Many of us consider getting a second dog, in the hopes that she will help keep our existing dog busy and out of trouble. However, if our resident dog is not well trained, it is more likely that our new dog will pick up on his bad habits.
In the end, we will have two furry terrors, instead of just one.
I got Husky puppy Shania, one year after my first dog, Shiba Sephy. I waited a year so that I had time to bond with Sephy and properly train him. Only after I had solved most of his behavioral issues, did I consider getting another dog.
One of the biggest challenges of getting a second or third dog, is the process of introducing her to our existing pack, and getting everyone to accept her. Here, we consider how to successfully introduce a new dog into our home.
1. Meal Time Ritual
Meal time is especially important in a multiple dog household.
Dogs are opportunistic by nature, and during meal times, I have observed that they will try to steal each other’s food. This can often trigger food guarding and food aggression behaviors.
I supervise my dogs during meal times, so that there is no stealing. They each get several interactive food toys to work on, and I make sure they give each other space, while working on their toys.
Often, Husky Shania will work diligently on her items, while Sephy will just lie around sunning himself. He will wait until she is done with her toy, and then pick through what she has left behind.
He is such a moocher! 😀
Sometimes, he will test coming in before Shania is finished, in which case I will step in and body block him away. Through this process, my dogs learn that I will enforce meal-time rules in a fair and consistent manner, so they do not need to do it themselves, with their teeth.
2. Attention, Affection, and Rules
After getting a second dog, it is natural to pay more attention and show more affection toward her, especially if she is a puppy.
However, we must resist that temptation, and try to treat both dogs equally.
If we give our new dog more attention and affection, we may create competition between our two dogs. This may later lead to conflicts and aggression. Instead, I make sure all my dogs follow similar rules, and get similar rewards for good behavior.
If we are too lenient with our puppy and let her get away with more, our existing dog will likely observe that, and pick up on those same bad habits.
I like doing group obedience training with my dogs. This helps them work together as a team, and be comfortable with each other around people, food, and toys. It also helps them to associate together-time with rewards and positive outcomes. I also do their grooming sessions together, including teeth cleaning and fur brushing.
Supervision is very important, especially in the beginning. I teach my dogs what the rules are, and what to do when under stress. In this way, they learn good play and interaction habits. In fact, I still supervise my dogs, but less so now that they are older, and know the rules around the house.
Still, Shiba will always try something from time to time to test his boundaries.
He is that cool! 😎
3. Play-Time Rules
In addition to meal-time rules, play-time rules are also important.
Since Shania is a three legged dog, Sephy may sometimes overwhelm her when he gets over-excited during play. I always make sure he does not get too rough with her.
I manage the excitement level of all of my dogs, by throwing in many play-breaks. During a play-break, I call one dog over to me (the more food focused one), get her to do some simple commands, and reward her well for it. This usually gets the other dogs to join in, so we do a brief group obedience session. These brief breaks help my dogs to calm down, refocus on me, as well as practice doing commands in the middle of play.
I also institute a no-humping rule, because it can be seen as a dominance move by other dogs (especially new dogs). I do not want my Shiba practicing these types of behaviors. The more he practices it, the more likely he is to repeat it; possibly in an inappropriate context. Shania also dislikes it, so humping is a time-out offense.
Some people prefer to let the dogs “work it out for themselves”.
Personally, I think it is best for us to set and enforce play-time rules and household rules. By doing so, I ensure that there is no bullying, and my dogs do not become fearful of each other. Since I am the one correcting their behaviors, my dogs are free to enjoy each others’ company, and need not use aggression. They learn to see each other as playmates and equals. If there is ever any trouble, they can come to me and I will take care of it. To me, that is what leadership means.
4. A Quiet Place to Rest
When I first got a new dog, I made sure that Sephy had a nice and quiet place to rest, away from the nibbles of a playful puppy. Like us, a dog may want some time to spend, in peaceful solitude. This is especially important if our resident dog is older, and tires more easily.
