[Prozax]

I'm interested in seeing how the resident dog adapted to a new friend after the initial puppyhood madness.

Our dog is very soft and delicate. She doesn't need the company of other dogs, she is perfectly happy being an only dog with the occasional short play session with other dogs we encounter outside.
I would however, very much like another one. For lots of reasons that have lots to do with me and nothing with her.

But, I wouldn't want to make her life a nightmare. The types of dogs that Eli likes are other dogs like her ( so setters are a favorite) or small delicate breeds. Those are the exact opposite of the block headed stafford that I want.

Please overflow this topic with stories of your dogs who ignored others dogs but then became inseparable :clap2:

 

[CptJack]

Sorry, but I can't. I live with 5 dogs. One is a puppy.

Molly will occasionally play with the puppy. She is similar in play style to her and dogs she's liked. Mostly she ignores his existence.

Kylie has not been interested in other dogs since she was the puppy. She completely ignores his existence.

Bug occasionally likes other dogs, but only dogs who wrestle. She completely ignores his existence.

Thud really likes puppies. He plays with or is near the puppy for a grand total of 20 minutes a day. The rest of the time, you guessed it, Thud ignores his existence.

I could l do this same break down for the other dogs except really it amounts to they live together peacefully, share resources, and the vast majority of the time ignore one another's existence. Not pointedly just consider each other irrelevant/couldn't care less if the other dog lived or died. About 3 times a year there'll be dogs who aren't 'puppy and Thud' playing for a few minutes? Briefly?


Um. Some people have dogs who actively seek out one another's company and cuddle and play together? I'm not one of those people.

On the upside, they don't actually resent each other and their lives haven't been NEGATIVELY impacted by other dogs being added, either. They Just Don't Care about each other.

 

[RonE]

Esther was the first of the current batch. When Zeke arrived, it was love at first sight. It was hilarious to see a 20-pound mini schnauzer chasing around a 90-pound Plott hound.

Molly was next, and we took Esther along for the interview before deciding. It was another match made in heaven. There have been 2-3 incidents in ten years when Esther completely lost patience with Molly and gave her corrections which were probably a lot more frightening to me than they were to Molly. The three of them work very hard to keep track of each other. If one is out of sight, even briefly, the consternation to the other two is obvious.

Avie arrived a few months ago. She is a young dufus just short of two and the others range from 10-14, so she's had more than her share of corrections - mostly from Molly. She and Zeke will chase each other around the yard and Esther pretty much ignores her.

In general, I would never add a dog without an opportunity to meet any existing dogs. The consequences of having multiple dogs that can never be together are just inconceivable to me, though people do it.

There are 3 other family dogs that are with us for anywhere from a few days to several weeks and the various dynamics get complicated but never unmanageable.

 

[Sandakat]

I only have one now, so I'll tell you about the previous ones. Toby was about 1 1/2 when we got Cameron, who was 5 months old when we got him. When they were younger they'd chase each other around and play but they didn't otherwise hang out together or cuddle up to sleep. Toby was a confident leader and Cameron was a goofball follower, so it worked out fine. I can't remember any big fights because it was Cameron's nature to defer to Toby.

They didn't go seeking each other out but they would not let other dogs pick on "their brother". I remember one time when we were at a dog park. There was a much larger dog that just kept hassling Cameron. Before the humans could get involved, Toby came from the far side of the park, knocked the dog to the ground and humped him. That dog decided to leave Cameron alone after that and Toby went back to what he was doing.

 

[Jen2010]

Pepper had only just turned two when we got Kane (puppy) so she was very much still in the crazy energy, play all the time, hyper phase of her life. She was pretty thrilled to have a playmate 24/7 and couldn't get enough of the play. Kane like to play too, but tired out more easily. After the first few days Pepper realized this little puppy was not leaving and the novelty wore off a bit. Mostly when it came to sharing. Pepper was used to being the only dog so even I didn't realize she had a bit of resource guarding when it came to her toys. Also they both RG their food. The problems really started when Pepper would try to correct Kane (for taking her toy away, or trying to rest his head on her while she was sleeping, or any other normal dog correction). Kane has issues we also didn't know about. He tends to mirror the other dog's actions without really thinking about it himself. So when Pepper would get irritated and snarl or snap at Kane, instead of learning from that Kane would get angry too, but not back down. And so the "scuffles" started. It was pretty scary to me and I didn't really know how to handle it. I got quite upset when it would happen. I eventually realized that I needed to control my own emotions in those moments because the dogs could sense that I was upset and stressed and that wasn't helping them at all. They still played and wrestled together like crazy, but these "episodes" would happen frequently.

It took time, but we've mostly learned what will trigger an "episode" between them and we avoid those situations. They get fed separately, when they get new toys they have to be introduced in the right way at the right time and we (humans) can't get too excited or make a big deal about it, if they're getting treats they can't be sitting right beside each other, etc. Kane is fearful too so if I'm walking them and we have to pass another person or dog, Kane will kind of freak out. Then when he can't get to the person/dog, he will turn on Pepper. I don't think he even realizes it's her in that moment of fear and panic. It's sad really; I feel so bad for Pepper sometimes. But again it's something I've learned to manage by avoiding the triggers.

