One Dog or Two? Advice Please

i thought she was very good with other dos when we met hun. in what way do you think she isnt very good?

hun i think yea with age training ect she will calm down i would say its her lines too she's west german lines? they do tend to be a bit fizzy lol my kiera was calmed down more once around 3yrs

with regards to other dogs with training that will come too, your not the most important thing to her wen distractions are about at the mo so that needs to be worked on hun my lot i make obsessed about certain toys which they regard as mine so even more special lol and they never leave my side because of that unless told so
so wen we see dogs the toys come out the recall noice is made and they are at my side leads on the ones who need em and we walk past, wen past we throw the toys and play then i take the toys back excpet Rostams and again the focuss in on me :love:

it may also surprise you that a dog that is sooo clingy *altho a sweetie8 may not actually want to share you 24/7....

She is great with other dogs when off lead :2879: She just gets really excited when on lead because she wants to play When i walk her she goes nuts nearly pulling my arm out of socket when we pass other dogs It looks really bad people dont realise she only wants to play Dont know if you noticed when we met she ran straight up to Fred off lead wanting to play
Same as when we go to training she is constantly wanting to play with the other dogs She is getting better tho I had to put the muzzle on for a few minutes last week just to calm her It does the job but looks bad because she never needs muzzling because of biting It takes the edge off her excitability

The only thing she is obsessed with is her tennis ball I have one of those ball thrower things so she gets loads of exercise But she doesnt like giving the ball back :nhy: i have to tell her leave it 2 or 3 times before she begrudgingly does Would it be a good idea Fazza to maybe take 2 balls and keep one for getting her to focus on me When i have her ball nothing else matters i now use this when passing other dogs Its so funny she cant decide what is more appealing the other dog or her beloved tennis ball :san22: I have tried using treats to do recall practice when we are on Cannock Chase but if the tennis ball is there she just spits them out

I would use the ball to your advantage

yea two ball her....

so throw one ball wen she comes back start throwing the other up in air *getting her prey drive out* wen she comes back and spits the other out YES and thrwo the other ball do this a few times stop take both balls as you want her to want that ball more then anything but if you let her chase to her hearts content she sees it as her game then after a few mins start the game again

i had to two ball my drug dog she wouldnt bring the ball back at all neer had that prob with my sheps lol

Will try that :san53: and let you know how it goes

good hun please do :love:

Lots of great advice here. Could've done with forums like this a few years ago before I made my mistakes!.....

I've usually had more than one dog at a time, but won't say it's been without it's problems. I had Sabre when Max was 10, and they never got on from the beginning! Max just didn't want to know. They never played with each other, and only tolerated each other because I made them! We did have a couple of fights, which weren't nice.

When Sabre was 3, I had Misty, GSD pup. She was very much like Keira when it came to energy, she was a real live wire! I realise now that I had her at the wrong time, I'd changed roles at work and began working silly hours, so didn't have the time to commit to them on an individual basis. As she got older she became more hyper, which was too much for Sabre because he's quite a laid back dog at home. She wouldn't leave him alone and I had to separate them because she was basically terrorising him most of the time. In the end I re-homed her, much to my regret, but it was for the best for both of them, and I definitely learned from this experience! I'd never have another dog now without being able to commit the time needed to both dogs. I also had my sons dog come to stay for a while, 2 year old GSD... and that was a nightmare! But it's not all bad I have had more than one dog in the past without problems, so don't be put off. Just giving you my worst experiences!

My mom's 2 dogs, who have had no formal training, absolutely adore each other. They play, groom each other and sleep snuggled up together... but they are yorkies! And both are still very much attached to my mom. So I think it's about having time and commitment, and trying to chose a new dog with a temperament and won't clash with with your existing dog. And like farah says your bond with both dogs is really important. By spending time and doing training with Sabre our bond is very close, and yours with Keira will become deeper through your training with her. Unfortunately I failed Misty in this respect, which is why things didn't work out.

So that's my past experiences. Now Max has gone I know in time I will look for another dog, but am also thinking of giving fostering a go. Sabre is fine with other dogs coming into our home, so may trial this out once I've moved house and see how it goes. I'm lucky that now I have time to commit to another dog/dogs, and I won't be making the same mistakes in the future! With you not working at the moment it's an ideal time for you to introduce another dog into your family, you just need to decide whether it's an ideal time for Keira? Think you'll get a feeling when the time is right, so listen to head as well as your heart (which is often something I fail to do!!) Whatever, your heading in the right direction with Keira's training. And if things are a little bumpy at first I know you are a committed owner that will work hard at dealing with any issues.

Wish you luck hun with whatever and whenever you decide.... and if you decide to rescue I know of loads :)