A puppy can be a crazy ball of energy and a big handful, not just for the people around the house, but also for the existing dogs.
I set up a consistent routine for my second dog, similar to what I did for my first dog. I make sure that she has a fixed schedule for meal-time, play-time, walk-time, and sleep-time.
When it is time for sleep, little Husky goes into her crate or puppy pen. In this way, my adult dogs get to rest, and so does my little puppy. Now that Puppy is older, it is no longer necessary to manage them so closely. Both dogs are able to regulate themselves, and give each other space when they need it.
Still, they each have separate crates that they can go to whenever they want, and they also have access to the backyard.
If I am not home, which does not happen often, Husky prefers to stay out in the backyard and Shiba likes staying in the house. I still do not fully trust them to be alone together, because their play can get pretty crazy, they may get over-excited, and end up hurting themselves.
5. Conflict Over Resources
When we get a new dog, there is a lot of uncertainty. Everyone in the family is learning how to interact with Puppy, and Puppy is learning how to interact with everyone else.
Conflicts may arise between our two dogs, when they both want the same thing at the same time; for example, food, toys, sleeping area, or our attention and affection. An effective way to keep the peace, is to be clear about resource ownership and teach them how to resolve conflicts without aggression.
For example, if one dog is chewing on a toy, I am there to supervise and prevent stealing. If I am not fast enough and some stealing occurs, I usually replace what was stolen plus an added interest. The thief has to either go to his bed or go to timeout, thereby temporarily losing his freedom. In addition, I also reward my dogs for staying calm together, and for working together with me.
In summary, I try to maximize positive interactions with the new dog, as well as minimize bad encounters. The more positive experiences my dogs have with each other, the more they will accept each other as part of a team. The opposite is also true.
If we establish clear dog-to-dog interaction rules, our new dog will quickly learn what is expected of her, and our existing dogs will also know what to expect from the new puppy. This reduces uncertainty, reduces stress, and helps everyone to relax and enjoy each other’s company.
Second Dog – Double Trouble or Double Fun?
So which is it?
Is a second dog double the trouble or double the fun?
I think if properly handled, a new dog can be a big enhancement to everyone in the family.
I am very glad Shania joined our family. Everyone has a happier, much richer life, because of her spirit, exuberance, can-do’ness, and overall awesomeness!
However, she was a lot of work, especially in the beginning, and the dog bills are much heftier.
Still, Shania gives a thousand-fold more than she gets, and Sephy will be the first to say that he loves her more than words can say. When she is away, he just spends his time moping around the house.
Thanks to Colleen and Reptar for bringing up this fun and important topic.
Hi
I have a female dog,Trixie, she is 10 years old and we have had her for 7 year and we were thinking about getting another dog, but Trixie can be a little needy and she doesnt always want to play with other dogs when we go to the park. So is there anyway to get another dog and not upset trixie, and would she react to another female or a male and same breed or different breed?
Thankyou,
Liliana
Hello Liliana,
In general, there is less risk of conflict between male and female dogs. Note however, that conflicts may still arise. In addition, many other factors may be involved, including temperament, environment, training, energy level, etc.
When Trixie does play with other dogs, what type of dogs does she enjoy playing with? Large or small? High energy or low? Dogs that like wrestling or not?
Frequently, older dogs need a lot more peace and quiet than younger dogs. When I bring in a new puppy, I always make sure that puppy does not bother my older dogs when they just want to rest. I also make sure puppy has a fixed routine, and my older dogs have a quiet, peaceful, and puppy-free place to sleep or hang-out whenever they want to.
Here are some things that I considered while looking for a second dog.
Hugs to Trixie and good luck on your dog search!
My family have a ten year-old male dog. Recently we adopted a rescue male dog (4 year-old). My second dog is so friendly and want to make friend with my first dog. But my first dog ignore the new dog and reject to make friend with him. My first dog even keep a long distance with the second dog. What can i do to improve their relationships?
