I`ve usually had multiples together, the most being five at one time but then we lived in France and had land, which made life much easier ! Latterly we have had two together , in fact now that we just have Sam, it seems strange , not in a bad way but just odd . We adopted Millie from a local shelter , age unknown as she was a stray but Vets thought she was somewhere between 7 and 9 ish , Sam was just two and a half at the time we took her , they rubbed along very nicely indeed , mainly because she was young in spirit and he has always been a Mr.Plod , so the age difference wasn't too apparent . I would love to adopt another little older dog as I`m sure Sam misses a friend , as we do too , but with his illness , we have to apply caution , head over heart I guess x
My first dog, Dana, I got when I was 21 years old. She traveled with us everywhere. When she was 14 I got Burke as an 8 week old puppy. I think I knew Dana was close to the end and I couldn't bear it. I rationalized that Burke would "liven her up." He did, a little - she would play with him a bit, if only standing still and mouthing him as he ran at her repeatedly. She did teach him a lot. She died 6 months after we got Burke, though. Burke's been solo since then and he's a handful. Always has been. Very reactive and fearful, hypervigilant with noises. I worked with a professional trainer with him extensively. Then, last summer, I boarded him at a farm-style place with lots of other dogs, and then had a housesitter who had a dog come stay here the next time we vacationed. He was SO happy and relaxed after these times with other dogs that I wondered if more mental stimulation in terms of playing with another dog would help calm down the hypervigilance a bit. Plus, I finally found a good housesitter, I thought, and she's happy to care for two dogs for the same price as one (since she's at my house). Burke is 7 years old, so it felt like time - I didn't want him to get too old and not want to play with the new pup. Then Bessie popped up at a local shelter. A litter of nine gorgeous black lab mixes, carefully fostered and socialized, eight weeks old? I swore I'd change it up this time (she's my third black lab mix) but she reminded me so much of Dana and I just had this strong feeling it was meant to be. So here we are. To echo everything everyone said, yes, all that. Also, space. I have a very small house so two crates literally cannot fit in here, plus Burke never took to his and I've had trouble with Bessie and separation anxiety. So giving them their own spaces has been tough. But, on the plus side, they love to play together. It took a while for Burke to warm up, and he was very growly about her being too physically close when he was resting, but they even snuggle with bodies touching now! Ha. And it has been really, really good for both of them to play together outside. It is wonderful - I can just open the door and they play and run around for at least 20-30 minutes at a time. Their exercise and stimulation needs are met! I do walk them, sometimes together, which is a lot (Burke's 80 lb and she's at least 55 lb or so by now). I love to walk so I don't mind doing it separately, either. I was worried he was too old to accept a new pup, but it has worked out better than I imagined.
We had one dog for 11 years and when we moved to a big enough house we got a second one - he was 2 from a rescue as mentioned we knew we'd lose her eventually and no dogs would be far worse than still having one at home. She first ignored him then after a few months decided he wasnt going back where he came from and used him as her muscle. She was the smart one and he was happy being bossed around (except when he ran through her but he learnt to jump over her if need be). They never played as such - she was too old but having him around meant she didn't stress if we got home after dark or went out at night. He just followed her lead and learnt off her. I had to walk them seperately until he could he trusted to be kind of under control and it was great for a few years walking two dogs. BUt then she started to struggle to keep up and had to go back to walking then on their own again. He was also helpful when she got very old and started to refuse to go outside last thing at night (resulting in accidents) but if he did and you praised him she'd go too most nights. Then we lost her at 17 - he did liven her up and probably gave her a few more years. BUt he was lost when we came home with the collar and not her. He'd hear the collar and come running to look for her. He also got a bit paranoid and didnt handle being on his own. So we eventually got a puppy (after trying another rescue that just made everything worse). He ignored her for a month but now they play and now she's getting closer to his size he's starting to be the instigator more often. Yes they can be a handful walking as she's actually better than he is when meeting other dogs (shes always got to obedience since I could sign her up from the puppy training onwards). When they behave its great walking two of them - we still have moments but its only been about a month and she's still young. But I dont think I could have two dogs of similar age especially as older dogs - one very old dog was a lot of work moreso than the puppy when it comes to cleaning up etc as they dont get better - puppies will but older dogs you know cant. Our older dog nearly gave herself a heart attack when she started having accidents in the house. And going back to one dog after having two was just weird - and so quick to feed when you dont have to add medications etc. Even with the puppy and adult on different diets its still quick.
We definitely considered it as we really wanted to get a rescue dog but in the end, it came down to the trust I can place in an older dog with our two cats. We have had the two cats for 7 and 5 years respectively. Originally a lab wasn't the choice of breed either, we wanted to start with a rescue but the more we spoke with rescue organisations and people involved the more they urged us to rather start with a puppy, that can grow up with the two feline boys. And now that we have Harley, and we can see the gentle relationship she has with the two cats I am so grateful we did. You never know, it could have worked out beautifully with another older dog too but I am not one that enjoys risk. So that plays into our thoughts regarding another dog too. At the moment we both work full time and Harley and her brothers take up most of our free time, we just don't want to get into a situation where we are spread too thin. Also, we believe it is a good idea to start thinking about a second dog once the first dog is about 2 years old. So that is a long way away. But I often feel guilty that Harley doesn't have a dog sister but that is my guilt and thoughts and not hers.
This is very wise. I'm a big believer in rescue, but unlike some of my friends who do rescue work, we part ways on our thinking about getting a dog from a responsible breeder. The way I see it (and they don't) is that sometimes a breeder is the right choice, sometimes rescue is. If I had two cats, I'd also feel better about starting with a puppy - whom I'm assuming your two kitties properly schooled from a young impressionable age.
Hi Emily, Yes, the cats have been kind but firm with her. They are Bengals and are big boys but even though they have never had a dog of their own, they have been around dogs so she was easily accepted. She is now 3 x the size of the biggest boy and he still behaves like she is tiny and so does she. She is so respectful of them.
We had Callum, who was then about 5, when Penny was 4 and Amber was 2. Although we had been a bit wary about having him, he soon settled down and all three dogs got on very well. Callum and Amber were both crate trained, but Penny wasn't (and had been a great chewer as a puppy!). Callum, Amber and Penny We have always treated the dog who has been with us the longest as 'senior dog' and fed him or her first, given treats first, etc, and in this case Penny was senior dog, Amber second, then Callum, although he was in fact the oldest.
