Would Your Dog Be Happier With a Second Dog?

Most often, bringing home a new dog will enrich your current dog's quality of life. But not always. When to say 'yes,' when to decide 'no.'

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“Initially, in partnerships between people and dogs, dogs weren’t locked up in houses alone,” the Head of the Tufts Animal Behavior Clinic, Stephanie Borns-Weil, DVM, points out. “They got to go with people everywhere. They and their human companions were always together.” Even less than 100 years ago, many companion dogs did not sit in the house until they were walked once or twice a day but were allowed to roam the neighborhood on their own, with fewer cars on local roads to threaten their safety. Today, the opportunity for dogs to socialize is in many cases greatly diminished. Thus, the decision whether to bring home a second dog is often a decision between no companionship for most of the daylight hours and constant companionship.

And “because dogs are highly social creatures,” Dr. Borns-Weil says, in most cases, “getting another dog is the right thing to do. Dogs in isolation are not happy.” Even if you are home with your dog much of the day, a second dog in the family might very well be the right choice.

“I believe that dogs in general are happier with other dogs,” the doctor posits. “It’s hard on social creatures not to live with their co-species members.” Indeed, it would not be fun to live with very loving dogs but not have other people around.

But how do you choose? And in which cases would it not be a good idea to bring a second dog into the home?

Hastily Picking a Second Dog Can Lead to Personality Clashes

“I’ve always had dogs in pairs,” Dr. Borns-Weil says. Yet some of those pairs did better together than others. For instance, at one time there was Lucky the male hound mix and Patches the female Tibetan terrier. And they got on famously. They shared toys, played and barked together, and would lie side by side on a mat eating Greenies. Lucky really relied on Patches during walks. He was fearful of city sights and sounds, and Patches would remain close to him and if needed, lick his ears for support. “Patches was clearly lonely after Lucky died,” Dr. Borns-Weil says, “so I brought home Dobby,” a rat terrier mix. “But Patches never really bonded well with Dobby.

“They’d stay together on the bed, they’d back each other up. But when Patches died and I brought home Koshi [a Doberman] for Dobby, I saw anew what closely bonded dogs really look like. They chose to sit in the same place, cuddle up together. It was so sweet. Dobby would sit in Koshi’s lap. When Koshi was dying [prematurely, from bone cancer], for the last three weeks Dobby never left his side.

Why is it so hit-and-miss? One reason, says Dr. Borns-Weil, is that often, “you get a second dog because somebody needs to find a place for a dog, and you quickly find a way to make it work” for the dog you already have. That’s what happened with Doberman Koshi. “Koshi was originally my sister-in-law’s dog,” the doctor says. In the meantime, “my mother-in-law had adopted a rescue dog who was not adapting well to the urban setting where she lived. She was getting more and more aggressive toward people, and my mother-in-law found it difficult to desensitize her in the urban environment, where she could not control contact with people. So that dog went to live with my sister-in-law in rural Pennsylvania. And Koshi, who had a hard time getting all the cuddling he wanted in my sister-in-law’s multi-dog home, came to live with Dobby and us.” In that case, it worked out very smoothly, but it doesn’t always, even if it’s not an emergency situation.

Consider that a lot of people take their dog to the shelter to look for a second one, in the hope that bringing along the first pet will allow for that dog’s input and, ultimately, a better match. But it’s a form of speed dating, Dr. Borns-Weil says. It’s hard to tell from one, or even two or three visits to the shelter, whether two dogs will do okay together over the long run.

“When I wanted to get a new dog for Patches,” Dr. Borns-Weil notes, “we went to the shelter, and I made a short list of dogs that I liked and that she liked. We chose Dobby, and it turned out that when I got them home, it wasn’t the best match. Patches would never have ‘popped the question’ if she and Dobby had gone on more dates.

“A dog might enjoy another dog initially,” she says. But the two dogs may not display their full range of behaviors in that situation, and they have to make a quick decision based on initial impressions. We’re layering our own best judgment over that to create what is essentially an arranged marriage that may or may not work to best advantage.”

Dr. Borns-Weil doesn’t regret bringing Dobby home, and she doesn’t think Patches regretted it, either. “They were co-dogs, and they did okay,” she says. Patches wasn’t left by herself in the house all day, and Dobby was given a forever home. Dobby just wasn’t able to break through Patches’ independent nature.

Given the unknowns of putting two dogs together forever after just a short meet-and-greet or two, is there anything people can do to increase the chances the two pets will at least feel okay about each other, making the addition of a second dog a net gain instead of a net loss for dog number one? Absolutely.

One thing to keep in mind is that two dogs in the same household almost always work it out; their social natures just won’t let it play out any other way. Second, it’s not all about chemistry. There are some good rules-of-thumb to apply.

