Adding another puppy!

[Valantar]

Samson is our 10 month neutered male. He has an easy-going, laid back personality and just loves all other people and dogs. I know there are a lot of great posts about this topic, but I had a couple of questions that I didn't see from my search.
I made the mistake of going to our county animal shelter today to see the boxer/pit bull mix they found yesterday as a stray - and she won me over the minute she walked over and started doing the boxer shake. (and then she cried :(. We were thinking about getting another dog in the future, but I really want to bring this one home on Monday. We own our own home and have a great fenced in yard for them to run. She is a 6 month old female and I think they'll get along great.

My questions are:
1 - Samson is crated during the day while I'm at work. I come home at lunch to let him out. Should I crate them side by side or is it better to give them separate rooms?
2 - I know you should have two feed bowls, but do you have to have separate water bowls also? Do you feed them in the same room?
3 - Any advice about having a two-dog home would be appreciated. We've always just had one dog growing up, so I'm not sure what to expect.
4 - I am going to take Samson on Monday to the shelter to introduce them in a neutral territory - any other suggestions for how to make sure they get along well?

Wish me luck - if she is not claimed by 3:30 today, she will be considered a stray and I will have a chance to give this lovely girl a new chance in life!

Thanks!
Jen

 

[mancin]

I have two pups at home so I hope I can be of some help.

1. Try and put the crates next to each other while you are home and see how the dogs react. If they don't mind being next to each other, I don't see a problem w/ it. I crate my two next to each other so they can keep each other company, but they have the security of their own crate. If they are obviously uncomfortable next to each other, you can crate in separate rooms.

2. I only have one water bowl. I've never had an issue w/ them fighting over the water. Rarely they go to the bowl at the same time, unless they've been playing hard for awhile and are both thirsty. When this happens, one will drink while the other waits. My two tend to fight over food, so I feed them separately in their crates. You could try and feed them side by side w/ a barrier in between (such as a crate or a gate of some sort) and see how they react.

3. Male/female is usually the best pairing, so you already have an advantage there. You mentioned your male is 10 months (and neutered, so hopefully he won't be territorial! ) Since she's coming into HIS home, make sure to feed him first, pet him first, greet him first, etc. so that she knows her place in the pack. However, if she's extremely dominant, the tables may turn. With my two, Tyson was very dominant as first, but as they grow older, my other Crash is becoming the more dominant. Fights may occur until they've found their place in the pack.
Be especially careful with food, treats, and toys at first.

4. That's great that you are going to a neutral territory. Be sure to give them enough time around each other before you make your final decision. Watch for their body language. If either of them are stiff (or start fighting) it won't be a good idea to get her, no matter how much you want her. Did the humane society mention any problems that she had with other animals?
You might want to make sure she's not aggressive with dogs, cats (if you have them), children (if you have them), or with food. Some types of aggression are more important than others, but should come into play when you make your decision.

HTH

 

[PawPrintBoxers]

I completely agree - crate side by side, separate food dishes but the same water dish.

Years ago, Penny entered my home of two older established Boxers. She was 4 months old so not much different in age from the girl you are looking at. I crated her next to Booker T's crate while we house broke her. Booker T is the only one we crate at night. The girls are loose all of the time. But crating her next to him made her feel comfortable. I feed my guys lose with each getting their own bowl. But it does take training to make sure all understand their bowl. It does not work for everyone so don't think twice about crate feeding if you have to.

All my Boxers and even my cat would share the same water bowl. There was not territory issues over the water since it is not as precious as food

 

[Valantar]

Another question

Thanks for the great replies. I am working this weekend on getting a second crate and finding another area to put them in. Right now, Samson is in my bedroom and I'm not sure if another large crate will fit in there

For those of you who added a second dog, did you notice any changes in your "resident" dog? Do they give you less attention? Any behavior changes?

Again, thanks so much for the responses and suggestions!

 

[PawPrintBoxers]

For those of you who added a second dog, did you notice any changes in your "resident" dog? Do they give you less attention? Any behavior changes?

LOL!! Booker T thought I had brought Penny all for him :D

Horny boy that he is

 

[mancin]

I actually got a break once in awhile after I got my second! :D They tend to keep themselves entertained a lot of the time, so I can get a chance to breathe! Other than that, I saw no significant changes in Tyson.

 

[lafsalot]

We've been a multi-dog household for years and I have to agree with the two previous posts. My three look out for and entertain each other for hours, so it is easier in that respect. Enjoy the new furbaby, I'm sure she'll prove to be a welcome addition ~ Cathy

 

[pagen]

ditto

We've just last week added another fur-baby to our household, Bronson - male aged 9wks, as a companion to our 1yr old female Boxer (Ali).

So far so good. Separate food bowls, fed in same room but I stand between them to stop migration. Joint water bowls = no problems.

Although he's a precocious shit...she's gentle with him, and seems to have calmed down and become more happy since his arrival. We certainly have less work to entertain her!

I'm just starting to train him, he's got 'sit' already (thanks to a bit of healthy rivalry I think). Still working on 'come' and 'drop' ... I think it's going to be a lot easier than with Ali, as she's able to model the behaviour. That, and being second time around parents!

I'd be interested to hear other peoples' experiences in training their new (second) puppy, and how they've used their existing dog in doing so.

Cheers - and Happy New Year!!!

 

[neraknna]

We waited until our male,Peja, was 1 year before we got our second puppy,Meadow. It would have been a bit sooner but it took almost 3 months to find the right dog. I don't regret the descion to add a second dog to the family, it has been great! Peja LOVES having a playmate since I could not play with him all the time like he wanted me too. Meadow does seem to learn quicker and is generally easier to train than Peja, but am not sure if that has to do with personality, gender, or that she learns from him? Maybe a little of each? Both are in crates right next to each other in my bedroom. They drink out of the same bowl, often at the same time since it is quite a large bowl. I find that Peja makes less mess with water dripping all over the floor if he drinks out of a bigger bowl. I feed them at the same time in different rooms so that there is no problem with the food.

 

[Valantar]

New Puppy is Home!!

I went to the shelter this morning and brought my new baby girl home. So far, things are going really well. The only thing I have seen so far is that Hannah (our new girl) gets very possessive over the toys. She will give some warning growls or snaps if Samson gets too close to her toy or gets too close when she is trying to sleep. Should I be worried about that? She doesn't go after him at other times and I guess they have to work out dominance issues? They've already had a good run in the yard, and in the living room, and in the basement! Right now, they are finally taking a nap.

So far, she has been very curious about the cats. We'll have to work on setting those boundaries. Now comes the fun part of potty training, crate training, and adapting to a 2-dog household. I'm also hoping her tummy adapts to the Life's Abundance food. They told me at the shelter that she was eating whatever donated food they had. I gave her a cup this morning and I'll see how she reacts.

Thanks for all of your suggestions so far. I welcome any ideas/recommendations!