New dog while having problems with another?

I don't think a child with a disability would viciously attack a family pet or any other animal for that matter.

Depends.  My MIL has a friend whose son is very severely autistic and he cannot be left alone for even one minute because he sexually abuses little boys.  They are able to provide round-the-clock care and supervision for him without the rest of the family having to suffer.

ORIGINAL: Liesje

Depends.  My MIL has a friend whose son is very severely autistic and he cannot be left alone for even one minute because he sexually abuses little boys.  They are able to provide round-the-clock care and supervision for him without the rest of the family having to suffer.

Ok, even when you cant comapre not having another dog with not having another baby, what would you do if you were your MIL's friend? would you get another baby knowing that your first one abuses little boys? did your MIL's friend had another baby?

Now, its not the same having around the clock supervision for a human than for a dog, is anyone here capable to provide supervision 24/7 for a dog? having him on their eyesight 24/7? maybe some people can, should they then add another puppy? they have an aggressive dog already, one mistake and the agressive dog could escape and end up in front of the puppy

Should not be easier to wait on solving the aggressive dog's problem first just to avoid the "what if's?"

espencer, you're taking the comparison in the wrong direction.  As I said in my initial response, I personally would not (adopt ANY aggressive dog, especially with already having a dog), but my point is that different things work for different people and we can't make judgments about what is absolutely right for someone else based on our own limited experiences.  Yes, my MIL's friend has more than one child and no one was neglected or overlooked because of one child having problems.  Just an example that what may seem weird to you worked fine for them.  []

This thread is on a vacation till tomorrow morning.

Welcome back to a theoretical discussion about the risks of adding a new dog to a household with an existing dog problem.
It is not, and will not be personal.

Please be thoughtful about your purpose and tone before posting.

Personally, I would not add a new pup, but that is because I don't want to do that much work.    If someone understands all the issues involved, and is willing to put the time and effort in, I see no reason why he or she couldn't add a new puppy.  It isn't technically impossible to meet the needs of both dogs.  

I am going to turn the situation around for a moment. 
 
I had a well behaved, well socialized, non-resource guarding dog at home and I added a rescue with resource guarding, food aggression and possible dog aggression issues to the household.  I had to spend alot of time with the second dog to provide boundaries, gain her trust, and provide security for her so that those issues lessened.  (It worked, she's living a great life in the country now.)
 
Would I have added a third dog to that mix, knowing that there were several issues that might have resurfaced?  No.  It's just not fair to the new dog to be faced with other dogs that he/she cannot play with, cannot learn from, and additionally the possibility that the puppy could be attacked.

ORIGINAL: Xerxes

I am going to turn the situation around for a moment. 

I had a well behaved, well socialized, non-resource guarding dog at home and I added a rescue with resource guarding, food aggression and possible dog aggression issues to the household.  I had to spend alot of time with the second dog to provide boundaries, gain her trust, and provide security for her so that those issues lessened.  (It worked, she's living a great life in the country now.)

Would I have added a third dog to that mix, knowing that there were several issues that might have resurfaced?  No.  It's just not fair to the new dog to be faced with other dogs that he/she cannot play with, cannot learn from, and additionally the possibility that the puppy could be attacked.

Yet you could flip it around, too.  Was it fair to your previous dog to add a new dog that  s/he couldn't play with, and could possibly be attacked by? I think it was, provided you were on top of the situation. 

Life is complicated, and no one has a perfect life with perfect circumstances.  I think it is key that any person KNOW what they're doing and getting in to, but as long as everyone's needs are being met a little bit of "not fair" isn't the biggest deal in my eyes.

Furthermore, some dogs with aggression issues don't need exhorbitant amounts of time a day.  Some benefit most from short, positive training sessions done over months and months.  More time is not always better time. 

Would you get a new dog while you are having problems with one you already have and that is aggressive?

In certain situations I would. In the case of adding an LGD to protect my stock, absolutely. In the case of adding a much needed stockdog, absolutely.

In a pet scenario, it would depend. If the aggression issues had to do with disagreement from within my pack, I would add another dog if this dog were specifically chosen with the intent of balancing out the pack and restoring some order. I would not add a dog that would contribute to an existing problem, but I would consider a dog that might help alleviate an existing problem (and I have done so with good success).

The thing about adding another dog is that even a problem dog needs time to be quiet and reflect. A dog with an issue does not need - and IMO sometimes can suffer from - my constant neverending training. I do believe in latent learning, and after a training session (which is typically short, but very intense) will leave the dog to think. If I were thinking to add a puppy while dealing with an aggressive dog - it would depend on the puppy and the nature of the dog's aggression. Obviously if the dog were puppy aggressive I'd lean towards either total management or no puppies at all. But if this particular dog's aggression was not puppy or dog related I wouldn't have a problem adding the pup.

Yes, puppies are a lot of work, but just like any other issue my dogs have, and just like any other training my dogs are involved in I make the time for them.

I think honestly it depends on the person and the situation.

Edit to add: I look at training my dogs as a fluid process. Things come up sometimes as we go along - and I deal with them as they do. I don't put my life (or theirs) on hold. I take the moments as they come - and recognize that certain things are ongoing issues that we work on in a "two steps forward, one step back" sort of way - and that's OK. So, another dog comes in, we address issues that arise, and keep moving forward.

To answer the original question, I think it depends on the problem that you are having with you dog... Sometimes, there is no better teacher than another balanced dog to help you with the troublemaker (pack mentality at work []!). You *better* be sure then to pick a mature, stable dog, whose energy demand fits yours and your life style.
If the original problem was aggression, I wouldn't think that adding another dog would help... It depends on the type of aggression the dog is displaying.

what do you mean by "aggressive"?    If the dog is aggressive towards, oh, say children, or has resource guarding problems, or is just leash reactive, I don't see how adding a puppy would impact your work on these issues. You work with the puppy for five minutes, then go spend five minutes working on the other dog's issues, and no one loses out-- long training sessions are counter-productive anyway. If the dog is dog aggressive, I might cautiously add a puppy because it is not uncommon for dog-aggressive dogs to not be aggressive towards their housemates especially if they first met the housemate when it was a puppy. If the dog is, say, a cat-chaser, I'd fix that first, that's a behavior the resident dog could easily teach to a puppy.