05/09/2025
I hear from a lot of clients who get a second dog so their first dog “could have a friend.” The reason I’m usually called in, is because things aren’t really going too well.
If you want to get a second dog, these are the two biggest points I would consider:
1) Does your current dog display sociable behavior and enjoy the presence and interactions of other dogs? If yes, then ok, your dog might benefit from a friend. If your current dog displays aggression towards other dogs consistently and has never had a known dog “friend,” then bringing home another dog will not magically make your dog like other dogs. This is a recipe for fights in the home, hence why I get called. But at the end of the day, it wasn’t fair to the first dog.
2) Are you happy with your current dog’s behavior and would you want your second dog to act like this dog, too? Then yes, ok, getting a second dog might be a good thing. But, so many people get a second dog thinking it will improve the behavior of the first dog. In this case usually people end up with TWO “badly” behaved dogs. And that’s again why I end up getting called. If you’re not happy with where your current dog is with their behavior, don’t get a second!
Having more than one dog is not just about what you want, but also about what your current dog(s) want, and how their future relationships and behaviors will feed off of one another.
