Adding a new puppy to the family
We are the proud family of Oakley, a 3 year old neutered male and are thinking of adding another OES to our family. Should we be looking at getting another male or would it be best to get a female puppy? Our first OES, Sheba grew up with our children so she always had someone to play with but now that the kids are away at university, Oakley just has us. Any advice would be greatly appreciated...thanks! |
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| Hello!
Sorry, I have no first hand experienced advice for you except that I'd consider getting a new dog if that's what you want to do, and not for Oakley. He'll be just fine with you giving him all of your attention! From what I've read some dogs prefer to me an only dog, others like the company of other four footers. Now that I've made everything crystal clear... Exit, stage left! 
Welcome to the forum! |
| We just added a new puppy to our household....the eldest dog Merlin (4) is wondering why he wasn't enough for us...he is not happy about the new addition, but he will come around. He behaved like this each time a puppy came to the house. The only dog he accepted right away was our rescue dog.
We have one male and 3 females. This is because I know that merlin would definitely not accept another male. How is Oakley with other dogs? |
| I think it depends on your dog, but most dogs that I have observed seem to hit if off faster with a dog of the opposite sex. HOWEVER a puppy in general is going to annoy an older dog for a while as they bond, so it may not matter too much. We have introduced puppies of either gender into our household and both have ended up being fine. |
| Thanks for your advice!
We take Oakley to a leash-free park nearby and he loves playing with other dogs. It will be an adjustment for him when the new puppy arrives but I'm sure he'll adjust quickly. I'll keep you posted. |
| If you decide to bet a puppy, make sure it is because YOU want a puppy....Not because you think Oakley needs a friend.
But if you are looking for a second dog, maybe a rescue dog would work, too! Oakley's Mom wrote: Thanks for your advice!
We take Oakley to a leash-free park nearby and he loves playing with other dogs. It will be an adjustment for him when the new puppy arrives but I'm sure he'll adjust quickly. I'll keep you posted. What area of Ontario are you in? I frequent the parks in Mississauga, Oakville and soon-to-be Milton. If you are close by we'd LOVE a play date! |
| Oakley's Mom,
I strongly believe that dogs, on the whole, do better with at least one 4-footed companion. (Some indeed don't get along with others but that is a relatively small proportion of dogs.) They are pack animals and some of those instincts remain strong even after the many 1000's of generations of domestication. Even relatively recent breeds such as the Bobtail exhibit many of the pack instincts. That being said, as has already been mentioned the overriding factor here is YOUR desire for another dog. After all it will be you who has to walk, feed, groom, bathe, train and in general care for the new puppy/rescue etc., dog. If you don't want another dog Oakley will adjust to being an "only child" and still do quite well. Oakley will almost certainly be more energetic and physically fit with another dog in the household and chances are good he will be also happier and more mentally stimulated, assuming he is not one of the "I want to be an only child" dogs. If you continue to consider another dog get him out to bark parks and other venues where he can interact with other dogs to get a "read" of how he will react to another dog in the household. Good luck in your decision. Carl P.S. If you are in the Ottawa area let us know. We are always looking for "playdates" for our pack and would love to get together with you and Oakley! |
| Its so nice to receive advice from people who have first hand experience. For the ones concerned that I'm looking for a puppy just for Oakley, please rest assured that we would be getting a puppy because WE want one....I think Oakley would love it as well. Being parents of twin boys, I guess we just expect things in twos!!! |
Oakley's Mom wrote: Its so nice to receive advice from people who have first hand experience. For the ones concerned that I'm looking for a puppy just for Oakley, please rest assured that we would be getting a puppy because WE want one....I think Oakley would love it as well. Being parents of twin boys, I guess we just expect things in twos!!!
Oakley's Mom, Sorry I originally missed your comment that Oakley does well with other dogs at the bark parks. The only thing better than having one of these clowns in the house is having multiple Bobtails! You will of course have to be careful how you introduce your puppy to Oakley and keep a close eye on their interactions for the first few months but they will work out their relationship/pack hierarchy and things will "even out" as the puppy grows to adult size. Perhaps the most important thing though is to remember to give Oakley some dedicated quality time each day until the multi-dog family becomes "routine" and normal to them. You need to make sure he doesn't see the puppy as competition for your attention and love, which he has had exclusively until now. Let us know how things go, we look forward to meeting Oakley's brother/sister and watching/being part of your journey with them. Thanks and Cheers Carl |
| Yep ditto Carl. We introduced a puppy for Ollie, they weren't fussed by each other to start with and Ollie seemed really subservient to the puppy, they had a few rough and tumbles, just the heirarchy thing,which I would suggest not interfering with unless you think its getting out of hand. This went on for a few months, but now, its just heaven, they play together, eat out of the same bowl at the same time in some instances, they really get on well. Jack thinks he's a sheepie (he's a collie), he's already doing the countersurf thing - good luck and let us know how it goes. |
It's official.....we're adding a new OES to the family. The new puppy (we decided on getting a female) will be born around June 16th. Thanks again to everyone for all your advice. I can't wait to her home!  |
| Wonderful !!!!! get your sleep in now lol can't wait to see the pictures and hear all about your arrival - ahhhhh names names names now. |
Congrats!!  |
Congrats on the new family member to be! How hard to wait. Are they near you enough to go visit (and get us pictures  )? Hopefully all goes well with the litter. What a fun summer of anticipation! |
| We've picked the name Little Lady Sydney....and luckily the wonderful breeder is just an hour drive away. Hopefully she'll let us visit often so I can post some pictures of the litter!! Lots to do to puppy-proof the house again so the time should just fly by. |
| How exciting! |
Bosley's mom wrote: If you decide to bet a puppy, make sure it is because YOU want a puppy....Not because you think Oakley needs a friend.
But if you are looking for a second dog, maybe a rescue dog would work, too! Oakley's Mom wrote: Thanks for your advice! We take Oakley to a leash-free park nearby and he loves playing with other dogs. It will be an adjustment for him when the new puppy arrives but I'm sure he'll adjust quickly. I'll keep you posted. What area of Ontario are you in? I frequent the parks in Mississauga, Oakville and soon-to-be Milton. If you are close by we'd LOVE a play date! We're in Oakville, so if interested in meeting with another shippie let me know . Tommy's 1 year 8 months old |
| I've sent you a PM!!!! Welcome to the forum!!! |
Oakley's Mom wrote: We've picked the name Little Lady Sydney....and luckily the wonderful breeder is just an hour drive away. Hopefully she'll let us visit often so I can post some pictures of the litter!! Lots to do to puppy-proof the house again so the time should just fly by.
Love the name - of course I'm biased as my girl is named Lady Sidney Blue Good luck w/your new addition. Be prepared for her to start ruling the roost in 6 months! My largest dog (GSD), Mojo is ~100lbs. and yet he is last on the pecking order (after Sid, our female GSD and a herd of pugs) b/c he's a boy. lol He's lucky he has such soulful eyes - sometimes I wonder if he gets more food by begging than by waiting his turn at the dinner bowls (j/k) |
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