# Tips for adding a second pup?



## FirstOwnerofLucy (Aug 21, 2011)

Hello everyone,
So, the long wait is slowly coming to an end and we are adding a second dog to the household very shortly (about Jan. 20).
Lucy has done well with other dogs in the past, but she gets very over-excited when greeting them. The two dogs will be 5 months apart... I just wanted to ask for some tips of bringing a second dog into the family? Preparations, steps etc.?
We've thought a lot about the new addition and we have enough time to manage them (e.g. training them separately, exercise).

Any advice is appreciated! :bowl:


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## BajaOklahoma (Sep 27, 2009)

My vet has always had us use the "old dog" is always right, even if the "new dog" really was. 
It must work, since our dogs have always gotten along (36 years of dogs).


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## Alaska7133 (May 26, 2011)

Try sleeping them in the same kennel. Chances are good they won't want to be separated. I think 5 months apart is great! They will be in love. She will think the new pup is hers, not yours. She will wonder what took you so long to get her a pal. Don't be surprised if she spoils the pup and you will wonder if the younger dog may become dominant. For some reason the older dog will let the younger dog get away with a lot. But it's only while the pup is young. I am envious, I wish I had 2 young pups again. It was amazing fun to watch them play.


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## Aislinn (Nov 13, 2010)

When I add a new dog I generally keep them seperate a couple of days, switching a towels from each one's crate so they know each other's scent. If it's two puppies, I usually introduce them in neutral territory. I've never had a problem.


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## luverofpeanuts (Jun 9, 2011)

Alaska7133 said:


> Try sleeping them in the same kennel. Chances are good they won't want to be separated..


Hmmm...In all the research I did, using the same crate/kennel was absolutely a "no no" . One of the biggest things to worry about is one or both of the pups becoming so emotionally attached to the other that they can't function without the other. Putting the in the same crate/kennel would the #1 thing to encourage this undesirable condition. 

Separate potty walks is good to do now and then.
Feeding in separate areas (at least 5 to 6 feet apart) 
Allowing separate alone times/walks is very good too.


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## Deber (Aug 23, 2011)

Mine are 3 months apart and from the first day home, everything is kept seperate. They are also very different in personalities. One outgoing, one calm.
1. Feed in seperate areas
2. Classes are on different days
3. Walks are done seperately, Kye goes to a field, Coop is walked at city park
4. Kye rides with Hubby to the farm on Fridays, Coop rides with me. 
5. Backyard times, kids play together, then Hubby takes Coop inside, I work with Kye, then she is taken inside, Coop is let out and we go through the basics and play one on one on the things he likes.

My two will always be a pair, but want each to be mentally secure in their own skin so trying anything I can think of to keep them growing seperately. Kye is outgoing and more high energy, she is very secure, but Coop is more shy, he wants Kye close. We are working on our next step to allow him to gain confidence alone this week. Hope it works. The forum has been great at offering suggestions. We are a work in progress.

Having 2 pups together has many good points too and will push you to your limits in keeping one step ahead.
Fun things about having more than 1 are:
They can play much more rough than they can with humans. 
Zoomies takes on a whole different meaning with two 50+ lb dogs crashing into your furniture and bouncing off the fences in your yard. 
One will get the other to play harder. Push them to do more than they would alone.
Training is harder, but seems more rewarding when things come together.
You have two to snuggle with, two to love.
Two to tear twice as much stuff and swallow twice the things one could.
They band together, one thinks up stuff to do, the other helps carry it out!
You have twice the laughter, twice the tears and worry twice as much if you can do this.
Hopefully in the end you have two happy kids and you can quit taking valium.


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

Great tips... Thanks Deber for the specifics on how you make your schedule work. I want to add a second dog very badly (and plan to, hopefully, in the fall) but want to be sure I'm not just focusing on the pros and ignoring the cons. I will be the one doing the majority of the work (I am married with kids) and don't want to gloss over the tough parts. My biggest struggle seems to be with fitting in exercise time and I figure if I'm walking one, I might as well walk two. However, I noted in other threads how important it is to make sure they receive separate walks so they aren't overly dependent on each other. Unless one dog seems overly attached, would you say separate needs to be daily, couple times a week or ??? I can see that being a time crunch issue for me. I honestly don't have time for two separate 30 minute walks, twice a day, every day. I just returned from walking Mack for over an hour, but I knew that if I didn't do it first thing this morning it just plain wasn't going to happen... I do try to be honest with myself 

Love this thread!!!! Thanks!


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## luverofpeanuts (Jun 9, 2011)

nolefan said:


> However, I noted in other threads how important it is to make sure they receive separate walks so they aren't overly dependent on each other. Unless one dog seems overly attached, would you say separate needs to be daily, couple times a week or ??? I can see that being a time crunch issue for me. I honestly don't have time for two separate 30 minute walks, twice a day, every day.



These are just my opinions, but since I'm in the middle of 9 month old littermates, I figured I'd chime in further. 

First, I do think, for a young addition, or a young pair, doing the separate time/walks is crucial during the first couple of formative months. I think you'll start to see how the personalities are coming along and can better adjust to fit your daily needs. 

For us, we started doing separate potty walks/breaks initially, then once they got the hang of it, we started doing combo potty breaks to the back yard. We still did at least one or two quick 15 minute potty walks down the block a couple of times a day (when they're young, it doesn't take long). 

