Kingbob Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 Hi All I have a 6yo male beagle cross named Fred who I love to bits, but he is at home by himself during the day while i'm at work. I've wanted to get him a playmate for a while, and in fact last Christmas I fostered a 3yo female beagle cross and considered adopting her. She worshiped him, but she made him miserable. If she laid down near him, he'd get up and go to the other side of the room. He pushed her out of the way once or twice while i was making fuss of her, and on a couple of occasions their playing got a bit aggressive. She was great and I wish i could have kept her but he just wasn't happy. Once she went to another carer, he perked right up, and not once did he look for her even when i called her name. Now that said, I still want a playmate for him, and i've just been made aware of a couple of young 10 week old beagle pups. 1 is male, 1 is female. Given how he reacted last time, i'm wondering whether or not its because she was female and I should look at the male, or if its just because he didnt like her. Is there any truth to the myth that a male/female will get along better than a male/male? Would he likely be more accepting of a pup than an older dog, because they'd grow up with him, with them learning how he likes things. Or am I just reading too much into it, and should i tell Fred to suck it up and just enjoy having a playmate. Any suggestions, comments? Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harley Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 Maybe he prefers his humans to other dogs and doesn't want a playmate? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavik Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 It is fine to get another dog because you want to get another dog (for you), but it doesn't sound like your dog is that interested in another dog for a playmate, so I wouldn't get another dog if that is your primary reason for doing so. I find that adults are usually pretty accepting of pups coming into the household, sometimes it may take a while though if they are used to being the only dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsrawesome Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 I have two male dogs and they get a long fine just depends on the certain dog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebanne Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 I wonder why you are so determined to get another dog? If it is for you so be it but don't get another just because you think your dog wants a friend. He's happy being an only dog by your account. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussielover Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 What types of dogs does he enjoy playing with? Does he even enjoy playing with dogs? Not all dogs like to have a playmate and some are quite happy to be Only Dog. Puppies can be very annoying for older dogs. Even my 12 month old gets fed up with really young puppies and will walk away from them after a short time (and she loves playing with other dogs generally). She likes dogs in a similar age group to herself around 6 months to 2-3 years (and all labs and GRs!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akay Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 I agree with the posters that say he prefers humans and doesn't want a playmate. I have a dog like that. Any other dogs that come into the house he ignores. Recently I adopted another dog and he's so disinterested. In fact they're disinterested in each other, they both prefer humans. I didn't adopt the other dog for him though, I did it for myself. When weighing up the pros and cons of getting another dog, company for Bailey didn't even come into the equation because I know it doesn't make any difference to him whether there's another dog here or not. If you want another dog, you should get one, but it sounds like your dog simply doesn't care either way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingbob Posted April 4, 2011 Author Share Posted April 4, 2011 Fred is a people person and loves just being with me no matter what i'm doing. He does have a lot of doggy friends though, I have 3 neighbors with dogs, 4 between them, and he gets along with all of them. He'll often only actively play with them for a couple of minutes, then go off and do his own thing. Which consists mostly of sniffing and following scent trails. He has several other dog friends that he sees intermittently and plays with happily, but his best friend was a neighbors female kelpie cross who unfortunately past away from a heart attack on new years day. I can clearly see the change in his behavior when we're out with the rest of the neighbors "pack" now she's gone. Fred is a rescue dog, and had a few failed adoptions before he came to me, and suffers from a fair bit of separation anxiety, and I will admit that the idea of getting another dog is mostly for him to have a playmate. I have always wanted a couple of dogs though, but if i'm honest, i'd say it'd be more for him than me. Does it make a pet extra spoilt if you get them their own pet? lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
claireybell Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 My beagle X prefers humans over all other dogs. She's not aggressive, just not interested. However, I already had my cocker when I brang the beagle home. She adores the cocker and wouldn't be without her BUT I would never have been able to do it the other way round. My beagle would not have liked to go from an only dog to two dogs. It's just the way she is. If something were to happen to my cocker we would never introduce an new dog into the family until the beagle passed. This is why I only have 2 dogs and not the 3 I wanted. Some dogs just prefer to be loners. That's my JoJo and sounds like your Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsrawesome Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 Fred is a people person and loves just being with me no matter what i'm doing. He does have a lot of doggy friends though, I have 3 neighbors with dogs, 4 between them, and he gets along with all of them. He'll often only actively play with them for a couple of minutes, then go off and do his own thing. Which consists mostly of sniffing and following scent trails.He has several other dog friends that he sees intermittently and plays with happily, but his best friend was a neighbors female kelpie cross who unfortunately past away from a heart attack on new years day. I can clearly see the change in his behavior when we're out with the rest of the neighbors "pack" now she's gone. Fred is a rescue dog, and had a few failed adoptions before he came to me, and suffers from a fair bit of separation anxiety, and I will admit that the idea of getting another dog is mostly for him to have a playmate. I have always wanted a couple of dogs though, but if i'm honest, i'd say it'd be more for him than me. Does it make a pet extra spoilt if you get them their own pet? lol Maybe she just doesnt like other beagles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 Everything you write about Bob says happy to be a loner. I think if getting the dog solely as a playmate is your main reason then i wouldn't bother ,your dog has given all the signals of "not" interested in a full time friend happy to have play dates Getting them an extra mate doesn't make them spoilt BUT getting a mate must be for all the right reasons so Bob can enjoy the lifestyle he is use to & be happy with plus the puppy also will have expectations that must be meet A young pup will be much more annoying than the Foster & more time consuming . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sas Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 (edited) Why do you want a playmate for him when he doesn't want one? If you're honest you want another dog for 'you'. I agree that a pup will be much more annoying than an adult foster dog! Fred is a rescue dog, and had a few failed adoptions before he came to me, and suffers from a fair bit of separation anxiety, and I will admit that the idea of getting another dog is mostly for him to have a playmate. You need to understand the reason for the seperation anxiety.....in most cases the dogs problem is the human and introducing another dog will not fix the problem. I reccomend not getting another dog not even a foster until you have your dogs seperation anxiety sorted out. Does it make a pet extra spoilt if you get them their own pet? lol Well it actually makes you a pretty selfish owner when your dog doesn't want a 'pet'. Edited April 4, 2011 by MEH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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