Second dog - good idea or not?

[Nudibranch]

We have a 6 yo mini longhaired dachshund. He loves friends and family but is very nervous of strangers and frightened of other dogs. He did all the puppy classes and so on but I do think the trainer allowed too much rough play (he seemed to be on the floor pinned under other puppies all the time) and he was attacked very badly by a springer when he was nearly one. Since then he has been quite nervous. We do live in the middle of nowhere which doesn't help, but anyone new is greeted with a confusing mix of tail wagging and ferocious barking! He does settle eventually. He's ok out and about on the lead but won't let strangers pet him. He had one dog friend at my old yard, a huge ridgeback who could have eaten him in one bite but they did seem to get on well. He adores the cat.

Anyway I have been thinking of getting a second dog in the hope it will provide him with companionship, particularly when he goes to kennels, and hopefully a positive role model for socialisation. I would aim to get a female whippet puppy from a home reared, well socialised background. I thought he would be more likely to adapt to a puppy and hopefully the relatively calm nature of a whippet would be a good influence.

Does anyone think this is a recipe for disaster, or could it work? I guess there's every possibility it won't make a blind bit of difference to him but I would like a whippet anyway....

 

[Fides]

It depends if they get on. Let him pick the pup, rather than what you think is suitable. I ended up with a miserable dog after I took on a rescue as a companion for mine. She had to go back (heartbreaking) but the next one he picked and they are firm friends!

 

[splashgirl45]

I can only tell you what happened when I got a puppy and my lurcher was 3 at the time and very happy and confident with other dogs...she was scared of the puppy!!!!!! she did come round after a few days and they are now best friends but as your dog is not good with others a puppy may be a bit to much for him to cope with and an adult may be better. you should be able to get a whippet/cross from a rescue as there always seems to be lots of lurcher types waiting for homes. the advantage with this is that you could take him to meet the dog a few times to see if he was ok..hope this helps..

 

[Nudibranch]

Thanks people. From what I have read and been told by trainers a puppy should be less intimidating than an adult dog, which is why I was wondering if anyone had an experience. Interesting that yours was frightened of the puppy, splashgirl!
I know there are lots of rescue whippets but I am slightly concerned about this given the antisocial nature of my dachshund, but I guess it is a case of finding the right dog for him. It does need to be a pure whippet though as I don't want anything larger for practical reasons (it will be coming sailing!).

 

[splashgirl45]

yes I was amazed that she was scared as she has always been so confident, it didn't last long and I made sure the puppy was in her cage if I went out just in case the lurcher attacked her as her reaction was so at odds with her usual behaviour.. there are a couple of whippet rescues, one is scruples whippet rescue , sorry cant remember the others....

 

[Greybird]

I've often found that adult dogs are scared of puppies. The puppy hasn't yet learnt dog manners and tends to throw itself at the adult in the hope of play and often still nips at the adult a bit. A lot of adults hate having their mouth and lips licked too, which pups are prone to do in the hope of regurgitated food. I would tend to control the puppy for introductions, maybe on a line? and make sure the adult can escape - and don't let the pup annoy the adult when it wants to rest.
Fedd seperately for a while too.
All should be frine after a week or so, pup will have settled down and be in a routine and adult will have adjusted!

 

[Alec Swan]

I've often found that adult dogs are scared of puppies. The puppy hasn't yet learnt dog manners and tends to throw itself at the adult in the hope of play and often still nips at the adult a bit. A lot of adults hate having their mouth and lips licked too, which pups are prone to do in the hope of regurgitated food. I would tend to control the puppy for introductions, maybe on a line? and make sure the adult can escape - and don't let the pup annoy the adult when it wants to rest.
Fedd seperately for a while too.
All should be frine after a week or so, pup will have settled down and be in a routine and adult will have adjusted!

Such a sensible post. In your shoes O_P, I'd be tempted to find another adult, but slightly more assured dog, as company. A full-of-beans puppy may just be a bit too much!

Alec.

