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As a very busy pet owner I didn't hesistate to get two dogs as I felt like it would be better for my male pup to have a playmate when I was at work.
Our dogs absolutely love each other and hate to be seperated despite the fact that my male hates every other dog. We introduced them by placing our female in the house and our male just dealt with it. Overall it was a very easy transition especially after a few days.
I will say that several behavioral issues also went away with our male dog when he wasn't bored alone (think destruction).
As for the bed issue the more fluffs the better IMO. Nothing is better than snuggling up with both of them. While they do get a tad jealous it isn't anything serious that can't be dealt with by mutual snuggles.
Getting a second dog helped cure our first dog's issues with jealousy. It took a little adjusting, but they are like brother and sister. Make sure you have them meet on neutral turf first.
i'm so glad you asked this. we have been thinking about getting another dog as well and i would love to hear what other people did as well.
what kind of dog are you looking to get? another small one or bigger one?
@Julesb81: I would want another small, shelter dog. Here are a few that pull my heart strings: http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/20839700
We tried to get a second dog to be a buddy and playmate with our lab mix but it didn't work out and we had to return her to the shelter.
Our lab mix has always gotten along well with other dogs. She plays with dogs outside and at the dog park, she goes to doggie day care and plays all day, and when she was at the shelter before we got her, she was in a run with 2 other dogs.
The dog we were looking to adopt also had a history of getting along fine with other dogs (she had been returned to the shelter after being adopted for 4 months because she "had too much energy") and was also in a run with another dog at the shelter.
We had both dogs meet on neutral territory and walk together and play together and they got along fine so we proceeded with the adoption.
Once we got home though, they stopped getting along. Our current dog got very territorial with the new dog, always growling, barking, hair raised. She would chase her away from the couch, any toys, me, etc. About 48 hours after we first brought the second dog home, the two dogs got in an all-out brawl. It was all I could do to get them off each other (I know - jumping between two fighting dogs probably wasn't the best idea but I was running on adrenaline). Our original dog ended up having to go to the emergency vet to take care of the puncture wounds on her leg.
Unfortuantely, the new dog had to go back to the shelter the next morning. It just became an unsafe environment for both of them because my dog got so territorial over "her" space. I know we did everything right in terms of knowing their histories with other dogs and introducing them on neutral territory first, etc. Sometimes, it just doesn't work out how you'd hope and expect.
Granted, I know this isn't the typical outcome of introducing a second dog. My parents introduced new dogs multiple times when I was growing up, without any problem. But I just wanted to throw out my recent experience as the flip-side of what can, unfortunately, sometimes happen.
@Mrs.KMM: Thanks for sharing your story! That's the scenario that I'm worried about, but I feel like I can't know what will happen unless I do it. I guess I should just be prepared to have to take the new dog back to the shelter if it doesn't seem to be working out.
I forgot to mention that I petsit fairly often for my friend who also has a toy poodle, and when she's over, Melvin has no problem with her or her playing with his toys and things, which makes me think that he might be okay with a second dog.
@Boston Bee: That Melvin shares with your friend's dog just fine in "him" home is a good sign. If all the signs point to your dog being okay with other dogs and he and the new dog get along on neutral territory, odds are you'll be fine.
There may be an adjustment period were they aren't best friends yet and maybe have their noses a bit out of shape (I expected that) but most likely you wouldn't end up with the all-out dog fights I did.
@Boston Bee: oh i love them! and now i've just spent the last hour looking and i sent 8 dogs that i want to adpot to my DH. he responded back that i'm not allowed to go on there just like i've been banded from WebMD.
You can always take a dog home for a trial. Lots of adoption places will do this for you.
You take them home for a week or so just to test the waters and then if it works out you keep him and if it doesn't then you don't have to feel bad about returning him. You want him to have the best possible home, so no bad feelings for giving him a chance right :)
I am currently trying to convince my fi that we need a playmate for my pup Jed. I am thinking I may go the way of Fostering them until we fall in love with one... I just have to get him to agree to that first... minus the keeping point, he doesn't have to know about that part yet lol.
We decided to get another dog because I saw that one was in our employee classifieds at work and it looked like it really needed someone who cared. Also, our other dog needed more attention since our schedules were getting busier. He also needed the play time because he's a chunk. In introducing them we would give them time together and then I would take one in another room and my fiance would take the other so they would both have attention. At first Odie didn't like our new dog, Libby. He was super jealous and would curl up into a ball on my lap. It took about a week for him to be friendlier and a month before he was comfortable. It's been about 3 months and they cuddle with each other and play all the time. Odie has also lost weight! Our biggest issues have been that Libby is a handful in herself. She was given absolutely no attention before us (she was a year and half when we adopted her) she was covered in fleas, barely knew her name and had no manners. It's basically like starting with a brand new puppy and she has a ton of energy. I think it depends on what kind of dog and their history. Oh and adding another dog to our bed has made it pretty crowded. I wish Odie didn't already sleep in there because now Libs has to also. Overall, we both agree it was a good decision but I really do feel like the workload for the dogs has increased dramatically from 1 to 2.
Good luck!
