I’ve gotten a few emails asking about how to add a third dog to a two-dog house, so I wanted to put together a post about my experience. But I realized that I need to start out with one qualifier…
Adding a third adult dog? Piece of cake.
Adding a third dog who’s a puppy? Not as easy.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Our adding a third-dog story
Some of you might remember, Cooper started out as our foster. Then we “failed,” and we adopted him. The big boys were a little put off when they realized he wasn’t going to leave, but it didn’t take them long – a few weeks or so – to welcome him into our family.
But it hasn’t been seamless. There have been two fights, one between Lucas and Cooper (Cooper went after a toy that was VERY valuable to Lucas) and one between Emmett and Cooper (Cooper pushed his buttons too many times for too long).
In hindsight, the biggest challenge we faced wasn’t adding a third dog to our family – they sort of work that out among themselves – but adding a puppy! A high-energy puppy who’s a chewer!
Most of our extra time and energy was spent on puppy stuff like redirecting to appropriate toys, house training, and so on. And I would say that our biggest mistake was that we didn’t build in time for Cooper to have quiet time in his crate while we doted on Emmett and Lucas. (Honestly, that proved to be impossible: Cooper, the escape artist.)
We tried to spend time with each of them every day, but I think there would have been less jealousy in the beginning if we had done a better job with that. If you have older dogs in your house and you’re thinking about adding a third dog, I would suggest considering a dog who is past the puppy stages because it’s just one less thing to manage during the transition.
In the end, having three isn’t much harder than having two.
It’s an extra scoop of kibble to pour and another dose of heartworm medicine to buy, but it’s also another playmate for your existing dogs and another life you saved.
5 ways you can make the transition easy:
- Maintain routines. If you’ve taken your first two dogs on a walk every single day at 6 AM, take them for a walk every single day at 6 AM, even if it means your new pup gets crate time. Over time you can integrate the new pup into that routine or slowly tweak the routine to what you want for three dogs. But in the beginning, it’s important to maintain your routines.
- Spend one-on-one time with all three. Set aside a few minutes – 5 will do it – to play with or scratch each dog individually. You’ll reassure your existing dogs and bond with your new dog. Then spend time playing with all three together so that everyone knows that you will share equal time, attention, and love.
- Supervise EVERYTHING. I can’t emphasize this point enough. When you’re adding a new dog, you must watch play, feeding, naps, and so on. They will work out who’s who among themselves – but it may not be a seamless process. Until you’re sure they’re comfortable with each other (which can take many months), supervise everything. Hot zones to watch closely: food and water dishes, toys, and dog beds.
- Budget for an increase in pet care costs. Monthly meds, food, toys, grooming supplies, veterinary care including routine checkups… Plan on spending around 30% more each month than you spent on two dogs. Know that going in, and it won’t be as big of a shock. One NOTE on the toys: Not even joking, buy three of the same puzzle toys for when you need to keep everyone buys and happy. We love these KONGS or these Squirrels, which you can stuff with peanut butter and freeze, then dole out–in separate spaces to be extra safe–to keep the herd happy.
- Have fun! Having three dogs definitely turns you into an even crazier dog person. 🙂 Enjoy it! It’s like having a miniature dog park in my living room. When they snuggle in bed with me, I have nearly 200 pounds of dog keeping me warm.
Those of you with three (or more!) dogs, anything to add? Is anyone thinking about adding a third – or fourth or fifth – dog to your house?
To keep up with our dog-loving shenanigans, let’s connect on Instagram! It’s where I share all the highs and lows of being a multi-pet, many-human household.
Kristine
This is truly great advice. I have long been thinking about getting a second dog but am not sure I am ready yet. I’ve never lived in a house with more than one and I know it will be twice the work. It is definitely something I want to do but I think I’d rather have more of my current dog’s issues ironed out first. Though is there ever really a perfect time? Maybe I should at least wait until we have a house of our own. It’s been so hard finding a place to rent that allows one nutjob dog, let alone two!
Maggie
Thanks, Kristine! Honestly, the transition from two dogs to three was far easier than going from one dog to two. Emmett had been an “only child” for so long that it was a much more difficult adjustment for him and for us. I think you’re right, that there’s never really a perfect time, but once you find the right dog, you find a way to make it work!
Tristine
My question is, that I’m bringing home a 8 week old pup. My others are 3yrs 5yrs. My dogs sleep inside on their own beds. When I start potty training do I create the pup next to them at night while potty training? Or do I let them sleep together in a linoleum bathroom with puppy pads?
Maggie
Congrats on bringing home your puppy! I think everyone has to figure out what works in your multi-dog household, but for me… and because Cooper was the single most stubborn dog to potty train EVER 🙂 I’d recommend crating the puppy instead of puppy pads. I do think puppy pads encourage indoor peeing (most have an attractant for that very purpose!) and I’d rather focus on discouraging indoor peeing while potty training. But, again, when you’re managing a herd, you have to do what works best for all involved! Have fun with your new puppy!!
Ana
Totally agere. I trained one dog on puppy pads and i think i won’t be able to Have a rug in my house for this puppy’s lifetime. Stay away from training pads.
Tina L Jones
I added a second dog (a young puppy) just about three years ago, for my formerly abused, adopted 7 year old “couch-potato”, Jack Russell. I had hoped that she (the pup) would get her up and playing, well, was I wrong!!! The pup (Rosie) came in right off the bat instagating play, and Diamond, my JR, grudgingly played with her and fended of her needle sharp teeth, but, Diff really never got up off of the bed and got in on the full on playing!! They are Wonderful sisters, and love eachother dearly, but, Di still “puts up” with Rosie, Rosie cleans Di’s face and steals food from her bowl, attacks her ankles and every once in a while, Diamond will grumble at Rosie…but it’s NEVER gone any further than that!! They are a little jealous of eachother and getting my attentions, Rosie is quite a “Velcro dog”, which at times is quite stressful for me.
But, then they are BOTH jealous of when my Parrot (Miss Bee) talks to me or I talk to her…so, you just never know how things are going to turn out!!
I think, atleast I hope that my little “pack” is happy, I know that it is not perfect, but it is very loving!!
Kerri Mikros
Thank you reading your post was so cute. About the parrot. I’m actually thinking about getting an African gray. I just got my third dog. Same breed King Charles cavalier. The third one is a puppy. One is jealous. And keeps going in his crate. I feel bad for the puppy. I’m trying to figure out what I can do. Buy a third crate. This crate was for the puppy when I took him home five months ago. My oldest dog is really good with him. I’m just trying to figure out how I can get the one to get along better. He doesn’t want anything to do with him. I have two females and then I put the third one home is a male. Thank you I enjoyed reading your article. my two bonded always beautifully. But the third makes me feel bad for the puppy. That one is not taking to him. He doesn’t ever do anything to him, but he just stares at him and doesn’t wanna interact with him. But my first one which is 11 years old will play with them a lot. I have two grown children. This is kind of funny because I feel like my dogs or my babies. Just like we want our children to always get along. I’m feeling bad that all three of my dogs aren’t getting along great. Hopefully in due time. my problem is the crate that I brought was really for my new puppy when I bought him home. But now my other one took over it. And I don’t know what to do about that. He’s feeling left out. I have two crates. But my other two dogs always were bonded and stayed in one crate together. Until I brought home our third dog. If anybody could help me with that, I’d appreciate it. glad I found this site
Michelle
What I would like to know thinking of 3 dog have two males now brothers, should 33rd be male or female better
Maggie
Hi, Michelle:
I believe that individual personalities matter far more than gender. You can have super laid-back or super high-strung dogs in either sex. My suggestion is to chat with the shelter volunteers or breeder to determine the best fit for the current personality/hierarchy you have in your house. Good luck!
Brooklynn White
We are sort of in the same boat. We have 2 male labs and they get along great. They are only a year apart. The older one is more laid back and the youngest is 2 and never stops playing. We feel like adding a thire dog would be beneficial but are not sure whether a male or female would be better. I feel like a male may affect the dominance but if we add a female they may not play the same as with all males.
Kerri Mikros
I have two females and I thought that if I brought home a Mail, everything would work out wonderful. I was pretty much going to get a third female. But I got a male. And my female is not getting along with my male. My other female is getting along with them. I don’t believe it’s necessarily true. They always say do female and male. My first two females always got along great. So I really don’t think gender matters at this point hope that helps.
Emma
Hi. We’ve a jrt 6 yrs n a beagles who’s around 7.5 to 8 . Both girls . Had the jrt 6 years n the beagle about 5. Looking at adopting a 6 yr old alsatian boy. Any tips advice help… I’m nervous
KimT
You’ve included a great compilation here of what to consider and how things will go when adding another dog. Awesome, love this and will recommend reading it to those who are considering!
