Adopting Another Dog - Need Advise

[Guest Mollysmom10]

Hello. We have only had one grey at a time in our home and are considering adopting another. Our current boy is 2, extremely friendly, loves people and whines when he sees other dogs. He just wants to play. It breaks my heart to think that he misses his canine family, so we've begun looking for a friend. Anyway, since we have never had two greys at a time, I thought I would solicit advise on how to go about getting another dog. Since Fort is so laid back and happy go lucky, I keep thinking it will go smoothly, but started wondering if I needed to do some things to make sure that it does go well. We have our eye on a small female that is in a foster home now, we're meeting her soon. Any advise and stories are appreciated - thanks!!

[GeorgeofNE]

I'd get another male, personally. Not to say he wouldn't get alone fine with a female, but I think that two males make a great pair of pals!

[Charlies_Dad]

I agree that boys tend to be more mellow than the girls however it really depends on the pup's personality (the girl that is). I have met some real sweethearts and also some that really put the boys through their paces. Adding a second in my opinion is not a big deal and they usually keep each other company. I would suggest muzzles are important when first meeting each other and also when you leave them alone. Too many have come home to a hurt pup who happened to get in a scrap with another. Our boys have never gone at each other and both are very laid back but we muzzle whenever we leave them alone at home just in case. You may also need to keep them separate during feeding times. Our boys are separated by about 6 feet but it's far enough that they leave each other alone. We also stick around when they are eating just in case (gee are we a little paranoid??? ).

 

Other than that, having a second will usually make them happier. The most important is to have a good first meeting to see whether their personalities work. Good luck, I hope things go well!

Edited February 9, 2011 by Charlies_Dad

[Guest TBSFlame]

It really depends on the dogs. I have 4 females (including the foster) and 2 males and the biggest players are Riley, my 3 year old female and Jeremy, my 6 year old male.

[Guest Nitemare]

I adopted my first male grey three years ago. It became obvious that even though I had a male border collie at home, he was missing the company of other greyhounds. We knew this to be the case because he would get so much happier when his greyhound friends would come to visit or we would visit them. A little girl grey decided she should come home with us. He was happy the minute she came home and they are the best of buds.

 

Male or female, I don't think it really matters as long as they get along.

 

As far as advice, I took the week of her adoption off from work to get her into the routine and make sure all went well with all three pups.

 

It has been wonderful ride ever since!

[mychip1]

Sounds like your baby is young and happy-go-lucky. I bet he would love to have a brother!! I haven't owned a female.....but I can say that EZ, our old boy, adapted beautifully when we brought Jack in - and after Jack died, has accepted JJ and Dustin without problem. Use a muzzle when introduced! It's worth it. We did do that with all our boys just to be safe. I still leave Dustin and JJ muzzled when I am not home....for two reasons....a) They eat stuff!!!..... I'm afraid JJ will eat the cat.....and b ) I think it's safer if they have a little quibble when I'm not there. Congratulations on "chipping".....

Our boys are separated by about 6 feet but it's far enough that they leave each other alone. We also stick around when they are eating just in case (gee are we a little paranoid??? ).

RIght there with you on the paranoia scale, Kyle!!! - I don't leave them unsupervised for meals or treats.... Edited February 9, 2011 by mychip1

[Guest Jodiesmom]

You will know when it is right...because Fort will tell you!

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

Let your boy decide who he wants around his house. Take your hound to meet the girl, and if they don't get along (which is a rarity) then take your boy to your local group and have him meet a bunch of different hounds. I have 3 of my own and a foster around, they are all fed in crates so I don't have to physically be in the room with them, but I usually am. Not only that, feeding time takes all of about 3 minutes for them to eat. Of my three, the first picked out a shy girl, then our third was picked out by my wife and myself, the other two had no say in the matter. All three get along just fine. As far as the fourth being a foster that changes every few months, well I haven't had an issue with a foster and my hounds not getting along yet...yet.

 

Forgot to add, my first is a male, then second and third are females. I personally don't really see much correlation between sexes and behavior when it comes to greyhounds, other breeds yes, greyhounds not so much.

