From the Mailbag: Natasha asks, I currently have two male dogs (a Labrador 5 yrs and a Yorkshire Terrier 2 yrs) and they both get along great. I’ve always wanted a Rottweiler. Do you think it would be a bad idea getting a 3rd dog? What sex would you say would be better? Thanks.
Natasha, having had one dog, two dogs, three dogs, and four dogs at various times, my favorite number is two. Adding a third dog is a big jump up in time, energy, and expense. I don’t know enough about your circumstances to really advise you (yard space, dog experience, time for training and exercising, etc.) other than to say that if you have two happy dogs who get along well, I’d be inclined to encourage you to enjoy what you have and not add a third–the pack energy with 3 dogs is way more intense than with just 2 dogs. If you feel compelled to get a third, given that you’ve got two males, I would go for a female.
The above was what I recently wrote in response to a reader asking a question about adding a 3rd dog. She came by way of my post: Is Having Three Dogs Better Than Two or One? In that post, I show a series of pics with my three dogs running and playing and generally having way too much fun. Clearly, they’re enjoying their game of tag.
But in that post I didn’t elaborate on the not-small-detail that it took months of serious training and management to get them to a point where they could all do so well together.
The truth of the matter was that it took Kiera quite a while to warm up to Graidy when I first got him, but he eventually won her over and they established a stable pack. When we added Wink, Graidy’s place in the pack became destabilized, which caused him to develop some emotional issues (which have since been worked through). And with a destabilized pack, I had to watch both Kiera and Graidy for aggression toward Wink. I did not leave them alone for the three months it took for a new pack order to become firmly established. There were many moments where if I had not been there to lead and intercede as needed, it could have turned ugly.
In the midst of this, we had house training and obedience training to do with Wink. And Graidy started marking in the house to reestablish his sense of territory, so he needed remedial training. In other words, as the saying goes– It weren’t no picnic!
Granted, I have a couple of pretty intense dogs. But too many people assume that you can just throw any number of dogs together of various breeds and they’ll do just fine. Some people get lucky, and that’s their experience. But, unfortunately, just as many people find that they’ve opened Pandora’s Box and they’re not prepared for what gets unleashed.
Here’s what I really think about adding a 3rd dog
(or more) to your 2-dog pack:
Don’t do it!
If you have a happy family, keep it that way. Two is a manageable number and enough for them to keep each other company when you’re not around. Having more dogs than that is an invitation for trouble. If any one of your dogs has any aggression tendencies, not only will those amplify significantly, the other dogs will also likely pick up those same aggressive tendencies even if they didn’t have them before. Don’t underestimate the power and influence of pack behavior on each individual dog. As well, the wear and tear on your house, your wallet, and your heart become exponential with each dog you add. So much so, that I’m going to repeat myself: Unless you are advanced in your ability to train and understand dogs, and you’re independently wealthy (only half-joking)– DO NOT ADD A THIRD DOG. Okay, there– I had to come clean.
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I am glad I found this post of yours. I’ve been seriously thinking of adding a 3rd dog (9 -week old French Bulldog) our family. Our family consists of my husband, me, and our two, female, 7-year old Coton De Tulears (toy breed). We both work and have a dogwalker that comes in mid-day to spend time with our dogs. Karen, thank you for your post – it was clearly speaking to me when you said “Don’t do it!” We have a happy family and our routine is pretty much established. Although I must say, I’ve been longing adding a 3rd canine-kid to our family. I even thought a male puppy might be a better balance. But the #2 seems to be just the right number.
Malu, if you ever decide on a third, I’d definitely go with a male to avoid the potential of female/female aggression, which is fairly common. But I’m glad to hear that, for now at least, you’ll be keeping your happy family as is. : )
I too am glad I stumbled upon your post Karen. My wife and I have been considering a third dog as well, mostly as a playmate to one of our dogs. Let me explain. We have a 6 year old female Maltese and a 5 year old female Olde English Bulldog. We have a content home and routine which is wonderful. However, our Maltese prefers to be left alone from our Bulldog and absolutely refuses to play with her. That is the reason we started thinking about getting a third dog so that it will play and interact with our Bulldog. Our Bulldog tries to get out Maltese to play but never with any luck. We have an average size home with a decent fenced yard to play. My wife walks the Maltese off leash separately from my leashed walk each morning with our Bulldog. Do you think given our situation, a third dog actually would be a good idea? If so, should we change it up and get a male? What do you think honestly?
Hi Mike, in your case with 2 girls, I would recommend a male. I also strongly recommend that you let your Bulldog be involved in picking her playmate, or you could wind up with a 3rd dog who isn’t interested in your Bulldog. You want the next dog to have definite play chemistry with her. So try to take her to meet the potential addition somewhere on neutral grounds, where you can get an accurate sense of how they might interact. What you’re looking for is a quickly responsive dog to your Bulldog’s play attempts. Size also matters in play, so try to go for a dog that ultimately will be about the same size.
In your situation, I completely get why you’re considering a 3rd dog. In your shoes, I’d probably wind up doing the same. Again, not to sound like a broken record–just make sure the play chemistry is there from the beginning.
Good luck!
Hi Karen,
Also, I have just come across your website and very interesting read. We too are considering a third dog into our fold. Currently have a lovely (calm,gentle, never been aggressive to anything in his life) 17-year old cross breed. He still walks and plays (on his terms) with our other dog, Juno, an almost 3 year old Springer Spaniel. She is very passive, and plays with Prince a lot (and they all get on well with our cats too (we have 2), sleeping and cleaning each other), but we feel that with Prince’s age, that she is not having the best play mate/companion that she could be having. Juno is also passive with any dog we meet on our walks, more interested in her ball/stick/bottles/junk she finds.
Another reason for the third would be to ease our suffering when he passes, and also for Juno. She has never been on her own as we had her from a puppy and always been with Prince.
We also have 2 children (11 and 5) who adore dogs and would love another one.
I am just wondering would now be a good time to get another, with Prince’s age he still comes on 1-2hours walks with me and Juno but does tend to sleep a lot otherwise.
Many Thanks for your reply (if you can),
Dean.
Forgot to add, Prince is about the height of a Lab. The third we are thinking of will be a Lab/Retriever cross type.
Hi Dean, it sounds as though Juno doesn’t need another dog to be happy (not all dogs do) if she is not actively seeking out play with other dogs. So unless you’re able to find a dog that you can have Juno meet that she goes wild for, know that if you get another dog, you’d be getting it for the family and not for Juno.
If you do decide to get another dog, I would recommend that you wait until your 17yo passes. Adding a new dog now could be very upsetting for him. At his age, keeping things the same is the kindest thing you can do for him.
Good luck with whatever you decide!
Karen