Benefits Of Having More Than One Grey?

[Guest KEWood]

I would love to hear stories of how adopting a 2nd grey for your first to have a buddy was beneficial, what unanticipated issues you may have encountered, and if you would recommend it. Our almost 4 year old male gets very happy when he sees other friendly dogs on his walks (wiggles, tail wags, approaches and sniffs), so I know he likes other dogs. I'm wondering, in particular, if it would help with separation anxiety (chewing on occasion), and to help him be a little more lively. He doesn't ever really like to play......

[Roo]

I have no concrete experience to offer (we only ever had one at a time) but my first thought when I read your title of "Benefits of having more than one grey?" was "You have more than one grey!"

 

Typically, from what I've seen at the kennel, greys with grey friends are happier greys. That's not to say that all greys need grey friends to be happy, though. A friend has a greyhound who got so stressed when he had to share his space that he had the Big D all over the place.

 

Is fostering an option? Or even grey-sitting a friend's grey to see how your pup does with another grey in your home?

[XTRAWLD]

Company for eachother when they are home alone. Even though mine were not a bonded pair or rarely if ever played together, I am certain that Ryder enjoyed just having another hound around, even though I think Kasey could really care less. This is evident in Ryder's massive change in behaviour after Kasey passed away. So for me, the only benefit (because they didn't care for eachother) was solely for company....just something else in the house even if they don't cuddle when their human is away.

Edited July 12, 2016 by XTRAWLD

[greysmom]

Most greyhounds appreciate having the company since they are raised in groups and are rarely, if ever, alone during their racing careers (however long or short they are). But there are many greyhounds who do just fine as only dogs.

 

Many people automatically suggest adopting a second when a solo dog has issues with SA. Sometimes it works (see above) and sometimes it doesn't. It depends on who they are being anxious about being separated from. If they are having anxiety from being alone, then yes, another dog can help. If they are anxious about being away from *you* then another dog doesn't necessarily help. And of course, not everyone can afford to have two dogs, or have a living situation which allows it.

 

The best thing for some minor SA symptoms is to conscientiously do your Alone Training and see if you can get your dog to be comfortable on his own.

 

As for helping him be "more lively," I'm afraid not. That's mostly just how greyhounds are! You'll likely end up with two dogs who lay around the house all day! Seriously. I have three right now (and have had as many as five), and they mostly sleep all day.

[claudiav]

if you get a younger pup, he/she might liven up Auggie. Take Auggie to meet the possible addition and see how they interact together. I brought my first grey to the kennel to pick out his new sibling, but he was so happy-go-lucky, that he loved every one of them... so the one that came home with us was the one that chose me...

 

most recently, i adopted a 4 yr old, who just wanted to play and play all day... but my 12 yr old girl is not exactly his playmate... so he plays and runs around the yard by himself... but when i had playdates with other young pups he was in heaven to be able to play with them... if you have the ability to adopt another, i say DO IT!!!!

[rsieg]

I can't honestly say Logan is happier with Max around. He might be, he might not. They do compete for food and contact, and Logan definitely gets jealous sometimes, so I'm sure Logan sees downsides to having Max around. On the other hand, they get along in the sense that they ride together in the back seat of the car and hang out together in the living room (but virtually never in contact with each other). They greet/sniff each other in the morning (Logan often sleeps on the couch in the living room and Max always in my bedroom, their choices). They are alone from about 9 am to 7 pm with a dog walker coming midday and my brother coming home around 4:30, but I can't tell whether Logan is happy to have the company -- he was ok before I got Max.

 

I will probably learn more when Max passes and I see how it affects Logan (not to be morbid here, but Max is almost 12 and Logan is 6, so this is the likely sequence). That age difference is also probably a factor in their limited interactions -- when Logan runs in the backyard Max tends to look nervous because he knows he cannot keep up.

[Remolacha]

I've always preferred to have multiples, mostly because that's what I like Most greys do appreciate having another grey around because, as said above, that's how they were raised. That said, many are perfectly happy to just visit other dogs and keep their people to themselves. None of my dogs have been closely bonded to each other, but they all seem to prefer having another dog around. I can see the difference when I lose one and for a short while just have one dog, but most of them would probably adjust to being only dogs.

