Happy Monday friends!! We spent a great weekend in Salt Lake for a wedding and an adoption, of sorts.
For those that don’t know, we have a 1 1/2 year old Boston Terrier named Wallace that we LOVE. He is the best dog in the world.
For the last 4 months we have been searching high and low for another Boston. Apparently they are like potato chips, you cant have just one. In May we found a 2 year old female. Her family couldn’t keep her anymore. We were over the moon!! Unfortunately they backed out at the last minute (literally). So we went back to our search. The results were puppies and dogs for stud. No adult Boston’s to be found.
After mulling it over we finally decided on a puppy. So we have been patiently waiting for the last few weeks.
We are very excited to introduce you to Gertie Girl.
She has been so much fun! My girls are smitten.
We introduced her to Wallace yesterday and I think things are going well. They will play for a bit and then each want their space. Wallace seems very mellow, maybe because of the puppy comparison? Also there is a lot of sniffing, normal right?
I would love your experiences on introducing new pets. We have never ventured into the 2 dog family territory and I would love all of the advice we can get!
It is true about Bostons- can’t have just one! My sister is on her 3rd and a co-worker has 2. 🙂 She’s adorable- congrats mom! I have no advice as I can’t have dogs but good luck!
We JUST got our second dog – and she and our other dog, though both adults, have bonded and become inseparable BFFs. No, really.
I think the biggest thing is making sure that the dog you’ve had the longest doesn’t feel neglected. It’s SO hard when you bring a new dog into the home not to shower that dog with all the love and affection you have – after all, they’re new and shiny! Remembering our Sadie has been key – making sure that she feels JUST as loved as our new girl.
It sounds like y’all are going to be an AMAZING two-dog family! 🙂
What a darling new baby! I actually have a three dog family! Two was very tame and our third little guy arrived and all heck broke loose! Two is manageable three is chaos! I have to stop volunteering at the humane society lol! Congrats on the new pup!
Adorable overload!
she is sooo sweet!
So cute!!! My dad has boston’s…and they are adorable.
My Bryley was the same…about 1.5 years when we got Brody. She didn’t like him at first, but now they’re best friends and practically inseparable. Good thing was, with mine, that I did all the hard work training Bryley so when Brody came along, he basically just copied her every move so there was little to no training involved. He just did what she did. That made it totally awesome for me and the hubs!!!
Anyways, good luck and congrats! She’s adorable!!!
We have two very small pekeapoo’s and just got two Brittany spaniel puppies in April. As for introducing a new puppy my advice would be to just monitor boundaries and Wallace being territorial. They said the easiest way to see if it’s play or aggressive is to just hold the “victim” – if he cowers toward you its aggressive, if he pulls toward the other dog then it’s play. This was super helpful when one would get territorial, but also helped so that we wouldn’t interrupt any play/bonding time if it looked like “fighting” but they were actually having fun.
Good Luck!! Puppy Blessings from Shortstop, Chevy, Camp, and Apollo!!
Adult dogs aren’t much interested in “puppy Play”. That they are playing at all is a good sign. And no agression on the grown dog is a bonus. But realize that the adult may grow tired of a youngsters nonscence and will set up boundaries with a growl and a nip , let them work it out as long as youngster isn’t hurt. But also when you see signs he’s had enough it may be time to separate them and distract the pup with human interaction until tired or put in separate room or even a crate. And set up separate spaces for eating. A good 6 feet apart not looking at each other. It will make life easier if no competition for food. But being of opposite sexes they will get along better than if the same. Spaying and neutering is always a good idea for many reasons. They are beautiful animals. Love them always.
Adorable
Congratulations on your new addition! We have 3 Boston Terriers- all rescues and all girls! We had two Bostons until April when we lost our beloved Cutter after being with us for 11 years. We tried to stay with only one but I couldn’t do it. We ended up “fostering” 2 Boston girls who had lost their person to cancer. I am a foster-failure because there was no way they were leaving my house after they arrived, lol! So we have 3 girls now- Rosie. Molly and Phoebe (now known as “The Girls”).
