My current dog is about 1.5 years old, had him since he was a puppy, he's 80lb (mail away DNA test says he is a rotty/doberman mix, but I don't see it), friendly as can be, never seen him growl at anyone, loves to play with everyone. Spoiler I plan on getting another dog at the humane society and want to ensure they get off to a good start. I plan on getting a dog of similar age and size. I think the humane society has some that have already been through some kind of basic training. Both dogs would be fixed. Does it matter if it's male or female (i.e. same or different gender)? What's the best way to introduce them to each other? I've heard neutral territory like a park. How do I keep them from fighting over food and water? Should I worry about leaving them alone together at first, or should I separate them when I go out? Any tips or experiences you guys can offer is appreciated.
Ive had alot of dogs.....and actually....some get along....some dont.... your dog might get jealous and try to start some ****..... Has your dog been around other dogs before?
I took him to the dog park when he was younger, but haven't been back for at least a few months. He did very well with individual dogs, but got pretty skittish when they would all mob him as he entered the park.
As this is only my experience and I'm not a dog trainer... The issue with getting a new dog is that someone is going to establish dominance. If dominance isn't established readily, they will fight over food (or growl). I've three dogs and they still do this...However, you should never ever let them fight over you. As if one is near you and starts to become aggressive towards the second one. This is because you are alpha male. As alpha male/Pack Leader you must make sure that they don't fight over you or fight you for food. I'm guessing the dog you have now doesn't do that, but it may change with a new arrival. In my experience, the dogs are going to fight and you're going to have to let them sort out beta male dominance to a degree. As for the first meeting, we've always just brought the pet home and kept an eye on them. Always had them both on leashes (or all three) and made sure everyone was okay with playing nice. Make sure you have established food bowls for everyone, this will help with the food fighting. If you've got to leave them alone and they're fairly new to each other don't leave food down. They should become more comfortable as time goes on. The first dog is a short dog, with stubbly legs. It was his (Vince) home, established as so. We adopted another male dog. (Oz). Vince quickly established dominance and Oz didn't mind it. However, our latest addition is a large black lab/pit mix and as we got him when he was a puppy Vince established dominance. But as Lynk continues to grow he suddenly got this, I-am-bigger-than-you-and-I-don't-have-to-take-orders-from-you-no-more idea and we've been having some arising difficulties, but once order is again established things should be better. I hope this helps and as I pointed out before this is only my personal experience and I'm not a dog trainer.
That's very helpful. The one thing I worry about is that he is well behaved now and everything all of a sudden going haywire, ruining a good thing.
People tend to forget one thing when they adopt a second dog is that the first dog was, in fact...there first. LoL. It's not nice to expect your dog to lovingly share his/her home with another. It will take time and adjustment. Don't allow him to get away with things he normally wouldn't get away with, but don't chastise him overmuch because of the new addition.
In general, it's usually a good idea to get a dog of the opposite sex. There tend to be less problems, and in this case my understanding is that a male dog is more likely to accept a female one into the household than another male.
Dogs For Adoption I still have these two dogs available. Both could be good fits. Both are rescue dogs that need a good home. Moreover, as their foster, we know there temperaments really well. Also, we've done a bazillion dog introductions. Email me through the board if you are interested in either please. If not and you just want advice I can try and help out there too via email. As an example I find sex doesn't matter that much, especially if all are spayed and neutered as they should be and if you arent dealing with a huge amount of dogs. It's more about temperament, dog personality, training, etc.
Well shucks. We actually adopted a dog to Arizona once and have done to other states, but it is certainly difficult. If for some strange reason you take liking to either and would be willing to work through a longer distance adoption - where we'd ultimately get the dog to you but there'd obviously be some different than usual nuances - still let me know. Finding good homes is tough and obviously top priority, regardless of location. But I'd understand a reluctance. In regards to introduction, our typical process involvers a first meeting in a neutral location on leash. This is usually for our sake more than anything as occasionally someone will say their dog is ready and it ends up being the most aggressive not ready for a companion dog there is. But for both dogs, neutral at first is a little better in our experience. I would certainly do on leash first. Again don't think sex is a huge issue with just two dogs and both fixed. In regards to food, an option to consider could be crating. Meaning get each dog crate and feed in the crate. Dogs love crates once they get used to them - they are naturally den animals. Ours love their crate, which is nice and plush with blankets, etc. We don't feed in the crate as they get along, but still use crate anyways because again they love it. Moreover crates do help initially to give each dog their own area and potentially protect your house in the first few weeks. On the other hand, our two share one large crate - again they love it. But sharing obviously makes it difficult to feed separately in the crate if you wanted to go that way. In either case definitely as suggested have seperate food and water bowl options for the new dog and keep a close eye out at first when feeding and just generally. Finally, the advice to make sure you're the alpha dog / pack leader is always good. Dog training is more about training owners than dogs.
I know next to nothing about dogs and I'm terrified of them... but judging from all the dog attack threads that's been a trend here lately, why not get a bigger dog? Not necessarily a rottweiler or anything, just bigger.
These are good tips. Definitely have them meet at a park in a neutral location. And the part in bold is always the biggest problem