 

I guess what I am saying is, get another dog if you want one, your grey will probably be happy either way. Fostering with intent might be a good way to test the waters

 

only downsides, more money for food and vet bills, more poop

[sarabz]

We had Bella for almost 6 years on her own (she is now 11) and adopted 4 year old Kirby in May.

 

Some thoughts -

We thought that Bella was getting more lonely as she gets older. She has opted to stay with Kirby a lot while he's crated in the living room during the day, even though she has the run of the house. They don't snuggle or play, but I'm also not surprised as it's not been that long and there is the age gap.

 

Kirby has developed some SA from us (well, me) which Bella doesn't really help with. Of course, that's hard to judge as I don't know what he's like on his own. I suspect she helps some; I think he'd be miserable as an only hound.

 

Kirby makes us realize how much of a Mary Poppins* Bella is/was. She didn't really chew anything when we first adopted her, only had 2 accidents inside, no barking, no whining, pretty laid back, took everything from living in midtown Manhattan (with Macy's 4th of July fireworks 2 blocks away, elevators, small fluffies living on the same floor, walking through Times Square, riding the train from Grand Central) to vacations to moving to the 'burbs in stride. Kirby's not thrilled with anything that isn't part of his routine (e.g. going places) but is a big, mooshy, golden retriever in disguise.

*Practically perfect in every way

 

That said, we have 2 hounds, which I love. DH isn't so convinced that 2 is good Bella is starting to slow down and obviously, at 11, sooner or later she will not be around and none of us wanted to be completely hound-less when she passes. Of course, since I suspect Kirby couldn't be alone, we'd need to go adopt another and the cycle continues....

 

 

 

I guess what I am saying is, get another dog if you want one, your grey will probably be happy either way. Fostering with intent might be a good way to test the waters

 

only downsides, more money for food and vet bills, more poop

All of this

[Walliered]

I have 2 Greyhounds and 2 Galgos. For one thing, it is a zoo around here. The Greyhounds are much more laid back than the Galgos. The Galgos want to share everything..beds, food, toys, but the Greyhounds do not at all. Galgos can play wide open for hours-Greyhounds are wide open for about 15 seconds. Galgos are always on the hunt for squirrels, rabbits, birds..Greyhounds not so much anymore. Galgos are always in a good mood-not so much for Greyhounds..I love all of them, but I have absolutely no social life as they all take up all of my time..Just saying..Old lady (70) with 4 bigs dogs is a joke!

[Dawnnziggy]

We currently have 3 hounds. Our boys do not snuggle yet when I brought Ziggy home from the vet, Dawson was so glad to see him that he was bouncing all over. Ziggy had to show him his "big teef" to get him to settle down. They sleep on the sofa or Ziggy's bed together every night. They even share their food in their food bowls. Myrtle snuggles with Dawson. They lay together on the floor, on my bed, on the sofa. She will get up with Ziggy but she sees him as the boss. (He really isn't. We don't have an alpha dog!)

 

Ziggy taught Dawn, our first hound, how to be a pet. We had had her for a year. Ziggy walked into our home like it was his home all along. She learned that attention was good. People petting you was good. Being with your people is good. She stole his spot when she realized he was getting all of the attention! Ziggy had SA really bad. When houndie #3, Dawson came, all the destruction stopped!

 

It does cost more for vet bills, food, and treats. Walks don't take any longer but you do pick up more poop!

Edited July 13, 2016 by Dawnnziggy

[greyhoundlady]

I think if you get another grey, it has to be because it is you that wants another grey - not because you think your current grey may want one. I have always had two together because I love the breed - but admittedly I can't say they themselves were happy with the arrangement. Any of mine would have been happy being 'onlys' as long as they had the constant contact with humans. I didn't have snuggle buddies with any of them, although I have heard this does indeed exist!

 

If you get another you will be totally in love again, but your expenses will increase re vets, dog beds, bowls, coats, food, etc., bigger car, and other things - but if you feel the pull of another wonderful mystical creature in your life, then you are ready for another grey. I have always had two together and none were ever the cuddle-together type, but I loved each for their own personality. I am now down to just one, and she is so easy and shows no desire to be anything other than an only. I do find having one is easier for various reasons - being older myself is one - but there are times when I could be convinced that another grey soul in my life will be lovely addition .

 

As someone else mentioned, fostering might be a way for you to start. Just be prepared to fail, I did . She is now my current grey.

