Number one rule for dog ownership

[Stephen Cherry]

I've had my two beagle puppies for a couple of years now. Although I don't claim to be a dog expert, there is one thing that I can say:

Dogs like to have another dog around. My dogs spend most of their time within about three feet of each other, and I'm pretty sure that they are very happy to have each other.

[Phil Thien]

I have a beagador (half beagle, have Labrador). We have a small house, he is 60 pounds, there is no room for another dog.

I have previously had multiple dogs at one time, and I can say there was a lot of "Spy vs. Spy" type stuff going on. One dog ambushing another, etc. It was hilarious, but it created quite a bit of wear and tear on the house.

I refer to my current dog (the beagador, named Roy Rogers when I got him and you can't change a dog's name from Roy Rogers w/o going to cowboy he11) as the "#1 invasive species." If I'm sitting on the sofa, he is there with me. At night, he sleeps at my feet (in my bed). At the bench, he is directly underneath.

So it looks like I'm the 2nd dog in this scenario.

[Charles Brown]

I have two Labrador Retrievers. One eight years old and the other is now eight months old. The older dog is *just* barely starting to tolerate the pup. It got so obvious that she would literally get up and leave the room if the pup went over and laid down beside her.

Hopefully she'll come around.

[Larry Frank]

I have two miniature long haired dachshunds and they like to annoy and one up each other. One is three and the other is 15 and I think the younger one keeps the older one going. They really are kind of like a couple of kids trying to get attention or have someone play with them. Sometimes, we have to hold the younger one so the older one can play at her own pace.

I probably am one of those people who treat there dogs like people. I have to admit that when I am home alone, I talk to the dogs and they look like they are listening. Yes, I am losing it very quickly.....

[Shawn Pixley]

We have two dog who love each other to death. One is our 105 lb doberman, Legoz. The other is our mixed breed rescue dog who is deaf, named Pi. Pi has a bit of separation anxiety, so Legoz helps in that department.

[Kevin Bourque]

We had a dog when I was a kid. One day my parents brought home a little bunny rabbit with it's own cage , but weren't sure how the dog would react since she chased everything that ran, flew, or slithered. Well our dog thought the bunny was her puppy and they were inseparable. When the bunny would stray too far from her she would pick it up by the back of the neck and bring it back. On a cuteness scale of 1-10 their relationship was an 11.

[Erik Loza]

I think it depends on the breed. I can tell you, for example, that our German Shepherd would probably not be OK with another dog living in the house. He gets along fine with othert dogs in the park, on leash, etc, but if it were in "his house" and especially if it were around "Mommy" (my wife), there would be dominance issues. It has nothing to do with aggression, he's just a working breed and needs a job to do, which is tending the house.

I will say this, though: The smartest thing we ever did was get two cats at the same time. They spend 100% of their energy playing with each other. No destruction of household items or other bad habits and they are inseparable.

Erik Loza
Minimax USA

[Stephen Cherry]

I think it depends on the breed. I can tell you, for example, that our German Shepherd would probably not be OK with another dog living in the house.

I guess that makes sense. My dogs are beagles, and they are very friendly dogs, towards people and other dogs. Maybe since they were bred as pack dogs, they are by nature compatible with other dogs.

[Bruce Page]

I’m also a believer that most dogs need a buddy. We have two 5 year old labs that are inseparable.

[Steve Peterson]

Dogs may like company, but my opinion is that they will bond with a person just as easily as another dog. We picked up a puppy when our last dog was getting old. About 4 months later my wife brought home another puppy. After that all training was nearly impossible unless the dogs were separated. They stopped fetching because one dog would run after the stick and the other would stay nearby getting attention. The other dog would turn around near the stick and think he was missing out so he would drop the stick and return. I would much rather have just one dog at a time.

[Jeff Monson]

We had a 2nd dog for a short spell last winter. Our 1st dog was devastated as he lost 1/2 of the attention he was used to. He was much happier when it was time for dog #2 to go back to my sister.

[Charles Wiggins]

Dogs like to have another dog around.

We have dogs that refute that statement. My wife has a 8 ½ year old Chihuahua, Dash, who does not really like other dogs, particularly females. When he was still a puppy we got another dog, Jerry, to be his companion. Well, Jerry ended up being more of a companion to me than Dash. Jerry liked Dash, but Dash never really liked Jerry and only tolerated him as much as he had to. We had to give Jerry away when we moved and Dash loved it because he was THE dog.

Dash paired off with my wife at a fairly young age and does everything in his power to be near her when she's home, and pines for her when she's not. We now have two other dogs, Stormie and Rain. They are sisters, 2 ½ year old female terriers. Dash tolerates them when he has to, but generally avoids them.

On top of that, Stormie is emotionally dependent on Rain and whines when they are separated, but Rain gets sick of Stormie, to the point that she often will not come back in at night after she's done her business, just to get some time alone.

[Paul McGaha]

We just have (1) dog, a black lab named Mandy. She's getting older and slowing down. She just turned 12 years old last month and has been with us 11 years.

[Joe Angrisani]

I've had my two beagle puppies for a couple of years now.....


.....We have two 5 year old labs that are inseparable.

Stephen and Bruce: Are they from the same litters?

