Should we adopt a second dog?

[alissah]

We're thinking about adding a second dog, what do I need to know? Is it better to have dogs of the opposite sex?

We have a 59 pound 3 yo M neutered Aussie mix (Aussie, Pitbull, Chow, Lab, Rat Terrier, Supermutt - quite a mix lol). A bit about him:

• He’s a very chill dog
• He’s allowed to be loose in the house when we’re away
• He uses a doggie door
• He loves going to daycare and gets along with other dogs
• During our walks, he is usually ok with other dogs we encounter, but sometimes he will bark at them or try to run towards them, usually if the other dog starts barking or tries to run towards him first.

The dog we're interested in is a 37-pound nearly 1 yo F spayed Lab mix, currently fostered. Overall she seems like a friendly, playful, happy-go-lucky girl. Good with other dogs. Her bio mentions how she would love a backyard with a canine older brother. It's almost like it's a sign that we should adopt her.

A bit about our lifestyle:

• Husband works 5 days a week. He comes home early on one of those days
• I work 12-hour shifts, 3 days a week, 1 week out of the month I will work 4 days.
• On my off days, our current dog gets a roughly 90-minute morning walk, ranging anywhere from 2-5 miles depending on where we are. Some days he’s more into sniffing and other days he’s more about covering more ground. We’ll do neighborhood walks or go to a local park
• He also gets a 45-60 min evening walk
• Add in playtime, etc. Sometimes our dog is content with me just hanging out in the backyard with him
• On the weekends when my husband and I are both off, we always take our dog to a local park
• When we both have to work, my husband will give our dog a long walk when he gets home. He's loose in the house and has access to his multiple doggy beds/couches, and backyard via his doggy door.

Besides having double the expenses and poop lol, what else should we know? How would we know our dog would want a sibling? We think it might be good for him, but we're also afraid they won't get along, or he might become defensive having another dog in the house, or that his personality might change. Does that even happen?

TIA!

 

[calloffaith]

@alissah I'm gonna vote yes on this one.

They both get along with other dogs, and the new dog will likely look up to and defer to the older dog - he will train her and I bet they'll be buddies!

IMHO, sex does not matter - if the dog likes other dogs, temperament/ play style (size?) / similar age are more important. We foster a lot, and that's my observation as well as the observation of other dog foster parents.

 

[daddyfarlessa]

@alissah I have an 80 pound mutt and a puggle. Before adopting the puggle the dogs met so I could see how they interacted with each other. They get along great and I think my mutt is happy to have a canine friend. I also have two cats that are good friends with the dogs.

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@alissah Yes. We try to always have a male and a female. They have one another for company when we aren't around and opposite sex means less chance of a rivalry.

 

[jamesgwal]

@alissah So when I got my second dog I found shelters that would let me bring my dog. We released a few into a play area and I grabbed the one that she got along/played with best. It was a natural, inseparable friendship from day 1. I don’t think a second dog is much more work from the 1st. Vet bill and food double, but everything else is about the same.

 

[arius]

@alissah I've always had one of each gender...the last one I adopted the foster let them stay overnight for a trial run to make sure the 2 dogs got along...lol she never left after that night even though they didn't tell me she was blind before they dropped her off !

 

[divorcing]

@alissah Yes yes! I would never not have two dogs now. My fist dog has such a better quality of life and it’s really not much more work.

Mine are not the same ages..,but if they were they would be playing nonstop

 

[scepticalchymist]

@alissah I have had several packs of 2-3 dogs and luckily, mixing was never an issue. They were all spayed and female. Current pack is only 9 year old Akita mix and a one year old border collie mix. O issues. They have their own bowl but end up eating each other’s anyway.

 

[tonid]

@alissah If you're asking strangers, no.