If you are thinking of expanding your family and getting a second or third dog, there are several factors that you need to consider. Here are some questions that you need to ask yourself:
- How will my original dog respond to this newbie in the house?
- How will I be able to build camaraderie and peaceful co-existence between my dogs?
- How do I ensure that whenever a stress arises, it would be resolved as quickly as possible?
There are various approaches that you can employ as a pet owner to increase your chance of integrating the new do into your home successfully.
1. Hyper-vigilance
This may be a bit technical sounding. It has also has the potential to be quite stressful for you. This will also demand time, as you need to keep an eye on every interaction your dogs make. You should never allow them to interact with each other (especially indoors) without your guidance.
However, if you are adopting a dog that has a history of aggression, you may want to keep away from this method. Instead, try walking them together in the morning. It may be a long shot, but getting them to eat together is possible but may not be a sound idea.
2. Laissez-faire
If hyper-vigilance is not your cup of tea, try the opposite – total Laisse-faire. With this, you would completely allow your dogs to interact with each other and whatever happens happens. You are fortunate if the new energy in the house will not cause trouble. Else, you may want to phone an expert for immediate support.
3. Middle Way
You may also opt to go somewhere in-between the two previously mentioned methods. You can “hybridize” being aware of potential stresses and being a bit relaxed.
It is very important that you build a strong relationship with each of your dog. It will be helpful to spend quality time with each separately as much as you can. Dogs playing with each other certainly spell fun. However, this also increases the tendency of a fight or stress. You need to ensure that your dogs get to release stress with you on a daily basis.
You also need to pay close attention to the budding relationship between your dogs. If they co-inhabit well, then, you are one lucky guy and must be doing something right. Otherwise, you may want to consider using crates to keep a good distance from each other.