 

Chad

Edited February 9, 2011 by Greyt_dog_lover

[Jackandgrey]

Chances are if your dog is an easy going boy he will get along just fine with the girl you have your eye on. The boys generally don't mind the girls bossing them around . I am not of the school that they need to pick out their own companion unless they are unusually aggressive or have some other extreme personality issue. You also need to like the dog.If the girl in the foster home likes to be around other greys all should soon be well in your expanded family, None of mine chose the newcomers to the household but I was clear about what personality type I wanted. All the introductions were smooth as could be. And the sex didn;t matter at all. But personally, I found it fun to have one of each.

 

Yes you may need to muzzle for a bit. You may need to watch that you don;t leave coveted toys out when you are not there. And definitely not leave chews or bones out.

[greytluck]

The boys generally don't mind the girls bossing them around

 

 

Yep, that's the case here. Corinna bosses Wally around and I think Wally actually prefers it that way.

[Guest Jubilee251]

Echoing everyone else - muzzle for safety in the first few days/weeks, and supervise when feeding or giving treats. Molly didn't get to pick her brother, but we did put them in a playroom together to make sure they didn't go at it with one another. Most dogs will be fine together, and everything should fall into place a lot easier with another dog to show them the ropes around the house.

 

Congrats! Two are so much fun.

[Guest sheila]

I generally don't have the option of allowing my dogs meet other dogs. There is no racing in my state and no active groups. With just one exception I have always adopted my dogs sight unseen.

 

After adopting my first grey (a male) who was easy going and laid back I adopted another male that was also easy going and laid back. It was a total disaster. After 10 mos and 2 very nasty dog fights that included emergency vet visits and lots of stitches for my original hound the second boy had to be returned. I'm sure it was just these hounds particular personalities that clashed and not the male/male thing. Just the same I have never had two same sex dogs at the same time.

Jane is the first hound that I ever got to meet before adoption and introduce to my boy Billy. At first it looked a little dicey because Jane tried to mount him a cpl of times and Billy didn't take kindly to that. But Jane takes correction very well and knocked it off right away. Now they are best friends. In fact I'm thrilled that this is the first pair of hounds I've ever had that actually PLAY. My others have all gotten along well enough, but Billy and Jane get silly with each other. It's so cute.

[TheFullHouse]

I don't think sex matters as much as personality. I have 7 males and 3 females so really sex didn't play a part in picking our hounds. If your wish is for another laid back hound that will play with your boy, go for a younger hound. You can also let your boy meet any hounds you think might work.

[3vagreys]

After having a couple of really bad experiences taking my fearful girl to meet some boys, I'm starting to wonder what 15 minutes can tell us about how dogs get along together. My girl has so many rules for the proper way to meet another dog that it takes longer than that to just get past the butt sniffing stage. She has to approach the rear, he can't look at her until after she has totally finished sniffing. Then, and only then, he can sniff her for a while but no face to face contact yet. After all the sniffing is done, she will allow him to look at her. It took us years to figure this out and even now, if things progress a little too fast, she will explode. So, I'm now a fan of picking a dog with the personality I want and pick it without her.

[Guest zombrie]

You will know when it's right We have had several fosters come through but when we brought Doolin home, Mira's eyes lit up, she was sooo excited! It was like she knew he was there to stay:)

[greysmom]

I had six greys since 04 (five now, a new one practically each year) and none of my current dogs have met or had any say in who their future brother or sister would be. Most of them were fosters picked out by our foster coordinator, and they just arrived at our house one day. The only one *I* ever even met before adoption was Toni, and that was love at first sight.

 

But I know my dogs and I know what kind of personalities will fit in and which ones won't. Plus, they all get along because that's what I expect to happen. And I enforce the rules and issue discipline or praise accordingly. We do have squabbles now and again, but nothing serious and it's mostly what happens when you have dogs living together.

 

If you like this little girl and you think she'll fit, then I say go for it! But remember to post pictures!