One thing to add perhaps in what to consider – either buying a bigger bed or planning on less room for yourself when sleeping LOL
I can’t help myself, I just gush every time i see Cooper. He is THE cutest!!
Maggie
You are so right, Kim! A bigger bed is a must!! Thank you for all the kind words!
Angela
Hi Maggie! I am one of the people that sent you an email asking for advice regarding adding a third dog to our family. We adopted our third one about a month ago and your advice has been incredibly valuable. Thank you!
Although our third dog is a puppy, the transition has been smoother than I expected. It was a little rough for the first couple of weeks because my two other dogs (specially the younger one) were not too happy with the new addition, but it seems like everyone is getting along now and having three dogs is now the new “normal”. I have been pleasantly surprised, because I thought it was going to take at least a couple of months for everyone to get used to the change, considering it took almost 6 months for our older dog to accept our second dog a few years ago.
In our case, the key elements to an easier transition have been to maintain our routine, make sure everyone gets the same amount of attention and letting them work out their issues on their own (with supervision, of course).
The biggest challenge so far is taking all three dogs for a walk – nearly impossible! I’m still trying to figure out the best way to do it and hope we can figure it out soon.
Maggie
Yay! Angela, I’m so excited to hear your update!! It sounds like things are going well and you have it all under control. Great tips, too. I have to confess: I still can’t walk all 3 dogs together. It’s just too difficult. So I do two walks, one with Emmett and Cooper, and one with Lucas and Cooper. If you figure out how to walk 3 at once, please let me know!!!
Paul
Hi,
I keep reading about the difficulties in walking 3 dogs? Not sure if this helps, but i have my 3 on separate leads, each lead is looped onto 3 separate fingures, and each lead is a different colour. You dont need to tug on the lead, just move the appropriate finger to command the correct dog -they soon understand.
The only problem time is the start, they are over excited, but we have a routine for putting the leads on and very soon they fall into line.
Trust me, my dogs are not that well trained, but this seems to work.
Cheers
Pamela
Very nice post on adding a third dog. I’m only disappointed not to see any pictures of you with three leashes twisted around your ankles and wrists as all three of your boys take off in a different direction. Or are you telling me you have perfect walkers? 🙂
Maggie
Haaaa! HAHA! Perfect walkers! 🙂 Not at all. In fact, even if I could get the 3 of them to go in the same direction at the same time, I’m sure they’d still pull me over. They get really competitive when walking as a group – each one wants to be a nose ahead of the others – so I can’t struggle with them as a herd. It’s probably something I really need to work on, but I’ve decided to walk in groups of two instead…
Sarah
Amen to the third not being a puppy! After Hurley, I’ve made the executive decision that any time we’re adding a third to our pack, they have to be way past the puppy stage. And especially not a puppy who will someday be an 85lb puppy! We’re going through the adult body, puppy brain phase right now – plus he’s smack dab in the middle of the testing us phase on top of that. Thankfully, Maggie & Sadie aren’t letting him tempt them into *many* bad habits.
We’ve been very lucky in that there have been no fights between them. I attribute this not to Hurley being great with the girls but the girls being the absolute best with him. Maggie is almost too tolerant of his incessant need to play and will indulge him anytime he wants and Sadie just walks away when he’s too much for her. I think sometimes Maggie intervenes when she sees Sadie having enough (she really is the best, that one!).
I think the hardest part with 3 is walking them (we only do 1 or 2 dog walks) and when one person has to manage all 3 alone somewhere, it’s difficult. That will get better as Hurley gets less rambunctious but right now, I refuse to take them anywhere by myself. This means more walks and less dog park but, like you said, since our house is like a mini dog park, I don’t feel so bad about not taking them as often.
Maggie
Sarah, I was hoping you’d weigh in!! It’s really reassuring to me to hear that you’ve been going through similar things – especially as far as the walking goes. That’s the worst part, and I’ve not been able to figure it out yet either!
Diane
Your dogs are gorgeous! Great article and although it’s a dream of mine to have more than one dog, I think my husband would kill me! Well, maybe not, but I would have to work on him…..;-)
Laura Mooney
This is a great blog post 🙂 At the moment, we’ve got four ( ages 4 1/2, 3, 2 1/2 and 2 1/2) It is controlled chaos most of the time. We only added the fourth ( Lady), when it became clear we were foster failures and she was such a great fit for our other three. Lady is more mature, more laid back and submissive to the other three than a puppy. We had done a young puppy foster, but it became very clear that she couldn’t stay. Maggie, was very sweet and our boy dog loved her, but our girls didn’t. She was just too much puppy and “all up in their business” all the time. I think everyone was relieved when she got adopted, and we still see her at agility classes. Now, with the four, we try to give everyone enough attention, even if it means a cuddle and a brushing on the back deck, when everyone else is inside.
Adam
The more dogs you have, the better person you are! 🙂
Tina Hamilton
This is a really great post, Maggie. My hat is off to you folks who walk a trio of dogs. We’re fortunate to have a fenced yard so we can just open the door and let them run. We’ve historically added puppies to our pack because they don’t challenge the status quo. An older dog often feels obliged to assert themselves, and that can be bad news. Having said that, we’ve also had plenty of adult fosters. I feel that many dogs can be integrated with lots of patience and close supervision. When that doesn’t work, we rotate them through the house and yard to keep everyone safe and happy. I don’t recommend this as a long-term solution, however.
Catherine
Thanks for the great advice! We’re about to welcome a puppy into our house and he’ll be in close proximity with my father in law’s dogs next door who are both fairly old, this’ll help the integration!
Kelli
Thanks for the advice!
Sharon
Hi there!
This is all such great advice. I currently have two dogs and as nervous as I was to get the second dog, it was the single best decision I made. Except for the decision I made years ago to get my first dog. 🙂 They are both females. Pepper is 10, dalmatian/blue heeler mix and Gracie is 1 (5 months old at adoption) and is a Border Collie/Pointer mix. They are two peas in a pod. Pepper is the alpha. Gracie is spunky and playful, always. They are perfect together. We have a fenced backyard. We have a dog walker that comes once a day while we’re at work. Gracie is in a spacious kennel. And we go for bike rides at night – they are hooked into an attachment to my bike and run gleefully next to me. It’s a great time had by all.
Now I have come across a little girl (2 year old) at the shelter that I have been toying around the idea of adopting. She’s a poodle/terrier mix so she’s smaller than my girls by at least half of their sizes and she doesn’t shed. WIN WIN! But I’m nervous…
Will they accept her? Will she know her rank? Three females not a good idea?
So far the shelter has told me that she is submissive and gentle and what I’ve observed that is very much so. While all the other dogs are yapping, she seems calm and content. She has those eyes that burn into your soul.
I really can’t decide.
Sharon
Elizabeth
So glad I found your post. I am adding a rescue tomorrow, the third Pom in our family and everything I read said it was impossible to have it work. I was starting to wonder if I made a huge mistake. You made me feel so much better! Thank you!!!
Maggie
Best of luck, Elizabeth! Let me know how it goes!
elizabeth
Well, you were right. Maintain routine, integrate the new guy in and with a bit of luck – everybody ends up happy! 3 pomeranians, including the newly added 7 year old (recently neutered) rescue. All is well – its been just over 3 months and regardless of what all the negative sites say about adding a third, it really does depend on you and the dogs. If you don’t let it be an option to have a problem – you won’t. The best advice I got from our new doggy obedience in house trainer. (with a pack of munchkins we had to take some control!) Thanks for being the voice of optimism Maggie. I wish I could post a pic for you. A combined weight of only 34 lbs but 3 brains and 12 legs. lol
Maggie
YAY!! I’m so glad to hear how well things are going for you. Congrats! And thank you for taking the time to come back and update us.
Jane
This post was really helpful. I hope you don’t mind if I ask two questions about adding a dog. We have two standard poodles – both neutered boys who get along very well with each other – and we’re thinking about adding a third, a boy puppy who will be neutered when he’s old enough.
Is there anything about having three (neutered) males together that is a concern?
Also, I’ve read that some people find that when a third dog is added, all of the dogs become less interested in and less involved with their people, because with three they become a “complete” pack. Have you found that to be true? We don’t want to lose the closeness we have with the two boys we have now, or not become close with the third.
Maggie
Hi, Jane! Congrats on adding a third dog! A few things from my experience: Adding a puppy makes it a lot easier because the older dogs are more patient and tolerant. I don’t think there’s a problem with three neutered males. We’ve had a couple little fights and skirmishes along the way, but I think that’s mostly been a personality/competitiveness issue between two of mine.
As far as the “pack” thing, I have experienced the exact opposite! Adding a third dog made the other two want to be with us more. They get pushy for that one-on-one attention. For me, it was harder adding a second dog – the dynamic changed so drastically then – than it has been with a third. I hope that helps! Please let me know if you have other questions, and I’m happy to share my experiences.