Yeah, my Shiba Inu, Sephy was not very excited about our Husky puppy Lara either, when we first got her. Some things that helped with Sephy –
1. Make sure there are no negative puppy experience.
Lara was very energetic and wanted to play all of the time. She was always trying to get Sephy and Shania to play with her even when all they want to do is have a rest. I made sure to set up a very fixed routine for Lara, and I stop her from being a pest when the other dogs want to rest. Each dog also has their own peaceful rest area.
I set up clear interaction rules, e.g. no humping during play, no stealing, etc., so that everyone knows what to expect from puppy and vice versa.
In this way, I set both Sephy and Lara up for success and Sephy does not see puppy as a negative to his lifestyle. I describe what I do in greater detail, in the article above.
2. Make sure there are many positive puppy experiences.
In the beginning, I did a lot of obedience exercises with Lara. I usually make these training exercises rewarding. During this time, Sephy will also come over to participate.
Therefore, we do a lot of group obedience training sessions together. I make sure to reward both Sephy and Lara really well when he is working together, with her, for me. In this way, they learn that cooperation, being calm together, and working for me gets them the most “stuff”. They also learn that when they work together, they get rewarded very very well.
I supervise play sessions and make sure that everybody enjoys it.
In general, I try to find positive, structured activities that they can enjoy together and reward them well for it. In this way, Sephy sees puppy as a net positive to his way of life, and not as a pest which disturbs him when he just wants to rest. 😀
hello i curently have two 3 year old chihuahuas (peanut and taz) i have had them ever since they wur born they are both males and they both have verry diffrent personalities taz is very playfull and loves kids and peanut is alil grouch and prefers to sleep but he is so sweet at the same time, and they cant be away or with out each other i em hoping to add a new member to our family very soon a 2 year old husky he is well trained and verry good with kids and even little babys, he is a very sweet and patient dog. What do you think is it a good Idea to get a bigger dog? and what are some good tips you can give me in introdusing them with each other?
Thank you
Hello Abby,
I think a lot of it would depend on the temperament and preferences of Peanut and Taz.
When I was looking for a second dog, I asked myself a lot of questions about my first dog (Sephy), e.g.
1. What type of dogs does he like playing with?
Sephy likes playing with larger dogs that also likes to play rough and wrestle. Smaller dogs don’t play well with him because he overwhelms them easily and they are afraid of him.
2. What type of dogs does he *not* get along with?
Sephy does not get along with more dominant dogs. He does not try to dominate other dogs, but he does not like it either when other dogs try to dominate him.
3. Is he ok with sharing his stuff at home?
Sephy is not very possessive, and is happy to share toys; as long as they are not stolen while he is working on them.
Here is a bit more on what I looked at while looking for a companion for Sephy.
Hi,
Thanks you for your thoughtful presentation of shock collars. I have 2 rescue dogs and a cat. Our second dog puppy that is about a year old. Our first dog and cat got along wonderfully, however I have not been able to help my second dog and cat to be able to have a safe relationship. My second dog will chase and obsess over the cat. We are able to keep them seperated, however I would like for them to be able to have a peaceful relationship, as the cat is not ever able to join us in the common areas of the house and he has become a bit fearful. I am not a fan of shock collars, however my dog reacts so quickly to the cat and gets pretty obsessed, that treats and commands go out the window for her. Do you have any suggestions?
Thanks!
Hello Lindsay,
I don’t have any cats, so I don’t have much firsthand experience in this area. This thread has some good ideas, I think, on handling this issue-
http://www.shibainuforum.org/forum/discussion/7120/problem-with-cats/p1#Comment_125511
I find that having a drag lead on in-training puppies can also be helpful. It allows me to get control of puppy quickly and without any chasing games. I only use it when puppy is under supervision and only with a thick flat collar.
As for remote collars, there are also spray training collars. There is a study (Steiss, 2007) showing that they have the same effectiveness as shock collars for discouraging barking. However, it was a short study.
