How did getting a second dog affect your first one?

Amanda: How did getting a second dog affect your first one?
I’m mulling over the idea of getting a second dog. I have a dog now, a dachshund. She’ll be almost a year old when I would bring this “maybe” second pup into my life.

So, for anyone who has ever brought another dog into a home with an existing dog…what effect did this have on the first dog? Did he/she seem happier? Glad to have a canine playmate? Confused? Depressed? Scared? I’m fully aware that dogs are pack animals and it is natural for them to live together, but I can’t help but worry.

Also, what effect did it have on his/her relationship with you? Did you stay close, or did both dogs grow a bit more distant from you? I always worried that if they have each other, they won’t need me! Haha, that sound a little selfish, but that was my thought. I love her very much and I would hate our “relationship” to be negatively affected.

I’ve always only had one dog at a time, so anything else you can tell me about having more than one dog would be very helpful!
Thanks to everyone who has answered so far. I’m really looking for personal experiences and stories. Please, if you’ve introduced a second dog into your home, share them with me. This is a very important decision for me.

Raymond – Ha, my pup is at the vet right now being spayed. Definitely not interested in pups (although they would be cute). I’m no backyard breeder.

Answers and Views:

Answer by Lindsay G
I would be different for every dog, some will take right to the other dog, some will become jealous, some will want to start fights. Every dog basically will react differently, to a new animal in the house.

Answer by RAYMOND K OFFICIAL
I’ve always had two dogs so it’s never been a big deal. I raise dogs. The last time I brought one home it was a 6 month old Rottweiler. My adult Beagle who had been pretty lazy & quiet perked up & started playing again. I think it brought the life back to him. My friend had a wiener dog when I was young & it got along well with the other dogs in the house. Get a male weiner dog & have some pups!

Answer by desiree gersaniba
sure more dogs secures our house…one inside.. upstairs and infront our house plus at the back door

Answer by Flipgal
I have a pomeranian and then got a papillon. The pm was a little jealous at first but once I started spending equal time with both they get along and love having each other around

Answer by Beach-goer
When our male Yorkie was 15 months we brought home a new baby girl Yorkie. We were very nervous about having them together, because she was so much smaller and he was used to all of the attention.

BOY, were we surprised, they were instant buddies! she’s a little feisty, and takes him on even though she’s only a quarter of his size. From what I hear, it is better to bring the opposite sex as the newbie into the family.

As for our relationship with them, I really think that our first dog likes his “quality” time with us more now. He loves to sleep on the bed with me and snuggle in my lap which he really wasn’t too interested in before. The little female just loves to snuggle down with everyone. We still keep them separate at night, but mainly for potty training reasons. I think eventually they will both be up on the bed with us at night.

Good luck.

Answer by Nancy W
Excellent questions. My Mother had a 7 yo bichon frise, when my Mom died Shawnee seemed so lonely. She was use to someone being with her all the time. I worked full time. So I bought a bichon puppy for her (yes I bought a dog for my dog). Anyway, at first she wasn’t too thrilled with him. Seemed jealous. But after a short time she was like a little Mother with him, watching over him, keeping him close. Both of them were very close to me. Sometimes I felt like I was sharing their bed with them, and not sharing my bed with them.
They are pack animals, and you are part of that pack. Don’t worry about them not being close to you, they will be.

Answer by RB
My Aussie had severe separation anxiety when she was about a year and a half old. We got another Aussie and she quit tearing up the house when we left. They got along great. The first Aussie (Pepper) had a friend to play with now and bugged us less than before we got Aussie 2 (Jasper). It gives the dogs more than just humans to play with. Pepper and Jasper were always together.

Answer by Jeff/Angie
You and your dog should have no problem ! I have a 13 yr old shar pei named barrett and he’s big 65 lbs[ for a shar pei] we recently adopted an awesome in every way 100 lb Shepard 2 ft tall at the shoulder named Reg .barrett is fixed ,, reg is not .They got in a few harmless scruffs but its been two weeks and they are fine together !!! They sleep together and go outside together make sure to give them lots of EQUAL attention.Also give them supervised feeding times for a while you should be fine good luck

Answer by pets4lifelady
We often encourage dog owners to bring the current pet along when looking for another dog. This often eliminates problems right off. If the current dog and new are mutually interested it will make the situation go much smoother and avoid stress for all. The new addition needs to hit it off with your current pet as well as you.

Most dogs like having a playmate as they started out with a litter. Most older dogs will welcome a pup easier than another adult. They tend to “mother” the pup and will teach it the rules of the house. Helps with housetraining also! The pup will naturally follow the older dog out the door and follow her lead.

