2nd dog - the good, the bad, the ugly

[Gumbo4x4]

So, we've had our dog 6 years & she has just never warmed up to DD11. In fact, she's scared of her. We assume maybe there was a little girl who tormented her before we got her at ~2 from the shelter. Loves everyone else, but just wants nothing to do with DD11.

To make matters worse, DD11 has severe cat allergies, so we had to rehome our kitty.

DD so badly wants a pet of her own. And the clincher was the past few days. A baby wild turkey has been hanging out at our house & we found DD out in the yard playing with it. "Henry" sadly was hit by a car yesterday morning & passed last night. DD is devastated.

We've thought for awhile about a 2nd dog, but our dogs are indoors & obviously would need to share space. We just don't know how our current 8 year old dog would adjust. So, give it to me straight. What kind of issues have you encountered introducing a 2nd dog to a home that dog #1 has had to herself for a LONG time?

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Here's Henry.

 

[Micca]

Sorry to hear about Henry's passing and your DD's disappointment. I know getting new cats acclimated to old cats is a problem, I always thought that dogs were pretty chill about new comers (assuming that the first dog isn't high strung or anything.) Are there any alternatives like a guinea pig or rabbit? I know that dogs & cats make the best pets, but would your DD like something like a guinea pig that could possibly stay in her room--making it sort of her special pet?

 

[whitney250]

When we got our second pup, our older dog, Maggie was 4. We got a puppy, so that Maggie could teach her how to behave. Maggie was a little peeved at us for a couple of weeks, but she eventually warmed up to the puppy and now they love each other. If you're adopting an older dog, I would do a meet and greet at a neutral place, so that your current pup and new pup can meet and become friendly before bringing the new pup into your current dog's home.

 

[Disneylover99]

Aww, so sad about Henry. He was a cutie.

 

[wilkeliza]

We got our second dog while our first was 6ish years old. Here is the good, the bad, and the ugly.
We got our new pup as a puppy not as an older dog like our first one (we adopted her at 1)

Good - The puppy (now dog man the time flies) really helped our older girl out. She opened up quite a bit the more he was around and now they play. They have companionship that has built over the 2 years they have spent together. At first she hated the puppy and wouldn't let him on her stuff or near her but now they cuddle like it is no big deal. We have 2 dogs now that are very different and I like that. Our first dog isn't much of a dog to say the least and is more cat like. It was cool but I was dreaming of a companion pup and our 2nd dog gave me that. He plays fetch, is a goober that chases his own tail, and is always at my side ready to tackle any adventure with me. He was exactly the pup I needed (even though we actually got him for my fiance he is now mine hehe).

Bad - The bad is not really bad but changes over time. Both dogs feed off of each other. So if one barks at absolutely nothing the other barks and since the 1st one now feels like he/she is validated by the 2nd joining in it has been hard to correct the barking behavior. There is an adjustment period. The 1st dog has spent quite a bit of time establishing dominance over the pup who is bigger and stronger then her. So even to this day she reminds him who is boss. I know where the line is and have to always be aware if that line is about to be crossed. No blood has ever been drawn in our house and I hope it never will be but it is always a risk in a multi pet household.

The older pup never really learned how to be a dog. She was with her brother on the streets and then in our home and was clearly lacking pack skills as well as some other basic "dog" things. I don't know her full history but I wouldn't be shocked if someone bought her and her brother thinking they were cute then kicked them to the curb when they became adult dogs. Mostly because she was pretty well wee wee pad trained, knew sit and shake, but had separation anxiety. We got through the separation anxiety but she never was okay at dog parks etc. We were a little afraid bringing another pup into the mix but figured since she was never aggressive towards other dogs just timid and anxious around them we could make it work. So far it has but she still has not learned things like you can't steal chew toys from the puppy. It has gotten to the point that her bad habits have caused some mild food guarding in the other dog in the past few weeks that I'm now having to be vary aware of chew bones in the house and the 2nd dogs attitude.

Ugly - thankfully we have had no true ugly. We have had frustrations but nothing that didn't get better with time and patience. not all 2 pet households get so lucky.