Jane
Maggie, thanks so much- this is really helpful.
Kayla
Great advice! I currently have 2 indoor dogs (the female is a year and the male is 7 months – crazy I know). Now for the crazier part is I am wanting another dog (puppy) to add to the clan. The two we have now are best buddies, and love the company of other dogs, cats, or people. Has anyone tried adding another dog to the mix at this young of an age? Any recommendations (positive or negative) are welcomed. 🙂
Thanks
Paul VanDommelen
Hi Maggie,
My wife Margaritha and I just started to market a new dog handle this week for walking three dogs with one person. It works great and my wife feels very safe with it. It’s all made in the USA so the cost is not low but it is a great handle for someone who wants to walk all three dogs at the same time. You untangle leashes yourself with half turns of the handle for each entanglement and you can do that while walking which makes for much happier dogs! I even use it with 4 small dogs. Please check our website http://www.uturnhandles.com and let me know what you think.
Paul
sbwxx1@yahoo.com
Thanks for the blog post – it is so helpful to have some guidelines! We were on a trip to Kauai and took a dog out on their “Field Trip” program. We fell in love and she arrived safely last night. So far, so good. I assumed the adjustment would take awhile. Fingers crossed!
Mary
Thank you all for making your comments. I feel more confident about adding another dog to my family. I am a 30 something divorced female. I live in a decent size house with a small fenced yard. In 2007 I rescued a 8 month old Pug Otis. At the time my 10 year old beagle was diagnosed with cancer. He passed later that year. In 2009 I rescued a 1 and half year old chihuahua, Cozmo. I feel like I lucked out with both dogs. They are great dogs. I have a medium exercise level. We take a 20-30 minute walk 4 days a week. Twice a week I love to take long hikes. I am having a problem with my pug this year. He is begging to suffer from heat stroke on our long hikes. I am afraid for his health so he is now retired from hiking. When I take my chihuahua I drop my pug off to play with my niece who he adores. I don’t feel my chihuahua is enjoying hiking just the two of us and honestly neither do I. I have recently made an inquiry about a 1 year old basset x shar-pei. I will hear on Monday. Having 2 small dogs I don’t feel it is any extra work than having one. I don’t think that having a third small dog will make a huge difference. I am going to keep the same routine. The new dog will fall into his place. As I am a career woman I am happy that the dogs will form a pack and be more independent. My close friends that know me well are encouraging me. A small few think I am crazy. Well I think people with 2 or 3 kids, 2 dogs, 1 cat and a few gold fish really have their hands full. If they can do it then I can definitely handle 3 dogs.
Thanks again for sharing your stories.
Paws-off…..
Christina
Hi
I am huffing and puffing about taking on a third dog. Have seen one I adore but not sure if its fair on my two. They are aged 10 and 11 and the one I am considering is maybe a year or two (the shelter are not sure). One of my dogs is quite jealous but not aggressively so. Also he spends a lot of time on his own in the hall and bedroom (not sure why).
If I do “go for it” do I need to walk them all together first before bringing him in to the house. I have read its a good idea.
Would appreciate any advice
Many Thanks
Maggie
Hi, Tina: My first thought is that the dog spending a lot of time on his own probably needs a medical evaluation before you consider adding another dog to the home. There might be an underlying medical condition that’s causing that behavior, and you want to get that taken care of first, especially if you’ll be asking your senior citizens to put up with a puppy. As for walking them together first… I’m guessing you mean to introduce them? The common recommendation is to introduce unfamiliar dogs while walking in neutral territory. You can do that one dog at a time to make sure the interactions stay calm and controlled with one capable adult per dog. Side by side or in a line works well, avoiding head on face-to-face greetings. Then, if all is going well, you can let them introduce each other off leash (if it’s safe to do so). The shelter might insist that you introduce your dogs to the perspective pup at the shelter, which is fine, but you should insist on doing it one at a time so it’s not too overwhelming for anyone. Please let me know if you have any specific questions!
Jennifer
Hi, I currently have two neutered male bassets age 5 and 6. My 6 year old seems to be the”boss” he also has been having a problem with pain in one of his back legs for the past few months and has been on mess from our vet that seem to help some but he still has the occasional bad day. He does get aggressive toward my 5 year old at times and he won’t back down so there have been quite large fights between them. That being said my husband and I were thinking of adding a third basset but were unsure if we should get another male or a female. I am disabled so I am home 90% of the time so they will have supervision most of the time. Just hoping you might have some advise on adding a male or female.
Maggie
Without knowing the specifics of your situation, my number one suggestion is that I highly recommend you work with a positive-based trainer to get the fighting under control before you consider adding a third dog. A third dog would very likely escalate the fighting, and breaking up a fight between three dogs is considerably harder than two dogs. If you need help finding a trainer in your area, let me know and I’m happy to help you find someone!
Cheryl
Hi Maggie, found your blog very useful!! :o)
We have a 3.5 yr old unneutured and a 1.5 yr old neutered Jacks, both males and father and son.
We have seen an 8 week old male Jack, who would make an awesome edition to our growing family, who would be neutered also. How do you think the older one react? Is it maybe a good thing that he’ll be the only one with ‘balls’, it hasn’t been a problem with his son and maybe made him more tolerable with the changes?
Would love to hear your thoughts?
Thanks.
Cheryl.
Maggie
Thanks for the kind words, Cheryl! So glad I could help!
You know, your question is a good one, and I’m not too familiar with familial relationships because none of my 3 are related. I will say that many people have been surprised that my 3 males can get along so well, and I do wonder if part of that is because all 3 are neutered. That being said, I think if you do careful introductions – perhaps with the pup and the older guy first, then the pup and the younger guy, then all 3 – you increase your chance of integrating them all successfully! Start with parallel walks and build from there. Good luck, and let me know if I can do anything else to help!
Sonalika
Thanks so much!! Just added my 3 rd member and this definitely helps…
Danielle
Hello, This was great advice. I have two dogs already that have been together for two years and that get along very well, but now I have decided to become a crazy dog lady and add a third puppy in a week! I am somewhat nervous becuase I havent had a puppy in two years but our dogs are very well behaved. Now I feel like a i need a bigger house! any one have anymore tips and advice to how to make this process easier on all of us? thank you.
mimi
We have a 13 “year young’ male Westie and a year old male Goldendoodle.
They get along fine , however it is really clear that our doodle wants to play but can not because he outsizes our Westie big time. . We would love to add another Goldendoodle so the 2 could frolic and play and leave Sir Westie to behaving like an adult! My question is should be consider another male or female? We have always had males and I have found in general that females out in public seem to be a bit more guarded to new dogs than males for what its worth.
Any advice or thoughts would be appreciated.
Thanks tons:)!
Maggie
You know, I’ve heard that females together can be a trickier pairing, but I believe it’s all about the individual personalities of the dogs. Do your two dogs get along better with other males? Or other females? Are both your males neutered? I have three males in the house, and we only really had problems when Cooper was hitting adolescence and “challenged” the older dogs, but that settled down in no time! Good luck!
Mimi
Thanks- I think it’s about the individual dog’s
Personality as well- the third we are seriously considering would be 10 weeks when we pick her up- our Charlie is just a year and our senior, Sir Ike is 13 and so above and over the puppy thing- he has tolerated Charlie beautiful but Jason interest
in frolicking about with him- that is “so yesterday” for him:)!
Thanks:)
Laurence Feldman
I have owned Rottweilers and labradors… Over the last 27 years. Always had a male labrador with a female Rottweiler and it was a perfect relationship. When I introduced the second female Rottweiler and mind you both were neutered… As a puppy everything was fine, as my older Rottweiler began to show signs of aging and weakness, the younger Rottweiler began to dominate in fact it almost seemed as if she was going to try to kill her. It was heartbreaking and I have to keep them separated and safe. Females typically fight to the death especially in bully breeds… At least that’s what I’ve been told . I now have a one year old male husky and we found a small dog on the street which we believe is a Havanese Maltese mix. He is only eight months old. I want another Rottweiler and I’m not sure whether I should get a male or female any suggestions?
Adrian
Hello, I have two German Shepherds one male one female both are a little over a year old. The female is fixed but my male is not yet, we are actually adding a third dog next week, he is 8 weeks old and also a German Shepherd. My dogs have very good temperments so good in fact we can put our hands around and in their food bowls while eating, they are very playful with each other and have not had any fights yet. I am a little worried about how they will react to the new dog though, and my biggest question is when I go to let the little one out to go potty should I let him out in the back with the other two or let him out front and keep them separate??? And when I bring this new dog home what is the best way to introduce all of them should I do it indoors or out back??? Should I hold onto the new puppy or let him walk on his own??? My husband thinks I am being paranoid but I just don’t want anything bad to happen:) our two dogs are our loves especially our kids they are super protective of them, if you tell our female Zoe to go lay by baby she lays right next to our three year old its so stinkin cute:)
Maggie
Introduce them on a walk! Avoid introductions on anyone’s “territory” (so, your house for your existing dogs). Keep it slow at first, and separate the puppy in a crate if there’s any tension. This is critical with the baby – if your dogs are protective of her, they may think the puppy is threatening her, so be VERY cautious with that introduction (baby and puppy should meet without the other two nearby, then let them in one at a time starting with whoever is calmest). Also, I would suggest getting your existing male or the male puppy neutered ASAP – two unneutered males can have a tough time getting along. Good luck, and let me know if you have any other questions!
