Getting a Second Dog?

[kilee]

I am really thinking about getting another dog. For me and my family not for the dog I have. I currently have a male Shih Tzu. He does really well w/ my mom's rottweiler and scottie. However, he can't stand to be around my MIL's dog. We had a cat until recently and they were the best of pals. It seems like we've always had 2 pets and it now seems like something is missing. I am really leaning towards getting a second dog though and not another cat.

I went as far as spending the last 2 days scouring animal shelters within a 2 hr drive. I'm wondering how successful this will be? I should mention my dog is only 6 months old. He's well trained already though. Unfortunately it's been a bad year for us petwise as we lost 2 dear old friends to old age.

I'm looking for advice on what to look for. I don't want to make the wrong decision for my dog or the possible adopted dog. It wouldn't be fair to either.

 

[Aimeedyan]

I was very nervous about bringing home another one - Harley (Shih Tzu as well) is my spoiled rotten baby, and I was so scared he would resent us for bringing home another. He is used to being the center of the world. Thankfully, that didn't happen - now, the first few days were rough, he wasn't quite sure what this creature was, and why it was biting the heck out of him, but things adjusted and they are inseparable and love to play together.

We opted to bring one home now because we are both in and out of the house every couple of hours and felt we could train well - before we're working FT and have to leave them most of the day alone. We wanted Harley to have company while we're gone when that happens, as well.

I did the shelter search, too. As much as I didn't want to potty train again, we decided it would be better to bring a puppy home as Harley would be larger than it for a while and it wouldn't have previous issues that we would need to deal with. NOT that those dogs don't deserve a home, too, we just felt like we owed Harley the exp of a pup without major behavioral issues in tow instead of a full grown dog with problems. Harley has also been terrified of other dogs, with the exception of a few small dogs - I wanted him to be the bigger guy for awhile, to establish his role in the house and such.

I went to the shelter each day for several weeks, since pups go fast. I almost brought home a border collie mix until doing more research on this board and learning that border collies were not for us. The next week, I stumbled upon a tiny tiny black and brown puppy that had just been turned in - all alone. They were guessing he was 6 weeks, if that - I knew he'd be extra work that young but he was perfect. I was nervous about two males, but it worked out great!

He is very different than Harley, and is seemingly fearless, but we're working on it. As far as their relationship, they get sad when they are apart (Winston is crated at night, while Harley sleeps with us, and they will lick each other goodnight through the crate!) and play nonstop. Harley ignored us for a couple of weeks because he couldn't let Winston out of his sight, but now that things are calmed down, he climbs up and cuddles with me alot

It's a hard decision, I know! Good luck!

 

[Sandy22]

Both my dogs think you should get a second one!

Twice the love, twice the cuteness, twice the barking, twice the doggie doo. It's all worth it.

 

[2BigKIdz]

My two dogs, both males, are best buddies. Snickers, a mixed breed of unknown origins, will be 13 this year, I've had him since he was 8 weeks old, so he was almost 5 when we got Jack, our collie, who was 13 weeks old at the time and is now 8 yrs. Snickers accepted him without any hesitation but we also had a female chow/lab mix at the time who was 3 years old (she passed away last year at the age of 10), she was not happy about the puppy and took several weeks to adjust. The two males always got along better than a combination of male/female, don't know why. Both of my dogs love other dogs, I would feel completely comfortable bringing another dog home (but my husband won't let me, says 2 is enough, and we also have 2 cats). I won't have another female dog, I just had a harder time training her than the males and she was the one that always instigated the fights. Good luck!

 

[kilee]

Thank you for the advice. We went back to the shelters today. The hardest thing is-- out of about 50 dogs we only found 4 that weren't pitbulls. A pitbull or pit mix just isn't for us. Of the 4 I just wasn't feeling "it" for any of them. I want this to be right for all of us.

I looked on petfinder and I found a few rescue groups in the area. So, I'm going to contact them.

 

[TwoOldPoohs]

Thank you for the advice. We went back to the shelters today. The hardest thing is-- out of about 50 dogs we only found 4 that weren't pitbulls. A pitbull or pit mix just isn't for us. Of the 4 I just wasn't feeling "it" for any of them. I want this to be right for all of us.

I looked on petfinder and I found a few rescue groups in the area. So, I'm going to contact them.

Good for you! Be patient and the right dog will find you.

About a year after we adopted our first dog, we decided to look for a second. We searched petfinder (which is how we found Cody) for hours. We brought him to meet so many dogs, but either they didn't like him or he didn't like them. Many shelters require that you bring your current pets with you. Cody finally chose Heidi ... they seemed to get along immediately. They're about the same age (we think). Cody was around a year old when we adopted him, and Heidi was around two.

Good luck in your search and let us know when you bring your new family member home!

 

[EsmeraldaX]

A lot of shelters will actually require that your current dog spend time with the one you are about to adopt. I think if he's only 6 months, as long as you go for a dog who likes other dogs, they should be fine.

 

[mrsstats]

We spent about 2 months searching for my last dog. He was to be an addition to our house as our older dog had to be put down. We live on Long Island. After going to all the shelters here we also went to a monestary in brooklyn where a nun had a dog, to a shelter in Ct (where we got our previous dog) and finally to NJ where we got our Petey. We too brought our Kallie dog with us so she could meet all the prospects. Take your time, don't settle.

I too remember seeing so many pit bulls or mixes of pit. It is a shame.

 

[Jockaroo]

We spent over 9 months hunting a Scottie to add to our family. We found her through Petfinder and were lucky that she was the perfect little dog. Mac was 6 years old when we got Tipper, who was 4 years old. We did not want a puppy since we questioned how well Mac would interact with a rambunctious, nippy pup. Tipper was shy and reserved and the opposite of Mac. But they compliment each other perfectly. We did not bring Mac with us to get Tipper, but read up on how to introduce them. We took towels and a toy with Mac's scent on them for Tipper to use on the drive home. We then took Tipper to a common area of our complex and I took the toy with Tipper's scent to Mac and let him sniff it, then I walked him to where Tipper and my husband were. I took Mac, since he had the closest bond to me. We let them interact for about 20 min on neutral ground (leashed of course), before walking them home. We kept Mac leashed while Tipper explored her new home. We had only minor issues the first few weeks with Mac trying to steal treats and growling for toys. Mac is definately the dominate dog, but does not dominate the house. He has learned that growling for toys gets them taken away. As the alpha dog, Mac gets his treat first, then Tipper and he is not allowed to take hers away.

Getting Tipper was a wonderful thing for our family, but it is because her personality was right. We were very lucky. If we had gotten two dominate dogs, I think we would have had problems. It has been 4 years next week! They get along very well.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

There are so many, many on Petfinders. It is where we found the Rescue group where we adopted our 2 puppies 3 months ago. We adpoted them both the same day. They are male & female and 6 months old now.

I would recommend getting a dog that is being fostered in a home than a dog in a shelter. Dogs in shelters have to be assimilated back into a "home", unless of course you are up for that challenge.

 

[patsvette]

We had 2 dogs up untill this week,our other dog is lonely now follows us around everywhere,but i wont get another one right now.Eventually i will adopt or rescue another samoyed or maybe a great dane this time,but im gone to wait for now.I think its just as easy having 2 dogs then one.Good luck in your quest,every dog needs a loving home.