Side notes: If you get a 2nd dog and the aim is for it to like your DD11 then she's going to have to put in the work. For a dog to bond to a pack leader they need to feel confident in them. The biggest one is who feeds and gives water. Hands down 100% of the time the person who fills the food bowl and water dish is who the dogs will bond to the quickest and be most loyal to. That why in our house I'm #1 and they know it. I control the food and they see that. Also I'm the more nurturing one. So when the puppy cried through out the night (same as with the older dog when she first came home) I was the one that slept on the floor next to the kennel. I'm the one who is patient with them even when they make errors and positively reinforce. I also never try to be scary to them and always maintain a playful body language when we rough house. All of that combined has added to 2 dogs trusting me over anyone else to the point that the 2nd dog has become a sort of true companion even guarding the bathroom while I'm in it haha.

 

[clutter]

I think it really depends on your first dog.

My older dog was the most easygoing personality I've ever seen. When we got puppy #2 she was 4. The puppy was supposed to bond with dd9 at the time. Well, puppy bonded with me, but older dog ended up being dd's dog.

However, the integration would not have worked had the dogs been reversed. #1 was so easygoing. #2 is more possessive. Fortunately, we never had a food problem. But #2 wanted ownership of toys and of me. While there were never fights, because #1 was clearly the top dog, #2 was really anxious, making sure #1 didn't get more than him. Now that #1 has passed, #2 is a much happier, less anxious dog because he doesn't have to compete. I wouldn't even consider adding another dog to the house with him. He's better off being an only.

I agree about the above 'bad' about barking. And my #1 was the alert dog, always looking out for the family. When I walked both of them, they were barkers at other dogs. With just the one, he is less nervous around new animals.

And I agree that if you want this to be your dd's dog, she needs to do it ALL. That's how I ended up with #2 so attached to me.

 

[mom2rtk]

RIP Henry.

Your poor DD! I'm sorry she's struggling in the pet department.

An important thing to remember is that you never know which person in the house a pet will bond with. You can increase the odds by having DD do all the feeding and caring, but it's still no guarantee.

I'm not a dog expert and it's been years since we had a dog. But when we did we had 2 dogs, both brought into the home at different times. I think it helped a lot that our first dog was bigger and the second dog was a small dog. She was the perfect beta dog and the other one got to keep his top dog status. In fact, that second dog never did well after the first dog passed. She just never adapted to being an alpha dog. She was a neurotic mess.

 

[bellebud]

we've always had multiple dogs, but not when 1 was older. so I can't help with that. But I love having multiple dogs, they play, snuggle, love being part of a pack, etc.

Just want to throw out there, my dh is severely allergic to cats, and we found hypoallergenic cats, for real! The ones we have are Siberian Forest cats, and they've been breeding out the protein in their blood since the 90's. The protein is what people are allergic to, and it's in the cats cells, saliva and dander, and gets on their fur from them licking themselves. It's not the actual cat hair that people are allergic to.

We've had 2 now for about 4 years, and not one sneeze or watery eye for dh, and he was the type that could step into someones front door and know if they had a cat in the house.

SIBERIAN KITTENS & SIBERIAN CATS OF NEW YORK
E-MAIL - siberiancatsnewyork@gmail.com PHONE-TEXT - 845-671-0456

I'm not affiliated with them at all, just got ours from them. We live an hour away so we were able to go to her house and sit with about 20 cats, and again, no sneezes!

 

[Gumbo4x4]

I think DD11 would be happy to "do it all" and is responsible enough to get it done. Also, dog1 sleeps with DD16. Dog2 (if there is one) will sleep with DD11.

 

[Cadiewampus]

When we adopted our newest dog (100 lb golden retriever) about 3 years ago, we did a meet and greet with our older (approx. 6 years) 30 lb terrier mix. The terrier pretty much ignored him so we thought ok we should be ok. Well it wasn't long after we got home till the terrier decided she didn't like the new interloper and attacked the golden. Generally it only happens when the terrier fills trapped by the golden, like when the both try to crowd into the same space to greet someone. And its only happened about 4 times over the years. They pretty much ignore each other. I think the golden is still a little scared of the "devil" as we call her.

