Dear all,

I know many homes keep several dogs, some of whom may be of similar or different breed. I was thinking about getting another dog to keep my pup company (but only when he's a little older).

What do people feel about mixing dog breeds as companions? I have a lab and would have hundreds if I could, but my partner is fond of Border Collies. I would eventually think of perhaps adopting a rescue dog if their temperamant was fine. Do people have any opinions on this?

As I said at the moment its just an idea but as dogs are pack animals it seems sensible to me so to keep company of their own...

Let me know your thoughts!

Francy
x

How about a baguette and a cottage loaf :-) (sorry)
Jane

sorry, I'm a bit thick today, but it took me ages to figure that one out :D :D :o

Not me Elaine. I've been sitting here PMSL.:D :D :D
ROFLOL DOT :D

I keep a GSD, GSP and JRTxPBGV together without any problems. The only thing you have to be careful is that you get dogs that have the similar exercise needs otherwise you end doing seperate walks. With my three it works because the shepherd trots along wiith me, the pointer can be spotted as a flash occasionally as he charges around & appearing out of nowhere and the little one just does as he pleases most of the time with his nose down something. Ingrid

I have a springer, gwp and 2 pointers - soon to be joined by another pointer. I find these breeds pretty compatable and require pretty much the same amount of exercise and their needs are pretty similar. I wouldn't be able to go back to a single dog household now.

Helen

hi helen,
i couldnt either go back to a one dog household,it can be manic here at times but once you get used to it , it becomes the norm,one dog household for me now would be so empty and boring almost.

jackie

We've got a 13mth old Cocker Spaniel and next weekend we're getting a Working Bearded Collie puppy.

I've got no idea how they'll get along but I'm hoping for the best :)

I do know someone who's got a Great Dane and a Yorkshire Terrier so mixing breeds can be done successfully - i just hope that it works for us.

Fiona
x x x

Fiona
Are you sure it's not a breaded collie you're getting. :-)
Sorry I know this is supposed to be serious.
Jane

My Border Collie pup spends his weekdays with a lab, and they get on great; they are always tearing around playing. We had both of them over xmas though, and it was not a relaxing time! :D

Francy

We have an Akita and a Lab and they get on really well - sleep together as well as playing together.

The only pieces of advice I was given (which I think was sensible) was to introduce the other dog before the first dog was too old i.e. still a puppy but confident of it's place in the pack and to get a puppy that you know the background on. This is great for a number of reasons.

a) the first dog, as it is still a puppy, wants to play with most things and will most probably seen a new dog as a play friend as opposed to an opponent.
b) the new puppy will not miss it's litter mates as much as the new home comes ready made with a new play mate (mine got on straight away even though the akita weigh in at 6 times what the lab weighed!)
c)With a puppy from a breeder (as opposed to a rescue dog) you have a better chance of knowing what it will grow up like in temperament as you will be able to meet the parents.

Hope that helps

PS If you are thinking of getting an Akita - think long and hard - they are very hard work as they must be one of the most stubborn dogs I have ever come across - they will only do what you want if they really feel like it!!! Unlike the lab that just wants to please!

I'v got 5 Boston Terriers and a hybrid, we use to have a shepherd collie till she passed away.

My friend has 2 Rotts, 1 British pit cross, and has an English bulldog all females and get along great. The only one's she got as pup was 1 Rott and the English the other ones were rescued. They were over a year old when she rescued them, and they all fit in good together. She treats them just like her children, they are her kids. She even bought them a child size bed to sleep in, winter coats ect., they are spoiled.

ttfn :)

Hello...

Thanks for all the advice...I really would like to get my pup a companion so my partner and I will have a talk.

Dollface your story of your friend made me laugh but its also a really good idea to give the dogs an old bed together! how do you fit all your dogs in your home? Do they have one giant kennel?

I live in a normal semi detached with a big garden (and a cat) but obviously would want the hounds to have enough space.

