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No. I don't think you should get another dog based on what you said.
If you don't want a lap dog, then getting a 35 - 50 pound dog won't fill your need for an affectionate dog. So, unless you want a small dog, that need won't be filled.
And, your dog is a herder. So, you have to figure in that dynamic. Your current dog will be trying to control any new dog. And you. You really need to learn and understand the mindset of the herding dog you currently have and how adding a new dog to the home will affect that.
Then, since it sounds like exercising your dogs requires you having to walk them, let's imagine you trying to walk your current dog - and - a second dog. And if you're trying to actually train a new dog to heel, how does that work while you're also walking the second dog - who is trying to herd you at the same time?
At best, if you MUST have a second dog, I suggest you get a really small dog that won't require you to walk it at the same time as your current dog. But, even then, don't expect your current herding dog to just lie around and let you put the new dog on your lap and pet it.
I think it would be really stressful on your current dog, unless you provide an environment where he/she can control the household/new dog.
Basically, really take the time to find out how adding a new dog of whatever age/breed would affect the real life environment of your home/life and stress level, etc., of the current dog. And whether or not the current dog might end up acting out, etc.
Just really figure out how you're going to manage two dogs, day to day, including exercising, keeping them from damaging things, etc., etc.
And will all of that actually end up in providing you with more zen than you have now. I seriously doubt it.
Let alone the added vet bills and food and pest medications....
The realm of multiple dog ownership is a lot different. If you haven't done this before, I'd suggest getting some help in choosing a new family member. You'll also need to learn about how dogs behave in groups and will need to understand how to treat each dog so their role in the "pack" is supported. Choosing the right "second dog" takes more care than choosing the first...the breed won't matter if the dog you have doesn't get along with it. Many herding dogs want to be the boss of the home or the only member on four legs. Your dog has your total "attention". That will change.
I've been through a couple of 2nd dog adoptions that were nightmares, so feel this warning is justified. Most of the problem was my ignorance at the time and inability to pick up on red flags the two dogs were giving me. The last thing I want is for any other dogs or people to go through all the anxiety and distress a bad adoption could cause.
How does your dog behave around other dogs? That might give you a huge clue into how successfully a new dog would fit into the mix. He might be fiercely possessive of you and his "place". He might overwhelm or injure a puppy. Not all dogs tolerate teaching a puppy how to behave around them. He may resent the attention you'll have to spend on a puppy. He may have little interest in another dog until it "invades" his territory, then be hostile. He may be fine with a dog that is very submissive. No way to know. Are there any rescues in your area? Private shelters where you could do some trial "introductions" with your dog to see how he does? Supervised dog parks? Dog activities or training courses where you could get some experienced from the trainer to help find and choose the best match for the family?
Heaven knows there are hundreds of dogs out there needing a good home! The problem is, picking the one that will have the best chance of getting along with the dog you have. He's probably going to have more to say about who that is than you will.
Thank you!
Yes that's exactly how my dog is: He is the boss of the house. The second dog would most definitely have to yield to him. My dog likes some dogs, doesn't like others. He tends to like small dogs or dogs who are very docile/submissive.
I am thinking that if I get a puppy, that he will grow up as the submissive dog? Am I wrong? I am thinking it would be harder to get an older dog to be submissive.
Just to give you some more info., when my family's dogs come to visit us in our house, my dog is fine with them. No fights break out or anything like that. But they are all very submissive to him.
Do you have a fenced yard or close access to a safe and hopefully fenced area where two dogs can run and play? Walking two dogs on a leash might be more tiring than doing so with one.
I strongly recommend getting a female dog. A small female Lab could be close to 50 lbs. Labs are affectionate; it would be harder to predict with a Lab m ix. I would consider a female English Springer or Welsh Springer (the latter are harder to find and a little smaller, a female would be around 35-40 pounds); make sure you don't get them from hunting/field lines if you want a more mellow dog. Maybe a Tibetan Terrier; though I don't know how affectionate they are. Spaniels can be very affectionate; though some females are a bit more 'busy' and not as soft as the males.
Yes we have a big fenced yard and I would not be walking both dogs. I would be walking the alpha herder, and my spouse would be walking the new dog/puppy.
I have always wanted a spaniel but I keep hearing them have so many health issues.
Yes that's exactly how my dog is: He is the boss of the house. The second dog would most definitely have to yield to him. My dog likes some dogs, doesn't like others. He tends to like small dogs or dogs who are very docile/submissive.
