Having an "only" dog

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coopersmom

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well, our adventure to add a second sheltie has ended due to our fear of turning Randy's life upside down and hurting him by bringing in another dog. I would love to have gotten the little girl, she sounded so sweet, but in the end I couldn't take a chance on hurting Randy the way we hurt Cooper when Randy came to live with us. (see previous post).

it seems most of you on here have multiple shelties/dogs. How can you tell if your dog will be accepting of a brother/sister, or wants to be an "only dog"? I
 
I have just Kia

Right now it's best for us financially. But I do plan on adding another Sheltie in the future. Dogs usually learn to adjust to their surroundings but there are some that really do want to be an only dog. The way the present themselves to other dogs that enter your home is one of the better ways of telling. That is why we said that it would be best to do just a trial period first to see how Randy would be with her, you might be surprised and find that he enjoys the idea of having a Pal.But you must make the ultimate decision and that is the safest and best way to do it. This way you have no permanent commitment. Just a trial that just might turn into an adoption.:cool:
 
I think individual personalities are the key.. For instance..if you already have an "alpha," you don't want to bring another "alpha" in...you'd want just the opposite. When we added Rookie last year, our breeder took into consideration Baron's personality/disposition. Baron and Rookie have been the best of buds from day one. The benefit of a knowledgeable breeder is a big plus in choosing the right pupper for a pupper ;-).
 
We socialized Sadie extensively as a pup to make sure she'd be ok around other dogs. In general, she has a very laid back and confident personality and loves to be around other dogs. She does not get jealous and doesn't mind sharing her toys with other dogs. For this reason we're hoping to get a puppy in September as a companion for her.

My parent's sheltie is another story. He has always been fearful of other dogs, despite my best efforts in socializing him. It didn't help that my parents didn't continue socializing him when I moved away. He is very uncomfortable around other dogs, tends to be jealous and tries to be dominant and mostly just tollerates Sadie's presence. I think he would be ok with another dog but they'd never be friends. He'd be equally happy without another dog around.

It really depends on your dog's personality
 
Knowing your dog is key. Bacca had been around other dogs enough that I knew that he would do well with another pup, plus he wasn't alpha so I wouldn't have a territory issue.

Took two tries to get the right fit (both pups on 1 week trials), and settled on Indy. Indy is a little alpha devil (or at least he likes to THINK he's alpha - he's really not - they take turns), but the two of them get along terrific (ok, they have a few spats here and there, but no big deal). And it got Bacca to stop herding and nipping at me - which was driving me nuts!

Do consider it, but make sure you go for a trial. If the breeder won't go for a week, minimum should be a visit in both the pups house and your place, and preferably an overnight.
 
Deska didnt want another dog around to share his mum with. My two fought a lot originally so I kept them seperated when I was not around, walked them both separately and gave each alone time - it was a lot of work. Then Deska started helping Tully get out of her enclosure and I would come home to find the two of them together. So at that time I knew they wanted each others company. They love each other now and are such good mates - except when it comes to sharing or getting my attention, they still compete over that.
 
Most of them, it seems, if they're used to living with other dogs will adapt to having another dog in the house. Sometimes those who have been alone for a long time aren't quite as accepting of a new dog.
The only issue I ever had was when we brought a second dog into the house for the first time. Athena had been used to being by herself for 2 years. Once the first 48 hours were past, everything was smooth sailing. Since then, many other shelties have come through my door, and it hasn't been an issue.
I agree though, you have to know your dog. Some are accepting of other dogs, some aren't. Some want companionship, some would rather be alone.
 
coopersmom, I understand your concerns here, I have never had less then 4 or 5 shelties in my home. I worried that they may not get along, would cause turmoil, be too much for the older ones. I was dead wrong. For me, every new dog that has come in was met with a little trepadition by the others, but within days they were inseperable, They all play together and share toys. Only my FoxMan seems to have issues with Telly whose is the same age and came into our home right after Fox did. Even though Fox will growl and snap at Telly occsssionally, they sleep close together any play together a lot.
 
I love dogs, and I wanted a second one. I did it mostly selfishly...Laika does not like or get along with many other dogs. She was fear aggressive and jealous. She was alpha female in the house. I got a sheltie puppy anyways.

It was the best move I could have ever done for her. She doesn't adore Aztec by any means, but she became his "mother" and watches out for him. They sleep in the same bed, and amazingly it has helped alot of her aggression issues. Aztec absolutely respects her and things are nicely balanced.

When we had three dogs for a little while, it was absolute chaos and didn't work. Hannah and Laika sometimes got in tiffs since they were both female. Hannah and Aztec were both food aggressive so sometimes they fought.

Getting a puppy makes a huge difference.
 
Anybody have three?

We have two girls-2 and 3 years old. They get along great, and we're considering getting a sheltie puppy. Anybody have three? Any suggestions or thoughts? We don't want to rock the boat, but we love them so much, and would like to add to the family.
 
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