# 2nd dog



## kenny1991 (Dec 30, 2012)

Hey guys. We currently have an 8 month old boy vizsla and he is the light of our lives.

We have been saying for a whole that we would love to get another dog for him, to be his companion. We wanted an older dog (1-2 year old), so it's past that initial puppy phase but still a baby at hear, and so they would still want to play withnour boy.

So we originally looked for a vizsla (let me also say, that we want a female). So we looked around and even contacted the vizsla club of my state and the lady said that its probably too young to bring in another dog.

So we continued to look and had no luck. Buy yesterday we found an absolutely beautiful GSP, just around the corner from us. She is from a breeder (highly rated breeder in our state), and the girl is 2 years old. She won many shows when she was a pup and recently they used her for her first litter. She has near pefect hip scores and has a great overall conformation and temperament.

Unfortunately, while having a Caesarian for her puppies, the vet realized she had retained placentas that were not detached. So he had to Spey her following the Caesar to prevent any future problems. So now the breeder is looking for a home for her.

So the dog looks amazing, and I would think a two year old girl would get on great with my 8 month old V boy. He has a few GSP friends and always gets on great with them too.

So what do you guys think. Is it too early? We wanted another dog to also keep Astro company and to be a bit of a nurturing motherly figure.

All feedback and advice would be appreciated  thanks


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## Rudy (Oct 12, 2012)

;D 

Perfect timing if your life table is set 

and both parties on board for life ;D

Its a Lifestyle choice not a diet 

the better then Great

Vizsla 8)


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

I don't think it's too early at all, as long as you feel you are up to the added responsibility. For both dogs, it's a win-win situation!! ;D ;D


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## MilesMom (Jun 21, 2012)

My personal opinion is that your vizsla is too young to add a second dog. Ours are 17 months apart. Miles was his most challenging from 10-13 months of age. We put in a great deal of training with him to help him get out of his adolescent period and I can't imagine training a Vizsla during this phase while re homing a GSP. My thoughts. Miles is now an amazing dog who will help teach Chase good behavior.


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## lonestar (Jun 2, 2013)

Kenny, I'd encourage you to think about this from the GSP's perspective, too. Leaving her home has to be traumatic for her, and the readjustment to yours would be hard enough without the additional adjustment to a puppy. That doesn't mean you shouldn't do it, but please be aware that the GSP isn't just a play object for your beloved V. 

Introducing another dog to the family is often tricky, but you're really adding another element here with an older dog. likewise, it's unclear why you think your puppy needs a play mate. Often, they react very jealously to the addition of another dog, especially an older one who probably is dominant. 

Think this one through a bit more and see if it's really in the best interests of both dogs, not just yours.


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## tknafox2 (Apr 2, 2013)

I could be way off base, but when my v was a pup (before 1 yr) , I used to go visit my niece who had a GSP about a year older, Male, my V was female. They were totally in love. After playing ball, toy, etc, they would lay on the bed(pillow) and lick, and groom and just cuddle. My daughter has a choc. lab, and the same thing, male... he loved my V female. they are about 1 yr appart in age. 

I gave my V's bed( pillow) to the GSP when she passed. He recognized her, and sleeps on it to this day.


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## MilesMom (Jun 21, 2012)

I would recommend talking to your breeder or a trainer who knows your dog. We too wanted a dog as our second to avoid the puppy phase again. Turns out Miles' personality is not good for an adult dog to enter our home. Our breeder runs the rescue in SD and she did not think a dog was a good ideas based on some of Miles' fearful tendencies. Hence.... We have baby Chase now 17 months apart and they love each other.


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## kenny1991 (Dec 30, 2012)

thanks for all the replies.

I would love to bring in another puppy, but I dont think we are prepared to go through that phase again for a while. 

It's a tough one, and the breeder which we got our boy from said that she thinks it would be a great companion for him. So i dont know its really hard.

She just seems like the perfect addition, but I guess everyone will have their own opinion on this. And I can already see the divided opinions in this thread, and I am really greatful for that.