Adrian
Ok, so it’s been a week since we brought our new puppy Gunner home and I am happy to report that my two older dogs took to him EXTREMELY well:) I was a nervous wreck when we introduced Ziggy and Zoe to Gunner but my husband told me to relax because the two older ones will pick up on my nervousness and in turn will make them nervous, so I did just that and before we knew it they were all playing!!! However, a few days later my female Zoe did give a little warning to Gunner when he grabbed onto my sons (my 3 year old) shirt and started tugging and my son of course squealed Zoe didn’t like that and made sure Gunner knew that lol. Needless to say he hasn’t done it since:) We ended up introducing them in the house because that day it was 103 degrees outside with humidity, I am glad we did it that way because our dogs know to be on their best behavior when they are indoors and they were. We had absolutely no problems and all three of them got along wonderfully and ever since September 7th all three dogs have been inseparable. This inseparableness has caused a little bit of a problem at bed time. Gunner wants to stay out with the other two, he whines and whines so last night I let him stay out all night long, should I not have done that? He was fine when I checked on him this morning and still refused to come inside. What is your opinion on leaving him outside? He is 10 weeks old is he too young?
Maggie
Glad things are going so well! I’m not a fan of leaving dogs out overnight in general. I suppose it depends on where you live or how secure your yard is, but here we have coyotes and a huge tick problem and lots of bunnies, etc. That’s up to you, though. The only trick is that it’s harder to reinforce Gunner for going to the bathroom outside, which might slow potty training, but that’s up to you, too. Best of luck!!!
Sherri
I have two dobermans(ages 5 & 3) and just adopted a boxer/dobie mix. It’s a fun time at my house. Routines are important. So is making sure that each human in the house spends time with each dog.
Emily Demuth
My fiance just surprised me with a puppy, our third dog, and im terrified. I have two amazing dogs, both 2 1/2. This puppy was a complete surprise and I am afraid that my other two boys are going to get sad and feel unloved. I have not had time to adjust to the presence of this new pup. All I could do is cling to my other boys and tell them I love them. Any advice?
Lauren
Hello there,
I wonder if any of you doggie lovers can help me?
I currently have a 3 year old male Staffordshire bullterrier and a 1 year old female staffie cross.
The lady I bought my girl off only breed her dog for the money. She currently has the mother still and one of the pups, my girls sister. All the pups must have bad genes as all of the pups, including my girl have all had dermatitis (mange) mine is the only one that has been treated and properly cared for. Both her dogs have never been walked or even worn a collar so are unsocialised with other dogs. Both are submissive. The sister to my dog (1 year of age) has had mange for over 7 months and the lady won’t take her to the vets as she says it’s too expensive (even though she receives benefits and is entitled to pdsa) I am thinking of adopting her and taking care of her myself. However I am not sure how to introduce her to my other dogs. She needs to be treated asap as she is in terrible condition and has sores all over her poor body from the mange being neglected. My boy is quite dominant, he has been neutered and my girl is submissive and in season and will be spaded as soon as she finishes her season. I am so upset by how the lady has treated (well hasnt treated) her poor girl. Knowing my girls sister is out there in a terrible state leaves me feeling heartbroken. As she hasn’t been leash trained (or worn a collar) and is in such a bad way I would feel to embarrassed about introducing them in a park as other dog owners would think I am the one who has neglected her. But I am also worried about all the posts I have read about not introducing them in my home where my dogs may get territorial. Please help! All advice is welcome! It would be perfect to have my boy and two girls, especially as they are sister and practically identical! I want her so bad so I can give her the life she deserves. Another problem is I work 4 days a week leaving the house at 8am and don’t get home till 7pm so would worry the life out of me leaving them alone incase a fight kicked off. My two are very friendly with most dogs! It took my boy 2/3 days to accept my girl into his house as a puppy. I just brought her into our home and told my boy to be gentle and ever since they are the best of friends. My boy is very much the leader of the two. I would love a third dog! Dogs are my world! Again.. Please help! Many thanks. Lauren x
Lisa Freeman
Article has been very helpful. I have 2 male German Shepherds (both rescues but on purpose). I am now becoming a foster failure with the third. We had her placed for a night but it didn’t work out. The new girl has been spoiled on one hand but looked after horribly. (No shots, never ran as nails are over an inch long…etc.) She also hasn’t been fixed and is in her cycle. Needless to say, she’s a bit scared since her life has been turned upside down, not to mention irritable, etc. due to her cycle. We have our two boys upstairs and the new girl downstairs for 2 days now. We took them all to the park yesterday and introduced them one at a time. My boys are neutered and very socialized, so they did beautifully. She was super scared but did ok. Once with each, she got snarly and growly but we just started walking to diffuse the situation. We decided to end on a good note and not press it but we really want her to be able to join us upstairs and start becoming one of the pack. Any suggestions or advise on our next steps is appreciated. She wants to be a good girl…I think she has just never been shown how! Thanks in advance!
Maggie
Hi, Lisa! This line is so perfect: “She wants to be a good girl…I think she has just never been shown how!”
It sounds like you’re on the right path. My biggest suggestion is just to take it as slowly as possible, which it sounds like your’e doing. It’s been my experience that a super socialized dog (like my Emmett) can REALLY help a dog who’s struggling (my Lucas), but it takes time and tons of patience. I suspect that your new girl will do better after she’s spayed, too. Best of luck!!
Lisa Freeman
Thanks. We let the boys come around the crate for just a minute or two last night. She wigged out on us but I was able to talk her through to lay down (while still barking…). I think these visits will need to be short and sweet though until she is out of heat. Girl has some raging hormones!!! Thanks again.
DZ Dogs
This is a great post!!
I know i’m late to the party, but we just added a third dog in our foster Jack. It’s definitely been a challenge, and its been fun. We kept a leash on Jack indoors for several days before we trusted him enough to have a little extra roaming room.
We’ve only had a couple of incidents, Jack doesn’t seem to know when to quit and when Ziva is done playing she expects him to listen. But so far so good! And we might have someone interested in adopting him soon!
daphne
We have 3 happy dogs at home now, a 12 yo neutered jack, a 6 yo intact female yorkie & 2 1/2 yo neutered german shepherd. They all get along pretty, the older jack keeps under the covers and to himself most of the day except when him & gsd go out to play ball but he just finds a toy and chews it while the younger dog chases ball after ball that we hit in the yard. My yorkie is not allowed out when they play cause she is tiny and when they are chasing a ball she can get ran over cause theyre not watching for her only the ball. Question is my son has seen another GSD puppy that he wants or a miniature pinscher. I’m tring to decide if this is good or bad and what we should bring male or female. I have read females not good together and do not want a big female hurting my yorkie, she is my baby and already has liver disease so has special issues as it is. We have been looking at those two rescues but just unsure which sex/breed would work to add to our crazy household
Marice
Hi Maggie!
I read through everyone’s posts and all the advice is amazing, thank you. I currently have two Pomeranians (both 2 years old), one male and one female. It is my birthday in two weeks and I would love a third pom (puppy), but my husband doesn’t think it is a good idea to have three dogs?!
I know three dogs will result into less bed space at night, more hair all around the house, more love and one more mouth to feed, but still, I just can’t get rid of the idea!
Do you think it will be okay to add a new puppy to the house, as poms can be quite jealous? And if yes, how should I go about doing this?
Any advice welcome.
Thank you.
Maggie
Hi, Marice:
I’m so glad this was helpful! You know, I don’t know much about poms–other than how cute they are–so I’m not sure about the jealousy issue. I think oftentimes some positive reinforcement and judicial treat giving can go a long way to help.
As for adding a puppy, I would recommend working with your rescue or breeder to find the puppy that is the best fit for your existing two dogs… if your husband comes around to the idea!
Good luck, and happy birthday!
Megan
Hi Maggie
I have a 9 year old Australian cattle dog and 1 year old Australian cattle dog. Both male and undesexed.
The 1 year is a bundle of energy and the 9 year is retired and wants to sleep all day.
We have been looking at adopting another male Australian cattle dog around 1 years of age. However, we were recently advised by a pound employee to not get a male but a female under 12 months because if we have two males coming of age at once they could attacked the 9 year old to be the alpha male. Though our 9 year old has never been the alpha male.