I am thinking that if I get a puppy, that he will grow up as the submissive dog? Am I wrong? I am thinking it would be harder to get an older dog to be submissive.
Just to give you some more info., when my family's dogs come to visit us in our house, my dog is fine with them. No fights break out or anything like that. But they are all very submissive to him.
Most of the places we talked to said if someone already had a male dog it was easier to deal with that issue if a female was the second one in.
We did the opposite. We got our current female dog first when she was a 3-month old puppy, then almost 2 years later added the male dog as #2. (Male dog was a year and a half old at that time so our dogs are about 6 months apart in age.) For us it worked just fine that way but this probably wasn't the recommended order of things.
For you, I don't buy the theory that you need a puppy to ensure that dog ends up as the submissive one. I can understand your thought process there but each dog is a different personality so you just don't know that for sure. A puppy will have a certain personality early-on but that could change as they grow-up. An older dog is going to be fully developed already and you'll generally know what you're signing up for at that point.
Go visit some rescue groups, walk around and talk to the staff and even bring your dog if they allow it during visiting hours. Look at their websites for available dogs. Sometimes they have dogs they just got that aren't posted on their sites yet, either, and you can get a sneak peek at those. They will help you find a good match. Could be a puppy.....or maybe an older dog. Hard to say...
........I am thinking that if I get a puppy, that he will grow up as the submissive dog? Am I wrong? I am thinking it would be harder to get an older dog to be submissive. ............
I don't think it works that way. A pup is born with a strong personality or a soft personality. As the pup matures, if the pup has a strong personality, the pup will try to improve its social status. Also, your dog will get older and at some point the younger dog will take over.
Struggles over status very rarely involve fighting. It is mostly body posture, detmination, and eye use. Maybe some shoulder bumping to measure strength.
If you get a pup of a breed that is known to be soft, I doubt that you will have problems.
One thing that is important is to not treat the dogs fairly and equally. In their minds, they are not equal. Always favor the top dog just a little bit. Also, make sure every dog understands that the humans are all higher status than the dogs and the human always has the last say and the human makes the important decisions. That is how you keep peace in your pack.
One thing that is important is to not treat the dogs fairly and equally. In their minds, they are not equal. Always favor the top dog just a little bit. Also, make sure every dog understands that the humans are all higher status than the dogs and the human always has the last say and the human makes the important decisions. That is how you keep peace in your pack.
This is really important! To watch the submissive dog get stomped or put in its place can be hard. You'll want to interfere, to comfort it, to favor it. Exactly what not to do. Humans want fairness, equality. Dogs don't. It can take a lot more energy to manage the positions of two dogs (in some ways referee them). Odd little things like where they can eat in peace, where they can nap, where they ride in the car, who's on the couch, your bed or bedroom at night, how they "share" the two of you, who gets what toy, chew, treat, what motivates each of them to behave, all matter. OK, there are two of you to share the chore, but you both have to be on the same page about it. Two dogs mean different needs. Up until now, you only had one dog to consider.
I have tried the two dog home a couple of times over the years and finally determined that I prefer to cater (in other words spoil) one dog rather than two. Of course it can work out just fine! Hundreds of multiple-dog households out there! Your bossy herder may make all these decisions within a day and the new dog may not care. We are just pointing out things that can make or break it.
A suggestion: ask to "borrow" one of the dogs your dog already knows, and see what its like to have two for a month. Long enough for it to settle into a routine, not just a visit/vacation. If you've taken care of someone else's dog for a short time how relieved were you when it went home? The answer might surprise you. You might even serve as a foster home for a local rescue. Its temporary. All the routines and logistics may be an eye opener or give you a taste.
Last edited by Parnassia; 02-02-2018 at 02:14 PM..
Yes we have a big fenced yard and I would not be walking both dogs. I would be walking the alpha herder, and my spouse would be walking the new dog/puppy.
I have always wanted a spaniel but I keep hearing them have so many health issues.
