Lonely Dog

[Cooper]

I think my dog is lonely.... My gf seems to think she needs a friend to play with. I take her to doggy-daycare and she seems to enjoy it. I know it will change her personality/attitude hopefully for the best. She is very attached to me and im just worried about that.. I was thinking about bringing one of my moms dogs home with me to see how she does with another dog in the house that stays over. They already know each other and have been playing together since i got her. They "rough house" a lot.

Anythoughts or suggestions would help,

Thanks

[GSDNanny]

Well, I am definitely the wrong one here to answer because my dogs have never been without a canine playmate. Dogs are abundant around here!!!
They are pack animals so....

[Dutchringgirl]

Thats a big part of why I got Sadie. Growing up we always had at least two basset hounds. I always had two dogs for that reason. After I divorced, my X took his dog and Thalie stayed with me and for a good month she was very depressed. Even after weekends at my parents house with the BH Thalie would walk around my house whining looking for her. Her and Sadie are now inseparable. If your life can accommodating a second dog, im sure your dog would enjoy it.

[Choochi]

Sure why not. Just keep in mind that they would be on her territory now and if she has any possessive tendencies you need to watch them to make sure the other pup doesn't get attacked.

[Dutchringgirl]

Thalie would take all of the toys and hide them from Sadie.

[Raven]

Even if it goes well by bringing your mom's dog in your house, the scenerio may not play out that way with a different dog, especially one that's there to stay and garnering your attention.

Obviously, it has a 50/50 chance, so what is the plan if it didn't go well?

Also, your dog will teach the newcomer (or, conceivably, vica-versa), so how well your dog is trained is important (IMHO).

Years and years ago, I brought in a new dog for my very good dog. Very good dog did not like the newcomer, even though he thought every human and animal on the planet was his very best friend. It got worked out, but I did get a few surprises by what the very good--and very smart dog--taught the newbie. They had a lot of fun bonding over how to try and stay one step ahead of mother.

[Choochi]

Also, your dog will teach the newcomer (or, conceivably, vica-versa), so how well your dog is trained is important (IMHO).

I just wanted to comment to that.. people always assume that the older more wiser dog will teach the new dog the manners and house rules.. WAKE UP FROM YOUR DISNEY FANTASY PEOPLE!! The dogs don't automatically learn from each other, some do, some don't. They also learn the bad things just as easily and you can't control who learns what from who. Prime example: my new puppy is a little devil chews barks howls, he's a handful. My older pup who never had any of these habits even when she was little is all of a sudden watching this little monster chewing on the corner of the coffee table and goes Hey! Why didn't I think of that! That looks like fun! He steels from the laundry basket, she never did, she now does. ETC..

It does help if your first dog is trained, but not because the training will rub off on the new dog, but because having at least one trained dog who's training you can rely on will help you keep your sanity.

So when people imagine that adding a second dog will some how help to entertain their first one and will make it easier to keep the first dog happy, they will tire each other out, they will be friends for life, it doesn't always turn out like that. Usually adding a second dog, especially a puppy means double if not triple the work (at least until the pup is fully mature and trained). Slightly different story if you're adding an adult dog that has already gone through the puppy nonsense. You do need to give each dog their time with you away from each other so they don't end up bonding to each other more then to you. This might mean double play time, double walk time, double training time. They might become possessive of you or any other things in the house and fight each other. They might become possessive of each other and fight other dogs when your old dog has never done that before. I've heard plenty of stories where people added a second dog to their household expecting bliss and ended up with two dogs that had to be separated or they would try to kill each other. Then you're stuck trying to rehome a dog with established aggression issues, never mind the emotional toil of having to get rid of one of your dogs.

On a similar note, some people expect that just because they have a good dog now, their next one will live up to the same expectations. Even if they are the same breed, possibly even from the same breeder, dogs can vary greatly in personality, energy levels, etc. Don't even try to look for a carbon copy of your dog, treat this as a new experience, looking for a new dog starting from scratch. Also, your current dog might be perfectly behaved because you're a great handler, or you might have just gotten lucky and gotten an easy dog. Don't judge your new dog's failures based on your old dog's successes and be prepared that they might need two very different handling styles. I've hear so many people say my old dog was so easy to train/raise, this new one is a nightmare. And they spin in circles trying to do all the tricks they did with their old dog that obviously don't work with the new one.

Yes, having two dogs (or more) can be a fun and a rewarding experience, but it also means more work and more responsibility, some times a lot more work then you were expecting. That's all.

[Raven]

I wasn't implying that any dog was going to teach another that "they" need to lie down away from the table while the humans eat or teach that racing down stairs in front of humans and blowing out their kneecaps is unacceptable behavior. Etc.

But, now, someone will disagree with that, even though the statement was made for the general case, not what could or what has happened in an exceptional case or two. (A stray dog in New Zealand teaches a house dog how to untie a knot which ultimately saves the owner's life while out boating; all lived happily ever after.)

[Cooper]

I know that it can go both ways. Good and Bad and Ugly... my main concern is the attachment issues. When I hug and kiss my gf before I leave for work I can tell that the dog gets jealous cause she does the whining/moan/growl and wags her tale while circling around us. When I am at my moms If I show affection to my moms dogs she doesn't get jealous. But thats not in my home and is not permanent. It's not something I'm going to rush into getting. And if it goes ugly then I deal with it, moms gets 3 dogs until suitable home is found. There is always someone looking for a good dog. I highly doubt that she would show aggression to the point where she would want to fight and kill the other dog. The trainer seems to think it's a good idea and I trust her judgement in my dog. I've known her for almost 12 years now. As for a companion I was think male, black lab. The reason why I think it would be the best before her, labs have energy but also kind of have a laid back attitude. I think they know how to take it easy and play at the same time. Might teach my dog how to eventually chill out. All the interactions she has had with labs has gone pretty well recently. Anybody that has more than one dog at home that isn't a dutchie what kind do you have ?

And as for bad habits.. My dog has her moments but the moment was seized by the opportunity we left her with. It's not unusual to leave the bathroom door open when leaving in a hurry and come home to find a toilet roll has neatly been turned into confetti and my living room looks like it has just snowed. She ripped a cushion on the couch once trying to dig and get her ball that slipped in between. Chewing furniture; no dog has never done that. She will chew my gf"s shoes sometimes. But like I told my gf, hey if you put it away properly she wouldn't have got it. She grabs my shoes and walks threw the living room trying to get to chase her. Thanks for all the positive and negative comments.

[Schlussdibusti]

As for a companion I was think male, black lab. . ... Anybody that has more than one dog at home that isn't a dutchie what kind do you have ?

My rescue DS lives with a male Black Lab. Works great. My Lab has a "calming" influence on the DS but it's due to the fact that the Lab is a senior.

[Cooper]

My DS is a female, that's why I was planning on getting a male. Not planing on breeding them. She is spayed and the male would be neutered. I was thinking it would make balance in the house. What sexes are your dogs?

[Dutchringgirl]

I have two DS, both female. They are great together. I have about 5x more dog hair in the house but thats okay

[Schlussdibusti]

What sexes are your dogs?

The DS and the Lab are both males, neutered. One bitch is enough in the house.

[alspyce]

My house it's all bitches---don't care much for males.

[Dutchringgirl]

HAHAHA, Horses- only males, dogs- only females.