[Bruce Page]

Joe, both of ours were rescues, a few weeks apart. They are about the same age, male & female. They had a few good fights in the first few weeks but they have been buds since. Ella is the boss in the house and Kodi is the boss everywhere else!

[Stephen Cherry]

Stephen and Bruce: Are they from the same litters?

Different litters, same breeder, and half sisters. So I guess they each had about the right smell right from the beginning.

[Joe Angrisani]

I asked because litter mates are possibly one of the worst situations. The pups in question often bond for life, with little concern for bonding strong with their humans. Good to hear they aren't siblings, just great playmates!

I'm on the other side of the multi-dog fence, though. There is a tight bond between a person and a single dog that can't be matched in a multi-dog environment (a lot to be said for the old saying, "A dog and his boy....").

[John Aspinall]

We have one Golden. But her brother (same parents, different litter) lives across the street, so we get the best of both worlds.
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[David Weaver]

My mother used to have one dog at a time, but about 20 years ago, when one of her dogs died she realized she'd handle it a lot better if she got a second dog before the first died. She liked that enough that after the first dog died, she got a second one right away.

Jim's right, though. The dogs aren't littermates, but they're from the same parents, and they tend to spend more time with each other and less with my mother. They are also pretty competitive sometimes, and giving attention to the one isn't dominant provokes undesirable behavior from the dominant one.

There is also 10 times as much barking with two dogs as there is with 1. But I think it's better for the dogs, especially when they are kenneled (when my parents go somewhere) or when my mother is gone most of the day.

[Stephen Cherry]

But I think it's better for the dogs, especially when they are kenneled (when my parents go somewhere) or when my mother is gone most of the day.

That's my point- if you need to work, or go places, I think that the dogs are much happier to have another dog.

[Larry Klaaren]

As a vet, I see both sides. Some of my clients have dogs that are inseparable, and others have dogs that hate each other. One of my veterinary technician's dog, a Husky, just about kills any dog it sees, so she has to walk it late at night. It's very variable. My rat terrier drives every other dog it sees bonkers trying to love them up, my Golden Retriever tolerates that, but on a walk she ignores every dog we see. So I have one dog trying to go over and play with every dog we see, and one trying to get away. Lot's of fun. They are trained well, so I just tell them to sit when we see other dogs, and they do that.

[Rick Fisher]

http://i335.photobucket.com/albums/m455/jokerbird_photo/Beagle_zps5b88df33.jpg (http://s335.photobucket.com/user/jokerbird_photo/media/Beagle_zps5b88df33.jpg.html)

This is my boy .. Charlie the Beagle..

Dog breeds are all a bit different. I find Beagles need to be with the pack more than most other dogs I have seen.. Ours " bays " if left alone. We have a Westie, Terrier as well.. he is fine with the Westie ..

[Craig Matheny]

I have two dogs one is a Jack Russell Short legged and the other a bresire (sp) poodle thing from the pound wife wanted it, the only thing they seem to do together is get in trouble and mark my wifes shop daily she is so frustrated when the door to go ut is 10' away. By the way any suggestions on how to break this habit would be great also but love the little guys.

[Stephen Cherry]

This is my boy .. Charlie the Beagle..

Dog breeds are all a bit different. I find Beagles need to be with the pack more than most other dogs I have seen.. Ours " bays " if left alone. We have a Westie, Terrier as well.. he is fine with the Westie ..

That animal looks ferocious.

[Ole Anderson]

We had two male dogs, a Westie and a Carin. They tolerated each other, but were always marking their territory in the house. Not good. Didn't realize how much until they both passed and we took up the carpet. Now we look after my son's female boxer a lot, no such problem.

[Wade Lippman]

It is a crapshoot with all species; let alone breeds.
My son and his roommate each have a cat. 90% of time they are hostile, and 10% best friends.
They say not to own two birds if you want a pet because they will like each other way more than you; but I bought a second cockatiel and they stayed as far away from one another as the cage allowed. I had to give the 2nd one away.
I can't take our dog to my BIL for Christmas because his aged half dead lab will attack my dog. Our previous generation (same breeds as now) got along great.
Go figure.

Go figure.

[Don Morris]

I agree with the comment that it depends on the breed. There are breed specifics that have been bred into them over the centuries. Pack dogs indeed are easier to train to get along with other dogs. Pointers work in groups too. My German Shorthair Pointer was in an obedience class (50 all breeds dogs) as a puppy. Part of the graduation exercise they had to lay down in a circle of 6 other dogs about 3' apart. You had to leave the room for several minutes. Mine rolled over and slept. Some of the non pack dogs you could tell as they were nervous/jittery and couldn't wait for those several minutes to be up.

[Erik Loza]

...Some of the non pack dogs you could tell as they were nervous/jittery and couldn't wait for those several minutes to be up.

Ya, that would be our Shep. Never sit still for that. No point to that in his mind, no "people to lead to safety", LOL...

Erik Loza
Minimax USA

[wendy james]

I agree. There is a certain personality type depending on the breed. I have 4 Shih Tzus and 1 American cocker spaniel. What I find is the cocker spaniel is generally the alpha dog and I'd have to make sure that I am there most of the time else she'd bully the other dogs. However, I also believe that it depends on the environment. My cocker is now more gentle especially with our 3 month old Shih Tzu pup.