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Pets, dogs in particular

Rexedgar

Rexedgar

Yo-Semite!
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In Dec09 we picked up Rex. He was an eight week old GSD. He has been a treat. I undertook training and because of my lazy streak we only got to the basics. Sit, stay, lie down, give me a paw and come. "Come" is still up for interpretation. I used an electrical collar once and it hurt me more than Rex, (he got air)!. He is without a doubt the best cared for dog I have ever been involved with. The missus wanted a smaller dog, but she has taken to Rex and it is fun to watch them interact. He had allergies and had to have a referral from a general vet to seee the canine dermatologist. He was shaved on one side 8"x4" and was found to be allergic to a whole host of things, (juniper bushes, clover, and all the other things that seemed to grow on our property. He is my third or fourth dog in adulthood and I made a commitment to him as far as looking to his neeeds. He was by far the easiest to house train. As a small pup, he would come to my side of the bed at night if the need arose and I would dutifully take him out. I was fortunate to retire about four years before my wife. I took the lead in the care and feeding/walking/playing of Rex. I got my first hip replacement when the missus retired and she took the lion share of the mutt's care and feeding for a while. He will pass into his ninth year next month and I cannot imagine life without him. I have thought about another dog to ease the transition, but do not want to upset the equilibrium that we have in the household now. What if Rex sees the new dog as an enemy, what if he senses that the new dog is better liked etc. What are some of the experiences of the dog lovers here as to the transition from dog to dog or from dog to no dog?
 
Rexedgar said:
In Dec09 we picked up Rex. He was an eight week old GSD. He has been a treat. I undertook training and because of my lazy streak we only got to the basics. Sit, stay, lie down, give me a paw and come. "Come" is still up for interpretation. I used an electrical collar once and it hurt me more than Rex, (he got air)!. He is without a doubt the best cared for dog I have ever been involved with. The missus wanted a smaller dog, but she has taken to Rex and it is fun to watch them interact. He had allergies and had to have a referral from a general vet to seee the canine dermatologist. He was shaved on one side 8"x4" and was found to be allergic to a whole host of things, (juniper bushes, clover, and all the other things that seemed to grow on our property. He is my third or fourth dog in adulthood and I made a commitment to him as far as looking to his neeeds. He was by far the easiest to house train. As a small pup, he would come to my side of the bed at night if the need arose and I would dutifully take him out. I was fortunate to retire about four years before my wife. I took the lead in the care and feeding/walking/playing of Rex. I got my first hip replacement when the missus retired and she took the lion share of the mutt's care and feeding for a while. He will pass into his ninth year next month and I cannot imagine life without him. I have thought about another dog to ease the transition, but do not want to upset the equilibrium that we have in the household now. What if Rex sees the new dog as an enemy, what if he senses that the new dog is better liked etc. What are some of the experiences of the dog lovers here as to the transition from dog to dog or from dog to no dog?
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It's really up to how Rex feels about other dogs. How does he behave when you take him to the dog park? Does he interact playfully? Or, does he shy away and stand behind you?

Rex could have some possession issues when it comes to his home, his food, his people, that you haven't seen yet because you've only had Rex. He's more likely to have those issues with another male dog rather than a female dog. You can often introduce a new puppy more easily than a grown dog, because the first dog doesn't see the other one as a threat.

It really all depends on Rex's temperament toward other dogs. Some GSDs are pretty high-drive dogs, while others are milder. Is he neutered? Has he ever gotten into a fight with another dog?
 
HowardBThiname said:
It's really up to how Rex feels about other dogs. How does he behave when you take him to the dog park? Does he interact playfully? Or, does he shy away and stand behind you?

Rex could have some possession issues when it comes to his home, his food, his people, that you haven't seen yet because you've only had Rex. He's more likely to have those issues with another male dog rather than a female dog. You can often introduce a new puppy more easily than a grown dog, because the first dog doesn't see the other one as a threat.

It really all depends on Rex's temperament toward other dogs. Some GSDs are pretty high-drive dogs, while others are milder. Is he neutered? Has he ever gotten into a fight with another dog?
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Rex was neutered in the last year. He was exposed to other dogs at a dog park when he was intact and there were no troubles. He boards with German short haired pointers and there are no reports of aggressive behavior. Rex is very schedule oriented, certain time for his evening ice (doesn't have much use for ice at other times during the day). After dinner play is expected and in good weather he wants his playtime with the garden hose. My position is purely selfish as I don't want to experience a time without a pet. Once the plunge is taken there is not much to be done if things don't work, unless we don't become attatched to the new hound. Thanks for the reply...
 
