Adding A Second Dog

[Guest mhall]

So if all goes according to plan Jasper's sister will be coming home with us on June 12th. We've never had more than one dog at a time so we're not really sure what to expect. I imagine even if they get along well there might be a little bickering until she settles in. We will likely initially crate her when at work but not Jasper as he does not do well confined. At what point can we trust them alone together & uncrated (I know some people will say never)? We can muzzle both of them when left alone too but I would prefer not to do that for forever. Also, should we put away toys or anything potentially high value for the first few days? Jasper generally shares well with others but I don't know how things will go once he realizes this one is here to stay. We will definitely feed them in seperate spaces.

 

So, what do we need to know about having two? Any advice would be appreciated!

Edited May 31, 2010 by mhall

[Guest Cris_M]

Lots of people will add stuff.

 

1. Take the new dog on a walk as soon as you get home. She is going to be restless because things are new, and we all know that a tired dog is a happy dog.

 

2. Meet Jasper on neutral territory -- not your house, your yard or anywhere you normally walk. Certainly not your car. This is a good time to use muzzles. Things may go so well that you won't need to use muzzles under normal circumstances.

 

3. Take Jasper outside. Put the new dog on a leash and walk her through your home. She needs to know the layout without Jasper's help.

 

Like I said, other people will add more stuff!

[Guest mhall]

Thanks for suggestions so far!

 

 

2. Meet Jasper on neutral territory -- not your house, your yard or anywhere you normally walk. Certainly not your car. This is a good time to use muzzles. Things may go so well that you won't need to use muzzles under normal circumstances.

 

 

 

Should have mentioned in the first post she is with a group in VT. Jasper will be going up with us to (re)meet her. If they get along she will be riding home with us. We will give them time to get used to each other before we load them in the car and they will most definitely be muzzled on the ride home.

[seeh2o]

Thanks for suggestions so far!

 

 

2. Meet Jasper on neutral territory -- not your house, your yard or anywhere you normally walk. Certainly not your car. This is a good time to use muzzles. Things may go so well that you won't need to use muzzles under normal circumstances.

 

 

 

Should have mentioned in the first post she is with a group in VT. Jasper will be going up with us to (re)meet her. If they get along she will be riding home with us. We will give them time to get used to each other before we load them in the car and they will most definitely be muzzled on the ride home.

 

I took the same leap of faith that you are about to take when I added Claire. I did speak to her foster mom non-stop, so I had an idea of her personality, but I had no idea how she and Carl would get along. She arrived in SoCal as part of a Halfway Home haul, another adopter picked her dog up and Claire at the same time and took her to her home in OC. I put Carl in the car (along with 2 muzzles) and we headed out to meet her and pick her up. I agree, neutral territory is best. The woman who had her had a lot of other greyhounds, so we let he and Claire meet outside and sniff one another. He stuck his nose in her ear and leaned on her, I almost wept, he had never ever done that before to another dog, nor has he done it since then. Anyway, we took both dogs in the house to meet her pack while we chatted. Then it was time to head home.

 

I muzzled both dogs, for their safety and mine, and we headed home. When we got close to home, I called my neighbor who helped me introduce Claire to Sheila (my 14 year old blind Alpha girl). We did it out on the patio, not inside the house.

 

I took the next few days off to help her acclimate. What I didn't realize was that Claire was a bit of a spook, so that was an eye opener and a new challenge for me. I initially didn't muzzle Claire when I would go to work (that was really dumb on my part...Carl was muzzled...if one is muzzled all need to be muzzled), but I overheard a "quarrel" over a kong as I was heading for work, so from that point on she was muzzled.

 

I have never attempted to crate her. The only limitations on where she can go in the house are dictated by where the x-pen is to keep Sheila corralled from the other two. I keep her separated because, in her old age, she has an aggressive streak with the other two. She's fine when I'm home, but if I'm not around she'll get feisty with them.