There are several breeds of spaniels: Irish Water Spaniel, English Springer Spaniel, Welsh Springer Spaniel, Clumber Spaniel, Field Spaniel, Sussex Spaniel, American Water Spaniel, Boykin Spaniel, English Cocker Spaniel, and Cocker Spaniel, ranging from small to medium to large. Some of them have more reported health problems than others. Getting a pup from a good, responsible breeder (one who health-tests her breeding dogs for problems that can turn up in the breed, and who knows a lot about the individual dogs in the pedigree back four or five generations even if she hasn't personally met all of them) will minimize the chance of health problems turning up in a puppy that you buy, but it is not a guarantee; since some health issues have complicated modes of inheritance (and some can't be tested for in the parents) and a breeder does not have Godlike powers.
I have owned spaniels for over 20 years; and have not found them to be very unhealthy. I've had Welsh Springers and currently have an English Cocker Spaniel. Ears can be issues; my current dog hardly ever has a problem, when he does, I just make sure to clean them more frequently; it also helps that he's not interested in digging or otherwise getting dirt and mud in his ears except accidentally (because he spends a lot of time with his nose to the ground, and his ears are fairly long). Welsh Springers have shorter, vine-shaped ears; the worst problem I ever had was a mild infection, which cleared up when I switched to a different ear cleaner, with one of my dogs. Responsible breeders of Welsh Springers (and English Springers, and English Cockers) x-ray breeding dogs for incidence of canine hip dysplasia; also have eyes and (sometimes, in English Cockers) ears (the Baer test, reliable even in young puppies). My three Welshies lived respectively for nearly 16 years (a male dog), 14.5 years (female, had one litter), and 12 and 3/4 years (she came from a long-lived bloodline, so that was a surprise, she was outlived by her littermates and her father). My English Cocker is a senior dog (intact male) who has some late-onset heart issues (no symptoms of anything troubling) which I have checked every year. I am sure you could find a healthy pup of a Spaniel breed if you researched carefully; almost all AKC-affiliated breed club websites include lists of health issues that come up in their breed. (note; canine hip dysplasia usually does not affect Welsh Springers with as much severity as it does larger breeds; nevertheless, it has been somewhat reduced in incidence in the breed over the years due to breeders' diligence). American Cockers (a.k.a. "Cocker Spaniels) might have, as a breed, the most recorded health problems in the spaniel family, but I know people who have lovely, healthy ones; and they are smaller than you might want anyway.
And of course, there are millions of nice mixed-breeds in shelters; but you lose some of the predictive value if you get a young mixed-breed puppy from a shelter. It might be a good idea for you to check out local shelters and see if they have any young adult female dogs who seem like they have gentle temperaments. I don't think there's any guarantee that all mixed-breed dogs will have better health and live longer than the same number of purebreds; it depends, in both cases, what has gone into the pedigrees and how they were nurtured. (and a pedigree is just a list of ancestors; 'mutts' have pedigrees too, they were just never recorded)
I would be careful with a lab or lab mix as in my experience of owning dogs that are of the herding breeds not only do they want control but they have hated dogs that get right up in their face/space which Labs and Goldens do all the time. When a threat is issued the Labs and Goldens tend to not get it after all they want to be friends why doesn't this growling dog want to be friends? So they stay put right in the growling face's space and panting and wagging their tails as if my dog loved them already If my super control freak could have talked I can just imagine what she would have said to these dogs.
I also had problems with Boxers because they tend to like to play box with dogs and the herders want to play chase games not get boxed. There were two female boxers that use to come to the park and they LOVED to come over and try to play with Dash. Poor Dash did not like that type of play as yes they would both box him and would hide behind me and let Queen Jazz the controller take care of them. At least they got it that she did not want to be their friend.
Dash was a border collie springer spaniel mix and was a calm yet goofy dog while Jazz as border collie X cattle dog and a total control freak but also had fear aggression. She was about 2.5 when I decided to get another dog and Dash at 1 yr was perfect as he was not a in your face dog, loved the chase games she did and was very happy letting her control him. He did love to cuddle with people so was happy sitting on the couch cuddled up to me while I tossed toys for Jazz.
We had no trouble adding a second dog (a few times). First was a low energy mix (rescue) with our border collie. Then we added a very high energy puppy (Rhodesian mix), which was not really appreciated by the older dogs. The older dogs were put down (bad RA, and the other started seizures). We added a low energy Lab mix (so both the "puppy" and the new rescue are males), and they are best friends, with a few skirmishes.
The lab mix (probably pit) has constant skin hunger (haven't heard that applied outside of widow forums!) and will melt into your lap and be pet as long as possible.
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If my super control freak could have talked I can just imagine what she would have said to these dogs. 