@EmilyJean: How did the workload increase? I figured they would do everything together like walks, dog park, vet visits, etc.
We adopted our second dog a few months ago and I was prett hesitant, especially since our first dog is a male pit and DH wanted another male. Our second dog ended up being a male yellow lab. We introduced them first on leashes off our property and then on leashes on our property. I would say it took about 12-15 hours to become good buddies. Our first dog was not crate trained but our second one was so we crated him at night time when we weren't home or at night time when we couldn't keep a close eye on them at all times for the first month. All they do is play with one another now.
Like the PP, I would take full advantage of doing an at home trial first. My parents tried getting a second dog and their attempts were far less sucessful (peeing matches throughout the house with their first dog being a female schipperke).
As far as work goes I don't think it has really increased too much. I do feel like I have to clean more though. I found walking both of them together MUCH easier than walking our first dog alone. Its as if our second dog keeps him more focused. The second dog came to us pretty much completely untrained and that was, and still is occationally, a good deal of work but I also feel like our first dog helped a lot with that.
Overall, glad we did it. We did have some little dominance issues in the begining but they have since worked through it. The second dog came to us unneutered and I think it helped when we got him fixed. Just be catious when introducing and dont let them alone for a while. I have read that it takes a full month for dogs to become aquanted with one another and thats why we did the whole crating thing for that amount of time. In your case it probably would be a must less scary situation if they don't get along well since your talking about small dogs and ours are very large (85+lbs).
When our shepherd was 1 year old, we decided to get another dog. We got a puppy and the transition was great actually. We had to watch at first as the big dog was a bit too rough at times, but they love each other. They are like best friends, they play, sleep together and play fight. I think that our older dog is alot happier with another dog in the house. They say actually that for dominance issues, two girls in the worse, which is what I have. I think it may depend on your training and dog personality though, as mine are fine. I say you should go for it!!! This is a pic of them their first weekend together!!! and the second picture more recent :)
We got a puppy about a month and a half ago. We have a 7 year old yorkie, and he had a love/hate relationship with other dogs. He loved my parents dogs and a few of my friends dogs, but he HATED any other dog. Growl/bark/snap at any dog that would come near him
We made the decision to get another dog because it was something we always talked about and we thought in the long run, it would benefit our yorkie (he always looked so bored, and lazy). Plus the timing was right. I work about 5 minutes from our apartment so I'm able to go home on my lunch break. It just made sense for us for so many reasons...location, financially...etc. Our only concern was how our yorkie would take it.
We introduced them at my parents house, because we thought that would be a nuetral spot. They didn't get along at first...the puppy loved the yorkie but he wanted nothing to do with her. He was not very happy with us getting her, and he wasn't afraid to show it. I actually posted on here about that a month or so ago. I was so worried it would never change and it broke my heart.
The first few weeks were not very encouraging-the yorkie wouldn't leave the room if she was walking around, he would snap at her the second she'd come near him. We had to keep them separate. But as the weeks went on, it started getting better. We showered the yorkie with love, attention and treats to show him that he was not being replaced. We made sure to greet him first when we came in the house, and to walk him first. It's a way of showing that this puppy was not more dominant than him. Every time he would be nice to her, we'd reward him. He started associating her with good things.
Now, things are great. They play together, kiss each other and love going for walks together. The yorkie still has his moments where he gets annoyed with her...but she's a puppy with so much energy and he likes to sleep so it's understandable. He doesn't snap at her anymore though. At first, I really thought we'd have to find another home for her...but now I don't have to worry about that and I love it.
It doesn't sound like Melvin has a huge problem with other dogs the way my yorkie did, so you probably won't have to deal with as much as I did. the key to not letting Melvin feel jealous or ignored is to show him that just because another dog's in the house, doesn't mean he'll get any less attention or that things will change. It just means you've added a new member to your 'pack.'
My only concern if you were to get another male is they MAY start marking their territory around your house. That's not always the case, but I do know some people that have had that problem and it was very hard to break.
Hope it all works out for you!
@Boston Bee: Well I think it's because they're two very different dogs. Odie could entertain himself while Libby needs more hands on attention. It's not keeping an eye on one anymore but two dogs. Odie isn't a fan of walks but needs them and Libby likes to run so walking is a much longer event than it used to be. It's a lot of little things that I used to take for granted with Odie because he was such an easy dog. They both beg for some cuddle time so I have to hang out with one and then rotate because they don't share well when it comes to my attention haha.
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I currently have a toy poodle, Melvin. I adopted him from a shelter January 2010, and the vet believes he is around 5 years. For several months, I've been thinking about getting another dog, mostly because I'm a huge softy for animals and would love to give another one a loving home. I am an attorney, but only work 9-4:30, and I go home during lunch, so it's a good situation for having pets. I own my home, which has a .25 acre backyard, so space isn't a problem. I can afford another dog.
Here are my main issues:
When I take Melvin to the dog park, he gets along fine with the other dogs. Most of the time he just does his own thing and doesn't pay much attention to the others actually. (so maybe he likes being alone?) I would be looking at similarly sized dogs (under 20 lbs).
So here are my questions:
Any other advice, tips, comments, or concerns are greatly appreciated!