 

Carl and Sheila have been great in teaching Claire the ropes, she has really come out of her shell over the last year. She is bonded very closely to me and to the other dogs as well. I believe she is more bonded to Sheila than Carl is. Carl only has eyes for me. What a mama's boy he is!

 

I've had at least two dogs in my pack since 1995, I've always found 2 dogs to be no more work than 1. 3 dogs, for me in a small house, that can be a handful sometimes.

 

Be sure that you are in total control during feeding times. I feed mine some distance from each other (Claire was so shy she wouldn't eat in front of anyone, so she gets fed in the bathroom) so there are no issues.

 

It's probably a good idea to muzzle them for a while until they get used to each other. It really cuts down on the vet bills!

 

It will all be great, you'll wonder how and why you ever only had one!

[Guest MDMD]

Be very observant of the 2 together. The 2nd dog will usuually follow the 1sts lead in most cases. I didn't think I would be leaving my 2 alone without muzzles but it took 6 months to do so. I do muzzle them when out side due to the fact they can clip each other while playing and cause tearing of the skin. Not to mention the animals they will catch. It took me a while to make the commitment to get a 2nd one, but I love having 2 together and it's really no harder than,1 only twice the pleasure! Good luck.

[Jackandgrey]

I know you will get many differing responses but introducing Jill into the house with Jack was a non issue. I didn't crate or muzzle. I also never left any food or kongs with them when I wasn't there. Still don't. And again when Josh came home to Jack and Jill it was simple. No crates or muzzles. Well wait, I did use a crate for a week for Josh cause his foster mom said he loved it. He disagreed. Again I never leave anything they would consider high value alone with them. So I think it depends on the dogs. Mine are pretty easy.

[greysmom]

Muzzle for a while until you're sure how they will both react. Don't leave high value treats out.

 

That being said, with my four we don't muzzle or crate when we leave. I do have to dog-proof since Toni will chew towels and papers, so those get picked up and doors to the office and bathrooms closed. Other than that, we don't really do anything special. They all get along fine and we don't worry about them at all. You'll have a feeling for how it will go - make sure to try alone training with the two of them soon.

[TheFullHouse]

Muzzles inside for a while until you see how they react to each other.

 

Watch high value treats and toys. Most dog fights happen over these. If you see one being possessive over toys, put them away for a while.

 

Feed them far apart from one another, and don't let either dog try and get into the other's bowl. Lots of hounds don't mind but others do. They will however share a water bowl.

 

Muzzles outside ALWAYS. Even though you have two pups getting along really well, all it takes is for one to get a little overly excited, competition set in while running and you could end up in a fight. This way they can play, run, growl and have a good time with no one getting hurt, thus saving you a vet bill.

 

Be very observant of both dogs, watch their mannerisms, their posture around each other. You will soon learn the signals that each sends off when the other has pushed too far and can correct them.

 

Keep their beds far apart from each other in the beginning. This will lesson the incidents of space aggression. Once they've been together for a while and you see how they get along you won't have to worry as much.

 

It's a little more work, but in the end, a lot more fun and a lot more love!

[Guest mhall]

Thanks for all the advice. Jasper is very easy going and we are told Dr. Em is as well, so I don't anticipate many problems. Just want to be sure I'm doing everything I can to make the first few weeks go smoothly

[Guest ljh777]

Good luck! Our second girl just came home tonight! We're in love!

[EllenEveBaz]

I've had three different kinds of experiences on my 4 different occasions of introducing a second dog.

 

1) Dogs pretty much ignored each other inside until week 5-6, when there were a few tiffs. Adoption counselors said this was a pretty common scenario, when dogs decide it's time to get issues ironed out.

 

2) Immediate bonding

 

3) Dog #1 (not naming any particular bitches, Nutmeg) initially growls and snaps at new dog, but things settled down after a few days

 

Enjoy having double dogs! My experience has been having 2 dogs is 0x more work than 1, definitely 2x the expense, but 4x the fun.