Reviews on Amazon
of the Petsafe spray training collar are mixed. Most complaints are about the spray mechanism not working properly, difficulty filling the device, and having to fill really frequently. I don’t use remote collars on my dogs, so I am not sure how well the spray collars work.
I have 10 month old spaniel mix+ who is relatively calm and who is fairly well-trained (CGC). We walk several times a day, and play or train every day. I also have cats who were here first by a couple years. The puppy wants to play with the cats, and they would prefer he not. They accept sniffing, but get upset with him when he mouths, barks trying to initiate play, etc. Would getting my pup a smaller, younger puppy (he is 35#) a companion help? Or will my pup eventually give up trying to play with the cats? I have had my pup since he was 11 weeks.
Hello Frankie,
I don’t have any cats, so I don’t have much firsthand experience with this. This thread, I think, has some good ideas-
http://www.shibainuforum.org/forum/discussion/7120/problem-with-cats/p1#Comment_125511
Hmmm, not sure about that. Both pups could just decide that chasing after cats is a fun game to play together.
Question: I have a 4yr old male chihuahua who I’ve had since he was a baby. This summer I decided to bring a companion into my home for him, another male chihuahua, that turned out to be bred with a corgi. From the time I pickup him up from the breeder along with his brother, they both traveled from together but mine was the one who whined. To date, my brother and myself have two dogs that constantly whine for no reason. They both go to the vet and are health but if they do not have someone’s constant attention it is a “wine and cheese” party. This is totally unacceptable and no matter what I’ve tried to correct this behavior nothing has worked. Ignoring, redirecting, putting him in another room, nothing has worked unless you give him constant attention. The breeder’s family lavished him with attention to the point that they rocked him to sleep. I’m guessing that I’m never going to break this constant need for attention. He’s been with me since July and has become increasingly a concern that this whining will never stop. In the beginning of November I was given another chihuahua who is very small (2lbs) and not expected to get very big. My July puppy, Teddy, was not to be very large either but he already is 10lbs and a bulldozer. He doesn’t pay any attention to where he steps or who he steps on and the other two end up snapping at him and he gets and his feelings hurt. I constantly remind him to watch where he’s going but it’s like he doesn’t comprehend. It’s like having a conversation with someone who speaks a different language and I realize he does speak a different language but I believe he understands what I tell him when I say careful, and watch your feet. The minute I sit down I have 3 dogs all over me and I have to be careful the 2 lb dog doesn’t get smashed because the other two are ten pounds and more. How can you not pay extra attention to a 2lb puppy that doesn’t stand a chance when the forces of nature are unleashed when I get home? Anyhow back to my Teddy and his whining, with all the lavish attention he grew up with I don’t think I’m going to be able to reprogram him. It seems to be ingrained.
Dogs learn through a process called conditioning. In general, they repeat behaviors that get them good results and stop behaviors that get them bad results. Often, dogs vocalize because we inadvertently reward them for it.
People tend to pay attention when there is noise, especially when it is loud. As a result, a dog is often given attention when he vocalizes, whines, or bark. This will, in turn, encourage the dog to keep repeating the behavior because from his point of view, vocalizing results in very good stuff. The more a dog repeats the behavior, the more likely it will become a habit.
One way to reduce whining and barking is to put the behavior under command control, for example by teaching a dog the Quiet command. As you say, dogs do not come with a ready-made English vocabulary, therefore we need to start by teaching them to associate various behaviors with commands.
This is the method I used to teach my dogs the Quiet command –
http://shibashake.com/dog/woof-woof-stop-dog-barking#quiet
A behavior that has become a habit will be more difficult to change because there is already a strong association between vocalizing and rewards. Therefore, more repetition and time will be needed for retraining.
