A Friend for Curtis?
It's been a while since my last post, but here goes... Curtis is going on 16mos. now and life has been good to both of us. Unfortunately, my schedule at work still doesn't allow me much time with my furry baby, and I'm afraid that he's rather bored. I've been thinking of adopting a second pup for him to play with, but I'm a little worried about the mess that two dogs might make. Does anyone have any experience/stories/advice for us? We would very much appreciate it! |
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| Hi,
I've often introduced a new dog to the household when I've had dogs already in the home.The best advice I can give you is let Curtis and not you choose his friend. Seriously! I've adopted many animals from the shelter and this is what they suggest and I also agree. You bring Curtis with you when choosing another dog. (Not sure if you are thinking of another Sheepie or one of another breed) Last summer I brought Blue with me to meet a potential dog I wanted to adopt . Out of my three dogs, Blue is the one most likey not to get along with certain dogs. Both dogs were held about 6 ft away from each other. That was to be the first step, the next was to let them both offleash in an enclosed area. It's important -NOT YOUR BACKYARD OR A PLACE CURTIS SEES AS HIS BUT NEUTRAL TERRITORY. Unfortunatley for us we never got that far as it became apparent the dogs did not like each other and would cause more problems in the household. Dogs have a code of law which they sometimes break like humans. Their code is they do not attack puppies and males don't attack females. But, this is not always 100% as I've mentioned just like humans, dogs may break this "code". Don't misenterpret a dog diciplining a puppy as it's natural for an elder to do this with a pup with a nip on the nose. They are teaching them propers manners. I've posted a site on here before which is really helpful to answer questions regarding getting a second dog or concerns about behavior. It's called mydoggiedoor.com. The shelters are very accomadating if you were going to adopt from there - in fact they insist you bring your other dog to meet a potential new one. My shelter said to bring my dog and walk down the rows and see if there was a connection between them...next step would be on leash, then offleash- then home. Remember one of the dogs will eventually take over as the Alpha dog and be prepared that it may not be Curtis. It's not a problem but usually only the Alpha dog will take things from the more submissive one but trust me this is natural and you shouldn't interfere. If you get a puppy, Curtis would be the Alpha as he would be the mature one. If you get a grown dog and Curtis has shown that he really likes this dog previously then things will sort out for themselves. lastly....ha ha...I just finished cleaning up the poop in my backyard...egads!! It does make a difference with three compared to two I've noticed. I'm sure you'll find the same thing getting a second dog..but it would be nice for Curtis to have a pal for companionship during the day. Good luck with your decision. Marianne |
| Dear Missy & Curtis
I too felt the same way my oes needed a pal while I was at work. So I went and got an adorable male puppy from the same breeder, the puppy was great, however, my big guy who is a male 3yr old did not think so. My big guy is a sweet shy mush and did not appreciate this active puppy around at all, he was actually very frightened of the puppy and refused to come up from the basement. For two weeks he would not eat or come up the steps to see us, he just did all he could to stay away from the puppy. I spoke to my vet and she asked me if I got the puppy for myself or for my big guy. She said if you got him for yourself thats great, but your big guy didn't need him, he was content the way things were. If your current oes is as sensitive as my guy is than think twice about the decision to get another dog in the house. After many tears and sleepless nights we decided to part with the puppy, it broke my heart, but we were fortunate to find a great loving home for him. My big guy finally came up from the basement as soon as the puppy left and resumed his old happy demeanor. So in our household our one oes fills our house with all the love that we all need. Good luck Dawn |
| Just a thought here.
have you consider taking him to a doggy daycare while you are at work. They get so tired out playing with other dogs, and you end up with a happy content lie at your feet dog in the evening. Less backyard mess, and it's hard walking 2 dogs at the same time, unless you have help. Make sure you feel comfortable with the place, and they are comfortable with handling dogs. Make sure they have a time out area for dogs if they need a break. Have him up to date with shots including Kennel Cough (Bordetella). The place I go to is not only a daycare, they do boarding, and obedience classes, and grooming. So you can have your dog play, get groomed, fed, and ready for you when you pick him up. Good luck. |
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