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Are you thinking about getting a second dog? For starters, your experience with dogs must have been a positive one so far otherwise why go through the trouble of getting another dog? If that is the case, then good for you!
Basic rules for training a new dog are the same as the ones in our Education section. Have a look before going on to the other sections. It is actually 75% easier to train a second animal because he will follow the older one. Here are a few rules to follow when bringing a new dog into your home.
Rule No. 1 – The older dog is the higher ranking of the two for now
Respect the hierarchy! Expressing his dominance will be the first thing your dog will do. Do not worry he will not hurt the puppy. It probably will not be much more than simply ignoring the little one. To show the adult dog that you respect his rank, make sure he comes first. Feed him and pat him first, put his leash on first.
Rule No. 2 – There is a puppy license that is valid up to six months!
There is an unwritten dog rule that forbids "killing" a puppy. This does not mean that the adult dog will not teach the puppy a lesson or two about good manners and proper behaviour if the puppy is disrespectful towards him.
Rule No. 3 – Do not interfere in dog-to-dog relationships
Generally speaking dogs are quite capable of sorting things out among themselves. You really should not interfere. Not many people have the ability to decipher dog language. Most of us are oblivious to their subtle body language of postures, gestures and vocalizations. By intervening you are more likely to make matters worse and prevent the dogs from working things out on their own terms. So do not interfere if the adult dog takes away the puppy's toy, if he growls at him or pushes the puppy away when you are petting him. In the latter case, pet the adult dog first and DECIDE to pet the puppy. If the adult insists, he is defying you. So growl at him. You are the leader!
Rule No. 4 – Control the intensity of their playing
Dogs play rough, much more than we do. Often this is when we want to interfere most. If you have allowed the dogs to play together, there should not be any problem. But you have been constantly interfering when your adult dog was trying to explain the facts to the little one, he might very well take advantage to really teach him a lesson. And you will only have yourself to blame!
In the same way that you would not allow two small children to play unsupervised, you should keep an eye on dogs when they are playing together. If you think things are getting out of hand, intervene but as leader of the pack would. Clap your hands together, call them and reward them for coming to you. Do not growl at an adult dog for being too rough. Just stop the roughhousing and not the dog!
We do not let our dogs play in the house. We "growl" at the two tp stop the roughhousing. Open the door and coax them out by running out the door. See? You are in charge of the game, so YOU ARE the leader....and it is so easy!
Rule No. 5 – Stay in control of the new puppy's arrival
When the new puppy comes into the house for the first time, Be the moderator. Get on your knees and put the puppy between your legs. Use your arm to keep him still while your older dog checks him out. All this should be done calmly as we have described in our education section.
Rule No. 6 – Separate them from time to time
To help prevent separation anxiety, get into the habit of spending quality time with them seperately. Go for a walk with one alone. Leave the puppy alone at home once in a while.
Food
Each dog should have his own bowl and make sure they are not too close together. At mealtime, put the leader's food down first, then the puppy's. If either one tries to eat from the other's bowl, prevent him from doing so with a mild "no" and direct him back to his dish. Since you have to control how much water the puppy drinks, it might be a good idea to put the adult dog's bowl somewhere out of the puppy's reach at the beginning of the training.
Cleanliness
Follow the guidelines for cleanliness in that section. As soon as you take your older adult out, help the little one follow. This part of the training should be easy.
Only fun times!
A second dog will really help you to learn "dog" talk. Pay attention to how one dog gets the other to play (behind up in the air and paws stretched out as if to say Hi!). Growling, but not from the throat like they do when they want to be left alone or do not want to be touched, rather from way down in their stomach when they have had enough and want it to stop.
Some of our clients who have two dogs have nonetheless expressed some regret. With one dog, they get 100% of the attention, whereas they felt they were not as fond of the second one because they had to share the dog's attention. Since the dogs are always together, they develop a unique relationship. The puppy will therefore be just as happy with you as with the older dog. You will lose a bit of exclusivity! But by accepting this as part for the course, you will become a truly extraordinary dog owner. You recognize that your dog has his own personality and needs. You learn to love dogs FOR WHAT THEY ARE ... dogs! After all, no one regrets their decision given the hours of pleasure that the two dogs provide.
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