Another Dog or Not?

[DVPremo]

The wife and I were talking about dogs with another couple. We are dog people. Our dog is 10 years old and we are considering getting him a companion dog since we both work during the day and he is home alone all day. He doesn't cause trouble (or at least not very often).

What we are wondering is, is he too old to get along with another dog at his age? He has had limited exposure to other dogs. He has been neutered. He is a male dachshund.

Besides a companion for him, this other couple I mentioned earlier stated, when the old dog finally goes to dog heaven, you will already have another dog. They suggested a female because a male may complete territory wise.

I love my dog but I am no expert. Does this make sense? I would love to hear from the canine experts in the house.

Thank you.

 

[Orville]

I have a friend who owns Duck Tollers. He ALWAYS has two dogs, except for when one passes. After that event, he waits a few years before adding another Duck Toller. But always a senior and a junior partnership.

 

[wurglehound]

My clients have told me many times that the new ones keep the older ones young. You could always get another weiner. You already know the ins and outs of their care. And getting your boy a female puppy would probably be your best bet. Good luck!

 

[Plano]

Ok we just did this. Long story short 16 years ago we got 2 Bichon puppies that were litter mates. They were never apart, groomers, vet visits ect were always for both at the same time. Well 2 years ago one of the brothers died to cancer and since the wife and I both work The other brother was home alone alot. The wife wanted to get a friend for the one left but I just couldnt bare the thought of replacing my boy. Over the last 2 years i watched our other dog change, he slept alot, would only eat half of what he used to and started to get grumpy. I just figured it was old age. Anyway a month ago we came across a lady who needed to get rid of a 2 yr old cavachon that she had. So we talked her into letting us do a trial run for a weekend just to be sure my dog would be ok with it. I dont know if my dog was going to live a day, month or years but what i knew was it was going to be how ever he wanted it to be. If it even seemed like he hated the idea it would have been over with. Besides one issue where the new one tried to play tug of war with my dogs red blanket they got along great.
Well here we are a month later, I now have 2 dogs again and my old man of a dog has easily reversed his age by 6 years. Hes back to eating full rations, he stays out longer and wanders farther into the back yard again and even chases rabbits out of the yard once more. I truely wish I would have done it years ago. My advice to you is find a dog you would like and hopefully its from some place that will allow you to give it a few days trial run. Then give it a shot.

 

[heybatter]

I did this as well a few months ago. Rescued a 1.5 year old mutt to be with my 8 year old mutt. No regrets. Go for it.

 

[Luke49783]

Definitely make sure your dog is okay with other dogs first. If he's been used to being an only dog his entire life, it may bring him more stress than joy. My wife and I have two dogs and they absolutely love each other. That being said, we also got them about 7 months apart and they're only a year apart in age (2 and 3 currently), so it's a different situation than yours.

 

[rdeakle]

I have a friend who owns Duck Tollers. He ALWAYS has two dogs, except for when one passes. After that event, he waits a few years before adding another Duck Toller. But always a senior and a junior partnership.

A lot of people do this. Especially when it comes to working dogs. I guess the thought process is that the older dog will teach the younger dog; while keeping the older one a bit younger?

It always seems to work out for them, although they don't usually wait till the dog is quite that old. Keeping up with a puppy could be a bit of a challenge for an older dog if they aren't in good shape.

I adopted a 6 month old male Dalmatian-Lab mix from the pound to keep my 5 year old female Welsh Corgi company. At first they didn't get a long at all, but over maybe 2-3 months they started to mesh well.

 

[BSAGuy]

Go for it. You'll never look back.

 

[DVPremo]

Wow, not one post against the idea. It looks like I have nothing to fear. Thank you all for the great stories and great advice.

 

[Lmarkow]

I have two and am considering a third. I think that if your dog is good with other dogs generally, you likely will not have trouble adding a new family member. Good luck!

 

[Docpsycho]

I am a cat person but had dogs growing up. If one of my cats passes away the others seem indifferent to the event. Dogs on the other hand are pack animals. They seem to miss their pack mates if they are gone. If you could bring a perspective packmate home on a trial basis as has been suggested I would do it.

Rick

 

[Mick]

Dogs don't need "friends"

If you do not have time to spend with 1 dog getting a second one will not give you more time to spend with either.

Sorry if this sounds harsh but I see way too many people who do not have time for a dog getting a second dog thinking that both will keep each other company.

All that will happen is the 2nd dog will be a "dog's dog" and not bond with you as you will never be there. When the older dog dies your younger "dog's dog" will not do well being alone as they only know how to interact with their friend who is gone. IF you get this "dog's dog" a "friend" you deepen the cycle of dog to dog and not dog to human relationship.

I have always believed that the best dog is a single dog that you have time for.