Hi Franc,

I do have 2 big kennels but only one BT (Dozer) is kenneled at night, Junior I just leave his kennel open, T-Bone sleep on the chair in our living room, Tiva sleeps with my daughter, Raucus the pup sleeps with my son, and Taz sleeps on the livingroom carpet.
The only one that gets kenneled is Dozer.
6 dogs I sure got a house full, but love every minute of it and would never change it.

All my friends dogs are inside as well :)
ttfn :)

Timb...

Thanks for the advice. Can you tell me what age your first dog was when you got the second. My pup is 14 weeks so I'm not sure when would be the best time.

My last dog (a lab) lived on his own his whole life and I always felt bad he couldn't play with another as he was fab with other dogs.

I thought about another pup, I just though a mature rescue dog with a good temperamant could parent my pup! But perhaps 2 pups would be better.

Franc, i have three dogs at the present time. I would never go back to having just one.
I have a friend who has a standard wire haired dachshund, and under no circumstances would she allow her owner to have a second dog. She tolerates other peoples dogs and occasionally plays with them when she is out for a walk, but wouldn't be happy if another one came to live in the house. You need to consider your own dogs personality before taking on any other dogs.
The other thing i would like to say is, be careful the breeds aren't too different in size. I have three miniature dachshunds and although mine get on quite well with my friends GSD's, they need to be watched so that they are not trampled. One of my dogs came to me because the owner had to have her mother PTS (the dogs mother that is). She was one of several dogs in the house, another being a border collie pup. The pup had become a bit over boisterous one day and played too roughly with the mini smooth, causing the mini smooth back problems, which unfortunately resulted in ending with her being pts.

Dot

Will you please explain the joke from above.............well over my head :D :D

The topic title refers to "breads" not "breeds"!!:D :D

Hi DOGS it is to do with the spelling at the Topic Heading :)
Gina

Francy

My first dog was 8-9 months old when I got the second, which I personally think is about as late as you would want to leave it in my circumstances.

I am out at work all day and pop home at lunch time for 30 mins, so my dogs are on their own a lot - the main reason why I wanted two. Also I was planning on kennelling them together (which I have done) so need to be sure that they would get on together okay.

I think if you are around all day then bringing in an older dog shouldn't be a problem.

I needed to think long and hard because akitas can be known to be dog aggressive but as mine hadn't shown any such tendancies I thought I could risk it - and it work. I was thinking of getting another akita but that would have meant getting a dog, as I have a bitch already and every akita breeder I talked to said not to have same sex dogs, especially bitches as they will most probably fight, I didn't want to get my Kia (the akita) neutered/spayed (whatever the correct term is ) as I may breed from her in the future so could never have a dog with her as you could just imagine the mess I would be in!!!

What is your dog like? Has he been socialised a lot? You should get a good idea of what he will be like with a new dog by seeing what he is like with other dogs.

Let us know how you get on

Regards

Tim

I would disagree with getting a second dog when the first is still a puppy. Young enough to enjoy a new playmate yes, but not that young. All mine have been 2 or 3 years apart, the longer gap being better. It means the older dog whould be well trained and have established patterns of behaviour, therby setting 9we hope) a good example for new puppy, and giving you the chnce to concentrat3e on pupy training, knowing that you don't have to worry too mcuh about the older ones training anymore (though training time should still be set aside).

Another thing to bear in mind is that the older dog will be mature, and by the time the youngster gets to the challenging stage should be unasailable ihn it's position higher up than the pup, and unlikely to be worried about being deposed, and the pup is unlikely to make a serious bid for power. Of course if the older dog is very low status, and the pup is ultra dominant, then this might not be the case, but unlikely.

I've had four dogs at one time. Two German Shepherd dogs, a Cairn and a Yorkie. The older GSD was the pack leader. The Yorkie ruled the younger GSD with an "iron paw" - the GSD would not walk into a room until the Yorkie gave her "permission". The Cairn took liberties with all of them and somehow lived to tell the tale.

I loved having more than one dog. I found watching them interact fascinating. I have only one young puppy now, but my intention is to add another dog in a year or two.