 

[tzolkin]

Every rescue should encourage you to do a meet and greet with your current dog (possibly even more than one meeting depending on what you think is needed). Finding a dog that works for both your current dog and the humans can be a challenge, but it's better in the long run to wait for the right fit. We took many months finding our last dog.

We had sort of the opposite scenario (we had an active friendly puppy and then adopted an older, super calm dog), but it has worked out well once the younger one understood that the new dog did not have any interest in playing with her. The age gap might actually be a benefit for your specific situation. Two young dogs may be more interested in playing with each other than bonding with your DD.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

When we got our second pup, our older dog, Maggie was 4. We got a puppy, so that Maggie could teach her how to behave. Maggie was a little peeved at us for a couple of weeks, but she eventually warmed up to the puppy and now they love each other. If you're adopting an older dog, I would do a meet and greet at a neutral place, so that your current pup and new pup can meet and become friendly before bringing the new pup into your current dog's home.

When we got our second pup, our older dog, Maggie, was 4.

Our Maggie was more than peeved at us. And she never really got over it. And I mean never. The new dog just loved her. Maggie? Pretty much hated the new dog. And I mean until her dying day. I think Maggie would have pushed the new dog in front of a car, if she had realized that it would end her "punishment."

Our Maggie recently passed. The "new" dog, that has now been with our family for years, missed Maggie like crazy. He is slowly getting over it, but it has taken awhile.

 

[whitney250]

When we got our second pup, our older dog, Maggie, was 4.

Our Maggie was more than peeved at us. And she never really got over it. And I mean never. The new dog just loved her. Maggie? Pretty much hated the new dog. And I mean until her dying day. I think Maggie would have pushed the new dog in front of a car, if she had realized that it would end her "punishment."

Our Maggie recently passed. The "new" dog, that has now been with our family for years, missed Maggie like crazy. He is slowly getting over it, but it has taken awhile.

I'm sorry about the loss of your Maggie

Must be a Maggie thing! Ours is a major diva and thinks she's the queen and we are her peasants lol!

 

[Gumbo4x4]

We also had a Maggie - she was almost 16 when she passed.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Tell us more about your current dog - personality, activities, how he is with people and other pets, especially dogs, etc.

 

[Kitty 34]

Sorry Gumbo that you and your family are going thru all these pet issues.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Tell us more about your current dog - personality, activities, how he is with people and other pets, especially dogs, etc.

Sophie is 8, spayed, and we believe 1/2 Rat Terrier, 1/2 Boston Terrier. She weighs 17 lbs.

She was not fond of the cats during the brief time they all coexisted in the house. She's also not fond of anything or anyone in our yard - UPS guy, bunnies, stray cats, neighborhood dogs, leaves, plastic bags, birds, whatever. She jumps at the window & barks non-stop.

We really don't socialize her with other dogs other than trips to the kennel when we go on vacation. She's not aggreseive under those circumstances, but she's not on her turf, either.

If you're a visitor, she expects ALL of your attention in the form of kisses and/or belly rubs.

 

[wilkeliza]

Sophie is 8, spayed, and we believe 1/2 Rat Terrier, 1/2 Boston Terrier. She weighs 17 lbs.

She was not fond of the cats during the brief time they all coexisted in the house. She's also not fond of anything or anyone in our yard - UPS guy, bunnies, stray cats, neighborhood dogs, leaves, plastic bags, birds, whatever. She jumps at the window & barks non-stop.

We really don't socialize her with other dogs other than trips to the kennel when we go on vacation. She's not aggreseive under those circumstances, but she's not on her turf, either.

If you're a visitor, she expects ALL of your attention in the form of kisses and/or belly rubs.

If she isn't aggressive at a kennel she probably won't be aggresive at home either. Does the kennel she goes to do an open play style day where all the dogs are in a big room or is it the type that keep all the dogs seperate at all times and give each dog a set number of exercise time.

 

[longboard55]

I am a huge fan of 2 small dogs, its just as easy to care for two as one as long as they are not too big, and they do a great job of keeping each other company when no one is there. Dogs get real anxious when no one is around, with two they are much more calm.

There is an issue with age. a puppy will be puppy and want to play and the older one will want nothing to do with that, but over time they will be best friends