Advice for Second Sheltie

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Christiest108

Forums Novice
We got sheltie Leela in April this year and she had her old buddy Sonic the cat to keep her company. Sonic has recently passed away at 18 and I now have the opportunity to get Leela a sheltie friend. Leela is going on 10 months and has been joy. Of course we have our moments but overall she is a wonderful girl. The blue boy we are considering is around 8 months old and has been with the breeder and they have decided to home him. We are looking to bring them together this weekend and see how that goes, but I'm worried about the adolescent times coming. We have never had two dogs so I'm a little nervous. We go on a morning walk and an evening walk but for the most part Leela hangs out in the house with a few breaks out in the yard each day. I am home so Leela is rarely crated anymore, even when leave her alone she has proved to be trustworthy and not too naughty :) . How to handle a new addition that probably will need the crate until we get to know each other better? Although honestly I think I've already decided to go for it as long as they like each other when they meet. Also if you have multiple shelties, do they sleep together? I was wondering if they would / could sleep with separate family members. Sorry for the long first post, I want to be sure I make the right decision and do the right things. What other things should I be considering? Thanks in advance for your help!
 
Hi there. I hope it works out at meeting. Be prepared that most likely the girl will be the leader. Acknowledge her for that as the male likely will too. It's really normal for the girl to turn out to be the leader over males.

If the dog is 8 months and potty trained I would try it without a crate and instead use baby gates to limit the area to a single room. I have had both my shepherd and my sheltie crated as pups while the other dogs weren't though. They left each other alone and it did give the older ones a break from the puppy. I'm really not a crater once past about 5-6 months though. After that, I used a baby gate until I could trust the young ones enough to choose where to sleep wisely and not go tear things up in the night.

As for sleeping, it shouldn't be a problem sleeping with different people. My girl sheltie sleeps with me. My shepherd sleeps with my husband (he snores really bad and I have really bad restless leg so we have our own rooms). My young sheltie male sleeps all over -- sometimes on my bed or his or on a dog bed at the foot of the bed or just on the floor.

I would recommend having time where the dogs go out separately as well as together. Like training or activities or even solo walks. It's good for them to build independent as well as pack thinking. If you do have multiple people you can have one person work with one and one with another like when my husband walks "his" dog and I walk "mine" or entirely separate where only one goes out to training and the other stays home for one-on-one time at home. That kind of thing.

Also, don't be surprised if loyalties change. I have had multiple times where we got surprised at who belonged to who. My soulmate best buddy suddenly jumped to my husband when his girl passed and I got another dog for my husband but who bonded to me and not my husband. When that dog passed my husband's shepherd became a momma's boy until another came along and he jumped back to being my husband's dog. Just watch the dynamics and don't force anything should things sort of not be what you expected.

Another big deal will be feeding time. Don't be surprised either way whether they eat happily side by side or if they become vicious hoarders and have to be fed separately. You learn to accommodate. I have 3 and we have one baby gated in the kitchen, one outside the kitchen, and one baby gated in a nearby laundry room. I have 2 of 3 who are violently food aggressive (both are rescues).

Having 2 is different but fun and you learn to see the dynamics and make changes accordingly to how things are done.
 
Most Shelties get along with Shelties in my experience. Spitfire worships Sca and is lost without him. Sca likes Spitfire and they play a lot but he had 2 years of lone dog and came from a litter of 2 so he is pretty self winding. In general though it has been really good for him getting Spitfire.
 
They are both so young that I would think they'll get along like a house on fire. They will likely love to play chase together. All our different dog pairings have been great in their own way. I do think Shelties do so well in multiples. Just try and set limits right away and set them up for success, not failure. Meaning, start slow, limit access in your home, be cautious feeding - it's easier to loosen the reins than tighten them. Just remember if you get this boy we all expect PICTURES!! :)
 
Sharon7 said:
They are both so young that I would think they'll get along like a house on fire. They will likely love to play chase together. All our different dog pairings have been great in their own way. I do think Shelties do so well in multiples. Just try and set limits right away and set them up for success, not failure. Meaning, start slow, limit access in your home, be cautious feeding - it's easier to loosen the reins than tighten them. Just remember if you get this boy we all expect PICTURES!! :)
Click to expand...

