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Whether it’s your love for animals or nurturing a life, an experience with a pet dog can be heartwarming. Hence, you plan to add a second one to your home. While it’s a beautiful thought, getting another dog or pup will require extra effort. You must analyze the age, personality, health, instincts, size, genes, and gender of the second one before bringing him home. It will ensure the older dog is comfortable with the new member. You may wonder why such analysis matters. A well-thought-out approach will ensure safety and security for both of them.
Choice of breeds
Learning about the nature of different dog breeds will help you with decision-making. For example, a few terrier types instinctively chase or attack other species. Even Scottish Deerhounds, Greyhounds, and Afghans are also the same in this matter. They like to hunt other creatures, and small pups can draw their attention more. They can feel tempted to chase them away. And with an antisocial dog, it can be another level of challenge. However, training can help moderate their behavior. Dogs are usually good at learning things. You can guide them through positive reinforcement to adjust to the presence of new family members.
Some friendly breeds that gel with other canines well include Cocker Spaniel, Boston Terrier, Labrador Retriever, Beagle, Border Collie, Corgi, English Foxhound, etc. Do you own any of these breeds? Then, your job is easier. These dogs naturally get along with companions because they are friendly or inclined to hunt in packs or flourish nicely in other dogs’ company.
Other secondary factors
Apart from breeds, consider the size. Suppose your pup is 80 pounds, and your new pet is a Chihuahua puppy. If the older one sits on the pup accidentally, the latter can get hurt. Injury risk will be there even when they play. Similarly, it’s necessary to be careful with baby Great Pyrenees with a jumbo build, especially if you have an old and fragile Lhasa Apso. You can avoid all these risks if you know the different species well. Or, you can consult professionals to determine the choice of your next pet.
Furthermore, individual personalities also count. Some pet parents say selecting a younger and opposite-sex dog than the resident pet can help. You can get a female pup if the existing adult dog is male. However, this cannot be the sole consideration. Temperament and activity levels also deserve attention.
It’s good to entertain the idea of having a multipet family. However, such decisions are worth making only when you are fully ready for the responsibilities that come with them by default. Some believe adding another dog will remove the boredom from their old dog’s life and reduce their involvement in certain aspects. While that’s plausible, your duty as a pet parent will double with every addition. Now, you will have one more pet to care for. Hence, most of your time will go into arranging things for them. Also, handling healthy dogs at the same time is easy. But the situation can get challenging when one is fit, and the other is unfit. It will demand balancing the life of two pets on different levels. So, think through all the scenarios before expanding your pet family.