[robinw]

My Galgo, Iker, was extremely traumatized when I adopted,him 4.5 years ago. Two years ago I let him choose his dog, and he chose Xavi. His confidence has risen 100000000000%. They're inseparable and are great for each other.

Edited July 13, 2016 by robinw

[mom2four]

Two leads to three, which leads to four.....which leads to seven.

 

Yup, we started off with one, had the same thought as you, and now we have seven, three Greyhounds and four Galgos.

 

Two is not really double the work, but it is double the $ for everything. Most importantly, it's double the love.

 

I highly recommend it. But let your Grey chose his buddy.

 

Good luck!

[Brandiandwe]

We got a second because Brandi needed one. OK. That sorted out a lot of issues. We got a third because we could, and then we rescued a fourth. We're now down to three again. I can honestly say that we will never be a single dog household. Although Paige and Hermon frequently wander off to be by themselves, Brandi is always in the room with one of them or with me. She doesn't do alone. But if you've got a dog like this, you find out off the bat, not after several years.

 

Having said that, my guys love to see each other after being apart, do all play together from time to time, and will lie together on the sofa. They are a pack and are, I think, happier being so. When we've had visiting greys, they've all enjoyed the interactions with everyone else, and have loved walking all together, sniffing and peeing on the same spots, barking at the same birds and cats and just generally having fun.

 

Sometimes I think it would be nice to only have one grey - could take them more places, more money to spend on other things, but really, the benefits outweigh the costs.

[SanTanSnuggles]

Wow, what a long story I could write. My first two greys were onesies. The girl would howl sometimes because she was lonely. My second one, a boy was stoic. But when other dogs would visit, he was interested. After he passed, We got two together. What an awesome thing. Surprise and Heart Sweet. He was the over dog and she the under. She would stand under him. It was very funny. They were perfect together. Always slept touching each other. Ran together, ate out of the same bowl, walked together. Even got spaded together. She passed after 4 years from bone cancer and he was so lonely, so we than got San Tan Snuggles immediately. She run up to surprise and bumped him to make him play. She gave him purpose again. So sad that we only had her for 14 months as she passed with GME. He stayed by her side the whole time as to tell her that she was not alone in her time. We waited three months as my husband had a difficult time with loosing two (heartsweet and snuggles) within about a year of each other. Surprise is now 8 and our new baby girl is 2. What is so cool is that she like HeartSweet loves to get close to him. He lets her get away with anything that she wants. They really play hard each night around 6 PM for about two hours, come in to eat together and later sleep together. She is a smaller greyhound of about 57 lbs and he is 84 lbs. Size does not matter here. He is recovering from Chemo. I give her the credit for making him move. She will bark at him till he responds. Than it is play. play and more play. We love it. It is no harder to be owned by two. It is better. When you are not there, they have company. Just imagine if you never saw your own kind again. It also teaches them to socialize better. The older one teaches the younger one, When we introduced the newbe we did it in our drive first, than the fenced in yard and than the house last. that way it was a casual operation. Also I would give the newbe a toy and a blanket to smell on the way home, so it would get more use to Surprises smell, I really hope that you get a number two and watch them make music together. To tell the truth, I would love a third. They can be addictive!

[Sundrop]

When we first adopted back in 2004, we had no notion of getting a second one. However, she was just so easy and amazing that pretty quickly, I wanted a second. We adopted our first boy about 3 months later. Being new greyhound parents, we hired a trainer and behaviorist - as our boy has some issues. He was space aggressive and destructive when bored. Our girl, honestly, was an angel. If our boy had been our first, we probably wouldn't have gotten a second...or third, fourth, fifth or sixth!.

 

That said, none of our greys (we've always had pairs) have ever really played with each other. They seem to like each other well enough, no fights, no arguments, etc. None of have ever cuddled with each other. Adding a second was a little tougher for us, just because our boy had issues - but overall, once we learned his boundaries and we all got some training, it was pretty easy. Feeding has always been easy - we teach them "Out!" of the kitchen so they are not underfoot and they have "their side" of the feeder (water in between). None have ever been food aggressive at all.

 

We take two walks per day - and that is always a bit of a challenge when get a new adoptee. But, once they learn the ropes, it's not really difficult and I can easily walk two by myself (and quite enjoy it).