yes- lots of pix:yes: and video of the playtimes:winkgrin:
 
Having two is a fun experience. Kaleigh was 10 mths when I brought Savannah home. They were getting acquainted at the breeders on visits, so they knew each other. Kaleigh got a bit weird the 1st week. But I think it was mostly a temperament difference now. Savannah is outgoing and an initiator. Kaleigh is more reserved and observant. Kaleigh was a one pup litter. I don't think she knew exactly what to do with Savannah. She will not be ignored. The has helped Kaleigh a lot. Kaleigh taught Savannah manners, she acts like a big sister and gets on her like an older sibling. Mealtime they have to be split otherwise they get growly. Savannah eats slowly and Kaleigh wants to finish hers and that got Savannah MAD, and she let her know she doesn't share. Savannah took longer to "proof" in potty training. I had to keep her enclosed. She got the concept she was just lazy at times. Kaleigh was like my others, she got it quick and had free access early because she didn't have any issues. They worked it out about the dominance deal, and work as a team. Kaleigh is bigger and stockier, Savannah is smaller. Essentially Kaleigh throws her size around. Savannah is clever, and she uses it to get her way if she thinks she is being slighted. Kaleigh is the tattle tale. She lets me know if Savannah has done something. Savannah is the naughty one. Sleeping-sometimes they are side by side, other times they seek out different areas. It varies. Savannah chills faster. Kaleigh is always hot, and seeks out cooler places to lie on. One nice feature of my two is they play like siblings, and they seem to have private jokes. They do chat, which I find amusing. When we do go out, they are very protective of me, and each other which is nice. This is my 1st time having two and it has worked out well for me. I hope it works out for y'all
 
I did it! We brought Smokey home last night. We were able to take Leela with us to the breeders and she played with the pack and she and Smokey immediately hit it off. I am so pleased at how sweet they are together. Smokey doesn't really know a lot of commands yet like, sit, stay, down but he is actually much calmer than Leela and tends to stay right with me. (so far, I'm only on the first day!) They are both sitting in the office with me this morning and he is sleeping and she is gnawing on a bone. I'm letting him settle in a bit first but will need to work on walking on leash, he has not done this as of yet and that will be key as I will be walking them in my neighborhood.

Thanks for all the positive stories, I'm very excited to begin my journey with these guys.

Will be sure to post some pics and videos soon! :)

Smokey slept with my husband and I last night and laid on my feet the whole night. Leela stuck with her normal routine and slept with my daughter and it went smoothly, they both hung out in my bed this morning while the girls got ready for school!
 
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I have never had a problem with 2 together, and now 3. They tend to figure things out, and you need to step back a little and watch and monitor the interaction. Eventually someone will come out as kinda the "lead" dog, though the circumstances will change has to who leads and under what circumstances.

Aiden is the lead for play. Indy is the lead for overall behaviour (not always good, because he the barker and food hound) . Callan tends to more of a follower. But there behaviour evolves as each dog gets older. It constantly changes. Indy, who stopped playing when Bacca was sick is now playing again. Sometimes it drives me nuts when all 3 have zoomies together!

In my view, it comes down to your own personal tolerance. Anytime you introduce a new pet or person into your household, dynamics will change and you have to be prepared to adapt and deal with those changes.

That being said....I always found 2 easier than 1. They amuse each other. Still on the fence about 3!!! LOL!
 
Sorry it's a little past the last post, but just had to throw my 2cents in....
We've had one, two, three and four Shelties at a time. And I must say, the more the merrier. When we got Tangie in Nov '16, one was good, but it just didn't feel right. So, we looked around and got Cherry. The two love to play and they get along nicely. This weekend we are going to get Chatter and I hope she fits in just as nice. She should.... She and Cherry spent time at the same rescue. I'm sure we would be told if they hadn't gotten along.
Also, prior to these girls, we had as many as four Shelties, 3 acquired at different times. And they all got along. I have yet to see Shelties not get along with one another. But, I am sure it happens.
 
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