Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2012 4:11 pm Post subject: dog number 2
Hi everyone,well we've always wanted two dogs and have taken the plunge and added our name to a waiting list for a chocolate boy who all being well will be ready around end of may.Now the doubts are setting in,will Ted hate having to share us or will he love the new arrival,the pup will have his own cage but where shall i put it.Ive read dogs need individual attention so will i have to walk them seperately all the time.Its all very confusing,ive read dogs are pack animals so will like having another dog in the home,then i read they like to be the only dog.I have so many things going round my head.Any advice at all will be very welcome,Ted will be 13months old the time the pup would be ready,thanks everyone for reading my rambling post xxx
At 13 months Teddy is going to be smack bang in the middle of adolescence so be sure before taking on a new puppy that you are 100% happy with Teddy's training and responsiveness to you. At the age he is, he is still a big puppy and will need alot of work for at least another year to make sure training is well ingrained!
I prefer to have at least two years between dogs as usually by that age they have settled down somewhat and provided you've put the work in, they can be a good example to the pup and you can concentrate more on the pup if you know your adult dog is well trained and reliable! I like to enjoy my puppy for a good couple of years before having to divide my attention.
I have three dogs - Murphy is 5, Amber nearly 3 and Leo my GSP is nearly a year. I do different activities with each dog so that I get special time with each of them - Murphy is a visiting therapy dog, Amber also goes visiting (but separately to Murph) and I do agility with her. Leo I do gundog training with and soon he will be starting agility! I also do basic obedience with them - separately and together, to keep that side of things strong.
Your existing dog may fall instantly in love with the new pup, but then again he may not and may sulk for a while, it really does depend on the dog and the pup. My girls like nice well mannered pups, yet if you bring in an In Yer Face one, they tell it off and sulk. They all come round after a while though and rub along ok with each other.
I don't do individual walks with mine, unless I need to do some specific training. As long as the first dog is well mannered and obedient, then the pup won't learn any bad habits from it. In fact a well behaved older brother or sister can be a real bonus, as the pup tends to copy them and learn commands and how to behave like that, rather than you teaching them.
Some dogs do like to be an only dog and in some breeds it can be really hard to get dogs to live happily alongside others. Thankfully Labs are generally happy to live with or without the company of others.
As for where to put the crate....put it wherever is most convenient for YOU. My summer pups have had their crates out in the utility room, so they are out there on their own. My winter pups have had their crates in the living room where my other dogs sleep. It's your house, so it's your rules.
I don't think you ever see the Whole Dog until it is living alongside another. You only get to see the bit we have programmed into it. When they are living with other dogs, you see them play with each other, groom each other, sleep with each other, moan at each other, nick each other's toys, grumble at each other, tell each other off, etc....You get to see their whole reportoire in Dog Communication. I love to sit and watch my lot talking to each other, especially as some of their language is so, sooo subtle and may just be the flicker of a Look or the merest wrinkle of the nose. You really never get to see this when you have just the one dog, even if it meets up in the park with it's mates every day.
I love having multiple dogs (as you might have guessed ) and I'm sure you will too. Just relax and go with the flow.
I did get my second dog too soon In Training terms for Bea She was still too giddy and young to be a good example to a puppy! Although she did lurve him instantly, I have had to train them seperately I walk them together and they are extremely close which is lovely
I did training classes with both and take them out into the garden separately for one to one sessions That all works pretty well for us i now do gundog training with Lux as he seams to be good at it? And he loves it!
and i have just started agility training with both together.
If your Teddys training is up to it and he can be a good example to a puppy I can't see why not to go for it! You will need to make sure you have the time to train the puppy seperatly as well as fun times all together
Good luck if you decide on a second pup
I now have pup number 3 and he is learning more from Bea & Lux a lot quicker than I can teach him!! It's great,
I love having my mini pack X
Hi All,and again thanks for the advice,i do worry a lot,i decide on something then spend all my time thinking of reasons to talk myself out of it,from buying our house to buying our first dog.Mmmmmm Teddy being a good example.He is a lovely lovely boy and his training is going well,the only prob at the moment is the lead pulling which i know with two will be tough but i know he'd accept a pup,he loves all dogs.Wendy,yes he will be related to your lovely gorgeous Dudley and somewhere along the lines Teddy too xx
The others have covered it far more than I could as they have more experience, but I thought I'd impart the little I have found since getting Shadow (a rescue who will be 6 in April).
Before getting Shadow, I fostered another dog for 3 days (didn't like cats) and the dynamic between him and Bella was completely different to Shadow and Bella. He was a more dominant dog and Bella's attention was entirely focused on him.
I fostered Shadow for all of 5 days before adopting her - I know I failed . The dynamic is completely different. They are so content with each other and their focus is on me. They still look to me for everything. Despite Bella only being young, she has taught Shadow a few things and vice versa. I can see Shadow's confidence growing and Bella's for that matter (which isn't actually a good thing right now ), but she has also calmed Bella down a bit. They will lie on top of each other on the sofa, just to be close to me
I LOVE having 2 dogs and I love both of them equally My only disappointment is that I don't have space for a 3rd dog permanently, however, once Bella has been spayed, I will go back to fostering
____________ Owned by Bella, Shadow & Cats ....
Never forgetting Harry : 18/01/11 - 14/05/11 RIP
Hi again,your comments make a lot of sense.The one thing that does worry me is the theory that two dogs can become too dependant on each other or is that if its two siblings are brought up together.As ive said Ted will be 13months old and still a puppy.Just want to be sure im doing the right thing for us and the dogs x
I would say it is a risk, but it will also depend on how you are with them. Spending individual time with them should help prevent that from happening.
For me, with Shadow, it hasn't been a problem, as she is older and also because she craves human attention and affection. I think this has prevented Bella and her from becoming too dependent on each other.
____________ Owned by Bella, Shadow & Cats ....
Never forgetting Harry : 18/01/11 - 14/05/11 RIP
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She was still too giddy and young to be a good example to a puppy! Although she did lurve him instantly, I have had to train them seperately 
I walk them together and they are extremely close which is lovely 
), but she has also calmed Bella down a bit. They will lie on top of each other on the sofa, just to be close to me 
