# Question about multiple dog households



## Finnegan (Jun 18, 2010)

I have a single male dog, approx 2.5 and have a friend needing to rehome male approximately the same age. Both dogs are friendly with other animals. My guy, Finnegan, is VERY attached to me and will get jealous when I pet other dogs, but isn't aggressive. 

My husband thinks another dog will change the personality of Finn and is an awful idea. He is a sensitive dog, so I'm hoping to hear from folks here who have experience with introducing a new dog without upsetting the first and whether it might be an awful idea for our existing boy. I think he would enjoy a companion, but my husband fears it will change him completely.


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## IslandPaws4Raw (Sep 7, 2011)

Do these two know each other? If not an intro on neutral territory would be a good start. 

Finn's personality won't change. One thing that is certain is that dogs are not fake. You will see different behaviors since the home dynamics will change. What those behavior changes are depends on the dog. IME two male dogs will generally get along better than two females. There is a huge adjustment period for you as well as the dogs. They have to figure each other out, and the new dog has to learn what his place is in the new house. If Finn is jealous you will have to be careful he doesn't feel displaced. For example, I recently added a female pup to my pack and she was hell bent on pushing my other female around. Whether it was food or attention, she was determined to be top bitch :tsk: So I emphasized the fact that she was third....all the time. She is greeted after Kai, she is not to push past Kai going in or out the door, and she gets her food last etc, etc

You may not have to deal with those issues at all, but it's good to let Finn know that he's #1 pooch.


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## Love my lab (Dec 9, 2010)

good advice ^^....i just recently added a pup and my 2 yr old before he came in was obviously the complete center of our attention and as you all know adding a pup is like adding an infant into your life so you have no choice but to spend more time on the new addition. I was worried about Reahven being jealous too, but we are making sure she still gets her 1 on 1 time and the transition is not as bad as I thought it would be.....for the dog that is. The first week or so was rough on me getting used to haveing 2 vs 1. Things for me are getting easier and if you decide to make the addition it will take time for both you and the dogs, but once they get used to living together it will be good for everyone involved. Good luck


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## bett (Mar 15, 2012)

introduce then on "neutral " turf. i added my second, after i adopted rex at 2 1/2 6 months later and now 8 yrs later added a third with not a growl, or nip or anything.
like they were always together.


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## Donna Little (May 31, 2011)

I've had multiple dogs for so long that I barely give it a second thought when I bring someone new home. It's usually with the assumption that they'll get adopted out but on occasion there's that "special" one that stays.
It is probably a bit different with larger dogs because fights would be harder to break up if that happened but when I bring a new dog home we go out in the backyard, I put them down, my pack comes in for a sniff and I let them do things their way. There is the occasional growl, Bailey usually gives a warning snap if someone tries to be too forward right away, a couple are totally uninterested in meeting anyone, Nat tries to dominate the new guy but then wants to play, and then everyone goes back to doing what they were doing. No big deal.
IslandPaws handled her new pup's intro differently than I do but that probably worked well for her because she has fewer dogs and every situation and dog is different. You'll just need to go with your gut. Because there are 10 dogs here I always let my guys figure out who wants to be the top dog or dogs. They have always had good instincts apparently on what works for them to keep the peace and coexist nicely.
For instance I have an extremely submissive Min Pin that's been with me for 11 yrs. If I brought a dominant dog into my home and tried to insist that Bri be the dominant dog over the new one just because she'd been here longer I'd create a problem. Bri doesn't want to be the top dog and would be confused and uncomfortable if I tried to change her position in the pack. She will submit and roll on her back to a 4 week old puppy. Not leader material....
I think adding a second dog is always hardest because you're going from one that's been the total center of attention to having to share. After that adding more is way easier. Best thing you can do I think is intro somewhere neutral and if that goes well, when you bring them into your house don't stress over it. Just be watchful but calm. If Finn is good with other dogs and this new guys is too, I think it would be great for your dog to have a companion. Unless they're fighting I'd let them decide how they want their pecking order to be. It will change some things but probably all for the better. Good luck in your decision and I hope it all works out!