Today Pepper is almost five and Kane just turned three. They are best friends and still love to play and wrestle. Pepper has slowed down slightly (finally) so it's not as intense as it used to be. Pepper doesn't really defend herself much anymore though. If she can see Kane is going to be upset about something she just backs right off and tries to avoid the situation herself. Kane has also grown up a little and has gained some confidence, though he still requires management.

So I'd say about 95% of the time they get along fabulously and are great friends. If we go hiking or something, Pepper is wandering, running, sniffing, etc. and Kane is following her around doing the same thing. If Pepper leaves the area, Kane leaves the area and follows her. As far as "episodes" go, they happen maybe once every few months, so a few times a year they will still scuffle. Most of the time I can see I messed up somehow, but every once in a while Kane will freak out on Pepper and I'm completely baffled as to why. But most of the time everything is fine. They've never actually hurt each other, it's mostly noise and showing of teeth and it doesn't last long (30 seconds at most).

Our dogs don't cuddle or anything. Kane would because he's actually quite affectionate, but Pepper doesn't like it.

I wouldn't have known any of this from the dogs meeting before we decided to get Kane, but I will never get another dog where I can't meet the parents. I think Kane's issues are mostly genetic.

The consequences of having multiple dogs that can never be together are just inconceivable to me, though people do it.

I would never want to be in this situation either. For a while I thought I was and it was devastating and incredible stressful. Fortunately we have been able to work through their issues and have found a balance.

 

[Canyx]

Soro (11 yrs) dislikes Brae (7 months). They coexist fine. But Sor was never a very social dog and he is a resource guarder. They are separated by a pen, crate, or room unless I am directly working with one or both of them. We hike, walk and train altogether with no issues, except both dogs want to be the center of attention all the time.

Soro still 'mopes' if I'm spending time with the puppy and not him. He gets his own training/walks a few times throughout the week.

All in all, I have absolutely no regrets since I wanted the puppy for myself and I knew it would be a little hard on Sor. But I have no doubt Soro would be happier if he had remained an only dog to the end.

 

[RonE]

When I lived in California, I had an older Irish setter who had an intense, aggressive dislike for other dogs. My best friend had a mini dachshund and, because they spent so much time together, my dog eventually learned to tolerate hers - though you could never say they were pals. My dog seemed to have a sense that the little dachshund was not to be eaten.

And Esther, while she doesn't actively dislike other dogs, has zero patience for dogs who pester her, pull on her ears, etc. Yet she puts up with an immense amount of crap from our family dogs - even the ones who just visit. She, too, seems to understand the distinction between family dogs and random dogs at the dog park (that we no longer visit after she picked up, shook a few times and then body-slammed a terrier that jumped at her ears once too-often.)

 

[PatriciafromCO]

My GSD's were at the right self control of themselves to handle bringing in a new pup around a year old of spending time maturing them out with training and life experiences.. I found my old style farm dog type GSD's very tolerant in nature to work well with others.

Having more independent reactive breeds.. I really like them at 4 years old.. 1's and 3 year old time frame seem to be exerting maturity shifts showing their natural strength in the breeds.. Hitting 4 they have control of who they are and use it and see the world more wisely..

I like bringing in another dog when the other dog is set in who they are and reliable so I am not trying to work two dogs at once... that the first dog is more helpful while working the new one..

 

[Francl27]

Tips is 13 and has been the only dog for 7 years (he's a border collie mix). He does very well without them (he's leash reactive too). We used to have another dog and would randomly attack him over food too, so I was a bit nervous... but he's actually been extremely patient with our new puppy. Yeah he snapped at her a few times when she got here, but now overall, it's going very well... he even plays with her sometimes... considering that he has arthritis and definitely shows his age, it's pretty good. Overall though, they mostly ignore each other.

The thing is, my puppy is a bundle of energy that will NOT stop playing if she sees the cat or our friend's puppy (drives me nuts, really). But she learned pretty fast to leave Tips alone. I also wanted a new dog for selfish reasons, but I figured that it's much easier to train a new puppy when you already have a dog in the house (she picked on everything really fast, including the barking, unfortunately). I was worried but it's really going well.

 

[Flaming]

Manna and Vitae love each other too bits...until Vitae gets sore about something then wants to tear Manna to bits.

Vitae however shows a lot of signs so we can separate them early before teeth fly.

That being said they are gated off from each other 99% of the day for the last month as Vitae got spayed and if she sore she'll go for Manna...We're giving Vitae as much time as possible before having them together again, though Vitae is being sooky about not being able to get to Manna for cuddles.

Manna doesn't give 2 Poops about Vitae most of the time, unless Vitae is bugging her.

 

[Prozax]

Thank you everyone for your replies, I love reading your experiences. I've been thinking for the past couple of days and I think the best thing I can do is wait until we get a bigger house with a bigger garden so I can physically give Eli space and time away from the new puppy/dog.