And it’s true…2 were manageable but 3 is CHAOS!! But we love them. Molly and Phoebe are still negotiating who the top dog is bit the struggles are getting farther apart. I don’t leave alone together yet but soon I will.
And I agree with Callie…make sure the dog you’ve had the longest is well loved so jealousy does not become an issue.
Good luck and welcome to the world of Multiples!
we JUST adopted a new puppy, too! we have been a 2 dog family for 10 years, but last november lost our older dog. this summer it became clear that something was missing…. and we adopted again! i shared my experience last week here:
https://primitiveandproper.com/2014/07/familys-new-addition-catcher.html
LOVE your new addition, too! you will love having two dogs- it’s much crazier in a very wonderful way.
The most helpful tip I ever found was just as Kate said, feed the dogs on opposite sides of the kitchen (or wherever they are fed) and don’t mix up bowls. Then, as Kate said (again!), the dogs will know what area belongs to who.
My dogs didn’t really have attitude unless it came to food.
we have two dogs, one of them a Boston. we introduced them in neutral territory at a park and they’ve been best friends ever since! They are so entertaining too 🙂
I just got a new puppy as a companion to the my four year old lab. He was not too sure about the pup at first, but they have become friends. My advice is to let them each have their own beds, toys, food, and spaces and to give the older dog priority while he is getting used to the puppy-let him in the door first, eat first, lots of love. I love Bostons, Gertie is precious!!
Sniffing is totally normal– and highly-encouraged. Just let each one be their own personalities. Feeding on opposite ends, and at the same time– thumbs up. Like Callie mentioned, it’s really easy to give all of your attention to the puppy, and I know how much Wallace is loved, but he still needs along petting and loving time.
The funnest part is double-bath time. That will make you feel like your back is broken every. time. Gertie the Girlfriend is adorable! Tell my buddies Ivy and Dylan that they are lucky gals!
Very cute! But, I need to post tis link here–> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCv10_WvGxo&sns=fb
Hey! my girls have a-been-a beggin for a dog and I always said “next house” which we have been in since January. I’m running empty on excuses, yikes…your post makes me kind of want one (just one!) now. If they knew this they’d be thanking you like crazy (but I’m smarter than that and can see they aren’t over my shoulder as I type). Your pups are so cute -I should preface that I like dogs, had a few growing up but I think I’ve developed an allergy to them(?) MY question is – gotta any awesome pup craft/home décor projects? I know you can do it:) have a great day and I’m going to go check your links again (been a busy summer) Tara
Very cute! We are a three dog family and I always grew up with a menagerie (my parents also trained dogs). The best thing you can do is give them time to acclimate to one another, let them play it out for the most part and don’t hover over their interaction, if you are nervous/fretting they can sense that. Also typically a boy dog won’t really fight with a girl dog. Just be sure to give the 1st dig lots of live and attention so they don’t feel as though they have been replaced.
We have two dogs also and they are the loves of our lives. Your new baby is just beautiful. I believe every child should have a pet – enjoy.
We have had 2 dogs, in a few different combinations, for our entire married life (16 yrs). I can’t tell you how much we love having 2!! Buddies who are there for each other and keep each other company when we’re gone or when we travel.
We absolutely feed them in 2 different spots in the kitchen, making sure to feed our older, dominant dog first. Also, our newer dog is a rescue and we literally removed him from the room when we fed our older dog for almost a year because of food aggression issues.
We also started by each walking one on walks. Quickly, though, one person was walking both.
I don’t know if I would do puppies again, so much work! Don’t give in to the sad whining if you are kenneling your pup at night. Stick with it!
So fun! Congrats on your new addition!
So cute! Congrats on the new puppy!
When we got our second collie the older one didn’t really like the puppy at first but now they are best buddies!
oh. my. god. the sweetness! What I would give to smoosh that cute little face! We are biiig boston folks over here. Just one for now, as we have two cats and plan on living in an RV for a few years. But we can’t wait to get another one to keep charlie company. They seem to be taking the design world by storm!
She is TOO CUTE!!! Wow!