At about the 6 month mark, assuming you don't have dependence issues in either dog, i think you start to reap some benefits of having two dogs... i.e.. they tire each other out, occupy time together, etc. Walking two at once takes a LONG time to master... at 9 months now, with the help of the easy-walk harness, I can take 1 to 1.5 hour walks that are pretty enjoyable.. even though you just have to get use to doing the leash juggling as the dogs explore side to side and around each other. 

As of right now, I generally only do separate walks when one is beiing stubborn with potty duty, or I just decide they need some separate time. If my wife is home, and I need to do an errand, I'll often grab one and go for a 30 to 90 minute errand where they can just be a co-pilot in the truck. 

So.... I think you have to consider the fact that you may have to do alot of separate.activity initially, and perhaps long term, but it depends alot on how the dogs are adjusting. I think Deber is doing a great job, and doing quite a bit if separation work because she's managing a situation. Ideally, Coop will find his independent spirit and can scale back on some of that work. 

So, in answer to one of your questions... I think if your dogs don't have an dependence issues, I think just doing separate things a couple times a week would fine. It does really depend on their personalities though. As you know, the worst case scenario would be to be forced into re-homing one if they were to actually not get along. I would carefully consider the personality of the dog you consider adding and make sure it will compliment, rather than compete with your existing dog. Our breeder eliminated some of the pups in the litter from being in a pair based on her observations. She also would prefer to do male/female pairs instead of same gender pairs. 

Starting to ramble...so I better stop ;-)


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## FirstOwnerofLucy (Aug 21, 2011)

Thanks a bunch for all the helpful advice! 
We're getting separate crates for them, and they will be male-female pair, thankfully.
Is it alright to crate them in the same room? Or would it be more beneficial to room them separately? How should I deal with resource guarding, if it were to arise? Thanks again, this forum is a great help! Looking forward to the busy, busy days!


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## luverofpeanuts (Jun 9, 2011)

FirstOwnerofLucy said:


> Thanks a bunch for all the helpful advice!
> We're getting separate crates for them, and they will be male-female pair, thankfully.
> Is it alright to crate them in the same room? Or would it be more beneficial to room them separately? How should I deal with resource guarding, if it were to arise? Thanks again, this forum is a great help! Looking forward to the busy, busy days!


Aspen and Spirit's crates have been side by side since day one. Because they seemed to be progressing well, we elected not to move them to separate rooms. We just upgraded their crates to bigger ones now, and they seem more comfortable, and they still go in their crates with little hesitation at all (for a yummy treat, of course). That is one thing I recommend... get a very small, high value treat, that you ONLY use when they go in the crate. Use different, or at least different flavor, treats for other training. 

it'll be very exciting to have another little puppy in the house!


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## OutWest (Oct 6, 2011)

It sounds like you'll have a very lively house for the next few years...

I don't have a lot to offer as advice, but wanted to say that I did crate my older dog next to our puppy from the start. Not in the same crate, but next to so he could hear her breathing and didn't feel alone. He settled in to the crate sleeping routine very quickly. 

I suspect the biggest hurdle will be for you to keep the dogs' focus on the humans as pack leaders. Since they're both young with not a lot of focus, you could practice with them separately and together to reinforce who's in charge and who they need to pay attention to. 

Hope you have a lot of fun. Be sure to post some pictures!


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

luverofpeanuts said:


> Starting to ramble...so I better stop ;-)


Thanks for clarifying some things, I thought you'd have some good observations... Oh and BTW, I never consider it rambling.... I love information that's more like a conversation. (Maybe you've noticed how I write.... )


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## FirstOwnerofLucy (Aug 21, 2011)

*Introducing...*

Hello again, 
So we are picking up our little guy next week Saturday. I can hardly contain my excitement! :bowl: I do have some more questions though, although only one comes to mind right now :doh: :

Something that I still confuses me is the difference between play fighting and all-out fighting. How can you tell the difference? 
Here he is:


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## OutWest (Oct 6, 2011)

The fighting thing will be come clear to you pretty quickly I think. I watch both dogs' butts  and their behavior. If both continue wagging, and if both continue going after the other, then they're both enjoying it. If one puts its tail between its legs, rolls over and stays there, yips and yelps, etc., the other dog is probably going too far. But don't jump in and rescue and comfort the one on the ground. You want them to stand on their own four legs. But you can stop the playing and divert them to something else. 

And your new guy is GORGEOUS. What a cute bundle of fluff.


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## FirstOwnerofLucy (Aug 21, 2011)

Thank you!
Right, that was the other thing, so I definitely SHOULDN'T interfere with their playing/fighting?
Thanks again! Any advice is appreciated


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## OutWest (Oct 6, 2011)

I would say not to try to control or just stop it cold. If something worries you, use diversion--a squeaky toy or somesuch. I'll be interested in what others say.

BTW, I was able to get my little spaniel to play with the new puppy by setting them up with tug-of-war. I'd be playing it with one of them, call the other over, and insert the end of the toy into the mouth. I got a couple long stuffed snakes for that purpose. It gave them a game to play that worked even with their size difference.


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## Deber (Aug 23, 2011)

Mine never fight, but do play at times very rough, bitey faces, like two titans clashing, but no teeth and all in fun. Honestly having two pups is great. They play so long and much harder with each other than what we could do.

Our problem is our younger pup is more calm and depends a lot on his more outgoing "sister". I would like him to be more self confident on his own, so we overdoing the seperate stuff. Hopefully he will gain confidence and more can be done together as he ages. I walk them seperately because Kye is farther along with training and likes to have new things to learn and do. Coop is younger and just starting to be consistant with the basics. Like children they are seperate personalities and trying to give each their best chance to mature into stable personalities, but must add that it will be great when we pass this puppy time and do much more together.


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