Question for Mommies with more than one dog...

nfp147 · July 2014

Did you get one dog before the other? What did you do to try to make sure they got along? Did they get along at first? If not, how long did it take?

We're tossing around the idea of a second dog. We would get an adult rescue because I don't want another puppy peeing on my floors and chewing my furniture. But, our Boomer is the absolute love of my life and it would kill me if she was upset/hurt by a 2nd dog. She's a 4.5 year old chocolate lab who loves everyone and is very happy, but I worry about her feeling like we love her less or not liking another dog.

sandollar1010 · July 2014

I have two dogs. The first one I got as a puppy and the second was a rescue that was 4 years old - the "puppy" was 1 at the time we got him. It was a gamble because he came from from half-way across the country and we didn't get to meet him first. Our first dog was a female and the rescue was a male. We were advised that usually makes the best match, but not always. We worked with a trainer when we got him. I picked him up, while H took our other dog to a neutral place. I met him there and we all went for a walk. The rescue was very skiddish at first, but towards the end of the walk we were walking nicely as a "pack". We let the rescue into the house first to run around, sniff, and check things out before we let our first dog in. The trainer also advised us to put away toys, bedding, etc that could cause an issue and feed them separately for a while. There is a definite pecking order with them, but it seems to work. Our girl is more dominant/bossy and has no fear. The rescue is very nervous with everything! It works because he sort of takes cues from her... if she says a new person is ok, he'll go in for a quick sniff. He has also learned to assert himself if she is being too pushy. He'll give a quick growl to get her to back off. They eat together, play together, and once in a while sleep together - they are now 3 and 6. I think it works because they are really complete opposites. I don't know if this is always a good recipe, but it works well in our house. I love having 2 dogs, but it's a bit more work than one. Also, if your dog has any lingering training to be done, definitely do it before bringing in another dog because that will set her back a bit. Sorry this got long... best of luck whatever you decide!

FutureMrsWright2012 · July 2014

We got all 3 as puppies each within 6 months or so of each other. The oldest and coincidentally smallest (mini mutt) had the hardest time. The lab didn't care, but the boxer was pretty cuddly, and mini-mutt wasn't having it. After a few unsuccessful attempts at cuddling the boxer got the clue, and no further issues. Now, they're all 5-6 years old and inseparable.

GL!

ETA: sorry that I'm not probably much help! I hope you guys find another pup that is compatible with your chocolate lab!

seahorse01 · July 2014

We had a dog named Sammy (old, about 12 at this time) when we thought he was lonely, so we got puppy Rudy. We were wrong, he wasn't lonely, but he tolerated the puppy.

Then Sammy died when Rudy was 4 and we got Porkchop (who was about 9 months at that time) from the shelter and they were in love at first sight.

My vote is have them meet in a neutral place (like the shelter), see if they hate each other or whatever (I am sure they will love) and see how it goes.

DO IT. You have enough love for all the dogs!!!

seahorse01 · July 2014

Best friends from day one
photo 553F220B-2261-45A3-BADF-2175D6C4BDE4-4845-000001FA3823E74E_zpsf6e8fd15.jpg

photo BF3F1836-B792-4020-9106-803490DC91CF-4845-000001FA9FB1F70C_zpseb6ebfb6.jpg

BruinsBabe33 · July 2014

@seahorse01‌ shut up with that first pic! Too cute!

We have two dogs, Kit is like dempsey's mum. They met in a neutral place which I strongly recommend. It did take Kit a bit to get used to Dempsey being around, but now they are best friends and won't eat without each other. It's very endearing

sparklingdiamond · July 2014

We have three dogs. Originally we got two pugs at the same time (both from a rescue and were siblings). Unfortunately, one had to be put down and it was so heartbreaking. We ended up getting another pug a while later. Those are the two pugs we have now and they get along sometimes. But our male pug really likes to play and the female doesn't. So we ended up getting a boxer and the male pug and the boxer love to play. So they have weird relationships with each other I guess :-) But overall, they do get along.

sandollar1010 · July 2014

LOL @seahorse01
Love the name Porkchop! Our girls name is Lambchop

sgautschi · July 2014

Our first dog was a Jack Russell mix, we got him as a puppy. He started showing major separation anxiety signs when he was 2, well it started earlier but got really bad by the time he was 2, so we got a 1 year old chihuahua mix for him to have as a buddy and they clicked right away.

When we moved into our home we decided to get a bigger breed dog, so we rescued a German Shepherd mix puppy, our first female. Our chihuahua was thrilled to have someone who would actually play with him (our Jack Russell isn't usually into playing, he is more into doing his own thing) but our Jack Russell was not happy to have a new dog at first. Now he mostly just tolerates her, but sometimes they play.

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