We are very active and we take our boy for a long walk every morning and usually an off leash play for atleast an hour in the dog park or down the river in the afternoon, so they would both get alot of exercise. We also thought having a friend to play with would also be good for our boy.

Hard decisionssss!!!! grrrr


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

Hmmm, how many pounds did you loose so far? I only ask because in the first 1.5 years I lost 16lbs just basic training the one dog. Second dog (my wife wanted a small dog), I let the first dog and my wife do the potty training. But the second dog was a small puppy at the time. 

Generally the older dog will be kind and train the baby but that way it will end up a little more doggie (more expressive).

(if the second dog is adult) The professional way is to immediately crate the second dog and train separately at the beginning (in other words treat as a single dog). Allow the first one more hose privileges while the second observes from the crate... later, once it learned your rules, they will be allowed to mix outside the crate under your supervision, your rules.

Many people throw the dogs together letting them sort out all issues... that is not professional or amateur... just unknowable..

Your call, if you have the time and energy, it's a lot of fun...


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

kenny1991. one of the things I love about these forums is that you will always get a nice variety of opinions, and typically we remain respectful of one another! 

It's been quite a while since I've had a multiple-dog household. The one thing I remember most of all is this: things go much more smoothly if you can always try to minimize the jealousy factor. If you want to give one dog extra love, don't do it in the presence of the other dog. Dogs are honest and guileless, and will sure let you know when they are feeling jealous.


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## Gingerbread (Aug 7, 2013)

Have just added a second dog to the household last week! We have a 14month old boy and thought he was looking a bit lonely, the breeder of his dad had a 9 month old boy looking for a new home as his last family split up. We had a weeks trial and our older dog was initially jealous with lots of barking and a little bit of pushing the younger one around, but we were around to make sure things didn't get out of hand and the young one had enough spunk to stand up to the older one and push back and they would end up playing, and both are now comfortable enough with each other to share a bed and groom each other. The good thing is that our older one is at a good stage of training so we will now focus on the new one. It is still early days! I would definitely recommend a trial period regardless to make sure the decision is the right one for both dogs!


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## MeandMy3 (Feb 27, 2013)

We have three dogs and our Vizsla is the youngest of them. We have a three year old lab, a 20 month old lab (with more energy than the Vizsla) and our Vizsla will be 8 months old next week. When we brought our 2nd lab home, our first lab was 14 months. They were fast friends and inseparable. When we brought our Vizsla home, our labs were 2 1/2 and 16 months. Our oldest lab was very jealous and even bit the pup. The pup then bonded with the youngest lab. It took about two weeks (and a lot of work on my part!) for all of our dogs to bond, and now, I can't imagine life without any of them. My husband works out of town and is gone during the week most weeks, but had he been home to help, I don't think the adjustment period would have been so stressful. My thoughts are if you are willing to put in the time and energy for both dogs, you will reap great rewards.  Good luck!


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## MCD (May 4, 2013)

I don't think we have any more room for a 2nd vizsla- we have 2 cats, 2 guinea pigs and a budgie as well as Dharma. My mom thinks I have a zoo!


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## Big Rick (Apr 14, 2009)

Ours are eight months apart. Dex was 10 months when Scarlet arrived, and it's been great from the first day.


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## kenny1991 (Dec 30, 2012)

I love how the more posts there are on this thread, the more I get confused ! gahhhhh  I dont want my boy to get jealous?


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## einspänner (Sep 8, 2012)

Kenny, sometimes you just have to shut out all the other voices and follow your heart or brain-whatever you put most stock in. I think the trial period suggested by gingerbread sounds like a great idea. 
Your dog might be jealous at first, but set clear boundaries and let some time pass and it usually works out. When I brought my puppy home 5 weeks ago, my sister's 1 year old dog was very jealous. I think it took a week before they were playing together like old friends. So assuming both dogs are well socialized and balanced, jealousy won't be a huge issue to sort out. 

I would take seriously the upcoming adolescent stage though.


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