What do you think male or female will be suit?
Regards
Megan
Maggie
Hi, Megan:
I honestly think it comes down to personality more than breed. We have three males in our house without any problems! I would recommend that all your males be neutered, though! The shelter workers should be able to help you find a personality that’s a good mesh between your current two–with Lucas, for instance, he plays like crazy with little wild Cooper, then naps and lounges with old Emmett–a perfect mix! Good luck!
Jennifer
We have a 10yo male German Shepherd, 3 yo male Australian Shepherd, and a 2 yo female Rhodesian Ridgeback – all altered. They were all rescued and have all gotten along beautifully from day one. The GS is very mellow, not aggressive at all, the AS was abused and is very skittish and anxious, and Rhodie rules the house. She is the alpha and most aggressive. We are looking at adopting a 4th dog, a 1yo 7 pound female Yorkie mix.
I have been reading up on bringing a small dog into a large dog pack – is this an issue? I realize that we will have to take precautions with playtime. The new dog would be protected, but allowed to socialize when activity was at a low. She would be crated when we were not home – but that is not often. We treat our dogs as family, so we are entering this cautiously, but would appreciate any advice or insight.
I purposely chose a female, because my AS has a marking issue we constantly deal with, so I didn’t want another male in the house. After reading your blog, I am now concerned that bringing in a second female could be a bigger issue.
Marianne Milledge
I have a 2 year old Sheltie and if he gets out on his own he visit all the dogs houses in the neighborhood. Some of them are tied out and he plays with them and then comes home. I figured he needed he own dog friend (pack) and rescued a cocker-golden retriever mix who is laid back, smaller, same age and quiet. Being a Sheltie he is reactive and a bit noisy. When I brought the new dog home he was getting over being ill and my Sheltie would keep going over to his bed watching him. as all he did was sleep. He’d even bring a toy over and leave it for him as well. I was so shocked to see how this reactive high energy Sheltie was caring for this new addition. Very kind and gentle. It has been two months now and they finally have become play mates. No toy is safe from tug of war! They are the Perfect match. My Sheltie is fairly well trained and the cocker mimics his behavior when it comes to training. Making it easy for me. I was considering bringing in a third smaller dog but not sure if I will be ruining the good thing we have now. The cocker is a perfect walker and the Sheltie tends to pull which we have been working on. So just maybe i will be happy with my pack of two. Best decision I have made to date.
Dee
Hi All —
I am currently thinking about adding a puppy (3rd dog) to my home. However, I want some advice on which sex to go with all will be the same breed (mini schnauzer). I have a 5 y/o spayed female that is probably quasi-dominant (she had an older brother that passed away which she bossed him around a bit but he just didn’t care) she plays with both male and female dogs, no issue (however she is very possessive of her human “dad”) and I have a 4 y/o neutered male who is just a love bug, loves all dogs (except larger ones due to one scaring him) and people – he is very clingy to me and very much my “baby”. However, the female does get “bossy” with her brother at times and will have a very short lived “squabble” with him at times and he just takes it..no hard feelings…so he’s not got a dominant bone in his body. My thoughts are I should probably get a male puppy since the female I have has a bit of dominance going on…and I heard females are more prone to fight, etc and sometimes it’s bad, where as I think the only issue I would have with my male would be the new male being the “baby” so to speak, since he’s been the baby for so long…I know this falls on my shoulders as far as that dynamic goes… Anyway, any thoughts would be greatly appreciated…Unfortunately, the puppy I am looking to adopt from a breeder isn’t in the local area, so it’s not going to be possible for them to meet the new pup first to see how it goes, etc…
Megan
Hi Dee
I have three male australian cattle dogs. The last two we had no prior introductions with our older dog. This is not the best way to introduce a new dog as there is chances that they wont suit your pack. Hence why we have three dogs. We got our second dog and he turned out to be too lively for our older dog so we had to get a third dog to play with the second dog. Its alot of work but they all have found there place in the pack.
Good luck.
Regards
Megan
Dee
Hi Megan –
I totally understand! We got our female to kind of be a companion to our older male (he was a 10 yr old westie), he didn’t mind her at all and he tried to play with her but she just had too much energy. So, after a year we felt bad that she had no one to play with other than the 5-10 daily spurts with her older brother, she really didn’t annoy him or try to make him play, etc..so, we got her a brother, which they all 3 got along great (the westie never tried to assert dominance, etc – he let the female think she was in charge) and the younger two would entertain each other and the older gent would join in from time to time. The westie passed away at 14 a little over a year ago, so it’s been the two younger ones – which they are fine…it just seems that at times the younger male tends to get “bored” with his sister and she gets a little over zealous and snappy when he sometimes tries to get her to play, she likes him but she has her own agenda. So, that’s why we were thinking about another puppy…and since she had an issue when a friend of mine brought over his female dog, wasn’t major, she didn’t try to fight her, etc…just you could tell she didn’t like having her in her house, etc. However, the boy dog didn’t care and he wanted to play, he seems to not care what sex the playmate is…my brother has a male intact doxie that’s a year old and they play just fine (although my boy does get a bit snippy after trying to be humped over and over!). So, I’ve heard most males are more laid-back (which I’ve experienced with both my male dogs) and neither of mine seemed to care about dominance or had aggression, etc…
Also, we introduced both the female (to the older male at the time) and the current male to everyone without introductions, no one fought, etc…the older two were curious about the new little guy when we got him but within in about an hour everyone (well, the female) was playing and go to go…
So, anyway, I’m leaning towards another male…since we’ve had that dynamic before…and it seems from experience two males seem to get along just fine, as long as they are around the same size, etc…
Amanda
I have two males. One morkie who will be 2 in April and a 4 month chiweenie. I got the first at 2 months and the second at three months. I would like to add a third. A female maltipoo but not sure if this is wise. I have always had two dogs and all sorts of mixes. My morkie is the most needy of the two but the boys play very nicely together. From what I’ve read adding a third before the oldest turns two is the best option?? Looking for feed back. I am home and my little one is taking house breaking much better then the first since I have more time for them then I did when I got the first.
Is adding a female a good idea? And temperaments okay? Or am I being over ambitious with adding another puppy to the mix.
Paula
We first got a female Westie. I was a stay at home Mom and I had lots of time-we went everywhere together. When she was I went back to work part-time. My sweet girl was alone more than ever and became VERY depressed and lethargic. About 6 months after I began working we jumped on the opportunity to adopt (buy) a male Westie puppy from a friend of a friend’s litter. It took a good 6 months to a year for my girl to adjust to an active puppy. We had him neutered at 6 months. Now they are the best of friends. The young boy is 2-1/2 and he idolizes my girl. She watches out for him like a big sister. Recently while volunteeringredients for a local rescue my husband fell for a boy yorkie-Maltese mix-about 3 months old cast off from a puppy mill. My husband wants a lap dog and the westies are not really lap dogs. The westies are each about 23 lbs. The Morning is 3 lbs and will be 7 lbs full grown. The morkie is skittish and afraid-understandably. We are fostering to adopt but I don’t know what I should be cautious of. When scheduling a grooming appointment for all 3 my groomer cautioned me to be careful to not let the first 2 either gang up on the little one or to pamper and favor the little one making him think he’should the dominant. He also said to make sure they don’t form a dog pack and take over the household. Until then I didn’t even consider problems with the 3. Does anyone have any lessons they learned after getting a third that they could share?
Paula
Addition to my previous note: my first westie was 6 years old when we got the second. Now the girl is 8 years, the boy is 2-1/2: are we crazy for adding a third? Any problems others have had adding a third?
Holly
Yes I have 3 dogs. A 5 year old Maltese/poodle a male called Bertie he was my first dog and he is top dog. A 2 year old yorkie/dachshund a female called Rose. Then another boy Sammy who is 7 months old and he is a jack Russell.
Love them all dearly when I bought home Rose, Bertie was in complete shock he growled a bit at Rose but now they are the best of friends. When I bought Sammy home [Sammy is very hyperactive considering hes a Jack Russell] Bertie and Rose don’t really do much with him they mostly ignore him sometimes Bertie and Sammy would play wrestle and sometimes Rose will groom Sammy but not much.
I am considering getting another Jack Russell so Sammy would have a playmate then Bertie and Rose can form a pack and Sammy and the new one could form a pack. What do you think?
David
Cute dogs
David
You should get another jack Russell
Holly
Thank u David I have made my decision and I’m getting a Jack Russell puppy on the 23rd April. As I type Sammy is wrestling with Rose lol!!
