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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Knowledgeable dog people...
We currently have 2 cats and a dog. DH and I are thinking of adopting another dog so that Darwin has a buddy. Darwin is a 2yo Black Lab/ American Pit Bull mix. He is hyper to the nth degree but we have a great yard and I stay at home all day with him and the baby so he gets plenty of attention. What age/ sex/ breed would you suggest might possibly be compatible with Darwin? He can be a bit aggressive around other dogs but it is more a reflection of poor manners than actual "I'm going to beat you up." I wouldn't mind another pit bull, there are so many in the shelters here. They can't all have crazy energy right? LOL Here is a current pic of our pup (can't see his face but an idea of size) :
Re: Knowledgeable dog people...
If you are subject to PCS (ever) I'd suggest steering clear of anything that is overtly pit-looking. My current city, as well as most AF bases, ban pits. If you go that route, it might be wise to do what you've already got, a dog that looks more like another breed.
I've never had a female dog, and all my males have worked out to be the same age(ish). All my guys are currently 3-4 years old. It's nice that they are the same age and in similar physical condition (they play non-stop) and that ideally if they all die of old age, they'll be within a few years of each other so we don't feel guilty that they don't have a buddy. On the other hand, I hate to think of going from a full house to an empty nest in such a short span.
I would recommend putting some final touches on your dog's manners and incorporate NILIF. It'll make the transition to two so much easier. Good luck with your decision!
We actually stopped going to the dog park. Other owners were keeping their dogs aways from Darwin because they thought he played too rough. There were one or two owners that we cool, knew that the dogs would teach him manners, but we didn't feel very welcome so we stopped going.
Thanks for the other advice. I'll have to google the training method mentioned!
Do you have a size limit in mind? Wilson is my smallest dog (40lb) and he gives my bigger dogs a run for their money. More than breed, I'd focus on energy level and try to match it to that of your current dog...well that and resiliency. You need a tough dog to keep up with one who plays rough.
I'm watching Rudi and Wilson grapple and Rudi keeps taking breaks to clean Wilson's ears, then he goes back to wrapping his mouth around Wilson's whole head. Two are definitely more fun than one.
We know we want another dog comparable to Darwin's size (65lbs). Anything much smaller doesn't seem fair LOL So I'm thinking no less that 40-50lbs? But the heads up on the energy level is a great suggestion. I was thinking a chill dog but then who will roughhouse with Darwin and wear him out?!?
And I think the other PP is on to something about opposite sex. He does seem to handle female dogs better than males, even though he is fixed.
Another thing to factor in is, we might get the pup after MH gets home from this deployment. But then we know he is leaving again in 5 months. Will it be too overwhelming, for just me?
My husband took Bandit in in June and I returned from my deployment about two months later. He struggled. He was deployed while Rudi was a puppy and didn't have any experience with the foundation of training and since Bandit was not neutered, the hormones were causing all sorts of issues. Joe had to crate and rotate the dogs for two months because he couldn't even leave the room without them fighting. They absolutely could not stand each other.
I think the five month gap between your husband's trips will be fine for bringing in a new dog, provided you enroll the new dog in training right away.
Ok great to know. Darwin is a graduate of Petsmart training. He knows commands and follows them but he still gets distracted pretty easy. Maybe training another dog will help bring it home and reinforce Darwin. MH really wants a puppy but I'm just not sure I have the patience for house breaking right now. I'd prefer an older dog, 8-12months.
We will actually have to go to a shelter. The only strays running around our area are cats. And I feed them too, they are such sweet cats.
LOL Yeah, I don't really recommend taking in strays and keeping them, especially with kids in the house, that's just how it happened for us.
Has Darwin done an intermediate level class or CGC? The goal of that level is to work through distractions. I did it twice with Rudi because he was so scatterbrained.
8-12 months is perfect, IMO. Going through potty training, 100% of the house-breaking, "Don't eat my SHOES!", scrubbing pee out of carpets, is exhausting. By 8-12 months, they can hold their bladder most nights, you don't have to worry about coming home every two-three hours to let them out if you have a family day away from the house. Plus, by 8-12 months, their temperment is much more predictable. It's hard to tell on an 8-12 WEEK old puppy how it's going to behave around kids and other animals, and in our case, it was far too young to see any signs of OCD or the serious mental problems Rudi has. At 8 months, training classes are far more useful. Rudi was still air humping and being a menace in class at about 4 months old, but getting into classes right away is so important.