How to stop bad dog behaviors.
had a couple of questions… me and my fiance have had two puppies for the past year. a male and a female who have grown up together. a couple days ago we took in a puppy that is the same age as our puppies he was free to a good home and at first, the two males were getting along good at but now every time the new pup sees my boi he gets rowdy, but when my boy is in his crate he will come and sniff and wag his tail and show no signs of aggression but the moment he comes out the crate the new pup goes nuts.. he acts like he wants to play with our boy, he whines and wags his tail, but the moment we let him out he the new puppy gets aggressive and i have to step in and let him kno its an inappropriate behavior. we really want this to work out cuz hes a great pup and we dnt want to have to give him back because we dnt want him going to the wrong ppl. what can i do to ease the new puppys transition and help them get along? any advice or tips would be well appreciated. thank you for taking the time to read this.
Hello Jeremy,
In such cases, it is difficult to say without looking at the pups.
My Sibe puppy Lara can get pretty excited during play. She will vocalize and then do high energy running and tackling. Her hackles are up because she is excited, but she throws in a lot of play bows, her body language is playful and very squirmy.
What is the body language like for the two dogs? When you say the new puppy gets aggressive – what does he do? Does his body look tense? Does your boy look like he is interested in interacting or does he want to be left alone? Are both dogs about the same size? Does the female join in? Are all dogs neutered and spayed? Do all the dogs get walked together or are they walked separately? Are they calm during walks? Were both boys playing well together at the start? Were there any fights where one got hurt?
When dogs show aggression, there is usually a source for the aggression. Usually, it is over resources – both dogs wanting the same food, toy, space, etc., at the same time. A dog may also show aggression if he feels threatened. Sometimes, play can turn into aggression if one or more dogs get overly excited, and plays too rough; which causes others to feel threatened.
When I first got Lara (female Siberian Husky), my male Shiba Inu, Sephy, did not want to have anything to do with her. Lara kept wanting to initiate play, but Sephy was not interested. He just wanted to be left alone. Therefore, I just kept puppy away from Shiba. At the same time, I did a lot of obedience training, grooming, and touch exercises with Lara. When we do this, Sephy would get interested and come over to get in on the rewards. So we would do group sessions together. I make both dogs do work for me, and they both get rewarded really well especially when they work together and stay calm together.
This helped to teach Sephy that puppy can be a positive thing to his life. It also helped teach puppy to focus on me (instead of another dog) and to stay calm in the presence of another dog.
When they play together, I supervise well and throw in a lot of play breaks so that they never get over excited. I also make sure that nobody gets overwhelmed, and if Sephy no longer wants to play, I stop puppy from bothering him. I find that it really helps to establish clear rules of interaction, and then I teach these rules to all of my dogs. In this way, they know what to expect from each other and what to expect from me.
It is difficult to tell what the situation is without seeing the dogs and the surrounding context. Getting a professional trainer to observe the dogs can help with identifying what the dogs are both trying to say, and also get at the source of the aggression.
Hello,
since I got our first baby shiba – male Toshi, I was checking your website and I found it great. As Toshi, who is well socialized calm dog, turned 5 month we got another shiba – lady Kimi as 8 weeks old. Since Kimi came from 6 puppies, she is being very very agressive and often biting and whirring even she is ver very small puppy. I am not sure how to see difference between pupp playing and serious fighting.
We have Kimi one month and Toshi is very gentle and often he leaves Kimi to take food even from his mouth. She is bitting him during all plays and he reacts only sometimes like he is trying to teach her some behaviour by bitting her back and neck in very gentle way. I would like to ask for your opinion, if should I leave them play even hard from her side with lot of Whirring, and let Toshi teach her manners or sould i separate them to calm them? Please help me, I would like to do right things as they are still young. Thank you very much!!!!
Katarina
Hello Katarina,
With my dogs, I find that it works best when I supervise and I step in to calm things down and resolve conflicts. In this way, they learn that I am there to protect them and to enforce “play-rules” so that they do not need to do it themselves. In this way, they can just relax and enjoy each others company.
I do not let them play too-rough, especially with Shania.
