Canine Companions: Introducing A Second Hound

Greyhounds  make wonderful pets and the only thing better than a greyhound is two  greyhounds, or more!  There is just something about them, and once  you’ve had a greyhound there is no going back!  They are also quite  addictive, before you know it, you’ll have four…or more!

But while getting second hound is brilliant in theory, you do have to look at the practicalities involved:

-  Are your finances strong enough to support doubling your outgoings for  food, insurance, and veterinary care?  What about the extra cost of  boarding two dogs, instead of one, if you go away on holiday?   It’s a  lifelong commitment.

- Have you  got the time to settle a new dog in?  Do you have enough annual leave or  free time available to take at least a couple weeks off to ensure a  smooth transition for both dogs? Build up the new dog’s separation  training, house training and address any other issues that might arise?

-  Is getting a second hound in the best interest of your existing dog?   Have you genuinely thought it through?  While dogs are social animals,  not all dogs are compatible, and some are quite happy living in a  single-dog household where they don’t have to share their humans or  space!  

- Also, is the whole  family on board?  Taking on a second dog is a big commitment.  Everyone  in the home should be supportive of the decision and agree in choosing  the new arrival.

If you are  certain that getting a second hound is the right thing for you, your  household, and your existing hound, then let’s go!  We wholeheartedly  support it!

Greyhounds are very  sociable dogs, particularly with their own kind or other pointy noses!   They are typically very accepting of new hounds coming into their home,  but you can have instances of resource guarding, over stimulated play,  arguments, and jealousy which can make the bonding process a little  rocky.  

Thankfully, there are still some simple steps to take to ensure smooth introductions!

First things first, let your existing dogs decide:

When  you get in contact with the rehoming centre or rescue, make sure to be  open, honest, and thorough in your description of your household and  also the personality and character type of your existing hound.  Try and  articulate what it is you are looking for in a companion for them, and  what dogs your existing hound responds to best when out and about.

This  will give the staff all the information they need to be able to assess  the best possible matches for your home and hound.  While you can look  at different hounds on websites and social media, it is best not to get  your heart set on anyone in particular!  You can always mention any that  you like the look of, but it is best to trust in the staff to play  matchmaker!

When it comes to visiting the centre, take your hound with to meet the potential companions!

The  worst thing in the world is to go as a family for the first visit, fall  in love with a hound and in attending a second time to introduce your  hound to them…you find they hate each other!  So, always take your hound  with, to play doggy speed dating!

Dogs  aren’t particularly subtle when they dislike another, but you do want  to look for positive interactions between them.  Don’t force  interaction, instead go for a walk, and have both dogs on loose leads  but under control.  Sniffing the same things together, choosing to walk  side by side…all good signs!  
You don’t need to see  play behaviour straight off the bat, you don’t need to see excitement.   Sometimes all you need is a fairly indifferent reaction to each other.   No reaction is just as good, if not better, than a reaction!

Do  not let them off lead together in an enclosed space on the first visit,  as it is very easy for unknown dogs to become over-stimulated in  running and playing which can result in negative associations, fear, or a  straight up fight.

You may need  to do multiple visits to the centre to allow the dogs to familiarise  themselves with each other before going home. This can make the  transition into the home much smoother.  It is also a great idea to do  ‘scent swapping’ prior to bringing the new dog home.  Scent is  incredibly important to dogs so swapping a blanket that each of the dogs  has used that they can investigate prior to introductions at home can  be very beneficial!

Prior to  collecting your new hound, you want to take up any items belonging to  your existing dog that could result in resource guarding or other  possessive behaviour.  This includes all the toys, bones, chews, and  food bowls.  Make sure to put out a second water bowl in a separate area  in case they don’t want to share one in the early days.

Then,  when the big day arrives, and you take your new hound home, don’t just  take the new hound straight in the door and ambush your existing hound!   

