Your experiences with a second dog

[i100]

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Hi Everyone,

I'm new to the forum so hoping this is the right place to post this!

I would love to hear from anyone that anyone that has two dogs, as am trying to decide whether or not it could work well for me (and my current dog)...

My current dog is a four year old rescue. When I first got him he seemed quite friendly towards people but very afraid of other dogs (he was attacked by larger dogs while at the rescue centre). Two years on, his real personality quirks have emerged - he is very nervous around strangers, particularly men who he will bark and growl at if they come into the house, and is terrified/phobic of any kind of loud noise, thunder, building works, fireworks etc. On walks he could be fine one minute, but will suddenly start panicking, shaking and will absolutely refuse to go any further. He loves being at home and will desperately try to get back home when coming back from a walk. I have been working with him to try and help him with these issues, using treats and praise to turn them into positive experiences, but he is not at all interested in food or toys at any time.

The only thing that seems to really have any effect on making him relaxed is the company of other dogs. After the initial fear I mentioned, he now absolutely adores other dogs, male or female and of any size. He would play for hours with another dog and is a completely transformed character around them. Last summer he spent a month with two other dogs where we were staying, and he refused to come inside - a first for him- and even played with their toys with them - the only time I have ever seen him play with a toy.

I feel I may have taken the training as far as it will go as the current situation is. I can't get him to move past these fears using food or games because they don't interest him at all. Because of the very positive effect other dogs seem to have on him, I have begun seriously considering whether adopting a second dog may give him a happier life.

From the research I have been doing, many organisations seem to say that a second dog can negatively impact the behaviour of your current dog, actually creating more problems. The dog I am thinking of adopting is a slightly younger male, very sociable and friendly towards people, loves going out for walks and is pretty well balanced.

I am not expecting a second dog to 'fix' my current dogs behaviour problems, but i definitely do not want to make them worse.

How have you found getting a second dog affected the behaviour of your first dog?

Did it add to any issues that were already there?

For those of you with shy dogs, did their nervousness affect the 'new' dog's behaviour?

Thank you for your help!

 

[Janey1janey]

get a girl if you get one! Girls generally rule in the dog world.... in a pack... having a lower position is good for an insecure dog it gives them confidence to know they are not in charge .And as long as you rule as boss over the two of them it should improve your male dogs behaviour .....

 

[rubysmum]

I think it would be good for him as long as the other dog has not got a strong dominant character. You don't want a dog who will not allow him to play or is possessive with their toys. A dog who is overpowering will have the opposite affect to what you need. I personally think dogs do well with a friend and are never left alone. Until now I always had two dogs and they always got on well together. I did always have a dog and a bitch though. Good luck.

 

[i100]

Thank you both for the advice. I do agree in principle that it usually works better to have two of the opposite sex. I am uncertain with my dog because he seems to actually prefer the company of other male dogs over female dogs who he doesn't pay much attention to. I wonder whether maybe it's because I have seen him around confident males who make him feel more secure. Just another one of his odd quirks that makes no sense to me

 

[Janey1janey]

that's prob because he thinks he's the boss already..... life is chaos for a dog who doesn't have a confident leader they are pack animals and an insecure dog personality wise does not make a good leader .a bitch will naturally assume that position but that doesn't mean they won't bond all packs bond and good discipline and training from yourself is all you need to apply to put you at the top dog position...Obviously make sure they like each other from the onset!

 

[i100]

Yes, you might be right about that- and he definitely is not the type of dog that would enjoy having to be a leader. I have taken all your advice on board and I think it would be safer (and probably more productive in the long run) to choose a female.

I have contacted a group about one of their dogs and it is sounding quite positive already... she is a bit older than mine (6 years old), a little bit bigger in size but not by much and gets on well with male and female dogs and cats. She has been a stray for five of the six years, and has been living at a scrap yard so she is very used to noises and being outdoors (though apparently is also house trained and walks well on a lead).. She has always lived with a group of dogs, so I think it could be quite a good fit.

What do you think?

As she's still living as a stray there may also be the possibility of fostering her so that would be a chance to see how they get on!

 

[Janey1janey]

sounds good

I would introduce them somewhere that s on equal grounds somewhere where there s a lot of doggie smells to check out that they like each other first .