 

I have worked from home since 2008, but I like that they have each other when we are not home. This was most noticeable when we lost our girl this past February - we'd lost her brother the previous April, so our newest boy had been with her only 9 months. We waited a bit longer to adopt again, and his personality changed quite a bit during that time. He became agitated very easily. He seemed scared of everything and was just, well, acting different and odd. This changed, almost overnight, when we brought our newest grey home to complete our pair - he was so much better.

 

In the end, we'll always be a two-grey household. I almost think it's a bit mean for a dog that is raised in a "communal" environment like greyhounds, who always have loads of other greyhounds around them, to enter a new home and be totally alone. I totally understand it's not feasible for everyone to have two (or more!) but I think they like having a sibling - even if they don't play or cuddle. We love having two - they make us laugh, make us get out and walk and socialize. We have lots of playtime and cuddles when we're feeling blue.

 

We were both saying just yesterday that we cannot imagine our lives without them.

[smurfette]

When I adopted Col in 2007 he was an only dog and I thought that I would never have two, or even three...

 

Life changed, we (as in Col and I) moved, met a nice guy, got married, got cancer... and stopped to contemplate life.

I was a workaholic - 60 hours a week, no problem for me ( and Col who either went with me or stayed with his DH). Cancer threw me off the loop. I stopped to think what really matters in life, fought through chemo and for being brave rewarded myself with a second dog as a friend for Col.

Andy entered our life. He had a family for about a year but they returned him because they feared he would bite their soon to have baby. I took in a very sad dog which needed almost two years to come out of his shell.

Colin was thrilled. He developed a complete new character. My funny young boy became a great pack leader and started wagging non stop. He was so happy to have another dog - they don't cuddle but interact on a very subtle level even when they are not obviously about it.

Life changed again. I started working again - 3 days a week, bought a new house, moved in and decided that yes, that's how I want to live.

One day the telephone rang. A grey needed a new home, if I could perhaps...

Paddy moved in. Col was thrilled... Yeah, another underling. Andy was less than thrilled and Paddy had to visit the vet after learning to not jump on a sleeping Andy. But they learned to get along.

Now they are a great team, with a confident leader, a much happier Andy and the clown we call Paddington.

[karinj]

What an awesome topic! I loved reading everyones stories! I just added my third about a month ago! I now have three 9 year olds. I tell everyone I have a retirement home for retired greyhounds! They get along great. I have had my first grey, Penny, for 7 years and my second, Mia, we have had for three. I don't know why I kept feeling like I wanted three. I think it was because God knew that my third, Nora, was going to need a home after her family could no longer keep her. It won't be easy having three seniors, but I love them so much, it will be worth it!

[sobesmom]

It depends on the dog. My first grey suffered from terrible SA. We tried everything. Alone training, crating, gating, etc, etc. He destroyed doors, carpets, and broke off a tooth and got badly scraped up escaping from a wire crate. We had to dismantle a bed that he'd wedged himself under. It was a completely un-workable situation. My house was being destroyed, my dog was a hysterical mess, and I was at my wit's end.

 

We got a foster - and overnight my dog was "fixed". I'm not saying that will work for everyone, but for MY Sobe, having another dog in the house immediately took ALL his SA away. We kept fosters for most of his life, until we decided to adopt a second. He NEVER had SA again.

 

Of course, you have to be prepared for 2 dogs in the house, and whatever baggage the new dog brings with it.

[FiveRoooooers]

What an awesome topic! I loved reading everyones stories! I just added my third about a month ago! I now have three 9 year olds. I tell everyone I have a retirement home for retired greyhounds! They get along great. I have had my first grey, Penny, for 7 years and my second, Mia, we have had for three. I don't know why I kept feeling like I wanted three. I think it was because God knew that my third, Nora, was going to need a home after her family could no longer keep her. It won't be easy having three seniors, but I love them so much, it will be worth it!

Old dogs are the best dogs.

 

I went from two to three so that I could take one visiting (he was a Pet Partner) and not have to leave a sad dog at home alone. Then the second one's sister retired and that was a no-brainer. Then, when littermate nine year old's were returned I brought them in, and that brought me up to five. In 14 years of living with greyhounds, primarily seniors, I have been down to two only once and that was only for a short time. Four seems to be the usual head count. I can take two walks with two and everyone gets a turn.