Choosing Your Second Dog

Are you looking to add a second dog to your family? Perhaps you currently have one dog and believe things are going great, so why not add a second dog to your home? Adding a second dog could be an excellent benefit for your current dog. A new puppy could be an added playmate and keep your resident dog company.

Now, maybe the more complicated questions come to your mind. Such as what gender would be the best match for my current dog? As well as what age should my current dog be when bringing in a puppy? Should I get two puppies?

These are all good questions so let’s dive right in.

Consider your current dog

First things first, let’s consider your resident dog.

What is the age of your dog?

Is your dog too old to appreciate a playful puppy, or would it enjoy running around with a playmate?

If your dog is older and is dealing with health issues, you might want to ask yourself if a playful puppy will tire them even more.

Is your current dog well trained?

Having a new puppy can be a lot of work with housebreaking and socializing. 

If your current dog is not fully trained, adding a puppy could make things more challenging.

Does gender matter for your second dog?

Gender is one of the bigger things to consider when bringing a new dog into your home with a resident dog. There is no sure way to know how two dogs will get along. Each puppy is an individual and has its unique personality.

Most experts on the subject will agree that dogs of the opposite sex are more likely to get along.

Same-sex dog companions could try to establish pack order. Two males are just as likely to fight for the alfa position as two females. The alfa is the leader of the pack. Hormones and social status could lead to more challenges. Having your dogs spayed or neutered could help decrease these instincts.

Bringing in a puppy vs. a grown dog as the second dog could help decrease these challenges as your current dog may not see a puppy as a competitor. 

Should I bring home two puppies?

In theory, bringing home litter mates is a beautiful idea.

They will not be lonely.

They will have each other as playmates.

Although this might sound like a good idea, we do not advise doing so.

It is beneficial for the puppy’s development to learn how to be alone, something they will likely not learn if you have two puppies together. Two puppies will probably have a stronger bond with each other than with their owners.

Having two puppies to train could be a nightmare. Training sections may be more than twice as difficult as just training one puppy.

Potty training would be more difficult as the puppies would be more active, increasing the frequency of them needing to be let outside for potty time.

If you think you can handle littermates and would like to give it a try then checkout this article of someone who has littermates and their strategy for success.

In conclusion…

It’s such an exciting time bringing a new puppy into your home, but it’s essential to do your research. It is hard to know how two dogs will interact with each other. Each dog is different, and so are people’s lifestyles.

There are many factors to consider when choosing your next dog, but ultimately you need to do what you feel is best for you and your household. You may have two spayed females that will never butt heads. There is no set rule on how two dogs will behave around each other. That said, the common theory is that most times, two dogs of the opposite sex will be more likely get along well.

Puppies are an excellent choice as you have a chance to train up a dog into your home that will be raised around your resident dog.