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Best age to introduce a new dog.

6 replies

Pippin8 · 04/09/2016 13:39

Reading the thread about the 2 puppies has got me thinking. What do people think is the best age to introduce a new dog?

We have always wanted 2 & are hoping to rescue soon, not a puppy. Our dog is well trained & has had a season, she is due to spayed soon.

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TrionicLettuce · 04/09/2016 14:08

The general rule is you want the resident dog in a place you're happy with behaviour and training wise before adding another.

I'd also want to current dog to be old enough to have passed their adolescent stage so at least eighteen months old but I'd prefer two to three years old.

I don't think there's an age beyond which you wouldn't be able to introduce another dog to the household as long as the resident dog is able to cope with a new addition.

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CMOTDibbler · 04/09/2016 14:17

We got ddog2 when ddog1 was 2 (but an old 2, if he'd been a giddy dog I'd have waited longer), so they are 4 and 2 now. Its worked really well for us, and it was much easier training ddog2 as ddog1 showed him what to do.

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LilCamper · 04/09/2016 14:34

It can vary actually. Due to breed and personality.

I would say to wait til the first dog is completely mature.

My older dog had a few issues so I waited until I had ironed those issues out before considering a second.

Puppy was brought into the house when older dog was 4 1/2.

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Helen1966 · 04/09/2016 15:57

Dog1 was 3 years old when we got Dog2. We then got Dog3 when Dog1 was 9 and Dog2 was 6. Dog1 died, then a few years later Dog2 died.
Dog3 lived by himslef for 18mths before we got Dog4. dog3 was then about 7years old.
All my dogs have got on well together, they have only ever play fought and the older dogs have always put the younger pup in their place if they took too many liberties.
At first Dog2 did not like puppy Dog3, but I think this was to do with the fact that he had a plate in his foreleg and his lg was often achey, I think he worried the puppy might hurt it.

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Hoppinggreen · 04/09/2016 17:58

Dpup is 10 months, once a he's about 2 I think we will apply for a failed Guide dog ( if I can talk DH round)

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Pippin8 · 05/09/2016 18:11

Weirdly, we've just had a call from our breeder asking us if we would consider rehoming one of our girls siblings as the couple who have it can't cope & are always at work!

Obviously, we said no.