Holly
A WEEK UNTIL I GET MY PUPPY SO EXCITED
david
so you are going to get one so cute
Holly
Yes I will tell u all about her when I get her counting down the days!!!
david
ok Holly bye shall we replay to eachother on saturday
Holly
Yes we can
Holly
Sorry that I haven’t replied sooner but I got my little eight week old female jack Russell puppy on the 23rd April we have called her Summer and she is settling really well and Sammy loves her and now they can form two separate packs!!! LOVE U GUYS!!
DogMad333
I would like too share my story about my experience with dogs sorry if it’s long.
My first dog was a male eight week old Labrador Retriever who I had got from a breeder I called him Bertie. Bertie was mad at his first year I learnt a lot with him. When Bertie was 6 years old my neighbour who owned Boxers had been struggling too find a home for this male boxer puppy and time was running out as he was three and a half months old and the older he got the more people would turn him down so I gave 500 to my neighbour and took the Boxer puppy in. I called him Tommy. Bertie growled at Tommy and got very possessive of everything come on Bertie I thought you were a friendly Labrador! But after a few weeks Bertie and Tommy got on very very well. When Bertie was 9 and Tommy was 3 I was on holiday we were staying in a little woodland cabin when this little puppy I estimated about a couple of months old all skin and bones approached our doorstep I obviously took it in and it looked like a collie mix I looked at its private parts and it was indeed a female we decided to call her Pippa. It turned out too be a very stressful holiday as we were back and forth on taking Pippa too the vets for regular checkups and Tommy had got stung so that topped up the vet bills aswell. But when me and all three dogs got home things settled down a bit. When Bertie was 11 years old he died of cancer rest in peace Bertie God bless you. Tommy was 5 at the time and Pippa was 2 at the time. I was down too 2 dogs again and didn’t feel as my little doggy family was complete. When Tommy was 7 and Pippa was 4 I adopted 2 staffie puppies (littermates) 2 males the really dark brown one we called Junior and the slightly lighter one we called Mason. Pippa was a bit skittish as she has been so used too Tommy and got mad when Tommy played with any of the pups. We reassured Pippa that we adopted them for extra playmates for you guys and we are not replacing anything. But soon enough all four of them got along well. When Tommy was 10, Pippa was 7, Junior was 3 and Mason was 3 I was walking the dogs to find that this man was selling Rhodesigan Ridgeback puppy for free on the market! I stepped in and took the puppy and then reported the man too the police and he got caught. The puppy was a female and we decided too call her Honey. All dogs instantly accepted the little puppy and Honey grower up too be the largest of the pack even though Junior is definetley the boss of them all. When Tommy was 12 he died of old age rest in peace Tommy God bless you. Pippa was 9 at the time, Junior was 5 at the time, Mason was 5 at the time and Honey was 2 at the time I felt mad when Tommy was alive having five dogs was tough but Honey could have gone too a dodgy dealer if I hadn’t stepped in. Mason unfortunately had too be euthanised at only 8 years old as the massive cancer tumor on his brain had caught up with him rest in peace Mason God bless you. When Pippa was 14 she died of old age rest in peace Pippa God bless you. Junior was 10 at the time and Honey was 7 at the time. When Junior was 11 and Honey was 8 we bought a male German shepherd puppy called Buster for some security in our house as our old dogs weren’t proper guard dogs at all. Buster got put into his place a few times by Honey who is very alpha type and Junior as he is getting old has kind of slipped down being top dog Honey has taken over. When Junior was 12 he died of old age rest in peace Junior God bless you. Honey was 9 at the time and Buster was 1 at the time. When Honey was 11 she sadly had too be euthanised as she had eight fits in half an hour and by the time I had took her too the vets there was no hope of life for her rest in peace Honey God bless you. Buster was 3 at the time and pined and pined for Honey but we weren’t going too get another dog now as we were getting old and couldn’t handle another puppy. When Buster was 15 years old he died of old age rest in peace Buster God bless you.
And that is our experience of dogs! Buster was an only dog for a long time but benefited the company and affection. Sorry for being so long!
Rose
I would like to share my story about my experience with dogs sorry if its long.
My first dog was a yellow Labrador a male eight weeks old who I got from a highly professional Labrador breeder I decided too call him Bertie. Bertie and I learned lot considering he was my first dog. When Bertie was 6, my neighbour who breeds and shows Boxers was having a hard time trying too give a male Boxer puppy a home he was three and a half months old and the older he got the more people who didn’t want him. So I gave my neighbour five hundred pounds and took the little Boxer puppy home I decided too call him Tommy. Bertie was very surprised when Tommy came home as Bertie had been an only child for quite some time but then they sorted it out and were best of friends. When Bertie was 9 and Tommy was 3, we were on holiday and we were staying in an woodland cabin. I opened the door one day and there was this starving collie mix puppy I’m guessing about a couple of months old it was a female. We decided too call her Pippa. It turned out too be a very stressful holiday going back and forth to the vets for regular check ups on Pippa also Tommy got stung by a bee so our vet bills were through the roof. All of this and getting Bertie and Tommy used too Pippa. When we got home things settled down and they were like a little gang. When Bertie was 11 he died of old age rest in peace Bertie god bless you. Tommy was 5 at the time and Pippa was 2 at the time. When Tommy was 7 and Pippa was 4 we adopted two Staffordshire bull terrier puppies they were both boys and littermates we called the brown one Junior and the white and black one Mason. Tommy growled at the pups a few times too put them into place but other than that he was fine. Pippa went into a right spaz and she soon got the puppies playing. When Tommy was 10, Pippa was 7, Junior was 3 and Mason was 3 I was walking them in my local town where this man was selling a little rhodeisgan ridgeback for free I quickly got the poor little puppy and phoned the police the police came and the man got arrested. We decided too call the puppy Honey. Honey soon slotted in with everybody else. When Tommy was 12 years old he died because the cancer tumor on his brain had caught up with him rest in peace Tommy god bless you. Pippa was 9 at the time, Junior was 5 at the time, Mason was 5 at the time and Honey was 2 at the time. When Mason was 9 he sadly had to be euthanized as suddenly all of his organs had shut down rest in peace Mason god bless you. Pippa was 13 at the time, Junior was 9 at the time and Honey was 6 at the time. When Pippa was 15 she died of old age rest in peace Pippa god bless you. Junior was 11 at the time and Honey was 8 at the time. When Junior was 12 and Honey was 9 I bought a german shepherd puppy a male from a breeder we decided too call him Buster. We got Buster because our dogs were getting old and couldn’t really guard the house from burglars that’s why we got Buster. Junior and Honey accepted Buster into the pack. When Junior was 13 he died due too old age rest in peace Junior god bless you. Honey was 10 at the time and Buster was 1 at the time. When Honey was 12 years old she was euthanized as she had eighteen fits in half an hour and the vets couldn’t do anymore to help her rest in peace Honey god bless you. Buster was 3 at the time and pined and pined for Honey but I couldn’t get another dog as I was getting old. When Buster was 15 he died of old age rest in peace Buster god bless you.
And that is my experience of dogs I am now 82 and that will be the end of my dog time sorry if its long it made me go into tears as I miss my dogs so much and wish they could all be with me but that’s not possible. Love Rose xx
Holly
I’m sad too hear of all your losses when you go up too heaven you can meet all of your dogs again hope your doing well and can u help with my dilemma xx
Rose
I would consider adding another Jack Russell so Sammy doesn’t feel left out good luck on your decision
sam
really sweet rose even though i dont even know you but still
Holly
Thanks that means alot to me Rose is probably the cutest one (let’s hope Bertie and Sammy didn’t hear that?). I’m getting a Jack Russell puppy on the 23rd April a female so 3 dogs too 4 dogs will be a lot of hard work!
Susie-Arra
Hi,
This blog might have been written ages ago but can I share my dilemma??
Ok, so I started out with a female Yorkie puppy called Mitzi. She was my first dog and I learnt a lot from her and we had to work with her on small dog syndrome etc… Anyway when she was 22mths we got a pug puppy a male called Jasper. Lots of jealousy but now it’s okay.
Now Mitzi is going to be 3 on the 15th April and Jasper is 14mths I’m thinking of adding a 3rd but I want an experience of owning a working dog like a collie as I have had my headstart and want to look into breeds like that. But I don’t know if it’s the right decision as Mitzi and Jasper get on so well.. What do u guys think??
