to bond with you, but still open minded to a new pup. I''ve met several breeders, however, who say that 3 - 5 years is ideal because the older dog is more mellow and won''t be too rambunctious with a pup.

Good luck with the decision...I feel like once the seed is planted in your head, it''s hard to shake the feeling of really wanting another.

 

[littlelysser]

We have two dogs and we absolutely adore them both.

We have a five year old Ibizan Hound (Izzie) and a four year old rescue muttski (Cricket).

We got Cricket because like NEL said, I had started thinking about getting a second dog, for Izz to play with and because we wanted to rescue a pup. And I saw Cricket''s profile on Petfinder. I forwarded her pic to my DH who was also completely taken with her cuteness...and voila. Two dogs.

We''d had Izz for about a year (and he was about 14 months) when we got Cricket, who was about four months. We are really lucky, in that they got along like gangbusters almost right off the bat. They''ve never fought, snapped, nothing. They actually eat out of the same food bowl at the same time.

I completely attribute how well they get along to Izzie. He is an incredibly sweet dog, who is super super tolerant and doesn''t have a mean bone in his body. He wasn''t possessive of any of his toys, treats, food, anything, really. So I do think you have to be relatively sure that your first dog would do alright if you brought in a second, if that makes sense.

And FWIW, we haven''t found two dogs to be too much more work than one. And man, they can be so darn cute and funny with one another. It is fun to watch how they relate to each other.

 

[Elegant]

We had three (last month we just put our 19 year old Beagle, Daisy to sleep - she just wasn't doing well) and now have two.

We initially wanted one dog and we went to a Beagle rescue and got Daisy (she was about 6 or 7 years old then). We had her for a couple of years and one day my BF's mother said she found a Rottie, and could we help her out. So we picked that dog up and realized how sweet Rotties really are. So we called a Rottie rescue to pick that one up - we didn't 100% trust it - and later found a breeder and got Duchess. I think we realized that my BF wanted a bigger dog too. FA couple of years later I wanted a toy dog... a lap dog. I went to the Beagle rescue again and they had a 10 month old Maltese - that same day when we took her home I realized she had luxating patella issues, which is bdd at such a young age, so I immediately took her back (it would cost thousands of dollars to fix and I didn't have that money) because I knew I would become attached. A couple years passed and I graduated from my Masters program and my BF bought me a $2000 Maltese puppy - Chanel.

Having three dogs is not easy all of the time. Finding boarding for them is expensive and I feel tied down - we have no kids.

The best time to bring in a new dog is when YOU are ready to have that responsibility and have the time to be consistent with behavior and training and be consistent with the pecking order of the dogs. You are top dog, then the oldest one, then the other dog or new dog.

Since Daisy died, I do not want to bring in a new dog. Just typing her name makes me want to cry. My BF and I talked and we will not get another dog until our Rottie passes - and then it is still iffy... My BF says he would always like to have at least one dog by his side. Chanel, my Maltese, is my dog really - and Duchess is our dog - Daisy was his dog.

I love dogs - the unconditional love is the best.

 

[Maisie]

We decided to get a puppy. We were offered the chance to buy a second puppy at a discounted price. We said we would go away and think about it. Then the seller contacted us to ask if we were interested in rehoming the mother of our puppy. We fell in love with the mother on sight! She came to live with us a week after we brought her daughter home. I have to say that I much prefer the mother! She is my dog and follows me everywhere. She has got wonderful manners and is very gentle. Her pup on the other hand is a little monster!! Very wilful! She needs a firm hand whereas her mother is an angel.

 

[iheartscience]

Date: 11/23/2008 2:43:46 PM
Author: Maisie
We decided to get a puppy. We were offered the chance to buy a second puppy at a discounted price. We said we would go away and think about it. Then the seller contacted us to ask if we were interested in rehoming the mother of our puppy. We fell in love with the mother on sight! She came to live with us a week after we brought her daughter home. I have to say that I much prefer the mother! She is my dog and follows me everywhere. She has got wonderful manners and is very gentle. Her pup on the other hand is a little monster!! Very wilful! She needs a firm hand whereas her mother is an angel.

Maisie, your descriptions of your naughty puppy always make me laugh! I hope they''re both doing well and I''m sure your pup will calm down eventually!

I don''t have dogs so I can''t contribute anything useful in that regard, but I like reading about pets so I popped in here!

