I often have people asking my opinion as to whether they should take on a second dog.
Usually as a result of feeling bad that their current dog is left for a few hours of the day between lunchtime home visits or a change in working schedules, and I would anticipate that this generally stems from some personal “human†feelings of guilt that they are leaving the furry kid home alone.
From someone that lives with several dogs my personal opinion is “the more the merrier†(if I had the space I would have a household of pooches so big that it would make the Walton home look somewhat under occupied).
This is for the sole reason that I adore dogs, I adore the different and individual personalities, I enjoy watching them interact and play, and it saves heaps on the heating bills with all that fur around me on the sofa during the winter!
If someone wanted a playmate for their current pooch to scoot around the garden and chase each other around the house whilst you are at home then sure! Get another dog! Get 3!
But be weary of your motivations to do so!
Many owners will often refer to me when they witness their dog displaying classic signs of separation anxiety (often fuelled by the owner’s requirements from the dog rather than the other way around). However they are dealing with a dog that whines and cries, soils in the house or is destructive when they are separated from their owner.
This is a common point whereby my client will explain to me that they are considering another mutt as a “friend†for their current panic stricken pooch believing this will solve the problem.
My answer in the majority of circumstances is NO!
Or certainly not until the separation issues with the current dog have been addressed.
The reason for this being, that dogs learn from other dogs (Allelomimetic) or “copy cat†behaviour commonly displayed in social animals.
On one hand the introduction of a psychologically balanced dog could potentially provide a source of stability for your little stress ball, but it is more often the case that the new calm canine turns into “double the troubleâ€.
In effect you may result in twice the destruction, twice the house soiling and two whining panic merchants setting each other off whilst you are out at work.
A common misconception is that dogs need to constantly be around humans or other dogs.
Now of course I am not advocating leaving your pooch alone for long periods of time, but dogs do need at least a couple of hours a day of “me time†in order to fall into a deep rest. Whilst they have noise and distractions around them they are not fully resting (sleeping with one eye open).
I have polar opposite breeds of dog as far as traits are concerned (Huskies and Cavalier King Charles) the Huskies (in my personal case) are more dog orientated than human, in that they enjoy the company of other dogs more than they do mine (I do not care for digging up the garden or rough play fighting) therefore I am nowhere near as much fun to hang out with), the Cavaliers on the other hand are human attention whores, they will play with the other dogs provided I am not in the immediate vicinity, otherwise my lap, chest and legs are much more appealing than undertaking heathenness Husky past times.
That said, each dog will at some point take themselves off to either a separate chair (yes ALL my dogs are allowed free use of the furniture, we are a family after all), or off to their own room to bed (yes they have their own bedroom) this is a darkened room with a large covered (door less) crate to allow them their own space where they can rest undisturbed.
We are lucky that someone is generally always around and they are rarely left home alone, and we observe during the day, provided they have been out for a good run, that they literally sleep for hours (even the huskies).
My point being that provided you tackle the behavioural issue of separation and your dog is in a calm state when you leave for work, it is likely your dog will be dozing in the land of nod for a good 3-4 hours at a time. The problem with leaving an anxious dog for 3-4 hours is that they have no way of snapping themselves out of the anxiety (they cannot rationalise with themselves like us humans). Although some dogs will create holy hell for 30-60 minutes after you leave, then settle down once they have worn themselves out  and go to sleep, whilst others will literally carry on and on (often house soiling is a way of relieving the stress).
There are many techniques used by behavioural trainers in dealing with separation, but the majority surround desensitizing.
For example, on your day off  leave the house for 10 minutes, when you return try not to react to your dog pawing at your leg and fussing around you, wait until they are totally calm and then reward the calm (small amount of petting or a treat). Build up the time out of the house bit by bit.
Take them for a long walk before you leave for work, this will drain some of the nervous/anxious energy and encourage sleep. Try to keep the fuss to a minimum before you leave and try giving them a treat or soft chew to occupy them (I would not recommend bones or raw hide whilst you are out, dogs have been known to choke on them when no one is around)
The key point being that you need to try and get to the point where your dog will simply get into bed as you leave the house and stay there peacefully and content until you return. If you can afford it you could consider a dog walker.
If you are still considering adding to your furry family, you need to consider a few other points also.
1)Â Â Â Â Â Your current dog and the new one may not have compatible personalities
This has nothing to do with the old out dated “hierarchical†dominant dog theory. Yes some dogs are more controlling and some are more submissive, however in line with current theory and my own experience (I have all females) each dog will display a “dominant†or “leading/controlling†behaviour depending on the situation, in that the social structure changes depending on the circumstances this is evidenced in several studies that observed feral dogs. No hierarchical pack structure is formed as once traditionally thought i.e. (dogs are NOT wolves and display few common behavioural traits)  they are social animals with different personalities and behavioural traits who have tiffs and rows just like any family but have no reason to reach “the top slot†as all their resources are provided for them. (You may have a little bully but not necessarily an “alphaâ€.)
2)Â Â Â Â Â Your dog will play all day with their new friend
Possibly!,
They may however simply take advantage of the peace and quiet whilst you are out and sleep.
Or they may have a tiff over their toys and fight whilst you are out. Â Hence the importance of taking time to properly introduce the dogs and set boundaries the same as you would with your current.
3)Â Â Â Â Â A puppy would be best to ensure they are brought up correctly
Not necessarily!
Taking an adult dog from rescue may potentially be a handful at first, but the advantage is that you are able to introduce the dogs as adults and assess whether they are going to be compatible you will also have (although limited) information from the rescue centre as to how they have been whilst staying in their care (i.e. how have they been with other dogs and humans, and any potential behavioural issues that you may have to work with when they first arrive). Imagine how great it would be if you had the heads up on how your human kids were going to turn out!
You also have to consider that your older dog may be intolerant of a puppy (not all dogs are furry child friendly) so you may have a wild pup running around and your current dog hiding under the table to avoid the nipping!
Ultimately it is down to your discretion and obviously it is your decision, as I said previously I fully endorse a multi dog household (and if you can give an opportunity to a rescue dog even better) but what you need to do is to be sure that this is not creating more problems for your current dog rather than resolving them.
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