Dog #2?

kkelly77

I'm considering getting a second dog for a companion for my 14 week old Rottie.

I would like to hear from everyone who has more than 1 dog and tell me their experience, whether it is good or bad, to help me with my decision.

Ideally I would like to get an older dog (1-3 yrs) that has a lower energy level than a Rottie but can still tolerate a boisterous puppy. I have the terrier breed in mind seeing as they seem to be able to run forever but are obviously a physically smaller breed compared to the Rottweiler.

Thanks for the replies

K

Starlights

I would personally wait awhile before getting a second dog esp if its going to be a smaller breed.
At least wait until the puppy is fully trained. A big pup with a smaller dog could really hurt it by being boisterous puppy.

Paul91

i think we qualify, we have a 16 year old Cairn, 4 year old boxador and 4 year old German Shepherd and currently three (almost) 13 week old German Shepherd/Newfie crosses,

I’ll start at the start, three and half years ago we got the boxador (we where living in the OH’s family home saving for our own house) the Cairn was there family dog and from day one she was the boss of the boxador, snapped at him and still does, which makes you laugh if you see the size difference, they tolerate each other now, as in the Boxador stays out of the Cairns way whenever poss

Next came the German Shep in August this year, she was taken out of the CSPCA (pregnant I found out later) at first meet she growled at the Boxador, but once they had a walk together they where fine, she growled again at him after being separated for a week a week after I got her as they where in different kennels for our holiday. Now they get on great, bounce of each other – play fight – no problems whatsoever

Finally the pups arrived in Sept, we have three 13 weeks now, they love there mom (Roxy) and uncle Tyson (Boxador) and they all get on great, have loads of play time and even though it’s been a struggle with them all (6 pups originally – 3 homed so far) I wouldn’t be without any of them, even the old grumpy Cairn who bosses the lot round when she can

Paul91

Starlights wrote: »

I would personally wait awhile before getting a second dog esp if its going to be a smaller breed.
At least wait until the puppy is fully trained. A big pup with a smaller dog could really hurt it by being boisterous puppy.

i think an older dog would put the puppy in it's place?

andreac

Personally i wouldnt be in a rush yet to get another dog as your fella is quite young.
From personal experience of a rottie male owner, theres a long way to go with training, obedience etc and i would say that you should concentrate on him until hes nearly matured as they are very hard work to keep them well behaved and i think another dog in the household at the moment might not be the best.

Will you be getting your fella neutered once hs old enough? All i can say is that i would highly recommend doing so if you arent going to be showing or breeding him as an entire male rottie is a handful.

Starlights

Yeah maybe an older dog would put the puppy in place, but then again the older dog might not tolerate the puppy at all

phasers

I have a lab and and Jack Russell now.


We had the Lab for about 4 years before we got the JR. When I first got my JR she was about 6 months old and completely mad (Still is!). For a while he was a bit wary of her and sort of avoided her, but it only took about a week for them to start getting on. They're best friends now, even though she's much more energetic, always trying to get him to play when he just wants to sleep! He's definitely in charge though.

I'm not sure whether her being a female had anything to do with them getting on or not but my fella always seems a lot more tolerant of females :pac:

adser53

Fair play kelly, I always believe the more dogs the better I've 3 myself and would have more if I could.

I will say one thing to you though.... I'd wait until your rottie a bit older. It's still a puppy and if you introduce another dog now, it may bond with it more than you and become more difficult to train (also the attention you give the rottie will be halved so.) This is more common when people get 2 puppies together but can still happen. If I was you I'd enjoy the puppy stage as long as possible before introducing another dog and at least by then you'll have gotten a handle on training the rottie who will respond and look to you.

Some may disagree with me but it's just my two cents. Good luck

kkelly77

andreac wrote: »

Will you be getting your fella neutered once hs old enough? All i can say is that i would highly recommend doing so if you arent going to be showing or breeding him as an entire male rottie is a handful.