I also throw in many play-breaks where I temporarily stop play, get them to do some fun commands, and reward them really well for it. Then, they can go back to playing. This gets them to refocus on me, and controls their level of excitement. I find that it is best to manage excitement levels, so that everybody plays nice, everybody has a good time, and play doesn’t turn into aggression.
I am a big believer in setting up clear and consistent play rules, as well as human supervision. In this way, my dogs know exactly what to expect from each other, as well as what to expect from me and the people around them. They can relax and enjoy themselves, and if something comes up, I will take care of it.
Thank you very much! I will try to show Kimi that behaviour is not acceptable and teach her how to play calm and nicely.
I really appreciate your fast answer.
Katarina.
Hello there,
I have had 2 chihuahuas (brother and sister from the same litter) for nearly 15 years. Last month, my cherished girl passed away of heart failure. After her death, her brother was lost. He would search the house for her, sit on her bedding, and just be on edge.
I feared that he would give up without his life long companion. He has always been friendly with other dogs, so I thought getting another older female might help him. I found an 8 year old female chihuahua at the SPCA. She was super friendly and easygoing.
She’s been home for three weeks now. He adores her. He wags his tail and perks up in a way I’ve rarely seen in recent years. He grooms her when she’s near, which I’ve heard can be a display of dominance. She on the other hand seems to tolerate his attention, but prefers to lick and play with humans.
He has bowed, teased, and run around her to get her to play, but she has no interest. I guess I’m wondering how I can get her to bond with him since she was adopted to be his companion.
Hmmm, some things that help with my dogs-
1. I do group obedience sessions. I get them all to come to me and they all do fun commands together. I reward them very well, so they have a lot of fun and associate together time with something very positive.
2. I start playing with the one who wants to play. When they see that there is a fun game in progress, my others dogs will usually get interested and want to join in too.
3. I also go group grooming and tummy rub sessions. This gets them comfortable with each other, and provides more positive group associations. Also, I find that if I start to tummy rub one of them, the others would usually come over and join in on the fun.
Big hugs to your pack. Let us know how it goes.
Thank you for thanking the time to reply and for the advice. I’ll be putting your wisdom into practice. I keep you posted on their progress. 🙂
I just wanted to thank you again and update. My 2 dogs are doing great together. The group obedience was a wonderful help. It not only gave us 3 time to bond, but taught our new girl what was expected of her.
More than anything, I think time has been the key. She is now settle in, comfortable, and feeling like a member of the family.
I appreciate your help. 🙂
That is very great to hear.
Many thanks for the update and big hugs to your two furry ones. They sound like a happy and contented pair. 😀
Hey I have a 9 month old husky and a year old shiba inu, we did get them in a 4 month time period, they always seemed to get along tho pretty well, although they do fight when it comes to food, but there fights get pretty bad it seems like neither of them will stop, and my shiba is pretty small I’m scared she’s going to get hurt bad or even killed! What do I do to stop them and make sure they stop or not be so aggresive when they fight?? I really don’t want to get rid of one we’ve had them both for over 7 monthes already, please help me!
Hello Brittany,
What has worked best for my dogs is for me to supervise them during meal times and prevent any kind of stealing. In this way, I am able to resolve conflicts before it escalates into something more serious. Prevention is definitely much better than cure in this situation.
I also do group obedience exercises with my dogs. I teach them that they gain the most resources and rewards by working together cooperatively for me. I follow the Nothing in Life is Free program and use it to establish clear and consistent house rules and interaction rules.
I describe what I do in the section above titled – “Meal Time Ritual”.
Given that the dogs are fighting at such a young age, it may be best to get help from a professional trainer. A good trainer can properly read a dog’s body language, and identify the triggers that are causing stress and conflict. In addition, a trainer can help with creating a safe plan for retraining and desensitization.
Fights are dangerous not just for the dogs, but also for the people around them. Often, people get hurt or bitten while trying to stop a dog fight.