Kingdom of Pets

Posted by sirajbose
Nov 20, 2007

Hi,

I have a 7 month old labrador and I was thinking of getting another pup for company as my future work schedule would involve me being away from the house for a few hours each day. The questions I have in mind are:

+) Is it true that a dog needs another dog for companionship or will they be just as lonesome when I am gone?
+) Should I get a dog of the same size (in terms of breed) or will a smaller breed also do?
+) What would be the best way to introduce these dogs to each other?

I am planning to get a pup which is around 8 weeks old, and any guidance on my questions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Posted by dogworkz
Dec 1, 2007

Hi

I'm thinking of getting another pup for my maltese as well. cos he suffers from separation anxiety when we're not ard (by that we mean we'renot on the ground floor where he's at)

However I think it's better to wait until ur puppy is obedience trained b4 u get another puppy.
Also u need 2 supervise them at the initial stages...

Posted by MaxHollyNoah
Dec 1, 2007

Hi there.

I think sirajbose is right about the obedience training. Having 2 puppies (7 mos is still a puppy and 8 wks will take a lot of housetraining effort) will be quite a challenge, unless you spend a lot of time training and controlling them.

I always had and still have 2 dogs or more and it is such fun to see them playing and having fun with each other. However, I also heard stories about two dogs fighting each other, or being jealous with each other.

Therefore, I strongly recommend you will have at least 2-3 days of trial period. All my dogs are rescued dogs so I could arrange a trial period when I brought each dog home to see how he/she gets along with the dog(s) we already had. When you bring a new dog home, please make sure you will control the relationship (I always made a dog we had to be the first one to get everything, meals, walks, treats, etc.). I think this is very important since that will show the new dog that YOU are the leader.

Another challenge is that it is much harder to get attention of and control 2 dogs than one. For example, each of my dogs walk nicely when I walk them one by one, but when I take two together, they tend to pull more. They also get excited more easily with squirrels, etc.

You can also consider adopting an adult dog, which has a nice temperament and has already had obedience training.

Just some thoughts.

Good luck

Getting a second pup