Opinions on getting 2nd dog with older dog.

[Jaspernuts]

I currently have a 8 year old lab. I was thinking of getting a 2nd pup so she can learn to hunt behind the older dog while she has a few years left. I also thought this might make the older dog jealous as she is kind of babied since me and my wife do not have kids. Anyone have any experiences with this situation?

[CigarGuy]

I did it a few year ago, my dog was older and retired from hunting. I was reluctant at first for the same reason you are, but Labs4me had a litter that I wanted a pup from. It seemed to give my older dog a little added life. They got along great. My older dog was a female, don't know if that made a difference or not. See my avatar......sure miss the old dog, had to put her down about 1 year after the new pup. I'm sure I will do it again when this one is about the same age as your dog. Good luck!

[CaptainGary]

Some things I think work well are if you have a female, get a male. Make sure you spend one on one time with each dog. Train the pup to respect the older dog. Make sure the pup has it's own bed, toys, etc.

Also, you would know your dog best. Does she get along with other dogs? My 7yr. old lab gets along with all dogs, but I can tell some she likes some more than others. We are looking for a male pup she "likes" as much as we do. (Yes, she is also very spoiled)

If you're really worried...borrow someone elses dog for a week and see how your dog behaves with another in the house. Good Luck!

[Bowfin]

See avatar

Got a pup when my old dog was 9 years old. Went OK but the old dog seemed to "age" a bit faster and couldn't keep up to the young one. Had to put the old one down last August - about a year and a half after getting the pup. Having the young dog made the adjustment of losing the old dog easier on the family.

[Jaspernuts]

I have had other dogs in the house and she is fine. She gets along with other dogs really well. She is still very active for her age and I think the pup will keep her active. Gonna sleep on it.

[Todd Caswell]

Go for it, my 11 year old has been through 5 puppies, never had any of her own, currently have a 7 monthe old that she loves to death and picking another one to start tommoro. personally I believe it keeps them young. Right up front she acts like she hates them, used to make me nervouse but give her a couple weeks and there best buddies, male or female.

[pushbutton]

yep, go for it, usually both dogs are better off! i personally would be conscious of sex. if you have a female, who is going to live more than a year and half would probably get a male. if you have a male, either should be fine. this is not full proof and disposition will ultimately determine. i would personally hate too see my old girl, knocked off by the young upstart. i would protect her at the expense of the younger one, which would not be good for the youngster.

[Walleye Guy]

I have a soon to be year 12 year old lab and we brought in one of his sons when he was 7. Things have gone great. The older dog was a great teacher for the young dog as it relates to hunting. They sleep in the same area and they get along great. Had a food competeion issue when we started. Went from leaving food out continuously to doing defined feedings. That has changed in the last couple years. The older dog has slowed down considerably but he still has enough gumption to play with the younger dog each day. the older dog is still the dominant dog but in a much more passive way. I would do it again. There have been a few scuffles but they aren't mean spirited. More of a reminder that the old man is still there. I think the younger dog is extending the life of the older dog.

[DitchPickle13]

I'll throw in another "yes" vote! I got my current male lab (2yrs old now)when my old girl(see Avatar) was almost 10.

I didn't use her for him to learn behind in the field much(some bad habits and she was showing her age and could barely hunt), but she seemed to like having him around. Showed him who was boss every now and then and seemed annoyed at times, but her tail was usually wagging!

I think having a calm old dog around the house helps teach the younger one to follow suit. Also, didn't go a season without a dog to hunt with and it made it easier when I had to put the female down in August.

[jparrucci]

I've been pondering the same question as well. My male brittany is 6, thinking about getting a second one. The breeder I purchased my dog from has a litter being born in about a month, but I decided to wait it out at least another year. I want my yard to be fenced first, and the added expenses were too much for me to take this year. Like one of the other posters, I have no children and my dog is spoiled beyond belief. I have been worried my current dog would lose attention from us too.