Tina Freedell
Cooper is so adorable!! Your lucky to have him he is like extra cutie pie!!??????????????????? I have a 3yo girl and a 8mth old boy which are my kids not my dogs lol?? And my dogs are 2 golden retrievers Sammy (8) and Rishna (5)?????. Sammy was my baby dog for three whole years I used to chat with him give him extra long walks and dedicated my entire life for him. Well when Sammy was 3 we bought a golden retriever puppy Rishna. We thought oh a girl version of Sammy. I WAS WRONG???. Rishna was one hell of a nightmare and Sammy got into doggy strops but it has worked out eventually????. Well 2yrs later we had OUR FIRST EVER CHILD Ella. She is now 3 and is a handful she always wants to watch frozen she is obsessed with it UUGH!!!???????. I’ve watched it like 10,000 times with her and she is always saying some scenes too me and I’m like why are you so obsessed with that programme?? Hopefully it’s just a phase and she’ll get over it!!!????????????. Sammy and Rishna coped with the transition well when Ella first came into the world. Now they gently play with her??. Then 8mths ago I had my little boy Archie. He is so adorable and loves to watch his big sister dance to random songs mostly frozen songs!! Archie is weaning off my breast he was easier to wean than Ella!!??. Ella didn’t want to go off the breast I had to pretend it was a monster for her to get off it???????????????????????????????. Archie has been a wonderful addition to our family so far and the dogs and Ella and me and my husband love him!! ?????????? My Husbands birthday is the 15/12/1985. Sammy the golden retrievers birthday is the 21/09/2008. Rishna the golden retrievers birthday is the 01/02/2011. Then my kids… Ella’s birthday is the 05/05/2013. Archie’s birthday is the 27/09/2015. And of course my birthday is the 23/03/1986.???????????. Goodnight everybody ?????????
Anna Holdsworthy
Hey I’m Anna!!! Tina why put so many question marks??
Tina Freedell
They were Emojjis but this website didn’t recognise them (groan))
Jermeahi Bloodwatch
Many Many years ago, me and my husband started looking at getting a dog. We were considering getting a puppy so he or she could grow up with us and we would feel the bond with it. Well on 11/02/1998 I got Milo the 8 week old beagle!! We bought Milo from a local beagle breeder and I would regularly see her waking her beagles we vowed to have a close friendship and fortunately we did:). When Milo was a year old we had got through a lot as Milo was a troublesome puppy and would push my buttons a lot and then he would do the puppy eyes and I just couldn’t resist! So anyway when Milo was a year old my husband desperately wanted a border collie and I was like we would hardly afford it! Milo costs us loads already! But no he started looking at border collie puppies and I had to take the iPad away from him! Anyway after much fighting me and my husband talked properly about it and my husband agreed to get an adult border collie as it would be easier to skip the puppy phase. So we started looking and by the time Milo was 16mths we adopted a 10mth old border collie/sheltie called Roo. Milo was unsure of Roo at first he didn’t know what to do but Roo just started sniffing Milos ass and then Milo accepted him;) Milo and Roo ran around together chased eachother groomed eachother sleeped with eachother and just enjoyed each others company! My husband was right about getting a 2nd dog! When Milo was 3yrs 9mths and Roo was 3yrs 5mths I fell in love with this litter of German shepherd puppies and just had to have one!! This time though I got a female an eight week old female German shepherd and decided to call her Lulu. Roo was very accepting of Lulu as Roo has always been a laid back dog but Milo oh Milo he wasn’t a big fan of Lulu at all but after a few weeks he tolerated her but Roo and Lulu became more best friends and Milo was an outsider. I felt so sorry for Milo but I think he enjoyed it really being able to do his own thing;) When Lulu reached 6mths she was bigger than Milo and Roo but everyone knew that Milo was top dog! LOL!
Now Milo is 5yrs 3mths, Roo is 4yrs 11mths and Lulu is 15mths! They all get along great and are my three special doggies!! You were right about how hard it is to introduce a 3rd dog if it’s a puppy because you have the puppy’s demanding schedule and training etc and you have to remember your 2 other dogs too!! I think it’s because we don’t have 3 hands? But I love my 3 dogs and wouldn’t trade any of them for the world!
Anna Holdsworthy
Dogs Eh? We love them so much that we want to add more and more and more and before you know you are the dog lady of the neighbourhood! You get dragged all different ways at once and end up getting all the leashes tied up NIGHTMARE. When one of your dogs start barking at the postman and the others join in you got it: no peace! But we all love our dogs unconditionally and everyone on this site will do to! Please reply to this and I will say extra details about my crazy dog life – Anna xx
Avery Muson
Years back, I was 21 and moved to an apartment and yes I was a loner I was single!! Any ways I worked at a vets and had a great passion for animals so 6mths after I got a little border collie (blue merle) and he was 8 weeks and a boy and I called him Blue. I had a week off work to be with him and help him settle and try to housetrain him. He would stay at my mums if I had to work long hours. A year later (I was 22) I met this really hot guy at the local bar we got chatting and well not getting into details but we fell in love! He was called Finley Britton. I found out that he was a big dog lover he had two dogs of his own a 10yr old beagle male called Jack and a 2yr chihuahua female called Rose. Five months after successful dating Finley moved in and he obviously took the dogs with him. Blue (1 at the time) was a bit unsure but soon got on with Jack and Rose. 2yrs later me and Finley had our wedding therefore I was called Avery Britton. The dogs didn’t come to our wedding but got looked after by the neighbours who would check on them (there were 12, 4 and 3). Me and Finley went on a lovely honeymoon to Italy and we were able to take the dogs with us, Jack had very special travelling as he was getting old. 8mths after me and Finley’s wedding Jack unfortunately passed away due to old age. Finley and me were very upset but we got through it. When I was 24 and Finley was 24 I had this excellent career chance to go to France and do a vet course for 4mths. Me and Finley had a discussion about it and the dogs who were (4 and 3) jut possibly couldn’t come and Finley would have to get a new job and everything. So I went by myself and Me and Finley had a long distance relationship for 4 months but we loved eachother so much we didn’t care. I also missed Rose and Blue they were like my babies. Anyway when I got home, Finley had bought a Jack Russell/chihuahua puppy another male called Ollie for us to share and to make our family more of a hug than a two by two. Luckily all the dogs got along and everything was good. When I was 27 and Finley was 27 we welcomed our first child a little girl called Sophie. She was our world and our everything and it will always stay that way the dogs were (7,6,3) Rose got all worked up about it even though we had planned all the dogs for it but I guess some dogs are just like that. Then me and Finley kind of when through the baby route and when Sophie was 2 we had our little boy Jacob who we love dearly. Then lastly we had another little girl when Sophie was 4 and Jacob was 2 she was called Lily. The dogs were (11,10,7) Sadly 3yrs after Lily was born my dog Blue passed away at the age of 13 as the arthritis was catching up on him he was such a great dog. My dogs were (14 and 10) and my kids were (7,5,3) Then a year later I found out that Finley Britton had been cheating on me with this other woman for four years!! I HATE HIM NOW!! I chucked him out and divorced him my kids and my dogs were the only things to keep me sane. Now Sophie, Jacob and Lily would see thier dad on Friday after school through to Saturday evening. My kids were (8,6,4) Sophie and Jacob understood but Lily was too young. Also Finley took his dog Rose with him (she was 15) and I kept Ollie who was (11). A year later when I was 35, I found this other man he was called Jake Muson. He was the typical hot guy and I fell head over heels for him. He moved in a short 6mths later he was only 29, but I didnt care about the age difference . He had no dogs and no kids but was happy to live with my 3 kids and my dog. Three years later, we got married and now I am Avery Muson and I still am. I was 38 and he was 32. My kids were (12,10,8) and my dog Ollie was (15) and still going!! Also Finley and his wife Michelle Britton came along to show credit. (Michelle wasn’t the one Finley cheated with by the way) They had only got married a short couple of months before. Unfortunately only 4mths after me and Jakes wedding, Ollie passed away at age 15 the oldest dog I’ve ever had!! (Oh by the way Rose passed a couple of years before) Ollie has been with me for 15 whole years now he joins Blue in heaven.
I am now 41 and Jake is 35. (Jake doesn’t want any kids). Sophie is 15 and is the teenager the dreaded she is okay really she loves hanging out with her friends like all the time!! Jacob is 13 and is started the teenager stage so he is all stroppy and a bit spotty if I dare say and he is typical middle child. Lily is 11 is starting high school in September and I guess she will be growing up lots and not going school with the most messiest high ponytail ever!! I have had no dogs for 3yrs as I just want to focus on my children for a while but maybe when they are all a teenagers I might buy one as an anti stress comforter lol!! Thanks for taking your time to read from when I was 21 and now 30 years later I’m 41. Bye everybody!!
Emily
Hi,
Thank you for this post. I currently have two male dogs and am looking at getting a third. Just wondering if you could recommend which sex to get. Didn’t know if a female would cause more competition between the boys or if another male would cause competition for dominance. I know i am probably over thinking everything 🙂
Maggie
Hi, Emily! Personally, I believe that individual personalities matter far more than gender. You can have super laid-back or super high-strung dogs in either sex. My suggestion is to chat with the shelter volunteers or breeder to determine the best fit for the current personality/hierarchy you have in your house. You’re definitely NOT overthinking! 🙂 Good luck!
