Introducing a second dog

[CustardOmlet]

Need some advice if this is a viable plan...

We have 7yr old boxer and we love him to bits. We got him as a puppy and DH was home all the time until he was about 15months old, then DH and I were at work full time. We both worked shifts but some days he could be alone for 8.5hrs, but with walks twice a day he was never unhappy. Now our working hours mean up to three times a week he will be alone with the cats for 8.5hrs and has one walk per day (has a heart murmur so can't cope with too much exercise!)

We now have DS who's 2.8 and they adore each other, and the possibility of our dog dying in the next few years is a big concern. We thought that introducing a new puppy (another boxer) now would mean the puppy had old dog to keep company while we were at work, and walks morning and evening to use some energy.

Has this worked for an one else? Or is it an impossible plan? Any advice would be great.

Well my experience of it is positive. I've got three rescue dogs (all giant breed), the first two were adults when we got them, ddog3 is eleven months old (got her two weeks ago).
It can be done, ddog1 was very unimpressed when ddog2 turned up, and although she tolerated him fairly soon, it took her a couple of months to really warm to him. When we introduced ddog3 they were both miffed, ddog1 shredded an old tractor tyre in fury and ddog2 sulked. Two weeks down the road and they all get along absolutely fine. It's been a lot faster process this time because ddog3 was very meek and did her best not to annoy the other two. Ddog2 on the other hand tried his level best to be completely obnoxious to ddog1 , hence why it took months to get to the same stage as it has in two weeks this time.

My dogs are very stubborn, they absolutely love a fight and will not back down unless ordered to, fabulous for introducing a new dog , I've had other breeds in the past and the intros have been easier, but it is a long road regardless which requires a lot of supervision and patience.
When ddogs 1 and 2 first met they really went for each other savagely, despite slow careful intros, they would have fought to the death had I not intervened. I threw a metal tin with pennies in on the ground at their feet (a bucket of water also works) and it stopped them long enough for me to get control of the situation again. They are now firm friends, it just took a while to get there. Small squabbles I let them sort out themselves, but I refused to tolerate any nastiness between them, and they picked it up pretty quickly.

You'd be hard pushed to find breeds more dog aggressive than my three, but they all live together harmoniously. That being said, they are all very capable of defending themselves, if one of them had been much smaller things might have been more difficult. I am with them all the time with them too, they are never unsupervised. That would be my biggest concern in your situation, leaving them along for a long period unsupervised.

Meant to say too that all three of our dogs were in kill shelters about to be pts as they were supposedly so aggressive that nobody could do anything with them, so it wasn't like they were dog-dog sociable little critters either!

It's a good idea however the fact that your dog is not well rings alarm bells for me. A puppy will nag him to play all day. If he's at the stage where he isn't allowed as many walks, a pup probably isn't a good idea as they won't be compatible. If I was in your shoes I'd think about adopting a middle aged dog to keep the old dog company and then adopt a puppy in the future when your current dog has gone to mix in with the middle aged dog (who is still able to cope with a pup).

Thanks for your replies!

My dog is very much an alpha, even with his poor stamina and will ruin himself just to one up other dogs, so had hoped he would have instant dominance over the puppy. If the morning walks don't burn enough energy we could be in trouble!

What experience have people had with getting rescue dogs whilst working? Do the rescue places let you adopt?

You're welcome . I'm not sure I afraid, when we were in the UK I worked from home, so it wasn't an issue, and now we live overseas and things are very different out here. Have you considered a lower energy breed, and as honey suggested, a middle aged dog?

I'm sure most rescue centres will ask about your working situation and will not let you adopt if your out for 8.5 hours. It's a bit different for an older dog but a puppy will struggle, we have a second dog who is 15 weeks, I worry leaving him for a couple of hours, toilet training will be a nightmare!

I'm not sure if you got my point. Apologies if you did. I meant it's not about dominance, it's about energy levels. A puppy will bound about and wear your dog out. That's fine, but if your dog is not meant to do as much as he used to you've got a problem. Then when the puppy hits about 9 months it will be hugely energetic and need lots of walks. Then you will have a dog that needs to slow down and a dog that needs lots of exercise (the biggest amount of dogs that end up in the rescue we get our dog from are 1 yr olds that owners didn't realise how much exercise they would need). You'd end up having to leave your original dog at home (feeling rejected) while you took the youngster out..