A Second Dog For You?

Having two dogs isn’t twice as hard as having one dog; in fact, it is easier.

Remember? dogs are pack animals,

I would have taken my first dog, Tymmie everywhere, but it just wasn’t feasible. We had to leave him alone every day to go to work. Tymmie would look at us as if we betrayed him; the sad eyes as large as quarters as he watched us go. The guilt was almost unbearable. We stopped going out in the evening, and our friends couldn’t understand why we had to stay home to be with the dog. Three months later, we decided to go for the second dog, mainly so that Tymmie wouldn’t be as lonely when we left the house.

We found a reputable breeder and took Tymmie along to help select his new pack mate. He normally romped energetically with other dogs, but he was totally disinterested in the litter of adorable Miniature Schnauzer puppies we had to choose from. We picked out the weirdest, spunkiest one, named him Cocoa, and introduced Tymmie to him. A few days later we brought Cocoa home, where Tymmie continued to ignore him. He didn’t seem upset or jealous, simply disinterested. We were sure to lavish attention on both equally. Cocoa was much easier to train; he had a role model, and Tymmie provided an excellent example.

As time went by, Tymmie warmed up to Cocoa. He established himself as the boss, although Cocoa outweighed Tymmie by the time he was a year old. Tymmie took to pinning Cocoa down and gnawing on him, growling with a ferocity I had never seen. We thought Tymmie hated Cocoa, until we caught Tymmie holding Cocoa and licking his jowels, and realized that they made out like this every day on the couch.

They are a perfect pair. Neither of them likes when we leave the house, but knowing they are together makes it much easier. Although there is a little less room on the couch, I’ll always have more than one dog. It makes for a much more solid pack and gives each other company and companionship which dogs crave.

So, here are my experience of ways to introduce the first dog to the second dog:

• Bring the first dog when making the decision of a new pup
• Give both the new puppy and dog attention
• Get the first dog involved with all training aspects and let them know they are still loved

Okie, that's all for today sharing. have fun with you dogs.