Tag Archives: getting a second dog

Bringing a second dog home requires serious thinking. You may not give it much focus and attention, but adding another pet in the house may change everything – there are adjustments that everyone should do. Your first dog may also see the newcomer as a competition. Thus, you must know how to introduce the newbie to the veteran well.

Indeed, there are a lot of things to consider when planning to bring home a new dog. It is not as easy as taking the new dog inside your home and everything will stay fine and everyone stays happy – this should be your goal, however.

Before you finally decide whether or not you will buy or adopt a new puppy or dog, take these following questions into consideration first:

• Do you have enough financial resource that will allow you to take care of another dog? A second dog means another set of expenses. You need to take it to the vet regularly, have it groomed, feed and train it, among others. You need to buy and stock on supplies such as biodegradable poop bags and dog waste bag holders for two.
• Do you have enough time to play with two dogs (and other pets, if there are any) without compromising your time with your family and yourself? Dogs need attention. They need to be walked, they need to be physically trained. You should have enough time to meet these needs.
• Do you think your first dog (as well as other pets) can handle the presence of a newcomer? If you observe your current dog as having some behavioral problems, the second dog might be in trouble if you fail to train your current dog to behave accordingly. Dog aggressiveness may become a problem if you are unsure how the dogs will welcome and treat each other.
• Do you have the patience to learn and practice the rules of a “pack”? Fine, you are the human and you are supposed to be the master. But if you fail to be consistent in being the leader of the pack, your dogs may take over. Learn everything that you need to know about dog packs and how to become the efficient leader.
• Do you have patience and time to go back to the basics – train the new dog. Taking a new dog home means that you need to start training again. You need to potty train the dog and show him the way – and the rules – of the house.
• Are you prepared to share your current dog’s attention with the new one? If your current dog happens to love the idea of having a companion dog, you may find that your current dog prefers the company of the new dog more than yours. Make sure that you won’t feel sad when your current dog starts ignoring you during playtime.