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Moving soon, thoughts on second dog? (JRT currently)

870 Views 5 Replies 4 Participants Last post by  MadMilitia
Ok, so to begin with the layout of the current property is .10 an acre with a back yard which the JRT has full run of.

The next property will be 2 acres and I plan to fence it in approximately 1.3 of those acres.

My JRT is 2 years old and is NOT neutered. I wasn't sure if I would stud him or not but the current outlook is that he will not stud.

My dog is what I believe to be passive which is odd for a JRT but I'll explain why.

I am the ruler, the pack leader and he registers that with me as early as a puppy. I can pin him on his back and he just plays. I can do things like hand waving with him and he'll get excited, sometimes bare teeth and nip but he does all of this with his tail wagging and not angry.

Sometimes he will bark at me but only for special circumstances in which I've trained him. Such as barking when someone tries to shush him. Lately though, he has taken to barking AT me when I don't throw his ball. I did mistakenly reinforce this by thinking it funny the first few times he did it. Naturally, this emboldened him.

When I do socialize him with other dogs he does not show aggression. Wagging tail, happy to meet you sort of customer. The few times he was in the presence of an alpha male, he burrowed as best he could to avoid them. He did once however try and bite a bulldog's face off because the dog decided my JRT's ears were his lunch. The dog in question, needless to say is VERY aggressive towards other dogs.

He is very aware of what is going on around him. There was once an occasion where 3 pits found their way into my yard while roaming the neighborhood. He didn't nip at them, didn't growl but simply gave them the How do you do? routine. Very happy to see them.

It wasn't until I called him that his manner changed. As soon as I went to separate them he turned and snapped at the pit immediately to my left. The dogs exchanged barks as I pulled him inside.


My initial thought was to maintain him as a stud and not get a second dog. Lately I've been wondering if this move would be the perfect time to add a second dog as my dog, nor any prospective dog I look at, has been to this property.

I know the routine. I am just really interested to see what others think of his temperament in light of what I've written. If he's as mild mannered as I suspect, adding a second dog shouldn't be much of a problem on a new piece of land.

Although there is one other question. Should I already be established at the new place with my existing jack? Will it be better or worse with them entering a strange place at the same time they meet one another? I'm leaning towards the latter but want to get feedback on that.

Thanks.
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Dominance theory has been debunked. Dogs don't think we're dogs and wolves don't act like that anyway.

Why are you studding him? Is he a champion in the ring? How many points does he have? Is he health tested? If not, please don't stud him, the world has enough unwanted dogs in it already.

As to combining a move with a second dog, I recommend no. Moves are very stressful for dogs, adding a new dog will amplify that, and even a normally calm dog may react badly.
Dominance theory has been debunked. Dogs don't think we're dogs and wolves don't act like that anyway.

Why are you studding him? Is he a champion in the ring? How many points does he have? Is he health tested? If not, please don't stud him, the world has enough unwanted dogs in it already.

As to combining a move with a second dog, I recommend no. Moves are very stressful for dogs, adding a new dog will amplify that, and even a normally calm dog may react badly.
I was thinking so on the moving bit.

As for having him neutered it wasn't what I was looking for. Even if I didn't stud him it makes no sense as he doesn't mark territory in the house and he is very obedient other than his usual shenanigans.

He is not championed and the mother and father were not AKC certified. Still, he is well marked, super strong (21lbs) and healthy (they were bred to hunt rodents in the northeast). Also, as noted well mannered to a point.

The second dog is not something I'm sold on. Just a thought going through my head at one point. I'm sure with the move and the huge amount of land he will have access to that a second dog won't be much of a requirement.
I don't think you should get a second dog until you research more about breeding... Those are not good reasons to breed.
Dominance theory has been debunked...
The operative word is theory. Not to be confused with the word fact. It is still a valid theory. Some dissagree with it, some agree with it. If we could ask the dogs we would. Until such time that they learn to form intelligible words, we each have to interpret the available opinions (i.e. theories) out there and formulate something that works for us individually. The training techniques that have been developed based on dominance theory work very well. We'll never know whether the basis is accurate or not. But positive results from training are not subjective.
I don't think you should get a second dog until you research more about breeding... Those are not good reasons to breed.
You'll have to explain what are good reasons then because like me, lots of people just want a happy, healthy, tempered and strong jack. His lineage wasn't of concern to me. I know the breed well enough to know whether I'm getting a jack or not.

Also as stated, him being bred or not is irrelevant to getting him neutered. I am against it as I don't buy the pseudo science regarding it. The idea reminds me of Jack Nicholson in 'One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest'

He sure looked happy after his lobotomy but looks are deceiving!
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