Another Dog, what do you recommend?

i would love to adopt a greyhound. i tried to convince my wife of getting one before we got sydney. she was concerned that a grey hound would be too big for our house. while they are rather large, most of the ones i have met are really laid back. not to mention that i think they are gorgeous dogs too. a lady that frequents our petsmart has two brindle hounds. those dogs are so beautiful and sleek.

good luck with whatever you choose. []

By the time we get another house Joey, my current dog, will probably be 7 and although he's a very active 5 year old, I don't know how active he'll be at 7. Should we get another older dog for this reason?

Hard to say. Ginger was about 5 when I brought Bree home. She is now 8, and with the second puppy she's just as busy playing with him as she was with Bree. She's by far my best puppy raiser and puppysitter. I guess a lot of that is going to depend on Joey. At seven years old he may still be quite the chipper guy.

Joey is a terrier mix and weighs around 20lbs. Should we get another smaller dog?

Again, depends on Joey. I know one of my dogs gets stressed out around dogs that are significantly larger than her - so no really big dogs at my house. How does Joey do with different sizes of dogs?

Is it better to choose a male or female, with a male dog?

Well, how does Joey do with other males? Other females? If he does better with one or the other, that's what I'd go with. If it's equal on both, your choice. I typically lean towards mixed sexes though. I have two females who don't always get along - and that's a kind of stress I try to encourage others to avoid.

How exciting! Hope you can wait. Waiting is not one of my strong suits. []

I would encourage you to adopt a female greyhound.  While they are large, they are very, very laid back and generally prefer to lay about the house most of the day.  So if you've got extra couch space, they're a great fit.
 
They only need the opportunity to run a couple of times a week, they may not run at all however. 
 
They aren't velcro dogs either, usually.  They don't need to be on you but are content to be with you.
 
So that's my vote for you.

My recommendation is to get another dog, even though Joey might be 7.  When Lucky was 7, we got our pup and it brought new life to him.  He was happier and more excited than he had been in a long time and we never realized he had that kind of paternal instinct at all!  Enjoy whomever you get!  Oh.. and send pix.

We are seriously considering a gray hound. I spoke to a gray hound rescue about how gray hounds are with small, excitable dogs. The spokesperson fostered 2 grayhounds and owned his own rat terrier. According to him, the rat terrier was "the boss." He also said that some gray hounds are good with cats and that they introduce the gray hound you're considering to adopt to the cats with a muzzle just in case. What are your opinions on gray hounds?

Most Greyhounds are good with  small dogs and cats, and most places cat/ small dog test before they adopt out a dog. The also will often do a home visit and/or invite you and jojo to go up and visit so that they can be sure the personalities meld. A muzzle is a good thing in the beginning, but honestly I have had 4 now with my 2 cats and never had any problems.
Despite the fact that they are "large dogs" you will find they don't take up much space at all.  The nice thing about the rescues is that each place usually has an assortment of dogs with different energy levels and ages so that you can find the right one. If their isn't one when you go that is the right fit. . .it will only be a mattter of time before they save more from certain death and there is more to chose from. 

My suggestions would be to see if you can visit the closest rescue and  spend sometime around the greys to see what you think of their personality. They are TRULY different than most other dogs. In a very good way though (don't bark, pretty mellow, sleep a lot, goofy. . . )

There are several great books out there on greys and my favorite is "greyhounds for dummies"

Also there is a great greyhound forum called "greytalk". . .I would do some browsing through there and definately look at the section called "cute and funny things greyhounds do". .  .loads of fun![]

I think either male or female would be fine, just depends on the dog.

If you have any specific questions, please feel free to pm me. I have volunteered at a rescue for several years, I work as a placement rep for them and have had greyhounds for the last 10.

I won't be able to get back to you for a bit as i will be out of town for the next week and we are on our way to board the pups at the rescue [&o] in a few minutes (how will I ever leave them. . . breaks my heart).

They are an incredible breed of dog and so badly need homes. . . thank you for considering them. []


 

ORIGINAL: dogslyfe


By the time we get another house Joey, my current dog, will probably be 7 and although he's a very active 5 year old, I don't know how active he'll be at 7. Should we get another older dog for this reason?

Hard to say. Ginger was about 5 when I brought Bree home. She is now 8, and with the second puppy she's just as busy playing with him as she was with Bree. She's by far my best puppy raiser and puppysitter. I guess a lot of that is going to depend on Joey. At seven years old he may still be quite the chipper guy.

Joey is a terrier mix and weighs around 20lbs. Should we get another smaller dog?