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## Kat (Jul 12, 2011)

My friend got a second puppy for her first puppy about two months after bringing the first puppy home. First puppy was really shy and timid towards other dogs and didnt even use her nose to sniff them or anything. After getting second puppy, they bonded within a few days, and now she is a completely different puppy. She is no longer shy or timid, and is very social with any dog they encounter on their walks. As long as you find the right balance, I think a second dog would be great. I have been trying to talk my mom into letting me get a second one too :tongue:


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## twoisplenty (Nov 12, 2008)

I dont pay to much attention to bringing another dog into our home. Dogs adjust, its ppl who seem to have issues that the dogs sense and thats when the behavioural issues start. If you act like it isnt a big deal, your dog will also respond the same way.


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## GoingPostal (Sep 5, 2011)

If he gets jealous when you give attention to other dogs and is very attached to you he might not be a huge fan of another dog but depends on how the other dog is too. Dogs can be depressed and he could start guarding you. It really depends on the personality, I think all of my dogs would much prefer to be an only but mine is not a very dog social breed also. Can you take the other dog for a "test drive"?


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

I was in a similar situation last year with my sensitive smooth collie boy. We wanted to bring home a puppy and, while we didn't give a rat's @$$ about how he felt about the idea we did wonder how the two would interact. 

Dude is much more active now that we have two dogs and they don't fight. He was thrown off at first but he gets al sorts of attention from my husband while Buck gets all sorts of attention from me. They just kind of picked a person and now Nick walks Dude while I walk Buck. 

Both of mine are intact and both are males. Dude's personality didn't change. Their personalities just... don't do that. They are who they are and if they change then it is just them reacting to what is around them. They don't change their personalities.


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## xchairity_casex (Oct 8, 2011)

ok i personally dont belive in such things as a "jealous dog" i belive in a dominant trying to take possession over its owner.
just my opinion but let me explain a little.
while your petting another dog your own dog nudges the other dog aside, pushing them away,nudgeing into you hard,giveing dirty looks, perhapes even giveing small growls or showing teeth in extreme cases attacking other dogs who get near you.

personally i dont think this is a healthy thing to be encouraging in your dog many people "feel bad" so they go to there own dog saying "ohhh its ok baby you know i love you! here ill cuddle you for a while so you dont feel bad"

your encouraging your dog to have an unhealthy possesion over you you are enforceing that "yes you are my leader i will not allow any other dog near me"

now obviously if you brought in another dog right now and began to ignore your dog a huge if not deadly fight would most likely ensue.

Personally if this were me(im not saying you have to do this this is your dog your option to do what you please take my opinion as you want)
i would take my own dog and begin setting some basic ground rules and enforceing them everyday consistantly never budgeing i would ignore my dog when it nudges me for attention,barks at me for attention,growls at me for attention,nips me for attention,climbs into my lap for attention, ect anything my dog is doing to be pushy i will ignore and wait for them to give up and walk away THEN i would call them over and give them lots of hugs and kisses then before they move away you get up and walk away to ignore again.

alot of NILF people will say ignore your dog for like a week never pet them or touch them or hug them or baby talk them and i couldnt imagine NOT hugging your dog every single day and whats the point? you are not rewarding the desired behavior which is to not be pushy or demanding the second your dog stops being demanding then you pet them your showing them " oh ok ill get affection as long as im not pushy about it and wait my turn"

your fufilling yourself and your dog while teaching them "you cant control me but i still love you"

personally i would never want a power struggle in my home and i would also never want my dog to control WHO i touched or WHO i petted becuase if you allow your dog to take control like this and nudge the otehr dog away and you keep on petting them it could result in a fight. your giveing your dog the right to take charge and be dominant over the other dog.
i know some people who allow one dog to be dominant over another or all the others i personally would never ever allow one dog to think it was dominant over anyone not other dogs,not cats,not a rabbit,nothing and no one i will not allow power struggles in my house becuase I decided who does what and I decide who is who.
in my household however i will have my cats as leaders and they are higher ranking then dogs becuase they are older and smaller and could be easily injured.

