Adding Another Grey To The Family

[Guest Ilovemydog]

I've had my Mickey for nearly 6 weeks now and I'm keen to add another one to the family. Mickey is fairly laid back although he still has the odd anxious moment. He seems to get on well enough with other dogs, although when I had another grey here for 1/2 hour when I was helping transport her to her foster home, he pretty much completely ignored her.

 

Anyway my question is whether I should be concerned about getting another dog or if a bitch would be better or does it even matter? Since they'd both be desexed I'm assuming that there wouldn't necessarily be territorial issues, my main concern being marking in the house if I bring another dog into the house.

 

I know there will likely be an adjustment period and I'm planning to get another dog in two weeks, right before I have 3 weeks off work to help that go a little smoother.

 

I'm looking for general advice and help in what I should be looking for when introducing another grey and what the warning signs may be that it's not a good fit.

 

Thank you!

[greysmom]

Greyhounds are used to living together in gender groups, so adding another male should not be a huge problem. Many people advise not to have two males or two females, and to adopt the opposite gender from what you have, but I've not seen it make a big difference.

 

Your biggest issue is going to be knowing enough about your boy's personality after only 6 weeks. Some dogs, you do, some dogs take months before all the quirks of their personalities emerge. If you have the ability to take him to meet prospective roommates, that might help settle things for you, one way or another. That being said, none of my dogs has ever met an incoming one before they came here to live, and we've all managed to do just fine.

[Guest june]

Someone has "chip" fever!

Cure?

[GeorgeofNE]

I've never heard anyone suggest you should avoid two of the same sex. I have heard MANY people say two boys get along better than two girls. One of each is a toss up. I just prefer males as pets, so I'd get another boy. Marking MIGHT happen in any case, but a belly band as a temporary measure alone with correcting if it's done (verbal, and a good clean up!) should take care of that.

[Guest Ilovemydog]

I don't get the "chip" fever reference at all! Please explain?

 

Thanks George and Greysmom for the advice, there are two greys that I'm particularly interested in, one is a bitch and the other a dog and I'm having the devil of a job deciding. I will just have to introduce Mickey to them and see what happens.

 

There's also a gorgeous 7 year old brood female who needs to rest her poor weary body after churning out litters for the past 4 years and her picture is breaking my heart. Then there's the other girl whose owners took her to the vet for euthanising because she barked "too much" so the vet de-barked her and sent her to the adoption agency with her sad little croak for re-homing.......

 

How do you not take them all?

[duncan41]

Why don't you just let Mickey decide? IMHO: Girls can be a little b--chy with each other every once in a while, if you get my drift.

[greysmom]

"Chip" - is a reference you may not get, not being fron the US. Refers to Lays potato chip ads that say "You can't have just one." IE = You can't have only one greyhound, they are like potato chips. Hence, getting another greyhound has become known as "chipping."

 

Broodies have a particular reputation for being patient and no-nonsense after adoption, and all the rest of them sound workable. The de-barked girl just breaks my heart. Good luck and keep us posted.

[Guest Ilovemydog]

Why don't you just let Mickey decide? IMHO: Girls can be a little b--chy with each other every once in a while, if you get my drift.

 

 

Just like in the the human world then

 

"Chip" - is a reference you may not get, not being fron the US. Refers to Lays potato chip ads that say "You can't have just one." IE = You can't have only one greyhound, they are like potato chips. Hence, getting another greyhound has become known as "chipping."

 

Broodies have a particular reputation for being patient and no-nonsense after adoption, and all the rest of them sound workable. The de-barked girl just breaks my heart. Good luck and keep us posted.

Ah yes, a 'once you pop you can't stop' kinda thing. Very appropriate.

 

I'm heading to a meet and greet next Sunday so I'll see who Mickey likes and go from there.

[Brandiandwe]

We had two girls for nearly 2 years then added a boy. We had no problems in any case but were careful to pick dogs who had complimentary personalities. Couldn't be happier!

