2x Male labradors - double trouble?
By tamz84
@tamz84 (2)
Australia
April 20, 2011 6:43am CST
Hey everyone,
My partner and I have been on the lookout for rescue/in need of good home puppies to adopt as a mate for our spoilt 2 year old male labrador, we saw a new ad today online for a 3 year old male labrador, looking for a home with another lab - seems perfect! Called and discovered he was still available and it was perfect timing as the owner(and puppy) were in Brisbane, so tonight the little devils are having a sleepover/trial run for a few days and we are kinda testing each other out! So we now have 2 pyscho labradors running around downstairs!! In our search for a playmate for him we always wondered if teaming him up with another lab or another high energy breed would be a good idea or not, as labradors can be quite boisterous, energetic and easily excited!! Thought they might tire each other out constantly which wouldn't be so bad for us lol, but they might play off each other and amp it up more so that their more boisterous and troublesome and then be really hard to control! Dinner was a bit of a mission, let me tell you! I guess it could have been a lot worse, anyone seen marley and me? hehehe!! I suppose they will get used to each other and eventually get over constantly wrestling and chasing each other! Our little guy is a house dog, he is used to coming and going as he pleases, but he knows the rules and doesn't jump on furniture and is quite calm alone - we would ideally like them to both be able to control themselves enough to be inside and behaving! The new boy seems to know basic commands and is toilet trained and shouldn't be too hard to train anyway, he may already know it all too but just gets overwhelmed with excitement! Who has more than 1 dog? How do they get along and are they indoor dogs? Has anyone got any experience with labs particularly or introducing a new dog to the family? What's your story? :)
2 responses
@yoyo1198 (3641)
• United States
21 Apr 11
I had four dogs at one time years ago. They were all dachshunds and a merry lot at that. All dogs require training if they are going to live together and they have to learn the the head of the pack is you.
I had a friend who had Labs only. They had been trained as companions and guard dogs. The man could take them to a new place and run the perimeter with them and tell them to guard and from that time on, no one could enter that yard without permission.
Sounds like you are doing well with your Labs and are have the knowledge for these two to be assets to your household. Hope you have decided to keep the newcomer. He sounds like a smart character.
@OpinionatedLady (5965)
• United States
21 Apr 11
Oh yes I have two and one is a Black Lab. Our other is a coonhound (yes that is spelt wrong because to have it two words is racist to Mylot, sorry pet peeve) and he is a high energy dog as well. In fact he wears out the lab often. We have scuffles every once in a while. They took to each other pretty easily just some arguments over food the first few days and sleeping spaces, though that ended about two weeks later and now they never sleep apart unless they are between kids, then they are a kid apart. We have them cage trained for when we leave the house only. The Coonhound has separation anxiety and will get sick if he is not feeling safe. We did not put the lab in the cage at first but she would cry until the neighbors called us if she wasn't in the cage with him. Do we got a bigger cage and put them both in. They keep each other busy and I couldn't imagine separating them now. When we do (like when she was fixed) he refused to eat with out her and the vet said she cried the whole time for him. Be warned they can play rough. They knock into things (us) and fall down and look like they are killing each other but all the while the tags are wagging and no teeth. Our lab was 3 by the way when they where introduced he was 5 months old.