Cesar tried that crap with me when i would pet another dog or one of the cats he would attempt to knock them away or get into my face i would use my arm to block him and ignore him i dont pet or cuddle anyone pet more then another either and even if i did pet or play or deal with one of the cats one day or one week or if i brought another new dog into the house cesar would not become depressed and he would not become shy and he would not become uncertian and/or pick fights becuase he knows where he is in the household he knows his place he will never have a reson to be "unsure" becuase any dog who enters this household will be at the same rank as any other dog.


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## wolfsnaps88 (Jan 2, 2012)

Interesting thread, thought I should chime in. I had two dogs for quite a few years before I introduced my mastiff Dozer. Dozer was a rambunctious teenage dog at 8 months old so I was interested on how my dogs would handle the newcomer. Basically I brought him to my yard on a leash and let my dogs outside to check him out. Although I do agree that you should do this on neutral territory, things just always seem to work out with what I do. Guess I am lucky?

They seemed ok with him so we went inside. Dozer had a hard time understanding personal boundaries. He would get in everyone's face. I let the dogs work it out for themselves. Dozer got nipped in the face by Sargeant (my small dachshund mix) quite a few times. Sargeant used to be my velcro dog and not leave my side. Dozer kind of took his place but there is quality love time for everyone. Eventually, everyone established their place in this household. I did not trust the giant dog alone with the other two while I was gone so he went in the spare room for a couple of weeks. Now they are all one big happy family. 

I did have one very scary incident I should mention. It was over me. I was giving both Hunter (lab) and Dozer treats and Hunter just flipped his lid (I was his territory maybe) and started attacking Dozer hardcore. I live in a trailer so as you can imagine, it was a tight space. Dozer tried to defend himself but the lab was all over him, biting his neck mostly. Very scary as I was right in the middle. I tried throwing water on them but all I managed to do was soak them and my couch. I tried pulling Dozer away and he fell to the ground. I ended up pulling Hunter's legs out from under him and somehow threw him outside. 

It has never happened since and I know it never will. But it was a very scary incident. So I say be cautious about valuable things like food,treats, toys until you know their social order. 

But you didn't mention if you really want another dog? I know there is one that needs a home. Are you thinking of taking it because you want another dog or because you feel bad and want to help this dog out?

Either way, I hope it works out for you.


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## Liz (Sep 27, 2010)

You are such kind people. I keep a dog when I want a dog and yes our little pack has to resettle itself. Their personalities don't change but some behaviors must. Like my two queen bees - only one can be queen. That's me! I also pet sit so we have dogs in and out of the house all the time. Just like with my kids I like that they learn to adapt and share. Do all my dogs just love each other to pieces - no! But they live well together and tolerate each other nicely for the most part. I enjoy my dogs and wouldn't sacrifice any of them because one of my others was too spoiled to share. I am sure my old boy Hunter would have been glad to have been an only pup but he has also benefitted from his pack mates and enjoyed living with them. They are never lonely and I am not the only thing they focus on. They have each other. 

I guess I don't think too much about their feelings but rather would these personalities work together. JMHO


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## Donna Little (May 31, 2011)

Liz said:


> You are such kind people. I keep a dog when I want a dog and yes our little pack has to resettle itself. Their personalities don't change but some behaviors must. Like my two queen bees - only one can be queen. That's me! I also pet sit so we have dogs in and out of the house all the time. Just like with my kids I like that they learn to adapt and share. Do all my dogs just love each other to pieces - no! But they live well together and tolerate each other nicely for the most part. I enjoy my dogs and wouldn't sacrifice any of them because one of my others was too spoiled to share. I am sure my old boy Hunter would have been glad to have been an only pup but he has also benefitted from his pack mates and enjoyed living with them. They are never lonely and I am not the only thing they focus on. They have each other.
> 
> I guess I don't think too much about their feelings but rather would these personalities work together. JMHO