Emily
Thank you, we will be getting puppy from the same breeder and the same parents as my boys, so will ask her what she thinks will fit best. Fingers crossed it all works out. ?
Rachel Blankenship
Hi Maggie, I am considering a third pup (meeting a potential 7 mo old bull dog/lab mix this week). Last year, I adopted a 3 month old great dane/short haired pointer mix in hopes she would encourage my now 10 yr old border collie/lab mix to get out there and play. I was wrong:( Bruno is protective of Lucile, great when it comes to training her, and endearing when its cuddle time but he wants nothing to do with play time. We frequent a dog park but Lucile needs a playmate. She plays with the kitty often but she has recently grown into her gangly legs and she is now broad, strong, and much heavier so my little runt of a cat is over it. I know 3 dogs is ambitious but I just got a raise and I cant find a reason to not to. My only concern is my oldest. I dont want to add more stress in his life. He is not naturally dominant so I have to set that expectation. I am looking for a younger male that wont mind being submissive to a super laid back old bear.
Anyway, I guess my question is what am I not considering? I have factored in the additional vet/food costs. I am not in a hurry and plan to hold off until I find a pup that is active enough to keep up with Lucile but laid back enough to let Bruno lead the pack (behind the humans of course:). I have a big house, not much carpet, and a fenced in backyard. My second pup transition took 2-3 months but wasnt all that painful.
Do you have suggestions on other things I will encounter? Concerns about introducing a bully breed that is slightly older (he has lived his whole 7 months in foster care and with his litter so I am not really concerned about this one but he will be my first bully breed)? Suggestions on what I should be looking for?
Any advice is helpful! Thanks for the advice you have already shared!
Maggie
It sounds like you’ve thought of everything! And I wouldn’t worry about the breed question… it comes down to individual personalities so much more than any breed differences. I think the only other thing that I struggled with was MY adjustment! Taking into consideration the things that would change in the relationship I had with my guys was something I overlooked. Otherwise, it sounds like you’re in great shape! Good luck!!
Virginia Smith
I am seriously thinking about getting a third dog. I have a 4 year old Golden Retriever (Logan) and a 2 year old Siberian Husky (Ghost), both neutered males. They are the best of friends. The breeder I got Logan from is retiring Logan’s dad in the fall. I will most likely take him home. My breeder said there will be no major problems with 3 neutered males. They work out their standing in the pack amongst themselves. They have to acknowledge you as the alpha, which the 2 I already have do.
Audrey Bridges
Hello! We just adopted a third doggy. We now have Barley (male – 6 yrs), Peanut (female – 4 yrs) and Bear (male – 9 weeks). We got Barley at 4 months, and Peanut at 9 weeks. I have wanted a third dog for months and months, but now that we have him, I find myself terrified that it will mess up the two perfect dogs we have.
It’s only been about 4 days now, and so far I think things are coming along fairly well. Barley spent the first 3 days sending low warning growls to Bear and shadowing him whenever he was near us or having any fun in general. The first 2 days, Peanut wanted nothing to do with Bear. Day 3, he started following her around barking at her so she found her voice and started growling and barking back at him. He wanted to play but she was telling him she wanted no part of it.
Today, day four, Barley decided he’s ready to play with Bear. So he’s been playing with him a good portion of the day now, at least when Bear is out of his crate for play time. They are definitely having fun, but Barley is also showing him who’s boss by pinning him on his back. Great news right about the play time right!? Yes, except that now Peanut is watching and barking at them, occasionally trying to get in the mix by attacking Barley, who growls and sends her scurrying, while he goes back to play with Bear again.
We are now trying to figure out which scenario is correct. 1) Peanut is trying to protect the puppy and that’s why she’s attacking Barley. 2) Peanut is jealous of the attention Barley is showing Bear and is trying to join in, only to be told Barley has a new friend now and there’s no room for her anymore. I’m leaning towards #2.
We picked now to bring in doggy #3 because I broke my leg and I’ve been out of work for two months and my husband has the option to work from home. This allows us to keep things super structured, making sure to give them all individual attention as well as “Pack Play Time”. So we felt like we have plenty of time now to devote to a third dog, but my heart will break if my poor sweet Peanut feels shunned from the new BFF’s.
What I want to know is, what’s your guess, 1 or 2? and more importantly, are my two older doggies going to be ok with all this!??!!?!
Thank you 🙂
Jules Miner
I love on an 11 acre farm and have five dogs of varying ages. It’s been a busy, chaotic experience. I have tried to avoid pairing dogs from similar breeds with the same type of energy and play styles. It’s worked so far. If you match personalities and ages it CAN work, but it takes effort and you get used to doggie hair on the furniture rather quickly. ?
Amanda Wilson
I’ve been reading all the replies on here, and I feel much better. I have Roxie, an 11 1/2-year-old Shepherd/Retriever Mix and Lilly, a 1 1/2 year old jack russell/rat terrier mix. Last week I found a dog on the road left to die and took her to the vet. To everyone’s surprise, she’s pulling through and will probably come “home” this week. I know I can’t part with her, but I’m nervous about introducing her.
I’m not so worried about Roxie because is very laid back and adaptable. She lost a leg to cancer this summer, and the only difference that’s made is she’s become more protective of her food, but all she does is bark and Lilly will run away. She really doesn’t have an aggressive bone in her body and is the sweetest, most patient dog ever.
Lilly, however, is very jealous. She has to be right there if you’re paying attention to anything else. However, she’s not a fighter and very submissive, so I don’t know how that will play out with another dog.
Hope, the dog we’re adding, is approximately 3 months old and breed unknown. I’ll definitely have to crate her because she’s still very weak and needs quiet recovery time. There’s also a possibility she will be permanently blind from her injuries. I’m probably crazy taking on this endeavor, but I’ve given it a lot of thought and have peace about the decision to bring her home.
Will
Amanda,
My girlfriend and I have 2 dogs at home now… a 4 year old named Teddy (shittzu poodle mix), Bear (8 month old mix we rescued) was supposed to be a shihtzu poodle mix as well but he is now over 27 pds and very lengthy so that is not correct haha. We love them both and took some adjusting as we got bear at 3 months old.
We are fostering a dog now from south korea who hasn’t had the best of life… they think he is 3-4 years old shihtzu and he is skin and bones (we are giving him as much food as he wants and you can tell he loves our place)…. he is the sweetest dog ever and loves to cuddle and is quiet but also interacts well with Bear. Teddy is the alpha and can tend to be protective of his toy balls and his toys/treats. Have you taken in the new dog yet?
How is it going? I am worried myself. My girlfriend wants the dog (I do too) but very nervous as Teddy/Bear have finally started to get along like brothers and actually having Rain (the dog from South Korea) come into our house for the past 5 days has made them even closer…..
Will
Fawn Gifford
I appreciate your advice. I’ve only ever had one dog at a time then we rescued a second and now my sons girlfriend is pregnant and doesn’t want their puppy anymore and they already rescued it so the thought of sending that pup to the pound kills me, my husband said we should take it so having read your blog I’m more inclined now to take her. The three musketeers I guess! Ha! and three females oh my!!
Donna
We just added our third dog today. We have 10 year and 3 year old females. Third is 4 year old male?. He is the sweetest dog! We had 2 meet & greets where we walked them together. Then we had 3?hout play date in our home. Then a weekend sleepover. 4 year old is still barking & growling at him, but keeps her distance. Having had 2 dogs we already take all precautions with food, toys, treats, etc. I’m hoping they will work the rest out. 10 year old is fine with him. Making sure everyone gets equal time & attention.
Thanks for all the good advice.
May Fraser
I’m got 2 boy one daughter one mine lm thinking get other puppy it boy don’t know if be ok or better girl
Mary J Schaefer
Hi, I have two dogs at present one adopted at age 7 months which is a lab pit mix female, now three years of age and the second I adopted at age 9 who is now 12 is a full bread black lab male, who was thrown away, and as a result has skin issues. He also has issues with male dogs. He does not like them and will attack them. He leaves females alone, practically ignores them.
I am retired and disabled and I have a dog walker four times a week.
I would like to get another dog. I think it would have to be female. I was looking at puppies and I love them but I don’t think a puppy is the answer perhaps an old er dog like one year old or even a senior.
I live alone with my two pops, my adult children thinks I’m crazy and has vehemently told me “no don’t get another dog”.
I have the resources, a fenced yard and a dog walker… But I remain a little leery. Not of the commitment, but I am unsure.
I have found two different 8 to 1-year-old golden mixes that I just love via picture. I just don’t know what to do.
Emily Moore
I have two female dogs and thinking of getting a third, would you suggest to get a male or female?
Taw
Female: 1 season at least. Makes for a better partner.
Plus only wean a puppy when the signs in the old farmers almanac says the moon is right for weaning.
I’m really serious about this. Farmers live by Poor Richards Almanac. Good luck