Still pondering on another dog

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Snuffles

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Cant make up my mind what to do,

Got older quiet reserved dog at present

so..... my heart wants to go for another gundog type, have got name down for a couple of gun dog rescues, my head however tells me something small, slightly drawn to King Charles, would be more sensible, bearing in mind my advancing age, and other dog corgi sized. King Charles option would probably mean a puppy

Ive even been considering two puppies of a smaller breed on the thinking they could entertain each other and leave the old dog alone !
.

Im wondering if I am being totally selfish as old dog perfectly happy on his own, but the second dog thinking has always been
that if I lose him I would be totally devastated as he is my only "family" .

Then theres the going for an old ladies dog syndrome which Id like to avoid. I am not considering a terrier breed either. The greyhound option is a possibility.
I go to sleep mulling thing over and still no further forward Don't know why Im bothering you lot really, just helps getting things down on paper I guess. :D
 
we have a cracking King Charles at scent class, really like him, he's such a poppet.

only you know your situation and what you and your dog can deal with. I don't think its out of order to want another though for the reasons you mentioned, I would.

I am taken with the smooth collie-hes 22kg but bitches are smaller but not wee, he is up for anything outside but is complete snoozehound inside the house and seems the same however much exercise he gets. Doesn't seem to have any collie traits other than trainability, wags his tail all the time, enjoys a cuddle and has a great weatherproof coat wothout requiring any special grooming and no real health issues in the breed either.
 
if you are a rather mature person (as i am) a good option would be a greyhound as they love to sleep and generally are not bossy with other dogs in the house. i have just aquired a terrier mix puppy from a friend (accidental mating) as my collie cross loves to play so a greyhound wouldnt really suit her and she is loving having a little friend, prob not the most sensible option for me though...
 
Snuffles, I am an older, well very old , dog owner and I live alone . My dogs are my company and family.
I always like to have two so have to plan ahead. Currently I have three but the rescue Goldie I took on in October won't make another winter as he has health problems so is being helped by steroids to enjoy the summer before I let him go.
This leaves me with 2 flatcoats. The older one will be 10 in July and is very active at the moment but I haven't had a flatcoat live to older than 11.
I love my flatcoats but worry I am getting a bit old for another flatcoat pup. They take a huge amount of exercise all their lives.
I have had many a sleepless night wondering what to do. I have had my name down for a smooth collie since last August. They are a great breed, still an active lovely family type dog but not so full on as flatcoats. However they are a vulnerable breed and hard to source. Then that gives me time to think, can I really change breed?
I feel your pain!
 
What about a whippet? Very similar to a greyhound but smaller, readily available as puppies which greyhounds arent, and I've never known one not be dog friendly. My two adore every dog they meet. I grew up with spaniels and setters and do understand the draw of a gundog type. I'd go with what your heart wants, so long as its not wildly impractical :) Just dont go for two puppies together whatever you do. It adds up to more than twice the work and isnt a good idea.
 
PS , Snuffles. Not a good plan to have two puppies at once. They bond with each other rather than you and it is hard to do separate training when they are the same age.
 
A Cavalier King Charles sounds like it would fit in well with your situation, but I would also avoid two pups at once. More than double the work and they often bond strong to one another to the exclusion of the owner. I don't suppose CKCS come into rescue too often? A retired Greyhound is also really well worth looking into. They usually make wonderful, calm pets who need much less exercise than you might expect for a dog of their size and most get on well with other dogs - although not so well with small furries such as cats, rabbits etc. Another benefit to rehoming a Greyhound would be that it would be less likely to pester your old dog to play.

https://www.retiredgreyhounds.co.uk/home-a-greyhound
 
Chiffy said:
PS , Snuffles. Not a good plan to have two puppies at once. They bond with each other rather than you and it is hard to do separate training when they are the same age.
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I'm afraid that I disagree with this. For the last 50 yrs, we have had pairs of pups. They have been part of a larger pack and been the only 2 in the house, depending on family circumstances at the time. We have found that older ones teach the younger ones, so it good to mixed ages. We currently have 2 Rottweiler bitches, which were acquired after a short dogless break and we find that they exercise each other very well. Ours have to be lead walked as we live in sheep country but play endlessly at home, they are fit and healthy because of it and don't need to be walked anywhere near as far as one would have to be. They are very attached to each other and to their humans. I loathe the word 'bond' but if it must be used, they are definitely bonded to their owners. In fact it is obvious that they know which of us they were held by at 3 weeks, when we went to view them with their parents.
 
