From: srlee@beta.lanl.gov (Stephen R Lee)
Subject: Re: Need Thoughts on getting second dog
Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory
Distribution: na
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1993 19:15:59 GMT

In article <1993Jan6.080143.27785@midway.uchicago.edu> betsy@rainbow.uchicago.edu (Betsy Weatherhead) writes:
>Carol S. was asking about getting a second dog, and I am very interested
>in people's experiences on this subject.  Often people come into our
>shelter looking for a second dog.  I'd like to advise them well.
>
>My own impressions from talking to people is that two dogs are a little
>more work than one dog, unless the dogs require a lot of grooming.

I agree.  By definition, two dogs will be more work than one.  How
*much* more work is subjective and variable.

[stuff deleted]

>And you can usually tell if two dogs are going to work out
>in about two weeks time.  I've had many people bring their dogs in to

I suppose this is true.  I still think that it is extremely variable, and
is to a large extent a function of the paitience of the people involved.

>meet prospective second dogs.  It's my impression that this meeting 
>isn't as important as matching the dogs' personalities. An overly 
>aggressive with a very timid dog doesn't work well.  And two very
>aggressive dogs could be asking for trouble.  

Right.  There are several things that one can do to stack the deck
in your favor.  A couple of obvious things are to pair dogs of opposite
sex and to have both dogs neutered.  Another is that when the new dog
*is* selected, have him/her meet the other dog(s) in a neutral location,
like a park, under playful conditions.  This seems to help a lot in most
situations I have been involved in.

>Beyond that, it's best
>to let the dogs work out their own hierarchy.  

This is certainly true.  If one steps in too often, you will prolong any
determination of a hierarchy on the part of the dogs.  You will also
prove to be a rather unstable alpha in the eyes of both the new dog and 
especially to your established dog(s), which can lead to very nasty dominance
battles between dogs, and eventually, between you and the "top contender."
It is perfectly normal for the dogs to growl at one another, raise lips, 
mount one another, and even grab one another with their mouths.  This is how 
they communicate with one another.  Sometimes these kinds of scraps can
be rather loud.  Usually, these things will occur between older dogs and
will occur frequently at the begining of the relationship, that is, when
they are first introduced.  They will gradually taper off as a hierarchy
develops, that is, when one dog emerges as being dominant over the other.
Then, only rarely will these kinds of scraps occur.  My experience has
been that true fights are rare events indeed.  I have only had one that
I know of.

>More than one real (blood-
>drawing) fight in the first week, and I'd start to think about returning
>the dog.  

Perhaps.  I would prefer to try and examine the cause(s) and see a I can
come up with another remidy first.  For example, a lot of people make
the mistake right off to feed the dogs together.  Particularly for dogs
that are "getting used to one another," very nasty "blood-drawing" fights
can ensue.  In this example, the obvious solution is to physically separate
the dogs before feeding, rather than return the agressor or the agressee.
The dogs may get along perfectly well at other times. 


>But I really gravitate toward less aggressive dogs.  It
>certainly helps if both dogs have experienced multiple dog homes before,
>or are young enough (under a 18 months?) to adapt.

Socialization is the key.  When I got my second dog, I had a mutt that was
7 years old.  He was used to being the only dog in the house.  He,
unfortunately, was not socialized terribly well.  In his case, introduction
of a *puppy* was much easier, as he did not feel as threatened and he had
time to adjust.  It was my fault for not exposing him to enough other dogs
when he was little.  I was not as enlightened then about dogs and their
behavior as I am now :-).  However, with some effort, he did make the adjustment.
He is now 10 yrs old, and since that time I have added two additional dogs.
The latest addition was another Siberian, ad adoption from the local
Humane Shelter.  SHe was about a year old at the time.  Becuase the rest of
the "pack" had been very very well socialized by this time, the addition 
of the new dog was a snap.  Within one day all had adjusted and it was like
the new dog had always been there.  In my opinion, the absolute key to success
like this is socialization.  WIthout this, the dogs do not know how to communitate
with one another and that is when most of the fights start.  There are some
breed differences, and with sled dogs like this, the pack instinct is very
strong, whereas with other dogs it is not as strong.  However, I still feel
that any well socialized dogs can live together happily.

It is also very important to make sure that the new dog bonds with you and
your family rather than just with the other dog(s) in the household.  This
also brings me to my next point, which is to make sure that you stay in
control, that all of your dogs still see you as the pack alpha.  One does
this by being firm but fair in all of your decisions and interventions, not favoring 
any one dog, and by spending quality time with each dog individually as well
as the "pack."   Once this is accomplished, the dogs will relish each others
company as well as yours, and you will have a harmonious and happy pack.

>
>-- 
>                              O             betsy@rainbow.uchicago.edu
>_          __                  \            
>  \      /    \       -- >      O           E. C. Weatherhead
>   \ __ /      \ __ /          /            5734 S. Ellis  Chicago, 60637


-- 
============================================================
Stephen R. Lee                 | 
OooWoo Racing Kennel           | I'd rather be driving sled
E-Mail: srlee@beta.lanl.gov    | dogs.
From: karenk@hpgrla.gr.hp.com (Karen Klemm)
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 1993 18:00:35 GMT
Subject: Brewer's Yeast?
Organization: Hewlett-Packard, Greeley, CO