If you want to get more than 1 you might as well get a pack as a pack will interact better than 2 dogs who only have themselves 8-10 hours a day while you are away at work.

When the wife and I first met we had a pack of 7 dogs. Great times for all

 

[Luke49783]

While I fully agree that a person shouldn't own a pet that they don't have time for, I don't think there's anything wrong with a dog or dogs being home alone while you work during the day. For a lot of people, having someone at home with the dog(s) all day every day is unrealistic. Up until the end of August, my wife and I both worked 7-3, M-F at jobs 45 minutes to an hour from home. This led to our dogs being home alone 9-10 hours a day. Of course they were thrilled to see us when we got home, but they didn't seem to be negatively impacted by our absence. For the most part, we were home with them the rest of the afternoon/evening.

My wife left her job at the end of August and has been at home with them during the day since. Turns out, even with her home during the day, the dogs mostly sleep. Even as I type this, they're both curled up on the couch napping.

I guess my point here is, your dog(s) will adapt to your schedule. If you don't have time for one, you certainly don't have time for two, but I don't think that a dog needs a constant human companion either. Also, a second dog can improve your dog's life even when you and your wife are home.

 

[Mick]

While I fully agree that a person shouldn't own a pet that they don't have time for, I don't think there's anything wrong with a dog or dogs being home alone while you work during the day. For a lot of people, having someone at home with the dog(s) all day every day is unrealistic. Up until the end of August, my wife and I both worked 7-3, M-F at jobs 45 minutes to an hour from home. This led to our dogs being home alone 9-10 hours a day. Of course they were thrilled to see us when we got home, but they didn't seem to be negatively impacted by our absence.

Dogs do not have the same conception of "time" that people do.

With a dog you are either there or you are not there.

How long you are gone does not come into play.

They are just as glad to see you whether you went to the can for a few minutes "reading time" or you went off to work all day.

 

[mretzloff]

I would also get dogs in pairs. A second dog will provide companionship, and the first dog will enjoy it very much, even if they are different ages, different breeds, etc.

One thing that I would HIGHLY suggest is to introduce your dogs in a neutral area (e.g. a park, a parking lot, anywhere away from your house). Your older dog may see the newer one as a threat to his/her territory and may react accordingly (i.e. he/she may attack the new dog). It may take a while for the dogs to get used to each other.

Please consider getting a rescue dog.

 

[k9ted]

I am a professional dog trainer. Age has absolutely nothing to do with if they'll get along or not. Gender also usually doesn't make a difference either. Try to find another dog that has the same temperament, or even a more laid back dog. There are a lot of ways to socialize your dog, and your best bet may be to find a local professional trainer to come to your home and help. Most trainers offer a 1 time training/consultation session. And if they don't advertise it, if you ask most will do it for slightly higher than their usual hourly rate.

 

[DVPremo]

Dogs don't need "friends"

If you do not have time to spend with 1 dog getting a second one will not give you more time to spend with either.

Sorry if this sounds harsh but I see way too many people who do not have time for a dog getting a second dog thinking that both will keep each other company.

All that will happen is the 2nd dog will be a "dog's dog" and not bond with you as you will never be there. When the older dog dies your younger "dog's dog" will not do well being alone as they only know how to interact with their friend who is gone. IF you get this "dog's dog" a "friend" you deepen the cycle of dog to dog and not dog to human relationship.

I have always believed that the best dog is a single dog that you have time for.

If you want to get more than 1 you might as well get a pack as a pack will interact better than 2 dogs who only have themselves 8-10 hours a day while you are away at work.

When the wife and I first met we had a pack of 7 dogs. Great times for all

Hi Turtle - Don't worry about sounding harsh. I was looking for honest sincere feedback, even if your opinion is different from the rest. I kind of expected feedback to be about 50/50 and then take that feedback and have more of an informed conversation with my wife.

Thank you for your input.

 

[DVPremo]

I am a professional dog trainer. Age has absolutely nothing to do with if they'll get along or not. Gender also usually doesn't make a difference either. Try to find another dog that has the same temperament, or even a more laid back dog. There are a lot of ways to socialize your dog, and your best bet may be to find a local professional trainer to come to your home and help. Most trainers offer a 1 time training/consultation session. And if they don't advertise it, if you ask most will do it for slightly higher than their usual hourly rate.

Thank you K9, I don't know why talking with a pro dog trainer didn't enter my mind (duh). Definitely lots of good food for thought all around.

 

[kwk285]

Years ago my wife and daughters convinced me we needed a second dog. Our current dog was 8. We brought our dog to the pound to meet a couple of possible candidates. Snickers, picked the one she like best. They got along very well for 7 years until Snickers passed away last April.

 

[AbbyW2]

We have two dogs. Bullmastiffs acquired about 6 months apart and aged about 6 months apart. They get along great and provide double the pleasure.