My brother is thinking of getting a second dog - any advice?

[MrsChemist]

He currently has a mongrel (jack russell/collie/a few others) who is about 3/4 years old.

He is thinking of getting a beagle cross puppy or going to the rescue where he got his current dog from. Should he be looking for a younger or older dog? Male or female?

TIA

When we got our 2nd dog, our choices were limited to who dog#1 liked best. There is no right answer and any amount of combinations can work. If he already has a bitch, he may find it easier to get a dog as 2 bitches can be complicated. Depending on his training techniques, he will probably be taking into account the breed and its behaviour.

Rescue centres should provide lots of information, and of course the best dog!

Do you think he'll be able to take his dog along with him? I would presume it would be ok, so then he can see which dog his gets on with the best.

Some smaller rescues work by appointment only whereby the person meets some dogs and chats about what dog they'd like and their circumstances and returns at a later date with their own dog to see if the two get on. Following that the prospective owner is homechecked. Others have an "open to the public" policy but will still insist on seeing the existing dog and chosen dog interact before allowing an adoption.

As a rescuer I am terribly biased of course but would urge people to rescue rather than buy from a breeder every time. Healthy, good natured dogs in pounds across the country die in their hundreds every week for want of someone to love them and offer them a home.

A good rescue will neuter, microchip, vaccinate, homecheck, offer lifetime support and require you to agree that if you cannot keep the dog he returns to them. Avoid those who don't offer these things.

There's no particular age which would be best - that will be down to the existing dog's own personality. He might prefer a youngster to play with, or might get on better with an older, more staid dog which won't bounce him. The rescue will be able to guide your brother on this. As has been said, two bitches may cause complications, as might two very dominant males.

I'd suggest that your brother gives his local rescues a call and has a chat, goes to meet their residents and see what comes of it. I hope he finds his ideal little pal.

Oh Val while you are here, I am thinking of getting another rescue dog at some point in the future. Probably not until about winter time. Scruff's training and socialising is finally starting to get somewhere. I think he should be able to join a proper training class soon, without jumping all over the dogs in a flurry of over excitement. He no longer tries to jump up at people while he's on his lead (we are still working on the jumping on guests), he doesn't attack the hoover any more and will go to bed when he is told. Recall is still pathetic but hopefully training classes will help reinforce that.

Anyway my query is SBT or greyhound/whippet? I LOVE STB (as you know), but would they be too bouncy for Scruff? I think he needs a calming influence, as he is a bit, well, wild. I don't think my front door could cope with two dogs running up and down the stairs and then somersaulting off the door while they are waiting for me to get ready for walkies. I will probably to go a breed rescue this time for a Staffie, else I risk coming home with which ever dog happens to look most sorry for itself again

Oh, there is one little issue. His current dog (male btw) has continence issues. I'm thinking maybe a younger dog might take his lead IYSWIM and he would end up with two dogs pooing in the house.
He got his current dog from a rescue centre, and he will be going back to that one to look for another one.

I must admit, I'm a little worried about it tbh. He works longish hours, and I believe his main motivation for getting another dog is because he thinks his dog is lonely. DB has been away for a few weeks, so his dog has been staying with a friend, who has a dog, and DB's dog has been having the time of his life. He clearly enjoys the company, but I think he also enjoys the space. DB lives in a flat (it's a big flat), and the friend lives in a house with a big garden.
Fortunately for my brother (and his dog, I suppose), he lives above where he works, so he can check in on the dog, and he's close enough to take him for walks on his breaks. However, his dog still does get a bit lonesome (I feel I should add that he got the dog when he was with his ex-gf, and she had more time to spare, so it wasn't the case that he got a dog he knew would be alone a lot during the day)

Part of me thinks that he doesn't realise that two dogs means more work, not less. Fine, they will keep each other occupied, but they will still want affection from him.