Dogs in isolation are not happy, says Stephanie Borns-Weil, DVM. She shares three rules for improving the pairing of dogs:
- Generally speaking, don’t shoot for female-to-female.
- Activity similarity is more important than breed similarity .
- Similar age doesn’t matter as much as similar health status.
Source: Dogster, February 2019. Link.
. . . the new pet does need to be treated kindly in order to become acclimated to the household. But the old dog can feel kind of pushed to the side, and that can strain the relationship between the two of them . . .
INSIGHTS: This is a good resource for social media posts, adding to e-newsletters and for counseling pet owners as they consider a second animal. Consider providing it to local shelters and rescue organizations, as well.