New Dog(s)

[Rob Shauger]

I posted this on the general forum and was told here would be a good idea as well:


Good morning all,

I was last in here in December talking about out 14 year old Golden/Chow mix Sophie. She has her daily routines like most of your dogs do Im sure. Well last week she was out going to bathroom, much more than usual. The last trip out she walked off to the woods and laid down in the snow and was just hanging out. I was on a conference call in my home office so I just let her relax. My wife had come home a bit early that day as she was not feeling that great ( a great rarity that this happens) and asked why the back door was open. I said Sophies outside and she doesnt want to come back in, I will go get her when I am done on the phone.
So when finished I went and got her and she was very slow and weak. She had threw up in the woods so I wanted to keep her off the carpet for a while, but my wife disagreed. Sophie appeared very tired and we got her some water and her joint medicine thinking the walk through the snow may have caused her some pain. I told my wife somethings not right and I think Sophie knows it too. I think she went out to the woods to pass on. Sure enough after checking on her every 1/2 hour we lost her at 9:00 that night. My wife was devastated after having her as [art of her life for 14 years. We were just glad we didnt have to make a decision.
We knew this time was coming and knew we didnt want to be without a dog if and when something happened. We have been looking at some books on dogs for about 6 months now and my wife really wants 2 dogs. A smaller dog to hang out on her lap and keep her company and a bigger dog for me and the kids (we have 2 boys age 5 and 10). Tricia wants a Shih Tzu and I was wanting a Labrador Retriever. Here are some questions:

Is it ok to get these 2 dogs early on and raise them together?
Should they both be crated together at night to get used to one another?
Do we need a crate or can we just use a gated area in the house?
What things should we have at home to prepare for their arrival?

I have never had a Puppy at home and its been some time for Tricia. I am really looking forward to the companionship of the lab for myself and want to take the dog thought Obedience and Training. I know the lab will give the kids a lot of love and play time too.

Sorry to ramble on. Look forward to your replies.

[moxiegrl]

Is it ok to get these 2 dogs early on and raise them together?
IMO if youand your wife have the time and the energy to commit to raising two puppies, and know what your getting into, it would probably be ok. I would suggest doing some research on raising 2 puppies at a time. Im sure some others can give you some links, or just google and look for credible sites that are not just peoples opinions. (like this reply is)

Should they both be crated together at night to get used to one another?
If the crate was large enough for both of them to be comfortable, I dont see why not. The only reason I could think of not too crate them together is a crate is supposed to be their safe haven/den if you will. They might like being together, or they might prefer to have their "own" space.

Do we need a crate or can we just use a gated area in the house?
I have a huge crate for my dog, but the only time she is in her crate (besides when she sleeps in there on her own and plays in it, is when we are not home. This is because she has not earned our trust with the run of the house when she is home alone (which is not often, and she doesnt cry or whine). Eventually, the crate will just be for her own space. At night she sleeps at the foot of the bed on a chest with soft blankets. This is not popular I dont think, I know a lot of people keep they're dogs in crates at night.

What things should we have at home to prepare for their arrival?
Obviously puppy food. There are a lot of posts on here about good foods to feed your dog. I believe Nuetro(?) is pretty popular and available a lot of places. Toys, Good things to chew on ( they will have your hands but that is not usually fun for you), Puppy shampoo, depending on the age flea medication,heartguard for puppies, and other basics. When I found out we were getting Katie I went WAY overboard, I was so excited.
Also, I do not know where you are planning on getting the puppies from, but I would suggest a vet check up soon after you bring them home. Katie came from a rescue shelter, but I still took her to my vet just to make sure she was a ok.
Good Luck and let us know how everything goes.
BTW Very sorry about Sophie.

[moxiegrl]

sorry bout the double post

[Dizzy]

Is it ok to get these 2 dogs early on and raise them together?
I think the general consensus is that is is much harder to raise 2 puppies at the same time. They are very likely to bond with each other and not you. So you have to be prepared to spend lots of one on one time with each pup. THAT SAID, there are plenty of people who have raised 2 pups just fine.. Kinda depends on the owners and the dogs!

Should they both be crated together at night to get used to one another?
I would say not. Mostly for the reasons above, and that I think they would prefer to have their own space.

Do we need a crate or can we just use a gated area in the house?
Individual choice at the end of the day. Some people prefer crates, some people don't. I only used mine when Bodhi was small to prevent mess during the night. In fact, it moved down to the garage today as I don't need it at all.

:D

I also would recommend google and reading, as peoples opinions differ greatly!