Rexedgar said:
Rex was neutered in the last year. He was exposed to other dogs at a dog park when he was intact and there were no troubles. He boards with German short haired pointers and there are no reports of aggressive behavior. Rex is very schedule oriented, certain time for his evening ice (doesn't have much use for ice at other times during the day). After dinner play is expected and in good weather he wants his playtime with the garden hose. My position is purely selfish as I don't want to experience a time without a pet. Once the plunge is taken there is not much to be done if things don't work, unless we don't become attatched to the new hound. Thanks for the reply...
Click to expand...

Sounds like Rex is a good prospect for being a big brother. I'd still go with a puppy because you can mold its behavior more easily than a full-grown dog that might come with its own issues. Just introduce them slowly and give the new one a bowl of its own and a separate place to sleep at first. Let Rex have his space until they both adapt.

And, you'll fall in love with a new one -- just as you did with Rex.
 
Please don't ever use a shock collar on a dog again. :( It's cruel and unnecessary.
 
Rexedgar said:
Rex was neutered in the last year. He was exposed to other dogs at a dog park when he was intact and there were no troubles. He boards with German short haired pointers and there are no reports of aggressive behavior. Rex is very schedule oriented, certain time for his evening ice (doesn't have much use for ice at other times during the day). After dinner play is expected and in good weather he wants his playtime with the garden hose. My position is purely selfish as I don't want to experience a time without a pet. Once the plunge is taken there is not much to be done if things don't work, unless we don't become attatched to the new hound. Thanks for the reply...
Click to expand...

I brought a young dog in while I still had an old dog and frankly, it was very hard on my old dog. In retrospect, I probably should have waited. When my old dog died last year, though, I will say that having the younger dog here helped me a lot.
 
HowardBThiname said:
Sounds like Rex is a good prospect for being a big brother. I'd still go with a puppy because you can mold its behavior more easily than a full-grown dog that might come with its own issues. Just introduce them slowly and give the new one a bowl of its own and a separate place to sleep at first. Let Rex have his space until they both adapt.

And, you'll fall in love with a new one -- just as you did with Rex.
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While one is still a puppy it may work fine. When we adopted a second dumped dog as a puppy the two (both are unfixed males) got along fine in a single pen (12' x 50') but when the puppy reached nearly the size of our original dumped dog (who was also adopted as a puppy) fights between them became more more common and more serious (both drew blood from the other) and they now require separate pens and get along much better as neighbors than pen mates.
 
X Factor said:
I brought a young dog in while I still had an old dog and frankly, it was very hard on my old dog. In retrospect, I probably should have waited. When my old dog died last year, though, I will say that having the younger dog here helped me a lot.
Click to expand...

If you get another dog when this one is older, one thing you could do is adopt a senior dog. One of my friends basically adopts the older dogs, because they are harding to find homes for. Yes, they do have a shorter time with him.. but rather than being put down, they have a home for a number of years.

If you have an older dog, getting another older dog would be less stressful on the first dog.
 
Rexedgar said:
In Dec09 we picked up Rex. He was an eight week old GSD. He has been a treat. I undertook training and because of my lazy streak we only got to the basics. Sit, stay, lie down, give me a paw and come. "Come" is still up for interpretation. I used an electrical collar once and it hurt me more than Rex, (he got air)!. He is without a doubt the best cared for dog I have ever been involved with. The missus wanted a smaller dog, but she has taken to Rex and it is fun to watch them interact. He had allergies and had to have a referral from a general vet to seee the canine dermatologist. He was shaved on one side 8"x4" and was found to be allergic to a whole host of things, (juniper bushes, clover, and all the other things that seemed to grow on our property. He is my third or fourth dog in adulthood and I made a commitment to him as far as looking to his neeeds. He was by far the easiest to house train. As a small pup, he would come to my side of the bed at night if the need arose and I would dutifully take him out. I was fortunate to retire about four years before my wife. I took the lead in the care and feeding/walking/playing of Rex. I got my first hip replacement when the missus retired and she took the lion share of the mutt's care and feeding for a while. He will pass into his ninth year next month and I cannot imagine life without him. I have thought about another dog to ease the transition, but do not want to upset the equilibrium that we have in the household now. What if Rex sees the new dog as an enemy, what if he senses that the new dog is better liked etc. What are some of the experiences of the dog lovers here as to the transition from dog to dog or from dog to no dog?
Click to expand...

I thought getting a second dog was a good idea once... not. They tolerated each other, usually. We're down to one dog again, an 11 yo English Setter as we had to put down our almost 16 yo Brittney this spring. You would think to similarly, friendly temperament dogs would get along better. Probably the biggest problem was the Setter has space issues, which you can't know when you bring it home as a puppy.
 
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