Have someone wait outside with  your new hound, while you get your existing hound dressed for a walk.   Meet outside on neutral ground and go for a short walk together.  This  breaks the ice and lets them reacquaint themselves, share a positive  experience and releases some energy before indoor introductions.
Keep  this walk short, as your new hound will be overwhelmed and stressed,  and on return to the house go straight into the garden.  Initially, you  can keep them on lead to allow the new dog time to sniff and familiarise  themselves with the space, and start the house training, but if things  are going well, you can let them off the lead.

You  may find your existing hound may try to instigate play, zoomies or  other silliness which won’t be reciprocated by the new hound.  The new  hound may not respond to this for some weeks as they adjust…or they may  play straight away.  It depends on how confident they are!

Some  grumbling, growling and wariness is to be expected in the initial days,  if not first couple of weeks, as the two hounds get comfortable with  each other.  This is a communication of their individual boundaries,  preferences and setting the tone for how they will live together moving  forward.
It’s important not to ‘correct’ these  behaviours, unless they look like they are going to immediately escalate  into a fight.  They know what they are saying to each other, and you  must trust the process.  Should one try to get into bed with the other  and they say no, the other will just walk away and lay down  elsewhere…it’s if they continue to loom over them and growl back that  you may have a problem!

It can  take a minimum of 2-4 weeks for dogs to settle and bond with each other  in the home.  But while settling in a second hound is usually far more  straight forward (because they will follow the example set by the first)  you shouldn’t forget that the new hound is still going through the  settling in process.  The first 3 months are crucial.

As  we discussed in some of our other posts in the last couple of weeks,  you don’t want to overdo it in those initial weeks.  The new dog needs  to be given a little breathing space and time to adjust.

Make  sure your calendar is free of any social events or family visits for  the initial days, and no holidays planned in the first 3 months to give  your new dog time to adjust.  It can be easy to sometimes forget what it  is like to settle a dog in, especially if you’ve had your existing  hound for a while!   You have to remember that the new dog isn’t going  to be immediately comfortable with everything your existing dog has  already learnt and overcome.

Reduce  the amount of walking, to accommodate your new hound’s introduction to  the world, and build it up gradually as well as go back to square one  with separation training!  You will want to avoid leaving the two hounds  unattended in the initial days or week, potentially longer depending on  how well the bonding process is going.

Overdoing  it in those initial weeks isn’t always evident.   Sometimes the new dog  will run on autopilot, be overwhelmed, and potentially acting like the  perfect hound, a total angel!  You’d never know there was a problem  until 3-4 weeks in and the behavioural issues begin.  This is what you  want to avoid!

Remember to feed them at the same time, but separately and under supervision, to avoid arguments over food!  

Make  sure that everyone in the home gives both dogs equal attention.  While  it can be exciting, having a new dog, you don’t want to encourage the  development of jealous or guarding behaviours over the humans in the  house.  When doing any training with your new hound, you can include  your first hound too to maintain a strong relationship!

Do  not introduce toys, chews, bones or anything that could be considered  high value in the initial weeks.  Yes, it can be a bit of a bummer for  your first hound to be without their toys, but it is important to  restrain yourself from giving in!  When the dogs are truly comfortable  with each other and have built a good foundation of trust between them,  you can start introducing toys.  Start with ones without squeakers  initially, as they won’t be as valuable, and if it goes well with them,  you can introduce the rest soon after.

If  you want your dogs to have access to chews and bones during the  settling period, they should be put in separate rooms and the items  taken away before mixing the dogs back together.  Such high value items  shouldn’t be considered until you are well past the settling in stage,  and you know both dogs behaviour well and haven’t seen signs of resource  guarding…even then, they should still be supervised when they have  them!

Never be afraid to call the centre you adopted from and ask for help if you need to!

More  often than not, settling a new hound in is clear sailing as your  existing hound will be teaching them what they need to know!  But if  things do go a little sideways it can be very disheartening and  disruptive both for you and your first hound.   

Taking  steps to ensure smooth introductions before and after adoption,  remembering your new hound needs to be given time to adjust (and not  taken on a weekend trip to the beach the minute they’re adopted!) and  trusting in the fact it can take several weeks for dogs to bond is  essential.

You can never have too  many hounds in your life…So stay calm, trust the process, support your  hounds as they learn to live together and ask for help if you need it!