What We Know About Adding A Second Dog

While you can be reasonably sure when bringing home a second dog that your first dog will be better off for the company but never certain just how well it’s going to work, following the three rules here will increase your chances of a better pairing.

1. Generally speaking, don’t shoot for female-to-female. It isn’t that two female dogs never get along. In fact, it’s not common for two dogs of any gender to fight if they live in the same household. But two different studies have shown that fighting dogs are more apt to be both female. Mixed gender sets or neutered male-plus-male is more likely to work, Dr. Borns-Weil says.

2. Activity similarity is more important than breed similarity. “Breed similarity helps to the extent that there are behaviors more common to some breeds than others,” Dr. Borns-Weil says, so two dogs will likely “get” each other. But when pairing dogs, “breed” is really only important as a marker for activity levels and proclivities. “It helps to have dogs with similar exercise capacities and who like to do similar things,” she remarks. A dog who’s something of a slug and a dog who likes a lot of activity may have some challenges finding common ground.

At least as important, it can be harder for you if you have two dogs with different interests and different ideas of a good time. Having a dog who likes to romp through the woods for an hour or more and a dog who simply enjoys playing fetch for 10 minutes and then just wants to sniff some bushes before going back to the house means you’re going to have some difficulties satisfying the instincts of both. It makes catering to your two dogs’ needs more time-consuming.

3. Similar age doesn’t matter as much as similar health status. A lot of people suppose that it’s important that the second dog be around the same age of the first. Or, conversely, they wonder whether bringing a puppy or fairly young dog into the house will revitalize an older dog. But rather than resting the choice of a second dog on age, Dr. Borns-Weil suggests resting it more on what your first dog is up for. For instance, she says, “an older dog can get revitalized by the introduction of a younger dog, but only if the older dog is not so sickly or slow that a young dog would just become a stressor.” You cannot turn an arthritis-ridden pet in pain into a frisky young one just because a new dog brought into the household has energy to burn.

“I once had a dog, Otis May, with severe hip dysplasia,” Dr. Borns-Weil recounts. “This was before the days of total hip replacements. When her canine companion died, I got her a tiny companion because she could not tolerate rough and tumble.”

How to Help Your Dogs Get Along

There’s a lot that goes into how you introduce a new dog into the household that will influence how your first dog takes to his new “sibling,” Dr. Borns-Weil says. “Oftentimes,” she remarks, “everybody’s really excited about the new dog and wants to give it all this extra attention.” And the new pet does need to be treated kindly in order to become acclimated to the household. “But the old dog can feel kind of pushed to the side, and that can strain the relationship between the two of them,” the doctor points out.

The way to avoid that is as follows: when you bring the new dog in, err on the side of giving priority access for everything to your first dog. “Let them know they’re your number one dog,” Dr. Borns-Weil says. They should be fed first, petted first, given treats first, and so on. It also helps to have a good solid rule structure for both dogs so everyone is clear about what happens when and under what conditions. The command-response-reward program, in which the dogs must obey a simple command such as “sit” before receiving valued resources, is an excellent way of obtaining the needed structure.

Over time, she says, the dogs will work out for themselves what really matters to each of them. They will determine amongst themselves who has priority access to which resources. For the dog who was there first, food may be the most important thing, so always, that dog’s bowl should be filled first. But for the newer dog, it may shake out that it’s more important to be stroked along the muzzle first or given a beloved toy first. That’s okay. You’ll learn by watching, over months and maybe even the first year or two, what counts most to each.

This is how dogs determine dominance, by the way. Dominance for them is not about a fixed hierarchy but, rather, is a shifting phenomenon tied to which valued resources have the most meaning in each situation. That is, dogs make peace by giving in when something is really important to the other one, not by choosing who’s top dog in all situations. They are much better diplomats than we are, never making a wholesale grab for status.

26 COMMENTS

  1. This does not help me decide after my female husky died Friday. I cannot tell if he is grieving for her or how he feels.

  2. Not all dogs like having another dog around. Mine really prefers the luxury of being the ‘only child’. His situation precludes us from even considering the idea (he’s old, has severe arthritis and hip dysplasia, plus eye problems). His medication is almost $200 per month!

    • But that is because your dog only knows one way. What the article is saying is dogs in general are adaptable people. I suspect it’s people who are not so comfortable with initial boundary setting that can be challenging.

  3. Re Gail’s comment. It’s been my experience with my multi dog household that many of my pets have grieved and need that time to process their loss before even considering a new companion. Also when I have had to euthanize a dog at the vets I always bring the body home for the other animals to see before taking for cremation. That way they know what happened. Responses have varied depending on the age/maturity/relationship—some have looked profoundly sad and almost bow their head. Others sat vigil by the body. Young dogs have even tried to wake the deceased dog. One left the room and didn’t want to see the body.
    I have had several dog/cat combinations that were as close as any same species I have had. One cat showed serious grief symptoms after his dog friend died for several months and I had to give extra attention and stimulate play to get him feeling better. Some months after that I introduced a new puppy who he at first bossed and later became friends.
    And I agree the females will often get testy with one another. I have 4 neutered males and they are best buds.