 

[Snowy Celandine]

I actually think a whippet puppy would be a good choice. I've got the opposite situation because I have an adult whippet and a new Chihuahua pup but they are getting on pretty well. True, the puppy does irritate the older dog from time to time and she gets a telling off from the whippet but, overall, they are doing fine. Whippets are brilliant dogs and very accommodating and I wouldn't be without one. Please post pics if you do get one

 

[Nudibranch]

Interesting to hear different views.
I am still slightly wary of the idea of an adult because it will be set in its ways and have an unknown background. As we have a cat I would prefer it not to be chased/eaten! I would have thought a puppy will be able to adapt to a rural, sheep farming, cat owning environment better than an adult, and still wonder about the chances of my dog-phobic dachshund accepting an adult. I believe puppies smell differently for example, so are more acceptable. I would also be able to crate a puppy, particularly at night, so they can be given their own space. How would you go about crate training an adult at the same time as introducing it to a new home and a new dog?

 

[leflynn]

My greyhound who wasn't a fan of dogs inc other greyhounds is much better with adult dogs now, he still doesn't like puppies and jumpy about yappy things (thankfully he has realised they aren't rabbits now), but he really isn't keen on puppies for the reasons as per greybird

 

[noodle_]

i personally had a nervous springer x collie - not nasty with other dogs but um...tempramental.. [she could be evil if really pushed]

she had bad separation anxiety as her friend had died 18 months earlier so turned into a nervous wreck

I got her a puppy after everyone calling me mental... within 24 hours my girl had come out of her shell...decked the puppy and now firm friends.

She loves every dog she meets now [ except the big ones - a mountain dog she tried chunking as it wouldnt leave her alone ]


you know your own dog op.... i knew if i got an adult dog she would murder it. Puppy is a happy little thing - cocker spaniel...so i suggest a breed which is known to be more forward and happy.... [ wouldnt reccomend a shying breed or known aloof/nervous]

hope that helps slightly.

 

[Lunchbox legend]

I would be a bit concerned that a puppy might learn this unwanted behaviour from your existing dog. I'd approach it from a slightly different angle.

Have you got any way of meeting other dogs out in a neutral space, that you can arrange before hand with other people? It might be that you all sit/stand/walk/whatever near to one another, but not actually come into contact to start with just so your dog can see there's no threat. You can gradually 'up the ante', as it were until your dog and the other one can play confidently. This should be done with as many safe dogs as possible. It's a bit more complicated than just that i.e. you might want to let them see each other for just a few seconds and then walk away while you're on a high note or you might be ok to sit and just 'be' for a while until the excitement abates and your dog can feel calm. It needs someone to watch the dog's body language to see what the best way forward is.

In answer to your question about getting a 2nd dog, it really depends on the dogs concerned. Most of my life (during the dog owning years, that is) I've had more than one dog (I also grew up with between 2-4 dogs depending on who had died/joined us) and found that it worked really well. There was one exception where 2 bitches clashed spectacularly and it meant numerous trips to the vet and A&E until one of them was rehomed - but that doesn't happen all that often.

Maybe you could look at some calm and confident adult dogs as your second dog so your lad can learn confidence from him or her. Obviously you'll let your lad meet and play with him or her to see whether or not he likes the potential newcomer.

 

[cyberhorse]

We had a young dog with our older dog, but when she died he suddenly decided he did not like other dogs and actively avoided them. I would guess it was that he felt less confident on his own, as our older dog had been taking charge of the situation. We got a puppy 6 months later and he was wonderful with him, they got on straight away whereas an adult dog would have been more difficult to settle in due to my existing dogs anxiety. We made sure the puppy we got had been extremely well socialised with the other adult dogs in his house, not just his mum. I feel this was important as he knew how to interact in a non-threatening respectful manner and what was appropriate play. Our pup is now 18 months old and our original dog is now completely fine with other dogs even when on his own, and is OK with the very pushy big dogs providing our pup is with him at the time.