This is exactly how it goes down here too. If I want to bring another dog in, they learn to make the adjustment and deal with the new guy.
In my house Briana and Bailey are super close and can most always be found in the same room but don't have a lot to do with anyone else. 
Angel and Lily even though there's a 7 yr age difference are best buds and are also pretty much attached at the hip. Angel PLAYS with Camden, Karma, and Sabrina, but Lily is just her favorite to hang with. 
Toby is a loner and prefers either me or Briana to be his buddy but has very little to do with the others. 
Madison has nothing to do with the others ever. She isn't the pack leader anymore because of her dementia, but no dog ever challenged her in her life. She was always head honcho and everyone knew it. 
Camden hangs with mostly with Karma and Nat but he'll play with anybody that'll play with him.
Sabrina hangs mostly with Nat but will also play with anyone.
Nat, being the new kid, has quite the large personality for her tiny size. She came into the house with an instant love for everyone other than Angel and Lily. So she picks on them. She'll jump up from a bed across the room to bite one of them and then run away faster than they can get her back and I swear she's almost laughing at them...
I don't like her messing with Lily because she's an old gal but Lil can hold her own and will tell her off with no problem. Angel, I think is unfortunately now getting paid back for being a little bitch for the last 7 yrs. (I really do adore her but sometimes you get what's coming to you...) 
But somehow it all works. Even with my little sub-groups within the group of 10, everyone for the most part lives a very peaceful coexistence!


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## riddick4811 (Nov 2, 2011)

Can you let the dogs meet and see how it goes?

I honestly have never experienced just having one dog and then adding another. I was born into a pack of dogs, grew up with a pack of dogs and have always had a pack of dogs. The lowest number I've ever had was 3 dogs when I moved out of my Moms and took my dogs. 

When I pick out a dog, I do so based on my knowledge of my current dogs and I choose one I feel will be compatible. And I just open the gate and walk in with the new dog and let the rest meet them. But my dogs are so used to it due to all the fosters we've had, it rarely fazes them!


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## Finnegan (Jun 18, 2010)

Hi folks, and thanks so much for your replies, thoughts and advice. I'm going to take Charlie (new guy) for a "trial run" this weekend and we'll see how it goes. Finnegan gets along quite nicely with all other animals and LOVES other dogs (sits and stares longingly at them as they walk by our driveway, lol) so I'm not overly concerned as to whether or not he'll get along with Charlie and I just can't forsee any aggression on his part - he "shares" very nicely with other dogs at the park and with our cat at home. 

He is a *huge* part of my life (goes to work and just about everywhere else with me) and so I don't think it's silly of me to consider his feelings in the matter. That said, I've often thought that with him being the highly social creature that he is, he would probably be a happier dog if he had a companion to pal around with. 

According to the owners (and they want to find Charlie a permanent home where he'll be happy so full disclosure is in their best interest, too) Charlie sounds like a great match for Finn because it sounds like he has the same sweet, sensitive disposition and after an adjustment period of sorting things out, I'm very hopeful that they can get along nicely. Charlie will be as much a part of my day-to-day routine as Finn because I'll bring both dogs with me all the places Finn comes now, so ideally I'm hoping to have two dogs who are strongly enmeshed with me and also very much enjoy each other's company, too. I think that my husband, if he'd given it any thought, would probably say that he'd prefer to have a female, but my experience with Finn is that he tends to make better friends and playmates with male dogs of similar size and disposition, so for that reason also, I'm thinking that Charlie might be a great match for him.

They are going to bring Charlie up on Saturday morning and walk the property (another area of concern is how Charlie will be without a fenced yard - we live on 6 acres that's surrounded in thick brush/trees, but it isn't fenced) and see how it goes with Finn and what his reaction to our cat will be and go from there. 

Again, thanks everyone for taking the time to chime in and offer thoughts on this. 

