Austin Nesties
For those of you who have more than one dog, how did dog no.1 deal with dog no. two at first?
What are the pros and cons of having more than one dog?
Thanks!
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Another Dog???
I have a 9 year old miniature schnauzer who basically rules our house. Actually, she rules my house...pretty sure she thinks my husband is her boyfriend. 
I brought her into the marriage. DH and Roxy (the dog) are best friends and she just adores him. We have been thinking about getting another dog for a long time now. Sometimes I think Roxy needs a friend, sometimes I think Roxy would hate another dog that would take some of her attention away.
For those of you who have more than one dog, how did dog no.1 deal with dog no. two at first?
What are the pros and cons of having more than one dog?
Thanks!
Re: Another Dog???
i have had two dogs at a time, but i currently have one. i had two dogs that got along great; there was no competition for affection or jealousy. i've also had two that pushed and shoved for my attention, and there was obvious dischord, although they basically got along. one of those dogs passed away last year about this time, and we haven't gotten another one. we think that the dog we currently have is happier being an only dog and functions better as an only dog. so i think it depends on the personality of the dog.
pro: they can keep each other company
con: it's more expensive to feed, vet, and board two than one
We're thinking about a second, so I can't attest to how it is, but I know for me, it is really important that Rufus can interact with a new dog before we bring it home. Some dogs he gets along with great, others not so much. I'd want the two to interact before I sign up for a decade of pulling them off each other!
Pros: I have visions of them chasing each other around the yard for an hour at a time and wearing each other out.
Cons: as above, double the costs! I'll have to learn to do the grooming on my own if we do get a second.
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Dempsey was our baby so we were really worried about bringing a new pup into the family but we both felt it would be a good idea because he needed a playmate and we just felt we really wanted to give a good home to another dog who needed it.
Gotta say though... there was a looooooong adjustment period for everyone. Biscuit is still struggling with separation anxiety. Dempsey was really jealous for a long time but seems to be mostly over it now. It did take him a while. Once Biscuit got here he seemed to give up a lot of his "puppy" behaviors like playing with toys, rolling over to get his tummy rubbed. And that made me sad. I think he was trying to assert his dominance over Biscuit. Now that I think everyone has settled into their pack order, things are better. Biscuit and Dempsey are both a lot happier now, a year later. It did take a while though so don't give up if things aren't perfect right away.
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I have no comment on the subject, but we got 2 year old min. schnauzer, and I really would like us to get another one. I see so many blogs of min. schanuzers that have a companion and they look so cute together! I never had any other dog but I think m/s are the best breed ever! (totally biased)
We got our Weimaraner in 2006 and our German Shorthaired Pointer in 2007. They are our children and they love each other!! They were really close together, so I guess it depends if your dog likes other dogs. We make jokes that Sophie (the weim) played with Colby for awhile and then was like "ok, you can take him away now". But they are fine now, they have no issues except that Colby is scared to death of her and will run away from his food bowl if she starts walking towards him... ?? They never fight.
I got a Miniature Schnauzer for my 9th birthday and she just passed away a few months ago, she was living with my mom since I went to college. She lived to be 16, she was really good, but did not get along with other dogs. We miss her
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At first, our older dog liked to play with a companion but would get annoyed with a puppy being around. Then they started their struggle to be the dominant dog. That is mostly worked out, but occasionally they will have dominance issues. Weirdos.
It's definitely more chaotic and expensive with two. If one is barking at something, the other will almost always join and bark too. Our older dog probably would have been just as happy to be an "only dog". She does miss her brother when we take him somewhere without her. I think our younger dog feels a great sense of purpose in stealing toys and balls from his sister.
If your older dog lives and dies for your attention, it might be really hard on her to have to share at her age. That might be a good discussion to have with your vet or a rescue group for your dog's breed. GL!
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Thank y'all all so much for all the responses. We really appreciate it.
I have kind of a different situation, because we adopted greyhounds. Bandit, our first dog, had never been alone before (lived in a kennel with other greyhounds)- so leaving him alone in the house was literally putting him into a state of panic. So just 2 months later, we adopted Kimber, our second dog (for most dogs, a second dog does not help seperation anxiety, but retired racing greyhounds are a bit different).
However ... about having 2:
They don't always seem like the best of friends. Kimber quickly established that she's the boss, but there is still sometimes a struggle with that (especially when Kimber is hurt or sick). Every now and then they'll get in a fight, but not a serious fight.
Having two dogs is a lot more work. I thought since I was already walking, feeding, etc one dog, what's one more? WRONG.
That said ... I can't imagine either of them being alone. Yesterday at the vets when they took Bandit back for his exam, Kimber "cried" the whole time, and they always exitedly greet each other, even if only seperated for a short period of time.
Once the newness of having two dogs wore off, and we had settled into a routine .... it has been wonderful having them both. Watching them interact is so sweet, and I know that having another dog around really makes a difference for each of them in different ways.
I agree with PP that it depends on the dog. And your current dog may get along fine with some dogs and not others (for example, Kimber could not live with another female dog). Just approach the situation slowly, test the waters and do what feels right. Oh, and be prepared for the first few weeks, or maybe month or two, to be a little stressfull for everyone - but that does pass!