Getting a second dog, questions?

Myyra

Hi folks!

Myself and partner have a lovely golden retriever mix girl, who's 2 year old female and spayed. She's very well behaved in general, been training her a lot and she's responding nicely. With other dogs she is submissive and curious, tho never aggressive

So my question is, we have been thinking of rehoming a second dog as a companion for her. We're thinking of getting male dog, maybe german shephard as a companion for her and us too! Would that combo work? Naturally will be looking in rehoming first, plenty of good dogs just waiting to get a new home! So pretty much ruling out getting a puppy.

Retrievers in general mix well with other dogs so am I right in assuming that she'll pretty much get on with any other breed we choose?:D Also, any hands on tips on the introduction ( neutral ground etc..?) would be greatly appreciated?

Thanks!

Cherry Blossom

I'd be looking into the temprament of any dog you would consider getting more than your current dog. You say you think she would get on with any dog but is this really the case? Personally I wouldn't be taking on a dominant dog as a companion for her. The breed as far is she's concerned is irrelevant and if you are going down the rescue route I would look for something that has been in foster care for a while as the fosterers will have a good idea of the dogs temprament and if they'd be compatible. I wouldn't be too fixed on a specific breed as it may be quite hard to find everything you want in one dog.

<ETA> I'd also take her to meet any potential 'new' dog a few times first to see how they get on and interact together before making your final decision.

Shazanne

Hi. I got a companion dog for my female terrier, Millie, in August. I felt she was spending too much time alone and had no other canine company. But I was very wary as Millie showed signs of aggression/over excitement with other dogs while out walking so I was prepared for the fact that she might not accept another dog at all.
Eventually I took her to a shelter and explained my concerns to the woman there. She suggested letting Millie off the lead in a big yard and introducing her to a few dogs (all male!) one by one. My heart was in my mouth to be honest (Millie is sort of a spoiled baby to me!) but she did "meet and greet" the other dogs and showed no great interest in them at all - except for one! Max, as we now call him, came home with us that evening and we have never looked back. They get on really well together, snuggle up on their couch, sleep on their bed wrapped around each other and even now eat side by side! I have always been careful to give Millie a treat first, let her out of the house at walk time first and let her jump into the car first - just so she knows that Max is not taking her place. He's not bothered as he just accepts that this is the way things are.
In a nutshell, I would suggest to you that you allow your dog to pick her own companion. They know and sense what the other animal is like and if it's going to work it will click straight away - you can never force it.
Let us know how you get on - and best of luck!:)
PS; Well done on giving a rescue dog a home X

Myyra

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

I'd be looking into the temprament of any dog you would consider getting more than your current dog. You say you think she would get on with any dog but is this really the case? Personally I wouldn't be taking on a dominant dog as a companion for her. The breed as far is she's concerned is irrelevant and if you are going down the rescue route I would look for something that has been in foster care for a while as the fosterers will have a good idea of the dogs temprament and if they'd be compatible. I wouldn't be too fixed on a specific breed as it may be quite hard to find everything you want in one dog.

<ETA> I'd also take her to meet any potential 'new' dog a few times first to see how they get on and interact together before making your final decision.

Thanks for tips, I've had dogs all my life but this would be the first time there would two around at the same time, so I want to do this right from the start And yes, she does get on nicely with other dogs, no matter the size or gender or breed.We've had her for 18 months and she's got on with all the dogs we've introduced her so far;)

I wouldnt say that we are fixed on one breed, that german shephard was just an example. Breed doesnt really matter, more than happy to get a second mix too.Also given that we want to rescue, we are also willing to spend time looking for a right one, it took us months to find our retriever. Good tip about bringing the potential new one to visit few times, just to see how they get on:D Will deffo be doing that!

magentas

hi myyra, I will be getting a second dog soon too and got some great tips from fellow boardsies!

I was asking more about when to introduce another dog but some very helpful advice if you fancy looking through the thread
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056074884

as mentioned, bring her to rescue centre to see how she gets on with other dogs, she may well click with another dog straight away

best of luck with your search!:)

Myyra

Hi magentas, thanks for that link, I tries to search for thread about this but failed to find yours, there's some really useful stuff there:D So you're waiting a bit before getting second one yourself? We've been thinking about this new addition to our family for months now but wanted to be sure that our girl was mature enough to handle another dog. While waiting we've been browsing thru rehoming sites and even went down dogstrust last weekend:o

I definately want to do this on our girls terms, so might let her pick a companion for herself. Would actually be really interesting to see what kind of an dog she'd pick!:p Would she go for the tall, dark and handsome or what:D:cool:

magentas

no we are planning to adopt in next few weeks but it depends on when we find the right dog, we're in no major rush but I'm just a little anxious to have company for our dog as he's so full of beans and will be bored on his own

however, I want the new dog to feel just as welcome and don't want any bully tactics on either side!

my OH is owed hol days from work and I have every wed off so we're planning on introducing another dog on a weekend when we can collect him/her on a sat, have them all weekend, OH will take mon&tues off, I'll have wed off, thurs on their own, OH finishes early on a fri and off all weekend again so they can be properly supervised for the full first week

I'm really excited about it and there is a stunning dog in shelter where I volunteer that has really stolen my heart so will bring our dog out soon to see how they get on together:)

Myyra

Ooh, exciting times ahead for you then!I'm little jealous..:P I couldnt never volunteer in a shelter, would try to take all the dogs home with me, so I salute you madam:o ! Sounds like you and your OH have pretty good schedule there on supervising the introduction phase!

Hope all goes well with newcomer! Let us know how it goes, will be following this with great interest now to see what we are in for then later on:D