Dog 2- introduction advice

Dawney

Hi all- I was going to ask this on the 'looking at getting dog no 2' thread but didn't want to hijack it

I've decided that I'm definitely ready to adopt a new dog, my own being super dog friendly and in desperate need of a playmate

My only concerns are of the initial few days/weeks after the new guy/gal comes home. Initial intro's will obviously be done in a neutral place, and will have at least 2/3 meets before coming home- but after that what should the schedule be? Full access to each other all the time? Or should I be giving them some time outs from each other initially? If I'm leaving the house for any length of time should they be separated?

Any advice would be much appreciated!

aonb

You will definately have to see how dog number 1 reacts to new dog.
How old is dog number 1? bitch or dog? Breed?

If dog number 1 is a very friendly/relaxed/non-anxious or stressy dog, you will have an easier time.

When I introduce any new animal, I always supervise,supervise,supervise,supervise to see how they are behaving towards each other. The very last thing you want is a fight or any bullying

New dog will be stressy/anxious being in a new place with new people and resident dog. Everything will be new/worrying to him.
Dog number 1 will be wondering what the heck is going on. Try to keep his/her routine as normal as you possibly can.

Initially when you leave them home alone, for the first week or so, I would sperate them, making sure that Dog number 1 is where you usually leave him/her. Then if they are settling well together, gradually leave them for short then longer periods.

Be very vigilant when feeding them - keep bowls well apart to make sure no one is going to react around food. Leave two bowls of water. Put beds well apart but in the same room. For the first night or two I would keep them apart.

As I say, it will all depend on how they behave towards each other. Hopefully all will go well from day 1, and Resident Dog will be happy to have New Dog, while New Dog will be take to Resident Dog. I would discuss the adopted dogs personality/traits in great detail with the rescue people. Great if you can at least walk the 2 dogs together a couple of times, away from home and shelter.

Bitch/Bitch combinations can be a bit fraught, while bitch/dog combinations usually are better. Ive had dog/dog combinations always, and never an issue, although one neutered/non-neutered dog combination was a bit of a challenge (but the non-neutered was a foster)

I LOVE having more than 1 dog - looking forward to having another, or two more, as we are 'down' to just one dog at the moment. Good Luck! Choose your new dog very carefully - rescues have no problem with potential adopters visiting several times! Let us know how you get on?

Dawney

Thanks aonb, great advice.

My current dog is approx 15 months, male, neutered. He's not the most confident with new people, however he adores other dogs. He used to go to doggy day care and was great for building his confidence. Am hoping a confident canine pal will help him further.

I can't wait to adopt a new dog, though have to remember not to get carried away and end up adopting an unsuitable one. Took me 8 months to find my current fur baby, but I'm hoping the new addition will find us much faster! I will ask to foster with a view to adopt though, just to be sure.

My own dog is pretty attached to me, as it's just the two of us. Do you think a second dog will help him with this?

aonb

VERY sensible to foster, and that way, your new dog will have time to settle in before you have to commit.
Our remaining dog is very attached to me too. When we had our other 2 (elderly) dogs, he was still attached to me, but shadowed our old terrier too. I think that was a great relationship.
All dogs are of course personalities in their own rights, and if you get another dog, being different personalities it will be interesting to see how they get on. They will hopefully like each other and be company for each other, and enjoy being together.

tk123

Dawney wrote: »

My own dog is pretty attached to me, as it's just the two of us. Do you think a second dog will help him with this?

Speaking from experience - NO :rolleyes::pac:

For me I introduced a pup to a 4 year old. Biggest thing was making sure he had space to get away from her! I let him tell her off when he wanted so she'd learn to give him space but at the same time I made sure to stop her pestering him if she wasn't getting the message!

Dawney

Thanks both,

I'd prefer an older dog, not sure I could handle another puppy! Anyway, I think my guy would benefit from an older wiser dog I'll make sure that both dogs have space to get away from each-other if needed, though I imagine it'll be the newbie who needs space as my dog is like a Duracell bunny and never stops!

Going to pay a visit to a couple of rescues this weekend so we'll see if anything comes of it.

samo

Early days for us so far but we have just introduced a little sheltie girl (6 months now) around 2 months ago to our retriever girl who's going on a year. I think had it been the other way round fur would have flown and the sheltie would have been HIGHLY put out! The retriever is still a bit goofy and crazy herself and seems to have forgotten she is around 30kg and tries to imitate the younger pup but they have really bonded well, so I think it does depend on the dogs and their nature as the retriever is so laid back and happy in herself.

The younger one can terrorise the older one at times (she thinks its great fun to clamp onto the retrievers tail and be spun around) so you definitely have to be ready to intervene, not leave unsupervised or else separate them and also make introductions on very neutral terms. It really is the closest experience I have of bringing my 2nd child home and the 1st one not being very impressed but grudgingly accepting them.

That said, they get on great and frequently cuddle in together during the day (separate crates though for time-out and space) and absolutely love having the two of them, but I recognise different personalities and two females, it could have been a lot tougher than we have found!

I was so impressed there the other day where the sheltie must have felt a bit emotional and went out the back garden and whimpered 3 times and looked distraught about something, the retriever came along straight away licked her on the snout 3 times and the sheltie then sat down and cuddled into her.. I have to say they are so sweet together and the older one is a total gem and I think it has definitely helped the younger one as in our case the shelties can be a sensitive breed !


Best of luck with the new addition if you go for it.

shakencat

So far Ralph is getting on great with Raven, we have a second dog a week now!

They are getting much better every day.

Walks are more enjoyable for raven, she has a lil friend to sniff with her,


we still separate the two when we go out.. and at night time they sleep in different areas...

not sure when il introduce em to be together during these times, or if il leave it how it is..

I have no doubt they will be fine together, i just don't want the newbie to wreck ravens head and upset or stress her.

Anyway.

So far, brilliant decision.

The only advice i have is spend 1:2:1 time with the 1st dog, show them you still love them

tk123

OP your dog is still quite young so I'd be hesitant in getting another male. A male/female pairing is usually considered the safest option and worked well for us.

Dawney

well we met a cool little dude today, they seemed to get on quite well, though little guy not 100% with my guys crazy play, although he was definitely interested in playing and was sniffing off after my fella. Will have a home check this week and another meet and greet before decision will be made. Will be a trial anyway if we do bring newbie home.

In typical fashion though my own dog has decided to remind me of how much work canines can be, by pooping all over the rug in the spare room case of the runs while I was in the shower . My own fault, he'd had the runs at the end of the week which seemed to have righted itself with some chicken and rice meals, so went back to normal feeding schedule today, along with treats to make meeting potential housemates more positive... Seems that was a mistake!

Dawney

tk123 wrote: »

OP your dog is still quite young so I'd be hesitant in getting another male. A male/female pairing is usually considered the safest option and worked well for us.

Funnily enough he was introduced to a couple of females today and all but ignored them! Was far more keen to engage in play with the males