Adding another pup
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| I would recommend dogs about 3 years apart. It is a bit committment, and you want to be able to have the time to train them properly, individually. And if they get old at the same time you have that to deal with...double time. If you get pups the same age they tend to bond with each other more than thier human. |
I have two pups 6 weeks apart. I was concerned about them bonding to each other more than to me. We go to puppy clas on different nights, they are in seperae runs at day care etc. They definitly like to play together - but also will try to vy for my attention like siblings do. remember , like two kids though its not twice as much work - its four times as much work  (sometimes I feel like all I do at night is walk puppies!)  |
| Mainly because I'm lazy, but I'd wait until an age where your little one is past the stage of having to watch him constantly and can serve as an example for training the other. We always joke that our older dog babysits Clyde and if she weren't there, he'd go crazy! |
| I have two dogs and it works out great! I started with one and felt bad about him having to spend time alone while I was at work. I got another and they play and romp with each other great! Sometimes when I'm at home and would normally be at work, I see them zip by the window just playing away in the backyard. It makes me feel better to know that they aren't so lonesome when I'm gone.
My sheepie loves the other dog (Huskie), but would rather be with me. They are six years apart. I wish they were closer together in age because I worry about the depression when the older one passes. I'll just have to go get another sheepie! |
I couldn't have imagined having another puppy with the Gooch...I would have gone insane! (well MORE insane!  ) We got Murph when Gucci was about 11mos and it was perfect (Murph is about 3years old). I find that Gooch really looks to his big brother for clues as to what the heck mommy wants, I love it...as I am lazy as well! 
Have I mentioned that I was offered another puppy from Gucci's breeder?
I actually had a little daydream about it....that quickly turned into a daymare! I feel (at this time...got to keep my options open ) 3 sheepies is just too much for me! Can you believe I thought about it? |
| Colleen, I have that same daydream/daymare too!!! It's blissful for about 30 seconds and then...WHAM! |
| Hi,
I put in a lot of thought since reading your post last week and personally I wouldn't add another to the mix (regarding a pup) at this time and I'll give you the reasons why. It's been my experience from having multidog households that they do learn from each other. You'd want all the training to be done before you bring in another pup into the mix. At five months - yours still has to go through the teen years and just like uprights that in itself can be challenging. It will be a stage of testing limits. While you are going through this the younger pup will also be observing what goes on with his/her older brother. It would test anyone's sanity! Bringing an already reasonably trained adult dog in the home would be the way I'd do it. Of course this is only my opinion. The way I see it , having two pups in the household and 4 times as much work, bringing a well behaved adult in the home - you cut down your work time by half. As to your original question if I were you, I'd get a dog of the opposite sex and older than your pup. The older one would naturally be alpha (not always 100% the case but usually). If your pup was older, he would probably be the alpha dog as he's the pre-excisting dog in the household. Right now other dogs view him as a pup but this will change at aprox 9 months where he will be viewed as an emerging adult by other canine's. She would dicipline the little one (different from harming him) and he would learn good doggie manners from her. Good luck whatever your decision! Marianne and the boys |
| I had a male (Merlin) about 6 months and at 7 months I brought in a female(Daphne). My original idea was for him to have a playmate and it has worked very well. He is the alpha of the two for sure. Like others have said, it's hard when they are so close in age because you have to deal with things that come up double ( old age, spaying, etc...). But 7 months worked well for me, Merlin was already almost trained, no more accidents in the house, he knew his basics - sit, lay, etc. I was just always constantly reassuring him that he wasn't being replaced or anything of that nature, made sure to give him just as much attention as her if not more at times - as I saw with my parents dogs,they would always baby the new one and the others would get ignored most the time, I feel so bad for them!! - It's been nice having two, so when I have days I don't have time to walk them, they usually tear through the house to burn up their energy. A couple years is probably a good bet, but as long as they are as trained as you'd like them it's probably okay to get another one.
oh - and I too have had thoughts on getting a third - already !! Daphne is only almost 8 months. But then I too, realize that would just be too much right now! I think I'll hold off until I get a bigger house!! |
| I've thought about this post for a while and I have to agree with Marianne. Baxter (OES) was 2 1/2 years old and Sharkey (American Eskimo) was 12 when Cassiopia joined us. She was one year old....and had never had any obedience training. Baxter and Sharky showed her the "ropes" and proper "dog manners" making it a lot easier for her to become accustomed to our family and routine. However, even with their help, it still took a lot of time to work with Cassiopia and train her.