    • I have had similar experiences as Sharon had concerning my dog’s grief over their canine companion’s death.
      I also strongly agree that it is very important for the surviving dog(s) to see/smell the body so they get closure.
      Several years ago when we had to have our dear 13 year old boxer boy Rocky euthanized we employed an “in-home” vet service for the procedure, whereby the DVM and an assistant come to your home so we got time with Rocky and were on the floor with him when he left us. It was most respectful and when it was over we had a few minutes with him before we then let his “younger sister”, a 6 year old English Bulldog into the room to see him- she took one sniff, looked at him for a few seconds and then went straight to her bed where she stayed for 2 days…it took over a month for her to get back to almost normal- but she now has two “little brothers”, a pair of boxer brothers which are very respectful of her and will play with her as she wishes- they play hard with each other and box and run together but are much gentler with her- dogs are truly remarkable animals.

  4. Wow, this is a very helpful article about the pet. I also bought a Pet Supplies with the help of the Barkbox Promo Code and this is the best way to buy a pet with a discount. Well, I hope this article has helped you and I hope it has shed some light on the challenge of saving money oan your pet supplies regardless of whether you use the pet supply store or an online store.

  5. Back in Oct. of 2017, Evie, my long haired Chihuahua lost her 2nd dog ‘husband’ Peewee to a fungal eye infection. We went to the Starbucks drive thru for pupacinos every night for 3 months. She was 13.5 years old and I wasn’t going to do any more dogs BUT when Evie started wanting to be with all the other dogs in the ‘hood, I knew she needed a 3rd dog husband. I decided SHE needed to pick #3 as they would be together while I was at work and this was HER Queendomain. We went to multiple rescues and the 6th dog was HER pick! He was 4 years old, I paid the bill and home we went and have lived HAPPILY ever since!
    HE is amazing and Evie is a cougar queen!

  6. I was thinking it would be better to get a puppy. My cockapoo is 4 with plenty of energy and I thought he would have fun and be less jealous of a puppy. Thoughts?

    • My experience is that jealousy is not what you should worry about but rather 1) whether you are ready and up for what a puppy takes time and energy wise; 2) whether your current dog is interested in and tolerant of puppies and their attention demands. There are plenty of energetic dogs who are better suited to adding an adult dog playmate with the same amount of energy rather than a puppy who has different demands. Several of my dogs have been very intolerant of puppies but are happy to play with other adults. So I have in those situations adopted adults. If your dog likes puppies and is patient with them then consider adopting one. The idea of jealousy being a problem could actually backfire because the puppy takes a lot more hands on time and work so your dog might have less tolerance for another dog that essentially makes them feel second fiddle.

  7. I have a Lab/Husky. Her lab personality sta do out. Very friendly. She is 2 1/2 yrs old but seems lonely for another dog to play with. BUT she goes after small dogs viciously. I was thinking of getting a Lab dog. Don’t know if I should get a male or Female. She has been spade. I would appreciate an opinion. I have a small Jack. Russell male but they don’t play together.

    • I have the same exact situation. We want a 2nd dog, but worry our current dog will not be good with the puppy since she seems to be aggressive towards smaller dogs.

  8. The article was very good, but never addressed when you should not add a second dog, the titling seemed to indicate that it would

  9. my lab of 11 years passed away and his fur companion (chocolate lab) is so lonely. she knew him since a puppy and thinking of getting another lab for her. This article helped a lot to make the decision and makes sense when i look back at the companionship between my chocolate lab and the kab that just passed away.

  10. I have a 7yr old toy poodle that very much likes being an only child but he is very hands off. I want a dog to cuddle and lay in my lap. Is it selfish of me to get another dog?

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  17. Thanks for the helpful information. I retire next March and want to get 2 dogs, but now I will get one and wait a year to get a second puppy. I did not know that you shouldn’t get 2 puppies from the same litter.

  18. I am 67 & got my 1st dog ever 2 1/2 years ago after outgrowing my allergies. I am head-over-heals in love with Kai, our 2 1/2 year old Border Collie, Golden, St. Bernard mix. He loves most other dogs , (though he does get jealous when I pet them) & is sad after visiting dogs leave. & he is very sensitive. Though we walk him 2 miles every morning in our rural neighborhood & my husband & I are home with him most of the time (we’re retired) & take him with us much of the time, he seems bored during the day. I’m a bit concerned that I wouldn’t be able to love & adore another dog the way I love him. & we don’t think we can fit another dog in the kennel in our camper van. If we get a small dog (only if it’s not yippy) it won’t be able to keep up with us when we go hiking.

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