# Considering getting another rescue- Behavior, 2nd dog, and small dog questions



## wei_xiao (Feb 11, 2014)

Hi everyone,

Sorry this is quite long. Just trying to get all the info out there!

I first came to this forum last spring when I was thinking about adopting my first rescue.

About 8 months ago I adopted a 2ish year old terrier-mutt who had been an owner surrender. He's a great dog. About 35lbs, scruffy and very sweet. It was a slow start, but once we both started figuring things out he's been a super learner, knows all of his basic commands, has a fairly reliable recall (we're still working on it, but we're making huge progress on the 15' leash, so I have hope that one day we'll get there!). He was very under socialized so we've been trying to work on that. He's now great out in town even with strangers. I haven't been able to socialize him a whole lot with dogs yet, unfortunately, the local dog park is NOT a safe place, but he sees other dogs on leashes in town and is now very well behaved. 

I fostered a 90lb male goldendoodle for the summer/early fall this year and they MOSTLY got along really well. The goldendoodle was a bit older and not much of a player anymore, and was very sensitive. Occasionally, my dog would play too rough and upset the doodle who would just try and run away and hide rather than standing up for himself which made my dog think he just wanted to play more. I kept them separated when I was away because my dog knows "off" well and when he got too rough I could tell him off and he'd leave the other dog alone, but if I wasn't there to tell him (I was in other room or something) he nipped a little bit too hard a few times and made the other dog yelp. Other dog was prone to being vocal and screamed at shots, the vet touching him, THINKING he was going to get a shot, thinking the vet was going to touch him, etc. Regardless, it was too rough and the two of them were not the best personality match. The goldendoodle found his perfect family with a bunch of kids and is an only dog which suits him very well. He's still somewhat local to me and I'm really happy to see him doing so well! (I admit I cried when he got adopted, even though I knew I couldn't keep him myself.)

My dog also is very vocal when he plays. He doesn't growl like a normal growl, but does this low rumbly whining sound that is difficult to describe but can sound intimidating. 

He has played a few times with someone I know's female labradoodle and he didn't nip at her, although he was still quite loud. Her dog didn't mind though, and they had a great time. I've been working with a trainer who recommends just calling him off the dog when he gets too loud/plays rough and letting him calm down and then letting him play again. It worked well with that dog, but unfortunately we haven't been able to get together since.

I've always preferred to have two dogs so I have often wondered about adopting another dog, (I think I'm too sentimental to do another foster, although it is a possibility to consider again, I suppose.) but I'm uncertain about whether or not I should. Financially and time/space wise I could do it, although at this point I think it would be better to have a small dog rather than a very large one. One day I will have a GSD, but I'm not ready to deal with that kind of hair! I would prefer a female over a male, because in my experience growing up with dogs, m/f pairings worked much better than m/m and infinitely better than f/f. We had two littermate females dropped on our doorstep when I was a kid and those two could fight like no other. 

I was planning on holding off for a while until I made my next move for my job, but a friend of mine contacted me recently about a dog that really needs a home ASAP. She's a 9 month old yorkie type mix that weighs less than 10lbs. She's been begging me to come adopt this dog, and I'm having a hard time saying no because I'm a sucker. I want to say yes, the dog seems very sweet, is house trained and friendly, and adorable, even though I'm not normally a very small dog person.

My concerns:
- The size difference. My dog outweighs her by more than 25lbs. My brother was house sitting for me once a while back and apparently introduced a miniature dachshund to my dog and he was fine, but that has (to my knowledge) been his only interaction with a tiny dog and I'm afraid he'll see her as a tiny chew toy or prey. He is not good with cats, and I'm wondering if her small size will make him see her differently. My parents had mastiffs or danes (who were also not good with cats) and toy sized dogs when I was growing up and that worked fine, but the sized combined with:
- My dog's playing style makes me nervous. He's really not one that I would characterize at all as aggressive or mean spirited. It is just more that he is over rambunctious and I think was never put in his place/taught to interact properly. I was told he was a craigslist puppy and was taken away from his mother very very early and then not socialized. He just doesn't understand doggie-boundaries that well, although he seems like he is learning/can learn.
- Getting a tiny dog: my parents tiny dogs were great with the family but had NO training and barked incessantly. When people came to the house they would bark for thirty minutes at them at least, and still bark at everyone (briefly) other than my mother if we stop by the house for anything, including my younger siblings that still live there. I am sure that tiny dogs can be trained too, but I'm afraid I won't know how to properly and I'll have a yapping monster.
- Jealousy. My dog has been an only dog for a while again now and I'm afraid a tiny lap sized dog that can sit where he wants to (and doesn't fit) like on my lap while I'm working at my desk will make him jealous.

I'm going to discuss it at more length with my trainer when I see her today for our session, but I shot her a quick email the other day and she thinks it would be worth at least letting the dogs meet. I'd love some more opinions though! I desperately want to say yes, but I also want to be responsible about it.


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