 

[Kelli]

I have three dogs because when I find pets that need homes, I take them. My fiancee and I found an EXTREMELY skinny beagle once on the side of highway fifty and picked him up. We honestly figured we''d have to take him somewhere and get him put to sleep because of the condition he was in, but we couldn''t let him suffer anymore. He had two very deep puncture wounds on his neck and was bleeding pretty profusely, and he was eating clumps of dirt because he was so hungry. We got him some food and water and took him to an emergency vet, who said he was probably pretty old, but might be able to be helped. We named him "Fifty" since that''s where we found him and nursed him back to health for a few months. He gained some weight and cuddled with us every night and seemed to be a pretty happy dog. Then, he started bleeding pretty bad when he''d go to the bathroom and we found out he had cancer and a very bad case of heartworms. The vet said his heartworms were starting to kill him and that a heartworm death is extremely painful for dogs. Unfortunately, we has to put him to sleep, but we were very grateful for the few months we spent with him and were glad we could make his last few months more comfortable.

That weekend, we had plans to go away with my aunt and uncle to help watch their kids, and while we were gone my parents went to the shelter and adpoted us a puppy, because even before we found Fifty, we''d been begging them to let us get a dog. (We lived with them at that point.) The puppy they got us is Wally, you might have seem him sleeping on the table in another thread.

We had him for a few years when one of my dance students brought a puppy into the studio that she''d found in her yard. This new one was VERY young, trying to drink from my fingertips. Now, about four years later, we found a third dog. The introduction of the third one was not easy, but now they all get along just fine.

I know with certain kinds of dogs, it''s better to have more than just one so they don''t get lonely. For us, it just happened that way. Sorry for the big novel I wrote, I thought some of you might enjoy the story of our first dog Fifty. When we had him it was around Thanksgiving time, and I bought him a leash that said "I''m Thankful for my dog" that went with a collar that said "I''m thankful for my owner." It was perfect for us since we wanted a dog so bad, and this dog needed to be cared for so badly. We have his collar and leash hanging up in our room so we think about him all the time.

 

[bee*]

When I lived in my family home we always had three to four dogs and have introduced dogs when the others are all different ages and they always got along great. There would be a couple of scraps at some stage to see who was the dominant dog but as there was always an older dog, they never went on for very long. We just love dogs and enjoyed having different breeds and personalities and they are great company for each other, although there was always someone home during the day also.

 

[Maisie]

Date: 11/23/2008 2:57:09 PM
Author: thing2of2

Date: 11/23/2008 2:43:46 PM
Author: Maisie
We decided to get a puppy. We were offered the chance to buy a second puppy at a discounted price. We said we would go away and think about it. Then the seller contacted us to ask if we were interested in rehoming the mother of our puppy. We fell in love with the mother on sight! She came to live with us a week after we brought her daughter home. I have to say that I much prefer the mother! She is my dog and follows me everywhere. She has got wonderful manners and is very gentle. Her pup on the other hand is a little monster!! Very wilful! She needs a firm hand whereas her mother is an angel.

Maisie, your descriptions of your naughty puppy always make me laugh! I hope they''re both doing well and I''m sure your pup will calm down eventually!

I don''t have dogs so I can''t contribute anything useful in that regard, but I like reading about pets so I popped in here!

They are doing well but the puppy has claimed dominance over the mother which is a pain. I much prefer the company of Blossom but I worry it makes her life difficult with Lottie.

Seriously Lottie is a little rip. She is manic and loopy and wacky. She has no idea of patience at all. She wants it all, and she wants it right now. She does backflips when its dinner time. I get her to sit.. her bottom barely touches the floor.. she sort of hovers there. I put her food down and she stares at me with this mad look on her face. She won''t make a move towards the food till I say she can.. she never takes her eyes off me. When I say go she just dives on the food. Its so funny to watch her. You would think she had never been fed before!

 

[lovegem]

Thanks for sharing your experience. We are still at the research stage of getting our first dog. We think eventually we would end up with two dogs because I think it would be better that the dog has a companion while we are at work. I am just thinking whether it would be better for us to have the first dog for couple months before we introduce the second dog, so that enough time for the dog to bond with us.

 

[Steel]

As regards company we have 3 cats and 2 dogs (I know, it is like being a zoo keeper

) and as regards companionship we think our dogs get more company from the cats than each other.

We are slowly becoming a zoo and we hope to never turn an animal away for as long as possible, we live in the middle of the country and should a stray come here it will have been dumped. We will adopt as many as we can, not for us, for them. But that is not to say we do not love having them in our lives - we DO!