If you are a dog lover, you may feel that one dog is not enough.However, before you add a second dog to your household, there are a few important points you should consider.

The temperament of your pet should be your first consideration.To avoid fights, you should seek to pair your dog with a dog of a dis-similar nature, that way they should be able to establish which dog is the most dominant.If you ignore the personalities of the dogs you are really setting yourself up for an unhappy pairing between the animals. Also, if your existing pet is submissive and quiet avoid homing a dominant dog with a strong personality because it will find it easy to bully your first dog.Hopefully, you have a dog that does not lean too far in either direction.

The size of your dog is the second considerationTry and adopt a second dog with a similar breed to the dog already living with you.A large dog can easily hurt a small dog.If you already own a big dog it can be possible to add a smaller dog to the home, but only if the big dog has a placid nature.

Gender is another consideration. For example, if you own a female capable of reproducing she may be very anxious if you introduce another female. You may need to alter your dog before she will accept another female. She may still show some aggression after being spayed, so a male puppy may be a wiser choice.(Of course if you do pair a male dog with a female you need to make sure one of them is neutered or it won’t be long before a new litter of puppies arrives!)

Age is another important consideration and you should avoid pairing a very old dog with a puppy.An older dog will have far less patience and energy and may not want to interact with a puppy.An old dog is far more likely to get on well with an adult dog.

Some breeds of dogs have more trouble accepting a new puppy than other breeds.Toy dogs can often be soiled, jealous and keen for their owners attention. These toy dogs often dislike the addition of a puppy into the home.More aggressive and dominant dogs like pit bulls are also not good at accepting a new dog into the home.Happily, there are many dog breeds out there that mix well, so do some research first and you should be able to find a suitable partner for your pooch.

Lastly, think about whether you can actually afford a second dog.Dog’s are not cheap so make sure you can afford to pay for the dog food, vets bills, vaccinations and accessories.

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Filed under: Pets Advice

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