An interesting article by the Humane Society of Santa Clara Valley.

After reading this article, I thought it would be interesting
to share it with you. I, myself have four dogs in my household,
(2-males and 2-females). It is truly a challenge and if you do not
have the time, don't do it.



Before you bring
a second dog into
your home



So you’re thinking about adding another dog to your
family.
Congratulations and our sympathy at the same
time. A second dog can add an extra special family
member and yet at the same time provide many
headaches.
Our goal here at the Humane Society of Santa
Clara Valley is to place each dog in a PERMANENT
and loving home.
In order for us to reach this objective,
we need your help. You can support us in this aim by
being fully prepared for a second dog and what it may
do to your family. Please truthfully ask yourself the
following questions:

Ask yourself before you get
that second dog:

1. Do you have additional funds (money) to pay
for a second set of yearly vaccinations, food, toys,
crates, licenses, and training classes? The average
yearly cost of adding a second dog into your household
is about $350.

2. Do you have spare time right now that you can
willingly fill with cleaning the yard, grooming a
second animal, training a second dog, feeding and
exercising a second dog? You can count on spending
about an additional five hours per week with your dogs
when you add that second dog to your household.

3. Do you have additional funds to pay for damage
your second dog may cause to your house or yard?
(Or that your first dog, or heaven forbid, both dogs may
do to your household?) Adding a new dog can cause
your old dog to misbehave. Then you may have two
destructive dogs.

4. Are you ready to deal with some canine rivalry?
Dogs have a natural pecking order, one dog must be
dominant, and the other submissive. Dominant dogs
eat first, get petted first, go through doorways first, are
able to hog all the toys and bones, get the leash put on
first, and get the choice sleeping spot. To avoid any
aggression you need to treat the dominant dog as the
“TOP DOG” even if you think it is not fair. Your old
dog may be the submissive member in the pack. Are
you ready to treat him as such? (Dogs do not view the
world in terms of fairness or equality. If you try to treat
your dog “pack” fairly you may undermine the dominant
dog’s position and cause him to become even more
aggressive toward the submissive dog because he feels
his position is threatened.)

5. Is your current dog friendly to most other dogs
and people? The chances of finding a second dog to
get along with your dog who may be a bully is quite
slim. However, training your current dog can make him
more accepting of other dogs. So if you really want a
second dog, attend a training class with your current dog
first. If your current dog is not friendly toward people,
your new dog may learn to be shy as well. Do you really
want two fearful dogs in your house then?

6. Does your old dog have any behavior problems
such as excessive barking, destruction, aggression
or fearfulness? Dogs mimic and learn from each
other. So if you are getting a new dog in the hopes your
old dog will not bark as much, you may end up with
TWO barking dogs instead of none like you planned.
Or vice versa! The new dog may teach your old dog
that barking, digging, getting into the garbage, stealing
your underwear, or chewing is awfully fun! A dog who
already has behavior problems is not cured by getting
him a playmate. In fact, in many cases they become
worse. You need to work with your current dog to
resolve his behavior problems first, before you can
successfully add a second dog to your family.

7. Have you recently had a change in your family
such as marriage, divorce, job change, death, a new
baby, new room-mate, or moved to a new residence?
These are all very high stresses that can cause you and
your dog to react negatively to the addition of a new
friend. It is better to wait until all major changes in your
life are settled and your household is once again serene.

8. Do you really like your dog the way he/she is
now? Adding a second dog to your household WILL
change your dog in many ways. Are you ready to accept
that? If you really like a dog that is people-friendly, then
do not get another dog. Dogs, given the opportunity
will bond to each other, rather than you. Think of it this
way, if your dog is spending more time with his new
buddy (let’s say at least 12 hours a day), who do you
think he is going to be more attached to? The one he
spends the most time with of course! Certainly not you,
if you only spend eight hours at home and your dog
spends six of those hours outside with his new buddy.
scoring your answers
If you have answered truthfully to all the questions above
and have come up with even one “NO” on questions 1
through 5, then this is a bad time for you to add a second
family member to your household. Wait until you can
answer questions 1 through 5 with a resounding “YES”
before looking for that special addition. If you answered
“YES” to questions 6 or 7, then you need to think very
long and hard about adding a second dog to your
household as it may have disastrous effects on your entire
family “pack”.
Question 8 was added just to help you understand that
your dog will change with the addition of another dog in
your household. Some people report their old dogs are
happier and more playful with another dog around, but
more often, people report that their old dog seems
unhappy and unsure about things.
Did you answer all questions 1-5 with a “YES” and
questions 6-7 with a “NO”? Then you are in a good
position to adopt a second dog into your household! It
will take some extra work, patience and understanding
on your part to learn to live with two dogs, but your new
dog and hopefully your current dog, will thank you for
it!
If you have any questions about adding a second dog to
your family, please call the Humane Society of Santa
Clara Valley’s free Animal Behavior Helpline at (408)
727-3383, extension 753