Going from one greyhound to two

[Bambinho]

We have a home visit tomorrow so keeping everything crossed it goes ok. We've already been to the RGT branch before Christmas to meet the new dog and things went fine so home visit is to see if new dog is ok with the cat (and vice versa!) and see how he is with my existing dog in the home.

This will be 2 males together, I've had conflicting advice on what the best gender mix is but as they both seem to have typical laid back greyhound personalities I'm not too worried, however would appreciate any thoughts on helping them to get along.

Also, I'd really like some practical advice for the first few days e.g. feeding - is it ok for both to be fed at the same time, or do it separately in different rooms to avoid conflict etc. I'm a bit worried about managing dog walking, existing dog has great recall and is mainly off lead (rural area and go to beach most days) but new one will have to be kept on lead for a while until I can trust him properly. Possibly biggest headache is will they both fit in the car! Everyone I've mentioned it to says it'll be fine but I'm not feeling very reassured.

Getting our second hound was the best thing that happened to our first!
She was a real people dog but, although she'd never let him cuddle up to her on her bed, she adored him and it really brought her out of her doggy shell and gave her a new lease of life.

With regards to feeding etc, be a little cautious the first few times until you get a feel for how they are with food. Your new boy might be quite greedy at first until he realises there's plenty for all. They're usually kennelled in twos and fed together though so should be ok.
What has the rescue said about your new boy's attitude around food?

Walks will be great after a bit! I bet your second hound will learn recall etc much quicker as he'll look to your first for clues as to how to behave.

We lost both ours last year and are just settling in a new girl. She'll be joined by another girl next month, so we'll also have 2 dogs of the same gender.
I'll post a pic if you will
Enjoy it, greyhounds are definitely better in pairs!

Thanks SleightOfMind, you've definitely given me some reassurance. Sorry to hear about your losses but great to hear about your new additions.
Here's my boy on a very windy beach on Christmas Day.

Sadly, no new dog yet - they mixed up the dates with another home visit so ours is postponed until Saturday

Didn't think to ask about new dog's attitude to feeding but he's very thin, could make out all his vertebrae so definitely needs fattening up! He's currently kennel sharing with a female so hopefully will be ok about feeding. Current boy is a typical greyhound greedy guts but not aggressive over food, whenever we visit my mother her tiny dog rules the roost and, if she can, snatches treats away - my poor lad doesn't react, just looks resigned to it!

Aw your boy sounds lovely. I'm sure they'll be fine and he'll love having someone to play greyhound games with.
They are such lovely dogs aren't they. Our new girl snuggled up with DD(7) on her bed today. Not sure who was more chuffed.

I've no experience with greys, but getting our second dog has worked out really well for us and Rescuegirl. Rescuegirl was 8 when we got the standard poodle pup but she was so good with him and he bonded with her from the outset. Recall was very easy for us as the pup was always by Rescuegirl's side and her recall is fabulous. I'd call the command "Rescuegirl come Standard come" and both would race to me. I think though with an adult I'd start teaching recall in an enclosed area before risking him off lead. Our two are such company for each other, interact well and can be dogs together. It is lovely to watch them together.
We feed them in different corners of the kitchen, never had a problem but the poodle always yields to the older Rescuegirl. Neither is averse to checking if the other's dish is empty at the end of a meal!

Well, I picked him up yesterday and it's been a bit up and down. We made a big mistake of introducing him to my mother's rather yappy and occasionally aggressive little dog and new dog attacked it! I had been told he was good with little dogs so I think it was our fault that we didn't manage the circumstances very well.

Other big problem is that he is weeing everywhere in the house
He's really difficult to catch and stop as it happens so quickly and it's not because he's not getting enough toilet breaks. I've had to start telling him off and taking him straight out to the garden. Any tips welcome!

He's a bit too interested in the cat and has had his nose scratched in return but has backed off from her. Getting on well with old dog and we went to a hidden deserted beach today so he got some good off lead running around and they had a good time sniffing about together.

I think you just have to treat him as a puppy regarding toilet training and take him out every half hour and go mad with the praise when he goes outside.
I worked in greyhound kennels for years and sleight is correct that they are usually kennelled in pairs but they would never be fed together- that was one way to guarantee a fight!
One would eat outside and one in the kennel and then the inside eater would be let out into the pen and the bowl removed.

Funnily enough feeding has been absolutely fine, they've been fed either side of a stair gate at the same time and there are absolutely no issues. The aforementioned stair gate has taken a battening form new dog though, he's not happy being kept separate and clawed at it through the night, and today taken to adding a bit of extra howling (even with old dog present) when I left them there earlier. Aargh, he really is like a puppy!