#1
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Tips When Getting Second Dog
Currently we have an almost 7 month old Jack Russell/Mini Dachsund - so basically a tall wiener dog with a bit of an attitude.
Tempermentwise she is middle of the road - not overly submissive, nor dominant. She really seems to be the perfect mix for us. She's a very smart, sweet lovable hound and we told the breeder that if her dogs ever have another litter to give us a call. So they had another litter last week. Dax will be almost 9 months old when the new puppy is ready to come home. She has graduated from Puppy Kindergarten and starts the second puppy class next week. I'm kicking puppy training into high gear. The biggest things I'm working in is not terrifying the cats and consistent recall. Dax was also spayed last week. So a few questions about new puppy: 1. Heard that generally male/female would be better? Or does it matter? She has and continues to be socialized around many different dogs/cats and people and has been to puppy daycare and has "playdates" with a friends dog several times a week. She seems to have good manners around other dogs. 2. She has a giant crate. I was just going to put the middle barrier in and crate them side by side. I was thinking they would be company for each other at night. Good idea - bad idea? 3. New puppy will also be enrolled in a puppy class for some separate training, especially the basics. 4. Any advice on possible problems to keep an eye out for? My biggest concern right now would be ganging up on the cats - trying to train to completely ignore. |
#2
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I would recommended male, the best mix is to have male/female, then male/male and last is female/female. Although spaying reduces some of the bitchyness females tend to squabble and bitch more. Not a rule, but if you have a choice it's best to get the opposite sex.
To start I would get the puppy it's own crate and see how it goes from there, it's a bit of a imposition on your current dog to have it give up half it's bed to a new dog. If they end up being best of pals then you can leave them together or in a divided crate, but I would recommended starting them separate. Your best bet is to see if you can bring your dog to meet the pups and have her pick one out for you, considering it's probably most important that they get along. You also might wanna plug to the owners about fixing their dogs, the female has just had back to back litters so its sounds (6ish months apart) which isn't healthy for the mother, and can have effects on the pups health if she starts depleting from over breeding. |
#3
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I also would be very leary against buying another puppy from a breeder who has back-to-back litters like that. "Back yard" breeders are a big contributor to pet overpopulation problems and it is advisable to support your local rescue group instead if at all possible.
Please read this thread about breeding http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread....k+yard+breeder You sound like a very responsible pet owner but I really would advise you waiting before getting another dog. Your puppy is soon to enter the "teenager" phase which is often one of the most trying times we get to share with out dogs. By waiting until your dog is a bit older (another 6 months - year) you will be able to work through that phase and develop a very strong bond with your dog. That bond will be very useful when your next dog joins your family as then the chances of the pup and the dog over bonding and ignoring you are much less. Your dog will still be lots of young to still play but be old enough to not cause as many problems to your training. Good luck.
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"Never doubt that a small, group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead |
#4
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Although the second litter of puppies is a bit sooner than I anticipated, I didn't think 2 litters in one year is excessive. She is also a licensed breeder.
We were planning on bringing Dax when we picked out puppies. The dog trainer I talked to said that that wouldn't be necessary and just to pick a puppy that wasn't the most submissive or most dominant and she should get along fine. Although she will want to bully it around some. I guess I will make room in my kitchen for another crate though. I"ll get a smaller one this time. |
#5
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Assumptions do nothing but make an ass out of u and me. We can stick our heads in the sand for only so long before it starts choking us. Face it folks. The pet population is bad ALL OVER THE WORLD! |
#6
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It's a lot of work to have 2 puppies. I have been there. I hope you are home in the day to socialize and supervise in their very important first years. I was lucky to work out of my home. 2 crates is necessary, you don't want the first pup to lose it's comfort zone until there is a strong bond between them. Jack Russell terriers are hunters of small rodents, they will always chase your cats, but not necessarily hurt them. Good luck!
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#7
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Welcome to the board. I'm sure your pup is sweet, they all are, and you sound like you are doing all the right things. By buying another dog from the same breeder though you are not going to be guaranteed getting the same temperament in the next puppy. I also would agree that waiting until your first dog is more mature you will have much better success with your dogs. The first dog will be able to help you train the second puppy once it is matured. My first was 3 when I bought my second puppy, and both are females and get along great, always have. I should also say both are rescues and mutts.
That said, yes breeding a female twice in a year is wrong. Make no mistakes about it, just because your breeder is "licensed" doesn't make them a good breeder. It simply means they have lots of dogs so it's cheaper to buy a "license" than individual tags. This person is breeding mutts (although delightful ones I'm sure), and making a profit off of her pets. In another year you could take your girl to the SPCA and meet lots of loving pups who desperately need new homes. Please consider rescuing rather than supporting what sounds to be another back yard breeder (with a license). |
#8
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Tips When Getting
Considering that a bitch can only produce 2 litters a year, only comes into heat twice a year, I would say this 'breeder' is maximizing her profits at the expense of the health of the female and the offspring. A reputable registered breeder produces purebreds, not mixed breeds and only breeds every 2-3 years at best. You were very fortunate with your 1st. dog from this byb insofar as health and temperment but I doubt you will have the same guarantee with a 2nd litter from the over-bred female.
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#9
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If you can handle 2 pups, more power to you. Not saying it can"t be done. I did it and so has my niece. What you need to also understand is, that it's great that your pup is good with other dogs and pups, sometimes that changes when they new one is actually "living" in the house. Some become territorial. Will you know what to do in that situation?
Also, please don't think that since this pup is such a great pup, that this second one will be the same. Having raised GSD's for a long time, I can tell you that they were all different. And mine came from the same "ethical" breeder. Back to back breeding? Now that is so sad.