They probably won't end up loving each other, but if your dogs are fine to live in the same house and ignore each other then I think mine will also be ok. Seems like the key here would be to not expect them to be best buddies and certainly not force it. Which is fine by me, I want to do different things with each of them anyway.

Eli is at that point in her life where she is mature and fully trustworthy that I sometimes even forget we have a dog with us in the house It's easy for me to underestimate the crazies that a new dog might bring into our life.

But for now, I think we will stick to our comfortable life with an adult dog in the house and plan for a puppy in about two years or so. Around the time we plan on moving.

 

[Canyx]

Good on you for thinking ahead! Though I will say, small space is not necessarily a deal breaker if you are willing to do a little more management. I have maybe 300 sqft of useable dog space in my small house and I make it work with an exercise pen and crate setup. It's not the best situation ever but both dogs truly are content!

 

[Prozax]

I am sure the dogs are happy, the space would be for us actually! I am not a fan of crates and pens in the house unless absolutely necessary. It's more of a aesthetic thing, I love them as training tools though!
I know myself and my boyfriend and I don't think we would be able to keep up with using a crate or a pen long term. A system of baby gates would probably be more comfortable and wouldn't stress us out as much. But for that, we need a house big enough to divide. Right now we have a 1 bedroom house, with a big open space. So not ideal for this at all.


I love how committed you are to your dogs though! I showed my bf your puppy thread about Brae, it's really informative. Downside is that I needed to convince him that we are not prepared for a dutch shepherd haha

 

[Canyx]

Well again, great job seeking information! You know we'll all be excited when you do get a puppy

 

[Jen2010]

I kind of wish we had waited longer before introducing a second dog. Pepper really hadn't settled down yet, but was starting to show signs of acting like an adult. It would have been nice to enjoy that for a while before disrupting our lives again.

 

[backedbarley]

I have a jack Russell papillon mix and just got a German short hair and she's 10 weeks old. after the first couple days of my jack Russell not liking the new dog being there they play all the time now but my jack Russell the older one still gets really jealous if the new dog is sitting with me but that will probably always happen.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[crysania]

Well, I can't say my dog ignored other dogs. She liked to meet other dogs and occasionally play, so she wasn't completely ignoring them. But she wasn't a super excited play all the time dog. And especially not as she was about 9 when we got our second dog (who was about 1-2 years old).

We adopted Ben after having Dahlia for 7 years. I was TERRIFIED that she would hate him and be miserable and we'd end up having to give him back to the rescue. When we went out to meet some dogs Dahlia basically ignored him. Oh, she trotted where he did and peed where he did and sniffed where he did. But she didn't try to initiate play. And when we brought them inside and Ben was playing with a ball, it rolled under Dahlia (who was laying down) and he tried to get it. Which caused her to leap up with a HUGE roar of annoyance. Dahlia is the queen of warning signals.

Ben backed off immediately and then crawled toward her and tried to lick her and she just kind of ignored him.

So love at first sight? Nope.

The first night we had Ben home, he was out of control and ran around the house all night squeaking toys. Dahlia got up on the couch and just looked so mopey. But then that first night they were able to beg for treats together with no issues.



A day later they looked like this.



And less than a week later they were playing tug like the best of buddies.




They're now pretty much inseparable and I think that Dahlia is happier having a buddy.

 

[Canyx]

That's so lovely!
Three coworkers of mine have puppies this year too and they live in multidog households. UNLIKE my situation, their resident dogs benefited from adding a puppy and they use minimal management. Two of the three got puppies 'for' their current dogs. The third wanted a specific puppy but her resident dogs all play together.

 

[crysania]

That's so lovely!
Three coworkers of mine have puppies this year too and they live in multidog households. UNLIKE my situation, their resident dogs benefited from adding a puppy and they use minimal management. Two of the three got puppies 'for' their current dogs. The third wanted a specific puppy but her resident dogs all play together.

We feel pretty lucky. We went to a rescue who seems to have a complete knack for matching dogs with homes. Their application was HUGE but all of the information helped point them to exactly the right dog for our home. These two have actually shared a Kong that was mostly empty (licking out of each end at the same time) and passed a Himalayan chew back and forth. They don't cuddle, but they're pretty amazing together.

 

[Prozax]

We feel pretty lucky. We went to a rescue who seems to have a complete knack for matching dogs with homes. Their application was HUGE but all of the information helped point them to exactly the right dog for our home. These two have actually shared a Kong that was mostly empty (licking out of each end at the same time) and passed a Himalayan chew back and forth. They don't cuddle, but they're pretty amazing together.

We might very well go the rescue route and throw any puppy plans out the window. My bf is more inclined towards that as he isn't very picky about which kind of dog we have as long and he/she is not a barker.
Me .. I've had my heart set on a specific breeder for 10 years now. But who knows what we'll decide to do in the end. The dog that I want now is the dog that I wanted instead of getting Eli ( before we knew we wanted her ofc, no regrets ), so this is a long time brewing for me.