The advice about exercise requirements is a good one, better for you to be able to exercise them all at once.

Stacey

I have 3 dogs and agree with the owners who said it was fun to watch them interact, the dogs that is!!
However the 2 corgis play quite rough games, mouthing and chasing each other and are really very good pals, even though I did not get the younger one till he was 4 years old. We also have a peke and she always wants to play with the other 2, BUT she is completley different, in that she dances on the spot, stamps her feet and then twirls round, yes I know it sounds mad. But she is a really happy little dog and I am really tempted to get another peke so that she can play ' peke' games. Rereading this reply makes me sound slightly mad, but I hope that other people with different breeds will understand. As for exercise the peke can easily keep up and sometimes outrun the corgis.

We have 6 dogs (Bernese Mountain Dog, GSD, a mongeral Terrier, 2x GBGV & an Australian Shepherd Dog) Most of them get along fine with each other. The only problem we have is with the male GBGV, who hates other males so have to keep away from our GSD & Aussie but that is not because of the different breeds, he is just so dominant.

We have never kept just one breed. At one time, we had several Bull Terriers, a Rottie, a GSD & a Min Poodle & had no problems whatsoever with them. (We also had a GSP once, but had to rehome him as he was being bullied by our GSD & GBGV.)

Its more fun having different breeds as you can see all the different characteristics of the different breeds coming out.

We have 4 staffies, 2 Dogue de Bordeaux and 1 Lakeland terrier.
All get on fine with each other though always kept seperate when we are not there.
They were introduced gradually to each other and the first signs of a raised lip were corrected.
Really it is quite funny to see our little Lakeland puppy hanging off our Bordeaux floppy lips!!! :D
The only two we sometimes have a problem with is the male bordeaux and the male staffie. We do keep them separate however when they go out for a walk together they are fine.

Hi Francy,
dogs love dog company what ever their shape or looks,mixed breed homes are brilliant,it isnt always a good idea to have several dogs of the same breed ,it does though depend on the breed.
collies and labs do mix well with their own kind so do greyhounds but when you start looking at the more dominent breeds then having more than 2 or 3 can lead to trouble.
the reasons being all dog breeds can be and are catorgised as submissive breeds,dominent breeds etc.when you start getting several dogs of the same breed then you have a house of dogs all on the same level of dominency so fights on a regular basis "could" start as they are fighting for leadership.im not saying this is for every dog but like large dominent breeds they like to be dominent obviously so if you have 2 dogs who share this level of domiency they both want to take the lead.
mixing breeds then you will have breeds who are more dominent and more submissive by nature to one another,but if you want a dog the same breed and only want 2 then the best choice would be a bitch and dog not to have the same sex then if confrontations do arise a dog to bitch fight is a slanging match,vocal and very very much less likely to casuse injury,infact they rarely touch each other but a dog of the same sex dog to dog bitch to bitch will and do fight and will not give up.
like you say dogs are pack animals they really dont care whether they all look like book ends they dont need to.
hope this is of some assistance to you.i always say 2 dogs is better than one,3 dogs is better than 2 but it depends on what you would like.i have currently a doberman dog,a greyhound dog,a dachsund dog and a greyhund bitch they get on impeccably but greyhound bitches are reknown for their determination and can be real nightmares she sometimes pushes her luck with the dobie and he gives her a slapping but after 30 seconds of screaming at each other peace is restored and they go off to play and that it true she is just trying to see if she can push him,once she knows it wont work she knows her place things are great again,if she was dog behaving in this manner i have no dought what so ever in my mind there would be a horrible fight.this is a general rundown (as this isnt always the case dogs can and do sometimes attack bitches) but this isnt common,opposite sex arguments are only vocal as each respects the opposite sex where as same sex dogs dont!
let us know how you get on if the collie is a dominent dog towards other dogs then get a lab bitch to save any heart ache if it is going to go wrong later on down the road and the pup grows up and hormones kick in.

best wishes
jackie