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Aw what a cutie! Definitely feed them separately to start off with and make sure your older dog still gets attention. If your older one gets sassy or grumpy with the pup spray her in the face with a spray bottle! Teaches them manners without interfering with their dominance.
Congrats on having 2 beautiful Bostons! Our breeder told us when we got our second dog (a puppy) to basically ignore him for the first few days while showering the older dog with attention. It was soooo hard to do this! I’d have my husband walk the older dog and THEN I would swoop in and pet and coo over the pup. That puppy must’ve thought we were insane! But it worked. By the end of the first week they were best buds. (They were, like your dogs, about a year and a half apart in age). Such wonderful companions for each other!
OOOOh lucky you ! I was just mentioning to someone yesterday that this breed is on my bucket list. Two dogs are way better than one. Gertie is an angel!
We have a lab and a basset. Love !!!! A few weeks ago I lost my best friend of 25 years to pancreatic cancer . I inherited her Maltese , he is adorable. All three get along great!
karen
Ah! I just got my first puppy yesterday! He cried all night and I am so exhausted. I can’t imagine also having another dog and kids to take care of! Thank god he’s cute!
LOVE LOVE LOVE, We just have one Boston, but she’s a princess so she’s all we need lol. They are amazing pets and great with kids and full of personality. Ours goes crazy for carrots.. like just insane if she sees one. Congratulations!
Both dogs are incredibly beautiful! Aren’t puppies just precious? I don’t believe I could do that again but I’m much older too. 🙂 One of my grand dogs is a Boston and he is one of the smartest dogs I’ve ever seen! They also have a rat terrier, much smaller, and that one is the boss. Amazing!
Feed them separately and give the older one tons of attention. If he gets annoyed at the puppy’s energy, give him a break in a quiet space. Keep us posted!
xo
Pat
What a cutie! The best advice I have is to let them do their thing, but be on hand to immediately correct any bad behavior. I introduced two adult rescues to each other, so it was a bit different than bringing in a puppy, but it’s probably best to let Wallace show her the lay of the land. If he’s getting tired of her let him have his down time. 😉
We did the exact same thing! Boy boston and knew he wanted a friend and ended up getting a girl Boston puppy. They got along at first but not obsessed with each other. As soon as Belle got a little bigger, like 6 months old, they were inseparable. Get ready for some amazing times!!!! They are the best dogs in the world!
So adorable. We learned the hard way that it is VERY important to keep treating your first dog as the pack alpha to the puppy. This means that he/she does everything first, attention first, fed first, go out the door first, let out of the crate first, etc. Doggies have that pack mentality, where if their position in the pack isn’t respected, they will retaliate. Our nearly perfectly behaved first dog showed her upset with lovely puddles on every carpet in the house. The minute we altered our behavior, as directed by our trainer, and I mean “the minute”, she never pee’d in the house again. Hope that helps!!
We have a a weird combo of dogs, our first dog who is 10 years old is a Labrador and just a few months ago we introduced a new family member, a chihuahua puppy! I know they don’t make sense together and we were really worried! We didn’t push anything and just let them sniff each other and we supervised, but I have to say they are best friends! They play together, without the chihuahua getting hurt. The chihuahua lives inside for obvious reasons, our lab doesn’t. But every morning the chihuahua runs out to wake up the lab, they just adore each other. It is such a beautiful friendship. Just let them be dogs, the sniffing is totally normal! I am sure you will have no trouble.
Welcome to the Boston family! They are such good dogs, but you already knew that. 😉
Such a cute family! Here is an article about the adjustment period when bringing a new a dog home
https://pawsitivelytexas.com/pet-adoption-the-adjustment-period/
We’ve rescued several, purebreds and mutts; one thing that is both amusing and helpful to remember is they each have their own personalities, likes, dislikes, fears, reactions, etc. and won’t necessarily respond the same way. Some of our dogs are hungry 24/7/365 and one would prefer to casually graze – if she thinks about it. Knowing this, we have to keep an eye on them at feeding time, otherwise, another will indulge twice and we won’t realize the other missed a meal. Good luck – puppy hood is a sweet time!