There are always exceptions to the rule, as Pearlsasinger has confirmed.

I have never personally had two litter mates but my husband has bought two litter siblings twice and has kept three pups from a litter he bred to run on. We have had mixed experiences with it and they are working dogs - I would not personally want to attempt it with a pet. Have a search for "littermate syndrome" and you will get an idea of some of the problems that may be faced.

http://thebark.com/content/dont-take-two-littermates

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2015/12/28/littermate-syndrome.aspx

http://moderndogmagazine.com/articles/littermate-syndrome/80050

http://www.caninedevelopment.com/Sibling.htm
 
As you all know, cos I bore you with tales, I'm on my second set of littermates. They used to be a handful when younger and would zip off together. Zak isn't allowed off in the woods (DA) and they are trained together daily in a field, zero issues except when a dog gets in Zak's space. They are bonded to who chose them, Bear is clearly mine, Zak is the OH's. Daddy's boy Zak:
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We will get two more when the time comes, but these two were hard work. We coped, we had the time and energy, but I will be looking for 'easy' dogs like the first set. Even at 14, Brig is as easy as he always has been. Not sure I could change breeds or the desire to have puppies regardless of age, so as long as you can offer the dog enough exercise, I say why not.
 
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From my numerous friends who have got a puppy after having an older lone dog for a while- it has usual gone well. But initially the older dog has got very irritated by the playful puppy! However it then seems to give the older dog their spark back and they have bonded well (3 friends have done this)

But as a rescue dog owner I am of course going to mention that option! There are loads of younger dogs of various breeds that could suit you and your older dog
 
I absolutely would not have two puppies, it is just too hard to make time to train two seperately if you are on your own.
We have got a lab pup and our older lab, who is 10 and a bit arthritic, absolutely loves her and plays for ages. She (the older dog) did spend the first week avoiding the puppy like the plague and we do still make sure that she isn't persecuted but, for instance, as we had breakfast this morning old lab and pup were bashing each other around the head with a toy bear. It has given her an absolute new lease of life. Pups need to learn GALD anyway (as we call it, Go and Lie Down) so the sooner that training starts the easier for the older dog. We also have a crate for the pup for overnight.
 
I am not sure my old dog could have coped with a young pup but he was elderly when we were in a position to think about it. But a slightly older dog bucked him up no end.

I currently have two boys very close in age (less than a month) and although I didn't have them both from pups, one really did need training from scratch when we got him at 7months old (housetraining, being left-which was the hardest and the most important in order to train them separately, collars/leads everything). I am loving it but its a lot of work although they get on well and keep each other entertained.they are not small dogs but not sure that makes much difference, one of mine has an off button, the other one not so much.
 
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I got a lurcher puppy when I had an elderly whippet and a middle aged whippet - I had to keep the elderly one separate as the puppy was just too much for her, so personally I would be wary of getting a puppy.

obviously I am going to say a greyhound would be ideal :) ;) they are quiet, laid back dogs with lovely characters
 
Levrier, just had a message from my friend whose greyhound has broken a leg, her last one broke a leg too! This is just in the garden. Put me off a bit now as trying to avoid a repeat of the Clumber episode !
 
Snuffles said:
Levrier, just had a message from my friend whose greyhound has broken a leg, her last one broke a leg too! This is just in the garden. Put me off a bit now as trying to avoid a repeat of the Clumber episode !
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Blimey she has really had some bad luck - I've had greyhounds for 15 years now and the worst they have ever done is break a toe, in fact I don't think I have ever heard of one breaking a leg! This includes a lot of greyhounds I've known through volunteering for a greyhound charity, friends who have multiple greyhounds etc. Obviously I can't say 'never' but I would say it is very unusual, and to have two that have done it is very rare indeed!
 
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