But please let your dog have input on the selection of the new family member.

Answer by just me
great stories! i have to add my own. i have to english bulldogs. “rufus” was 2 when i brought home my baby girl “daisy mae” they got along right away. with him already “potty trained” it was very easy to train her. and no to anyone who is wondering.. i am not breading them they were spayed and neutered.

Answer by jess lynn*
Okay, so personally I think that you should get another dog. Having more than one dog just makes things funner. I’ve lived with dogs all my life. I grew up with 2 pitbulls ever since i was born and they both died when i was 5. They got along very well and never once had any conflicts with each other. Right now i have 6 dogs, 3 boxers, 2 pugs, and a Cane Corso (Italian Mastiff). my 3 boxers came first and my oldest loves any new dog that she ever met. The other 2 boxers, if they grew up with the dog or never had any bad experiences with that dog they were fine and loved it. I brought one of my boxers (who was an abuse rescue) into my house with 2 dogs and she did perfectly fine. The boxers were very inviting. My 2 pugs are the same way. One is a puppy mill rescue and she has kushings disease (blind, smells, lookes hair, gains/looses weight fast, internal problems). The other pug we brought into the house with 4 dogs. She was a puppy and the other dogs were timid at first, not knowing what to do with her but then they realized that it was another playmate for them and warmed up to her fast. Now I just got my Cane Corso puppy friday. He is only 8 weeks old,and the italian mastiff breed is known for their lack of animal skills..(getting along with other animals) But my puppy is in love with all of my dogs. The 6 of them get along like they’ve known eachother for their entire lives.

(Also, my mother owns a doggie daycare and i’ve worked there for a long time with her so i know the diffrent outcomes of what could happen with new dogs. But most of the stories are good because, and since you have a younger dog to begin with, its like another playmate that lives with them. They will never get bored.)

So, what I would tell you is to deffinatly get another dog. It will be good for you and your dog. The only thing is that you have to introduce the new dog to your exsisting dog the right way. Just bringing the dog home and throwing it into a room with your dog might not be the best of ideas.

Go for it! It’s a lot of fun having more than just one dog.
=]

Good Luck!

Answer by Buddy28
I really didn’t think I needed another dog, but one day I noticed this pathetic looking little dog walking down the street in front of my house. She was skin and bones. She saw me and came over so I got her some food and water. It was as I was walking back into the house that Buddy, my foxhound mix, saw her. He rushed out the door to meet her. I’ve never seen two dogs take to each other so immediately. I tell people I didn’t adopt Bitsy. Buddy did. He insisted she come inside. He let her sleep in his bed and eat out of his food bowl. I was just amazed because Buddy was always a food guarder and at 11 years old, I didn’t expect him to change. It’s been two years now and that pathetic little dog has packed on the muscle and turned into quite a speedster. She’s a jack russell/boxer mix. She and Buddy are constant companions and even though they have their own food bowls and beds now, they still often share. Having a second dog has made Buddy happier for sure and I believe extended his life and improved the quality of it because my senior dog became playful as a pup again. I think when the dogs get along and enjoy each other’s company, it’s really a blessing to add a second dog to your household.

As far as my relationship to Buddy, I think it’s actually deepened it. Yes, he has to share my attention and I have to share his, but it’s made us appreciate each other more. It has definitely eliminated a lot of the separation anxiety Buddy had when he was an only dog.

Answer by Caninelegion
My then only dog was a two-year old male Germen Shepherd Dog/Catahoula mix. I took on an older (4-6?) female GSD/Malmute mix. My first dog was estatic. The female became very dependent on the younger male to the point that she would refuse to go on walks without him. Sarge (the male), for his part, stopped being destructive when I was gone. No more mattresses wedged into the doorway to the hall! He also became quite protective of her to the point that I told people I only had one dog but my dog had a dog.

Answer by boxmaker40
I have several dogs. For years I only had one, but than I
thought that it could use a companion so I bought another dog.
I had a female first and than I bought the male. They got along
really well. They played and slept together. The only time
they don’t get along is when there is food or treats being given
out, they don’t like to share.

I ended up getting another dog after that to, cause we are real
dog lovers, and they all get along really well. I thought that
the more dogs I had, the less interested they would be in me,
but that is not the case at all. They each wait on my every
word. I can’t move without my herd. That’s what I call them.
I think it’s good for a pet to have a companion. I’m sure they
relate on some level, and they have someone to play with and
even if they don’t love each other at first, they will still have
something going on with the new pet. Just make sure that
you always treat them the same.