Paula


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## bridget246 (Oct 26, 2011)

Here is my experience and I've only done this twice:

First time was a husky. My GSD and husky seemed to hate each other. I knew they didn't but they appeared to. The first meeting was extremely aggressive and I think someone would have died or been hurt if I didn't work tirelessly to keep them apart the entire day. That night they gave up on fighting against me to fight the other one and went to sleep right beside each other. Over the course of the week they started fighting for my attention in a positive way and attempting to get the other in trouble. It wasn't long before they were best friends and not much longer before the owner came back to get the husky. It was honestly like having 1 dog because they were always together. Sometimes it is the dogs who seem to hate each other that get along the best. 

The other one is a boxer. First meeting went well. The next day there wasn't much love between them. The following week they didn't want anything to do with one another. Now that it has been a little over two weeks they don't fight but they aren't friends. 

Here is what I also noticed from playing with dogs around me. Dogs who love my GSD don't like my Boxer at all and I have to put him away so he doesn't get hurt during play dates. And the same is true for the boxer. Some dogs do everything they can to avoid my GSD but the boxer they'll play with all day long. Funny how it all works.


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## Makovach (Jan 24, 2012)

I understand worrying about his feeling, but you need to make sure you are top dog. He needs to know what you say goes, what he says doesn't matter much. I was the same way with Annie. My dogs kind of became one. As far as bringing other dogs in and out of the house, it happens a lot. Sometimes I foster, dog sit for a day, watch dogs for a week or people will just stop by and have their dog. My dogs have come accustom to behaving and just getting over it and making the best of the situation.


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## Finnegan (Jun 18, 2010)

Thanks. I might not have been clear, but getting a second dog would be as much for Finnegan and his happiness as mine, perhaps even more so. I haven't any concern as to whether or not he recognizes me as dominant (he does) and in any case I'm not a person who has a dog so that I can have something to control or dominate. Hence, considering his feelings and happiness isn't something I confuse with whether or not I'm in charge and/or whether or not he recognizes that I'm in charge. 

Thanks, again.


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## Makovach (Jan 24, 2012)

Finnegan said:


> Thanks. I might not have been clear, but getting a second dog would be as much for Finnegan and his happiness as mine, perhaps even more so. I haven't any concern as to whether or not he recognizes me as dominant (he does) and in any case I'm not a person who has a dog so that I can have something to control or dominate. Hence, considering his feelings and happiness isn't something I confuse with whether or not I'm in charge and/or whether or not he recognizes that I'm in charge.
> 
> Thanks, again.


I hope you didn't take what I said the wrong way. 

I was basically meaning that my dogs have learned to love others coming over. They are excited to play with other dogs that stay/visit. 
I had a lot of problem with Annie "owning" me. She didn't think any other animal should touch me and jealousy was an issue. It was something that had to be corrected. Now she knows that just because I pay attention to another dog doesn't mean she has to take issue with it. They aren't going to take me away and she is still my baby girl. 

It sounds like you know what you're in for and will know pretty well how to handle the situation.

In many ways I kind of view it as having a second baby. My dogs are my kids and I don't plan to have skin kids. If I had one child, they might be jealous and throw a fit for a while while adjusting to a new baby, but they have to learn to get deal with the other family member and eventually they would love each other with the right guidance and reinforcement. I don't look at my dogs as property or something to control. I'm sorry if it came off wrong.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

if you introduce the new dog in a way that reduces stress on both dogs, you'll be fine.

the new dog is in a strange place, so limiting his freedom (freedom within boundaries ) is a good idea and of benefit to both.

walking them, one on one side, one on the other is a grand idea...until they are comfortable enough with each other that you can walk them on the same side.

be with them constantly so they can interact but you are there to intervene if blood is drawn LOL...expect some growling and even some posturing...but dogs aren't polite nor are they fake. they are as real as real can be.

i intro'd a two year old to a ten year old and she hated him on sight. we walked long walks. i sat between them as they ate. the younger one was crated as he had to be housetrained and his freedom was limited, whilst her life remained unchanged.

now, they sleep together, eat together and play together....

i think that patience is key and they will be able to get along if you give them time.


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