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"A dog can express more with his tail in minutes than his owner can express with his tongue in hours." |
#10
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I thought I was asking a simple question.
I have looked at the pound for a dog but the only ones they have are big rottie/husky/lab mixes. Or geriatric poodles with health problems. I've had the puppy or SPCA discussion with a friend - we have agreed to disagree on the subject. To me it is the same argument as adoption vs natural child. There will never be a resolution to the dilemma. This is supposed to be the mothers' third and last litter. As I said it is closer in age than we had planned for but it's kind of already done. Other than being ignorant about close breeding, she appears to love her animals. And judging from behaviour of current puppy, who we got at 15 wks, she spent some time training her. Ethical issues aside, I believe the question was about what sort of things I should look for when introducing a second dog to the mix. Previous poster asked if I knew what to do about potential aggression issues...kind of thought that was the point of asking.... |
#11
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I recommend looking on www.petfinder.com
if you work with a good rescue, they can help match you with a dog that gets along well if your current pup therefore minimizing the risk that something will go wrong when introducing the pups. Rescues who foster their dogs will have good first hand knowledge of their dogs and will be able to pick a dog with a temprament to suit your family. I also think that it is too early to introduce another pup. Once your pup gets to the teenage stage, you will have more than a handful, and adding antoher young pup will be VERY challenging. Maybe you can adopt an older pup.
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Monkey and Amy (cats) Jermy (GSD) “Dogs believe they are human. Cats believe they are God.” "The average dog is a nicer person than the average person." |
#12
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just wanted to add that i know it may sound like everyone is ignoring your question, but we really mean well, and the reason we are focusing on something different is because its such a pertinent piece of info that we cant ignore.... loving an animal means that you shouldn't put him/her through undue stress. back to back breeding is puting an animal through undue stress for the purpose of financial gain....
if you look at petfiner, there are many puppies that are availabe for rescue. small and medium and any type you may like. i think you may be shocked to see the tens of thousands of homeless dogs out there looking for homes.... not just big dogs... keep us updated on your progress, and i am sure when someone who has advice on introdcuing two pups comes along, they will add their two cents.
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Monkey and Amy (cats) Jermy (GSD) “Dogs believe they are human. Cats believe they are God.” "The average dog is a nicer person than the average person." |
#13
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You mention that with this one you are still teaching her not to chase the cats and the constant recall. If you are having issues with this, how will you manage bringing another pup in? Honestly, I would wait till you get these issues corrected. Then when you do bring another one into your home, it will be easier. Dax will even show the new one how to behave. I know you are asking for advice. But I am just asking questions as to what you would do in different situations. Situations that maybe you haven't thought of. Just a question. What are you doing to teach her to leave the cats?
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"A dog can express more with his tail in minutes than his owner can express with his tongue in hours." |
#14
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Inside the house she always comes when called, and outside when walking on familiar trail she heels well, I just meant I would not take her everywhere and know she will come back at this time, but that is normal for her age.
First, the cats have some "safe" areas that they can always go to get away from her. I find it interesting that she can jump the baby gate but does not jump it to get into the cat room. Two of the cats tend to stay away from her when she is in motion. They will sit on the other end of the couch when she is tired and not all in super-energized puppy mode. The other cat seems to like her, but she tries to play with him like he's another puppy and that can get a little rough for the cat's liking. When she looks like she is thinking about going to chase the cat, we redirect her to her squeakie toy. If she does start bothering the cat we use "Off" and she will stop and we redirect to squeakie. Or sometimes if she just needs to calm down, we will direct her to "go mat" and have a bit of a time out. |
#15
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This is where you need to do the recall training. I started with all my dogs at 12 weeks. And did it with distractions. Started in the backyard and then in the school yard and park. I also used a long training lead. It's great when they listen when being called in the house. But the real importance is when they out there in the real world. And that's where it's really needed.
So you got him at 14 weeks and he's almost 7 months. This cat chasing should have subsided by now. Trust me I know how it is to bring a pup in when you have cats. Been there done that. Try this. Instead of using "off" use "leave it" and "be gentle/nice". You can even have the leash on her. If she goes after the cats give her the "leave it" command. If she listens, praise like crazy. You can give her a treat or her toy. When I mentioned about the leash. You can put it on her, and give her the same command. The "be gentle/nice command comes in when she gets to the point of walking towards them. There is nothing wrong with cats and dogs playing. It's actually cute. You just don't want it to get out of hand. My dogs and cats have always played. But they were also taught to play nice.
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"A dog can express more with his tail in minutes than his owner can express with his tongue in hours." |
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Like I said earlier, with the breeds that are mixed in your pup, I dont honestly forsee her leaving the cats alone. I have a bully here and he is constantly after the cats. Lucky for them they know how dogs work and just dont run from him. He goes pouncing across the floor to play with the cats and they just stand there and look at him as if to say " Really? You're dumb" so he just leaves them. If they did run though, man the chase would be on. All breeds have prey drive to some extent, some more than others though. Jack russels and Doxies both have been bred to have prey drive.
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Courage is being scared to death and saddling up anyways. ~John Wayne |
#17
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Everything has to do with training. I think of a dog as dog first. Breed comes last. A terrier can be 100% on recall. I know a few of them. And 2 of them being JRT's that do flyball.
As for the cats, again it's the training. You have to train/teach them not to chase. If it's not done properly, then it won't work. And yes with those terrier owners there are cats in the house. My mom had a westie. Scottie was great with cats. They say that GSD's have high prey drives. Having raised them for MANY years I can say no. I did training with distractions(outside). They learned to focus on ME. There was no chasing cats, squirrels, birds, nothing. And having my current make the force means I did it right. And I also had cats when I had my dogs.
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"A dog can express more with his tail in minutes than his owner can express with his tongue in hours." |
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