# Multi-dog Household Advice



## twinkielk15 (Jan 17, 2011)

I have never had more than one dog at a time, but always wanted to have two. I have a French Brittany that’s 8 months old and I have the opportunity to add her mother. She’s three years old. Both are unaltered at the moment. I have no plans to breed and will likely have them both spayed. I have read several places that issues are most common between females as opposed to males or a mix of the two. Looking for any experiences or advice from those with multiple dogs, especially of similar age gaps and especially indoor dogs as both would be house dogs. What works? What doesn’t? What would you change? What do you wish you’d considered beforehand?


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## Catherder (Aug 2, 2008)

twinkielk15 said:


> I have never had more than one dog at a time, but always wanted to have two. I have a French Brittany that’s 8 months old and I have the opportunity to add her mother. She’s three years old. Both are unaltered at the moment. I have no plans to breed and will likely have them both spayed. I have read several places that issues are most common between females as opposed to males or a mix of the two. Looking for any experiences or advice from those with multiple dogs, especially of similar age gaps and especially indoor dogs as both would be house dogs. What works? What doesn’t? What would you change? What do you wish you’d considered beforehand?



These questions are tricky because there are no absolutes. While it is true that "the literature" says that female-female combinations harbor the most risk of conflict, I have seen a great many such pairs that get along great. I have also seen conflicts with almost every other conceivable combination. One just doesn't know for sure. Some references even say that spaying exacerbates the risk of a problem. 🤷‍♂️ Often the conflict can be aggravated by some disability in one of the dogs, such as arthritis, sensory and/or mental decline, and other physical ailments. Where both are relatively young, this should be less of an issue. 

The best advice I can give is, if possible, to have both dogs spend an extended trial visit with each other in a controlled environment. If they spend the whole time playing, you probably are good. If they sit and stare and growl at each other, then there may be issues. Try to do it a couple of times in different environments if possible. Good luck.


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## one4fishing (Jul 2, 2015)

I think with the two being related you’ll probably be fine. A friend of mine has two Brittanys, the mother and a daughter and they get along fine.


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## taxidermist (Sep 11, 2007)

As a kid, we had two GSH that were brothers. They were the greatest dogs and never was there any agressione from them for each other. 

Cath has the best idea. Give it a trial period and see.


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## backcountry (May 19, 2016)

Be conscientious of resources like food & water as they often lead to problems. 

Trust your gut on personalities as they first interact if you do a trial visit.


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## twinkielk15 (Jan 17, 2011)

Thanks for all the replies. The mom lives in Iowa, so no real chance of a trial meeting. However, the breeder has always been awesome to work with and we've discussed options if they should happen to have issues and not get along. So no long-term worries there. 

Catherder, your points make a lot of sense and they actually reminded me that I did have two dogs at one time for a VERY brief moment. In that case it was an older dog (~10 years old) and a brand new puppy. The older dog had arthritis and was a very anxious dog. The puppy, of course, was extremely rambunctious and playful. It took all of three seconds to see that combination wasn't going to work. 

I've had a few long calls with the breeder and a million texts. He's going to send some video today of her so I can see how she handles and, just as important, how HE handles her. He's also going to shoot some video of her interacting with the rest of the kennel. Barring any red flags there, I think we'll move forward. Thanks again for all the advice.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

I believe each situation is different. I have had 2 male labradors at the same time and can tell you there was a pecking order, and established Alpha Male. They got along good for the most part, but when they would fight it was always over food.

I have a 14 1/2 year old male Labrador and a 1 year old female Labrador currently. I have not seen one issue of aggression toward each other from either of them. It has been comforting to see how well they behave toward each other. They each have a dog house, but sleep in the same dog house. They eat and drink out of the same bowls. it’s been a good experience and I’m happy.


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## Catherder (Aug 2, 2008)

One more thing;



one4fishing said:


> I think with the two being related you’ll probably be fine.


This only applies if the two have been together for much of the pups life. If they have been apart since the pup went to her new home, it may not.


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## Irish Lad (Jun 3, 2008)

For many years I had a Brittany and Chesapeake Bay Retriever and then I had a Brittany and a Lab. All were spayed females. Never an issue. Always introduced em on neutral ground. Like stated previously, dogs have a pecking order. I love Brittanys.


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## one4fishing (Jul 2, 2015)

Catherder said:


> One more thing;
> 
> 
> 
> This only applies if the two have been together for much of the pups life. If they have been apart since the pup went to her new home, it may not.


True. Every dog is different. We’ve had grown up pups over from old litters and mom and pup act like they’ve never been apart. I’ve also witnessed other mamma dogs attack old pups.


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## slapwater (Jun 18, 2009)

I've read all the same literature about genders getting along, or not. We own 2 dogs and foster rescues as well, usually having at least 4 dogs in the house at any given time, and sometimes many more. I've come to the belief that it depends more on the individual than the mix. I have a Brittany (Female) that is the sweetest thing you've ever met. Every person and dog is her best friend. I don't think she'd ever be the source of problem. I have a Border Collie (also female) that is old and lived a hard life before we found her. She can get short tempered with other dogs if they are too much for her but has no problem with anyone once they know her boundaries. I had a Vizsla (male) that would make any dog bleed, gender was irrelevant. If you know your dog is typically good with other dogs and the owner of the other dog can give you a pretty good indication of the same (and you trust them), you have a pretty good chance of not having a problem.


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## Sawbillslayer (Oct 24, 2013)

We have two dog in our home. My Chesapeake Bay Retriever was 4 years old when my wife decided she needed a mini schnauzer. They have gotten along with only a couple of incidents. One incident was early on while feeding and we feed them in different areas. The other time is when the schnauzer decided to get in her dog box, my Chesapeake did not like that. Other than that they are best friends.


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## twinkielk15 (Jan 17, 2011)

Lots of good info. Thanks again, everyone!


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## caddis8 (Sep 10, 2007)

A lot is also how you handle the dogs. Especially at introduction and the first little while. My chocolate lab is a little territorial with other dogs on his terf, but gets along great with my dad's dog at his place and with my in laws mutt at their place. I wish I could figure out how to take territorial out of a dog- that's a million dollar question. 

Eventually the should get along, if they're all social. Some dogs are loners and always grumpy. My viszlas growing up were the fightingest dogs with other dogs I've seen. They were great together, but good grief if another dog they didn't know came on the block, it could get crazy if we didn't get in front of it.


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