Me and my partner got a rescue dog ( 3 years old japanise akita cross alsation) about 6 months ago from rspca and now where thinking about getting another one as our house and gardan is big enough but the problem is benji has not been around other dogs how should i go about it ? as i dont just want to bring another addition into the family if their not going to get on.

helppp :confused:

Try meeting up with other dog owners in your area and getting him used to being around other dogs.

Do you have any friends with dogs that you can invite round?
Sometimes dogs can be fine with other dogs they meet in the park but very possessive about other dogs coming into 'their home'.

Thats not always true though - I think Gadget is the other way around!

my sister has a rotwiler that she got from rspca also but hes to protective of any other dogs goin near my sister other then that everyone i know has cats :| and he hates them with a passion.

You could take him to training classes to get him socialised, and see how he reacts with other dogs there. Probably the best way though is KatieB's idea - get someone with dogs to come round for a visit, and take it from there.

does your dog meet up with other dog try him at dog training classes see how he reacts is he aggressive over his food toys ect not all dogs welcome another in their home pahaps a dog who is more gentle in nature might be OK with him just watch how he reacts when you pat or fuss another dog it may take a time for him to be happy with another furry friend

Eddy is no good with other dogs on walks and is getting increasingly difficult now his eyes and ears are not so good (he can't really see what he's barking at so barks at anything that moves instead of just dogs like he used to) but bringing a dog into the house with him, he's fine.
He sets the rules straight away - ie. 1. don't go near his bed and 2. don't bounce on him and then he's fine!

That said, I wouldn't like to say how your dog would be, Eddy hadn't been socialised when I got him but he had lived with another dog so he's fine living with dogs, just not meeting them on walks.

I would tend to agree that you need to see how he reacts to other dogs first - at 3 years old, it's a little late to start socialising him if he hasn't been at all but it wouldn't hurt - it's better to do it as a pup but obviously you couldn't do that so start now! He's young enough to learn!

Is there any particular reason for wanting another dog?
(please don't say as company for him, as he obviously isn't missing having a pet of his own at the moment ;) )

If you have a balanced life with one dog, do you really want to go through the rigmarole of introducing another dog to a dog who's made up of guarding breeds not necessarily renowned for needing other dog company

now if you had a pack hound I'd be making different noises, but you don't, so I'd think twice about it

I have read books about akita and would advise you to do the same. I think you should reconsider.

MissDanni just noticed your post in another group, I would be inclined to agree with the others particularly based on that, in a few months everything could rapidly change and you might find that you cannot cope with another dog, and especially one that you might be having teething problems with.

Why not wait a while see what happens in other areas first? just enjoy the dog that you already have...take it from one who knows... multi dog households are not the most relaxing of places :D

I'm not sure that I'd introduce another dog into your house either. Quite apart from anything else, big dogs take a huge amount of room to play and when they play inside the house you can end up with everything smaller than the sofa being shifted about the place.

Molly (GSD) has her friends Bailey and Petie (shihtzus) round sometimes, and the havoc caused by 3 dogs trying to play chase and tag running round in the house is amazing (and that's only one big dog and 2 weeny ones!).

Even if Benji makes friends and is fine with having another dog in his space, what about when they want to play tag in the house? Are you sure that your house can survive it? How about when they set each other off barking when someone comes to the door or the phone rings?

I love dogs but our dobermutt would sulk and hate anything coming into our house- she is happy to share with cats but not dogs and as Strix says, it's not worth getting another dog to be company for yours - dogs can take or leave other dogs but can also get mightily jealous of an intruder entering their home. If you really want another and have the time to devote to training and exercising both - and can give each their own space if they don't want to be together, I'd try to find out how your current dog reacts around other dogs, including dogs that come to your house - and be very aware that dogs are big bouncy things- like medusa says- Ailsa has a friend, Laurel, a black lab (ex guide dog) and they dont meet up as often as they used to but when they do and we're at our friend's house, they are tearing around like a pair of nutters.