[Guest june]

Every dog is different. When I got my first girl I was told I would HAVE to adopt a boy next because girls don't get along. Well, since then I've had several more . . . all girls and they all got along fine, but I have one girl who I have to watch around the boys . . . she can be snarky with them at first! Go figure. They are individuals just like us.

Greysmom, thanks for explaining chipping.

[Guest Ilovemydog]

Ok, I've been giving this some thought and I'm wondering if it's too soon. I'm a single parent, thus the only adult in the house and I don't know that I have the ability to get two dogs properly settled in at the same time.

 

I'm taking Mickey to obedience classes this weekend and I obviously can't train two at once so I'm thinking maybe I should wait a few months more until Mickey is properly trained and settled with us before adding another dog to the family.

 

I really, really want another, I'm just not sure that it's the right time yet.

[Guest PipDG]

This is something that I really struggle with as well. We've had Emmie for six months and I'd really love another. However we have three cats and the oldest two still haven't completely accepted her, although they've come a long way. I also wonder whether Em actually prefers being an only dog. Apparently she originally came from a large kennel and didn't cope. She lost a lot of weight and shed her coat. She then went to the trainer we adopted her from, who only had four other dogs, who were allowed a lot of freedom. After that she put on weight and raced reasonably successfully until deciding she wanted to retire at the age of 4. She was always fairly bombproof and settled in really well with us, but her personality has just exploded. She's become very cheeky and demanding! She doesn't really snuggle though and I'd love a snuggly hound. However when I see her at GAP offleashes it cements my suspicion she likes being on her own. She is small dog friendly and goes to daycare twice a week. She will play with the other dogs but is usually found on the sofa sleeping. She's had to learn to share! At the offleashes with other greys she tends to hang out by herself sniffing at things. She'll join in runs if someone starts something, but she doesn't seek the other dogs out. On the weekend she decided after a while that she'd had enough and sat down on the other side of the fence from me whining. She was so happy when I put her lead on her and took her out! Once she gets home she'll curl up on her sofa or one of her beds (sometimes in the study down the other end of the house from us) and sleep, provided she's not hungry! She does join my husband on the bed in the mornings after I've gotten up, so that's something. She is very strongly bonded with us and loves her offleash walks when it's just us. She's just not fussed about having other dogs along for the ride.

 

So all up I think I'm concluding that the time for another dog might be right in the future, but for now we'll stick with our one greyhound and our three cats!

[Guest Branna]

I don't get the "chip" fever reference at all! Please explain?

 

Thanks George and Greysmom for the advice, there are two greys that I'm particularly interested in, one is a bitch and the other a dog and I'm having the devil of a job deciding. I will just have to introduce Mickey to them and see what happens.

 

There's also a gorgeous 7 year old brood female who needs to rest her poor weary body after churning out litters for the past 4 years and her picture is breaking my heart. Then there's the other girl whose owners took her to the vet for euthanising because she barked "too much" so the vet de-barked her and sent her to the adoption agency with her sad little croak for re-homing.......

 

How do you not take them all?

Debarked..and then they want to euthanize her!!! How sad and heartless. Poor little thing

[a_daerr]

Ok, I've been giving this some thought and I'm wondering if it's too soon. I'm a single parent, thus the only adult in the house and I don't know that I have the ability to get two dogs properly settled in at the same time.

 

I'm taking Mickey to obedience classes this weekend and I obviously can't train two at once so I'm thinking maybe I should wait a few months more until Mickey is properly trained and settled with us before adding another dog to the family.

 

I really, really want another, I'm just not sure that it's the right time yet.

 

FWIW, I think this is a really responsible and mature decision. I always knew I wanted two dogs, but I waited close about a year and a half before bringing in a second. Henry had some issues in the beginning with fear (similar to Mickey it seems). And I wanted to make sure he was 100% comfortable and adjusted before rocking the boat any further. We started obedience training and really liked it, which led to more obedience training, which led to therapy dog work. He was very happy being an only dog during that time. Then when the time was right, and Henry was where he needed to be, we made the decision to adopt again. Although having multiple dogs is fun, it is a lot of work and does bring some added stress. I applaud you for making the decision carefully, rather than impulse.