[RumRiverRat]

As long as you do not end up with a puppy like my Yellow Lab Bella things should be fine.

My Black Lab Anna was not too happy when we brought the Yellow fur ball home 3 years ago.

Went over as well as a turd in a punch bowl at a party.

I am sure Anna still is hoping she is just here visiting and will eventually leave for good.

[B@ssmaster]

I also say go for it. I had a situation where I brought in a pup to my household 2 consectutive years, so my older male lab had a 7 week old lab and 1 year old lab running around "his" territory. All are males. Was worried about territory, dominance, etc with 3 males. The old guy was great with people but never took to other dogs too well (ask Walleye Guy about that ), which added to my apprehension. So when the time came, I had to introduce both pups under controlled circumstances to the old guy (the old guy in the outdoor kennel, the pup outside the kennel playing and sniffing), and limit thier together time for a while until the bond started to form. There was growling and snarling at first, keeping them separated by the fence probably saved me some vet bills, but after just 2-3 weeks each pup was accepted by the old guy. From there, the slow bonding started to happen. And as others have stated, each of the pups brought some renewed vigor and playfullness back to the old guy as he got used to them. After a short time, all 3 were best friends, always wrestling, always chasing each other. The old guy maintained his Alpha male status in the pack, but became great buds with the other two..... That is not to say they didn't have thier scrapes early on, each of the younger dogs has a small muzzle scar from the old guy, he'd nip them if they got a little too out of place, but as I said, they quickly figured out the game and everyone got along great. My wife and I made sure that we each paid attention to each dog every day, (they got their human one on one time that way) so that none of them felt left out or ignored.

We had to put the old guy down in Aug, the two remaining labs spent the next couple weeks looking for him around the house and kennel, they had formed enough of a bond that I think they missed him.

It comes down to how well the older dog does with other dogs, if yours is like mine and initally not very tolerant, take it slow, they eventually are OK with it.

[CigarGuy]

Great pic's, brings back some memories.

[Hammertime]

Awesome pic! I am doing the same. I had a GSP for 12 years and had to put him down 3 years ago. Being the dog lovers that we are we bought a boxer pup about 2 weeks later to fill the void. I had a 1 year old son at the time and have since had another. Our children are now almost 3 and 4.5, which means i have a little more time for hunting that the past few years, so we put a deposit down on a new GSP pup from Willow Creek Kennels that will be born next week. Our boxer is a great dog, great with kids etc and loves when my buddies bring their dogs over to play, so I think she is going to like having a new friend around, at least I hope? With proper introductions she is good with other dogs, without proper introductions to new dogs she is an alpha female and tries to dominate, but that gets better in just an hour or so after i have done a controlled introduction. Hoping all goes well!

[Jaspernuts]

Well, we have decided to get the 2nd dog. After researching and seeing that most people have had a positive experience, I think it will work out well. She is still young enough that I think she will enjoy having a play partner.

[Boar]

I have a 10 yr old yellow female an recently got a pup of GSP an Choc lab cross. one thing i noticed, an as mentioned above is to geive ecach eqaul time, jelousy dose happen, also the younger pup likes to dominate over the older dog, first to come,first to kennel an take over the older dogs kennel, muscle in on attention, things to watch for. One thing i learned the hard way, is to much time together, I kennel them both up outside one day during the warmspell, came home an rosie was outside the kennel, didnt think to much of it, an kenneled her up, came home an from work an kesha was out side the kennel, upon investigation I found two windows broken an window sills chewd up an clawed, an throwup full of wood chips, Rosie, the older dog was fed up off younger high enrgy pup who wants to wrestle an play, rosie did wat ever it took to get awy from the pesty pup, to much time together. Good luck, Boar

[Jaspernuts]

Update. We picked up our new girl Jewel last Saturday and could not be happier. The older dog and her get along great and play constantly. The older dog plays very gently with her and is careful not to get rough with her. Now if I could only get her not to chew on EVERYTHING!