Introducing a second dog to the home - good idea?
Discussion
We have a 9 year old Cairn Terrier called Haggis.
She is a lovely wee thing, but ever since she got attacked by a Spring Spaniel when out walking about 6 years ago, her whole demeanor towards other dogs has changed.
She used to be very sociable but now is overly aggressive, possibly as an early form of defence? when she see other dogs.
Mrs Chimp has been making noises about getting a second dog, preferably a Pug, but I am concerned that haggis will not take to this newcomer and it could end badly for all concerned, possibly with us having to re-home the Pug at worst.
On the flip side, they could get on like a house on fire - Haggis could have a wee pal and it may take years off her as well!
Has anyone had any experience of this kind of scenario?
How did you cope/introduce the newcomer? Any tips/advice?
Cheers.
She is a lovely wee thing, but ever since she got attacked by a Spring Spaniel when out walking about 6 years ago, her whole demeanor towards other dogs has changed.
She used to be very sociable but now is overly aggressive, possibly as an early form of defence? when she see other dogs.
Mrs Chimp has been making noises about getting a second dog, preferably a Pug, but I am concerned that haggis will not take to this newcomer and it could end badly for all concerned, possibly with us having to re-home the Pug at worst.
On the flip side, they could get on like a house on fire - Haggis could have a wee pal and it may take years off her as well!
Has anyone had any experience of this kind of scenario?
How did you cope/introduce the newcomer? Any tips/advice?
Cheers.
We wanted a second dog to accompany our WFT (dog). At 6 months, he was a bit of a handful with other dogs, not savvy at all & over excited/excitable *
We waited until he was over a y.o. before even considering it (not an issue for you on that score).
The idea was that we would foster so that if things didn't work out, we wouldn't have the issue of re-homing.
We went to meet the the dog intended to foster, who was living with a couple who already had a WFT (b
h).
They all got on well & after a few hours with them & a walk in a local pack, we bought the foster dog home with us.
Two things then happened.
First, it was soon apparent that we were ste at fostering because on the way home, the mrs said she wanted to keep the new one.
The second was that they got on so well, they are now inseparable.
So it can work, my advice would be: patience & planning. Don't be too hasty, take time to look at options & work out an exit strategy in case things don't work out.
Oh, and adopt if possible (I know you've already considered this). Dog re-homing organisations are usually very helpful with advice & understand the realities of adoption.
Good luck
Here's a couple of pics of ours (adopted on the left):
* he's still mad as a box of frogs
We waited until he was over a y.o. before even considering it (not an issue for you on that score).
The idea was that we would foster so that if things didn't work out, we wouldn't have the issue of re-homing.
We went to meet the the dog intended to foster, who was living with a couple who already had a WFT (b
h).They all got on well & after a few hours with them & a walk in a local pack, we bought the foster dog home with us.
Two things then happened.
First, it was soon apparent that we were s
te at fostering because on the way home, the mrs said she wanted to keep the new one.The second was that they got on so well, they are now inseparable.
So it can work, my advice would be: patience & planning. Don't be too hasty, take time to look at options & work out an exit strategy in case things don't work out.
Oh, and adopt if possible (I know you've already considered this). Dog re-homing organisations are usually very helpful with advice & understand the realities of adoption.
Good luck
Here's a couple of pics of ours (adopted on the left):
* he's still mad as a box of frogs
It may be possible to introduce another dog; one of our whippets, Sam, is fear-aggressive towards some dogs, although he is generally okay once they've walked together for a bit on our land and got to know each other. We have introduced two more dogs since we got Sam and Jet, so it can work - but it will depend on your dog's personality and the new dog's personality. The two we have adopted since Sam are older and calmer.
As Smiler suggests, it would be worth contacting rescue centres and explaining the circumstances. There are numerous advantages - the dogs can usually meet on neutral territory, with experts around to watch their body language, there may be behavioural back-up from the rescue if required, and (should the worst come to the worst) the rescue will take back the dog if it doesn't work out.
Whether you'll find a pug in rescue, I don't know - I do see a few but they tend to be adopted very quickly. In your circumstances, I wouldn't narrow your breed choice too much, the personality/compatibility of the dog is much more important.
Good luck
As Smiler suggests, it would be worth contacting rescue centres and explaining the circumstances. There are numerous advantages - the dogs can usually meet on neutral territory, with experts around to watch their body language, there may be behavioural back-up from the rescue if required, and (should the worst come to the worst) the rescue will take back the dog if it doesn't work out.
Whether you'll find a pug in rescue, I don't know - I do see a few but they tend to be adopted very quickly. In your circumstances, I wouldn't narrow your breed choice too much, the personality/compatibility of the dog is much more important.
Good luck
And for what it's worth, having two dogs is fantastic. Our old one became really laid back when the young one arrived. We used to have resources guarding issues with her, but now she leaves a little bit of her dinner for Sally, the Springer to finish.
We do however wash a LOT of towels this time of year! Little ones shouldn't be quite such a problem logistically.
We do however wash a LOT of towels this time of year! Little ones shouldn't be quite such a problem logistically.
Duncan on day one
Duncan at 15 weeks
We wanted to get a playmate for our 2 year old EBT and ended up with duncan. We did a lot of research, my sister is a vet nurse and we had access to a few behaviourists and rehoming volunteers.
The advice we were given was:
Get a puppy - easier to integrate as it will be more inclined to fall into the natural "pack" order.
Get the opposite sex to your current dog
Get something robust - Lou is pretty mental and plays hard.
We Got little Duncan at 8 weeks old from a rescue centre. We expected a certain bedding in period while Lou learned that he was here to stay but after initial introduction in the grounds here at home, Lou completely adopted him.
From the first hour at home, she mothers him, lets him "milk" her, cleans his ears etc.
It went really well from the offset and a couple of months later, she still loves him to bits. They do have their arguments - toys generally- but he has so far realised that he's the junior and be mothering him so close, Lou has asserted her authority.
They do have separate bedrooms so can have their own time if needed.
It's lovely to let her have the playmate she needed.
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