Ah to neuter or not to neuter, that is the question

I haven't decided TBH. As you rightly said, the only reasons not to are if I was planning to show or breed. I had neither in mind before I got Grason but I've been told he's going to turn into a fine example of a male Rottie, it'd be a shame not to show him.

Also, I assumed getting another dog at this early stage would make the introductions easier i.e. Grason would grow up with the other dog.

K

namurt

We brought home our second dog last week, I was about to write that they are cosying nicely together but then they decided it was time for a play fight. Truman, the first dog is a labxgsd who is just over a year old, the latest addition (Mina) is a three and a half year old dalmatian. They have very similar energy levels. It is a bit hectic sometimes when they are both hyper but we like to go for long walks so having two dogs with completely different energy levels wouldn't be practical. I definitely think you need to consider how much training is still needed with the Rottie and may be needed with the new dog. Even though Mina is older her previous owners just left her locked out in their garden for 3 years so it's back to square one with her training. I find that I have to take her to a separate room to do some individual training with her, and walking the two of them on my own isn't practical at the moment because they are both still learning how to walk properly on the lead. I think it's funny how quickly we forget the effort involved in settling in a new dog but it's worth it to see them cosying up together or playing.

lrushe

I'm currently raising my first Rottie pup the same as you and going by the stories I've been told about their teenage years I couldn't imagine getting an additional dog until Brook is over this stage (at least 2 years old). I've been told that this breed will try your patience, challenge your leadership, 'forget' any training they've learnt etc. A companion would be great for your pup but I personally would leave it another 18 months or so and just throw yourself into the dog you have now, laying down good foundations now will help ride the wave of the teenage years!!!

andreac

Irushe, i totally agree with you there. Mt fella has just turned 3 and im considering getting a 2nd dog only now. Rotties, esp males require a huge amount of work, training and time to ensure he turns out into a fab dog with a great temperament, which i now have, but i put in huge amount of time and effort into training him, obedience classes etc so im really only ready for a 2nd one now.

Kkelly, i would urge that you get him neutered if you dont plan on showing/breeding, as apart from the health issues, you will have a much easier dog to handle if hes not entire.

funkyjebus

Hi Guys,

This post is extremely relevant for me. Got a ISCWT last summer, he's 7 months old now. He is at home by himself all day, my Oh is a primary teacher so get home just after 3 and i work till 5ish.

When we get home he is so excited to see either of us and I feel bad him being on his own all day. So I was considering rescuing a dog next summer (when the OH is off, so we know he fits in ok). Would not be getting a puppy, would have to be a few years old.

So thats the plan, I have however heard that teh additional dog has no impact and that you just end up with two distressed dogs when you get home instead of one.

so my question is has anyone noticed a change in their dogs excitement since getting a second dog as company when left alone?
Thanks;)

berri_satine

We got two male rescue dogs last year at the same time, neither related or anything. We had the idea that they would keep eachother company if we were out of hte house for long periods of time (Kind of luckily my mum isnt working at the moment so she is there during the day)
However, when we do have to leave them, I feel it makes a huge difference. They enjoy eachothers company and it doesnt feel so bad leaving them.

They love eachother so much and if they are separated for even a short space of time, they whinge and cry until they're reunited!!:rolleyes:

We love having hte two of htem, I cant imagine going back to only one dog!

kkelly77

Hi all,

From the advice given I think I will (regrettably ) hold off until Grason is older before I consider getting a second dog. Thanks for all your replies.

K

namurt

Hi Funkyjebus. We only got our second dog last week so she's still settling in. She still suffers from separation anxiety as she had a rough time with her previous owners but I had the best feeling this morning when I went to let the two dogs in and instead of finding them sitting at the door waiting for me they only came out of the kennel (both of them were in the same one) when I opened the door. It was brilliant. As for the excitement though they were still both ecstatic to see me and did their usual bounce around.