Again, depends on Joey. I know one of my dogs gets stressed out around dogs that are significantly larger than her - so no really big dogs at my house. How does Joey do with different sizes of dogs?

Is it better to choose a male or female, with a male dog?

Well, how does Joey do with other males? Other females? If he does better with one or the other, that's what I'd go with. If it's equal on both, your choice. I typically lean towards mixed sexes though. I have two females who don't always get along - and that's a kind of stress I try to encourage others to avoid.

How exciting! Hope you can wait. Waiting is not one of my strong suits. []

Well, from dog park experience, he is not real great with large dogs. He gets cornered and then intimidated and then growls. He also gets annoyed (growls) when big dogs tower over him to smell him.

Joey's best bud is a male basenji (sorry spelling), but when it comes to strange dogs he's better with females.

Joey has played with greyhounds before. He tries to out run them at the dog park and wears himself out quickly. He did not growl or lunge at themthough, which considering they are large and keep jumping over him, is good. He did seem intimidated by the grey hound we saw at the rescue, but it was outside and windy with plastic tarps over the tents, which made noises that scared him. The greyhound sniffed him and then they pretty much ignored each other.

There's another question. Would a good fit be a dog he tries to play with or a dog he is relaxed with? Or either?

seven isn't old, especially for a small dog. He shouldn't be slowing down at age 7. Good time to get another super-active terrier puppy, if that's what you want.

ORIGINAL: mudpuppy

seven isn't old, especially for a small dog. He shouldn't be slowing down at age 7. Good time to get another super-active terrier puppy, if that's what you want.

hee hee. I'm sure that's what my husband would want. He thinks it's funny that Joey jumps on his friend balls when they come over. He also thinks it's funny when he flys or does "wild man circles" around the house. DH is not much help when it comes to trianing.

I would suggest getting another dog.  Dogs give each other something that people can't give them.  I think it's easier to live with 2 or more dogs than just one.  I also would suggest getting another dog that is the same as Joey, so that it will be a match (weight, height, energy level, playing strength, etc.).  Good luck on choosing your new member.

Please test Joey around puppies if you are thinking of  a puppy.  As my bulldog aged, she hated puppies.  So we adopted a 3 year setter mix,,,he was very sweet and submissive, but she always was making sure he knew she was alpha by biting him weekly or daily.  She would have prefered beign the only dog forever.
 
Now that we see we did her wrong by not having second dog at an early age nor socilaizing her with dogs (there were no dogs in the neighboorhood), no dog parks here.
 

ORIGINAL: Hollysmom

Please test Joey around puppies if you are thinking of  a puppy.  As my bulldog aged, she hated puppies.  So we adopted a 3 year setter mix,,,he was very sweet and submissive, but she always was making sure he knew she was alpha by biting him weekly or daily.  She would have prefered beign the only dog forever.

Now that we see we did her wrong by not having second dog at an early age nor socilaizing her with dogs (there were no dogs in the neighboorhood), no dog parks here.

We probably won't get a puppy, because we will rescue and I'm a sucker.  I always feel bad for the older animals.

Puppies are just so much work. 

I think I will find another, older terrier or med sized dog at one of the local shelters.  That way Joey can meet the dog before we bring it home.

The last time I visited the shelter I volunteer for, there was an older and overwieght schnauzer.  First thing I thought was, "I love shnauzers and "I can fix that," but DH and I just don't have the room right now.  We'll have to wait until we are ready to purchase a larger home.

I think Greyhounds are great and would also like to adopt one! HOWEVER, if you want a playmate for Joey or a dog that will revitalize him and encourage him to be more playful, I don't think a Greyhound would be the best choice! 
Good luck when the time comes![]
 
 

I was thinking I would have to get an older dog for Penny, until I got home and saw her with my mother's 2 year old kelpie cross. Penny is nearly 11, now, and just this morning she spent about 45 minutes tearing around at top speed after the 2 year old, dashing in and out of the lake and swimming as fast as she could. She's a little tired, but very happy. In the end I had to force her to stop running because I was worried I'd have to carry a sopping wet pooch home. She cried, and just to spite me, managed the walk home as if the whole 2 hour exercise session had been a walk in the park. Go figure. Now I'm thinking I'll have to get a puppy just to keep her fit and active!

Definitely get a girl. Greyhounds can be surprisingly good with small animals. My sister has a rescued greyhound who lives with 6 cats, one of them a kitten. The kitten thinks she's a dog and sleeps on the greyhound's bed. The greyhound treats her like royalty.