I'm not saying that you shouldn't get another young sheepdog. It's just that you have realistic expectations as to the time it will take you to take care of them (and the mischief they will undoubtedly get into). Jennifer, Baxter, Cassiopia and Sharkey |
| Let's look at the other end, when one dies, if the other is also elderly, they mourn--of course--but have a difficult time adjusting to a new dog. If there's a few years difference, the (assumed) younger one can accept a new playmate.
That said, I've done exactly what you are thinking......getting an older puppy a playmate. It worked out because we have acreage where they can romp, play and generally get their mischief out of their systems before coming indoors. The thought of two untrained tornados indoors is spooky. Generally though, I have tried to keep about 18-24 months between dogs unless they come as adults (which most of mine have been these past years.) |
| Hi,
Wow you've recieved a variety of responses so far all from different perspectives and very informative. I forgot to add one very important thing and that is you should make sure your pup has a lot of socialization at this age with other dogs. If they miss this part of their socialization they may grow up to do two things. They may not get along with other dogs if they had little interaction with them while growing up. Puppy Kindergarden (doggie obedience) is a plus as this gives them oppotunity for socialization. You could just check out the local dog parks too. Even meeting other dogs on walks gives them opportunity to learn doggie social skills and your boy would be much more accepting of an eventual sibling. Again best wishes to you. Marianne and the boys |
| Thanks Marianne,
I forgot to bring that up. While waiting to bring in another dog, make certain your little one now is very well socialized and enjoys being around other dogs. That way when the newbie shows up, it will be playtime!! Also you will be able to judge whether your pup will tolerate another dog. Some are like Garbo, "I vant to be alone." |
| With Sasha being almost a year old, I thought it would be a ok idea when I saw a pup in need of a better home. She was a boarder collie/lab, very sweet loving and mellow. She was living in a house where the dogs recieved no attention, often not fed because everyone 'forgot'. It was just a sad place so I thought it would be great for Sasha to have a pal. It became our living nightmare. They would play just fine, but it got to the point where neither of them knew there name anymore. So if one got disiplined the other thought they were in trouble. If we tried to pet one, the other was always trying to butt in.The new pup started to chew and pee on everything. It just got to the point that our home was chaos and confusion. Maybe having 2 females was a bad idea or perhaps it was because the pup came from a bad home.
We ended up finding a wonderful home for the pup and she is doing so well, and Sasha is back to normal. It seems that bringing a new pup into the home is a 50/50 chance. Sometimes it is the best thing ever and for others it becomes a nightmare. I wish you the best of luck in your choice. |
I had a baby (2 legged) in the middle of May and brought Benjamin home at the beginning of June....does that count????  But honestly, I could not imagine haveing two sheepie pups or anyother pup along with Ben. He is wonderful! The best puppy I have ever had! But he is demanding and full of himself!
I believe in the buddy system, of having a companion for pup...in our case we have a 7 year old mix dog (Kiara)....she finally decided to calm down a couple of years ago, so the two of them complement eachother very well. I also have two children, Ben plays with my 4 year old beautifully! I do not recommend having a baby or a puppy for your current one!
I also think it depends on your personality, if you are up to the challange. go for it! There are other sheepie families here that have bunches of sheepies! I too want a few, once the kids are older or out of the house .
When Kiara was a teenager our GS passed, She was still out of control (The worst puppy ever!!) but I felt bad that she was alone, so I got her a kitten! They loved eachother and to this day you will catch them snuggled up together! There are many options, weight them carefully! I am sure you will do fine with whatever your decision is!!
Goog Luck! |
| thanks for all the wonderful replys. We are still debating this in our household, so many pros and cons, one part of me thinks its a wonderful idea and the other thinks to leave well enough alone. I think I have definitely decided that if we were to proceed I would look for an older dog 2-3 years and probably a female. |
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