When you watch dogs, especially puppies at play, it is easy to believe that dogs really do need other dogs. Puppies are so exuberant in their play, they have so much fun with each other, and then they just plop down next to each other in a puppy heap during sleep time.
How can a human even compete with that, much less replace it?
This is probably why many dog owners today try to make their dogs into social butterflies. There is a general expectation that a dog should get along with another dog and if he does not, there must be something wrong with him.
My trainer, however, claims that dog-to-dog socialization is purely for us humans; so we can have a dog that we can take with us everywhere. Dogs, according to her, really need to be with their people but are perfectly happy with or without other dogs around.
She said that …
dogs are happier curled up in bed with us, with a piece of steak, than they are with their doggie friends.
So what do you think? Do dogs need other dogs?
Here is what some dog veterans think …
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The new pictures of Reptar are great! That was some Christmas present! lol.
Does Reptar also like shoes? Sephy likes sleeping on the shoe mat next to the shoes. I guess they smell good to him.
Also love the pictures with Goofy. Nice to have playmates like that around the neighborhood. I am always on the lookout for good playmates for Sephy but they can be hard to find.
Re Second dog -
That is so exciting!
What breed are you thinking of getting? Sephy tends to overwhelm small dogs with his crazy play style so I deliberately picked a larger breed, that also has the same crazy wrestling play style.
I also picked a puppy that was more naturally submissive in nature because Sephy does not usually get along with more dominant dogs.
I first took Shania home for a test-drive week to see if she would get along with Sephy. Most good breeders will let you do that, and most adoption/rescue places will as well.
I will probably write a post about this – it is a great topic!
How old was Sephy when you got Shania? We would like to have 2 dogs but have so many questions! Both of us has always only had one dog in our families when we were younger so this is completely new territory for us. Reptar is finally out of the expensive vet visit stage and we fully plan to enjoy just him for a while longer but when we do decide to get another pup other than ensuring that the dogs like each other first, what else do we consider?
Should the dogs have separate crates or should they be in an enclosed space together? How about when we are not home?
What can we expect from Reptar with a new puppy around? Is he going to revert back from all of the obedience he’s learned thus far?
Is it likely he will become aggressive because he is used to being “the only child”?
I really don’t know what other questions to ask to prepare. Any insight and experiences would be greatly appreciated! I looked through your older blog posts to see if you already covered this topic, so I apologize if it is posted and I missed it!
Thanks!