Tips for Multi-Dog Households - Part 1
Thinking about introducing a new dog into the household? There’s a lot to think about before you make the decision and once you are ready to commit, there’s lots of great information below to help make that addition to the family a happy one for everyone!
Generally speaking (based on statistics and feedback from trainers / behaviourists globally) for the best outcome, the following should be considered when choosing to add another dog to the household:
Ideally an age gap of around 3 or more years between dogs
Getting a different gender to your current dog
Complimentary but not identical characters / personalities*
The existing dog(s) should be well trained already**
*If they are both ball-obsessed or cuddles are life (for example), that can cause competition and conflict between dogs in a household over time.
**Dogs are very quick to learn from one another so if your existing dog(s) has problem behaviours you are still working on, I’d highly recommend trying to get those sorted first so the new addition doesn’t join in!
Thinking about getting two puppies?
First of all, don’t underestimate how much of a challenge one puppy is, let alone two! From toilet training, to sleeping through the night, to teething and more, it can be more than double the trouble. With sibling puppies there are more challenges to contend with as you raise them, but it’s important to know that ‘Littermate Syndrome’ is simply an umbrella term to describe behaviours that we may see raising two dogs of the same age (related or not). There’s a LOT of advice and information on the internet but a lot of it is misinformation. Think of it more along the lines of the advice people give parents of twins. You need to find the time to spend with them as individuals, fostering a unique relationship with them and nurturing them as independent dogs. This article has a good summary of the pros and cons https://pethelpful.com/dogs/Pros-and-Cons-of-Raising-Two-Litter-Mate-Dogs
In general I would advise against getting puppy siblings or two puppies the same/similar age, but if you’ve got the time and patience to invest in each puppy and they’re happy with one another, it can be done.
IMPORTANT: Don’t assume your existing dog wants or needs another dog in the household.
This is especially true if your current dog is a senior dog. Moving in a loud, rambunctious, poorly mannered ‘flat mate’ is not something they’re necessarily going to appreciate at first (or at all!). Getting another dog to keep your dog company because it’s showing destructive behaviours, keeps escaping or has separation anxiety (for example) is highly unlikely to change any of those behaviours. Worst case scenario you may end up with two dogs with the same issues. Seek out qualified training support first and then you may even want to look at fostering first or looking after friend’s dogs to see how the multi-dog scenario works with your dog.
Consider a ‘trial run’ before you commit
If you’re unsure how your existing dog would cope with another dog in the household or you want to get an idea of what they are like when sharing their home with other dogs (very different to playdates or catch ups at the park), I would highly recommend consider looking after a few dog friends over time or even fostering. This is a great way to get a ‘taster’ of what having multiple dogs might be like and especially gives you as the humans a chance to see how you cope as well. With my first dog Storm we had various dog friends come to stay over periods of a few days to weeks, and it really gave me a good idea about what was important to her (as a solo dog she didn’t have to compete for cuddles, attention etc) and also what she could tolerate. It made a huge difference when we eventually committed to adding a younger brother to the household!