Two male dogs in same house?

17 years ago

We're looking to adopt a second dog (I made a post about it yesterday about the adoption fees). DH told me that he would rather find a female because he's concerned with having two male dogs in the same house...fixed or not. He's always been told that they'll still mark there territory. I realize this all would depend on the dog ultimately but what has been your experiences?

I found a dog on Petfinder in the Classifieds that seems to be perfect for us. He's only 40 miles from us, he's still pretty young but old enough he's house-trained (1 1/2), used to kids, used to other dogs, used to cats....the fact that he's a male may be the only thing that bothers DH. If he doesn't find a home within the next week, they're taking him to the pound :(

Thanks!

Featured Answer

scryn

17 years ago

We have one neutered and one intact male dog. They are both adopted and neither of them mark in the house.

Our one boy had a bladder infection and had accidents during the night all over the rug and we haven't had any problems with either marking (of course we cleaned it, my steam cleaner is my fave purchase ever!)

Our one boy even pooed on our kitchen floor (we just adopted him and he was scared of the wind and didn't want to go outside, poor thing) and our other boy didn't mark on it, which happens ALL the time outside.

I was told it is a habit and if they don't do it now then they wouldn't do it with different dogs in the house. We also set up a trial period because we had another dog and wanted to make sure they would get along well. The adoption agency was very nice about this. I told the foster about our dog and asked if the second dog would be a good fit for us and she said he would and she was right!

I do agree with it being breed specific though. If the dog is being fostered ask the caregiver what he/she thinks.

I also adopted our two boys through petfinder. I LOOOOOVE that site. It is so wonderful!

-renee

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Comments (7)

laurief_gw
17 years ago
You're correct. It depends entirely on the specific dogs involved. I currently have two neutered males who are best buddies and do not mark territory in the house. For several years I had three, but one was so ancient that the younger males didn't even acknowledge him. A few decades ago, my family had three neutered males who got along fine and never marked in the house, as well. However, I have known plenty of alpha males who would NOT tolerate another male in their territories.

Your best strategy is to negotiate with the adopting agency to allow a trial period (three weeks, maybe?) during which you can bring the new dog home and see how things work out with your existing male. If the adopting agency is agreeable, you'd be able to return the dog during the trial period and be refunded your adoption fee if there are problems integrating him into your household.

Good luck with your decision,

Laurie
wooderlander
17 years ago
We have two neutered male dogs who, though they're not particularly fond of each other, get along okay and don't fight or mark territory. At our dog park, plenty of families show up with two or more males.

The tough one is our little female. She keeps the boys in line and they're afraid of her, though one of them is six times her size. We would not add another female, but wouldn't hesitate to get another male, subject to the individual personalities as discussed above.
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For a bit of claification, marking and potty training are two different thing - behaviorally speaking. our dog feels his is the alpha male or boss of your household, and his marking anything new means he is claiming that thing. To stop your dog from marking is going to take a bit of work. First while your dog is in the house, he needs to be under control. This means to either leash him to you while you are going about your business or blocking him from the area where the carpet is. Given the opportunity, your dog WILL mark the carpet and anything new in his domain, including people. So, you need to change his idea of where he is in the heirarchy of your household. To do this you need to change his potty habits since they are directly related to the problem you are experiencing. First you need to stop letting your dog tell you when he needs to go, and stop just letting him outside to do his business. He needs structure, going on on a leash with a choke collar everyday 3 times a day at the same time for at least 20 minutes a walk. The walk needs to have him not sniffing at every and marking at every blade of grass. When I take a dog like this out, I give him 3 to 5 minutes before I start the walk to sniff, pee and poo, then we walk. The dog walks at my side and we walk at a pretty good clip. The dog gets to pee when I pick the place, not the dog. Just before Im finished with the walk, the dog has another opportunity to do his business. When the dog is in the act of going, he gets a command to do whichever business I need him to do and gets rewarded for doing it by my praising him. I make a big deal about it. Like if the dog found a bag with 100 dollars bills filling it. This way my dog can pee or poo on command and knows that is what we are there for. There is nothing mean about this, it is absolutely the correct thing to do in order to get a handle on your dogs behavior. Let me tell you up front your dog WILL RESIST this training and may throw a tantrum or two each time you take him out. It is common to expect your dog to put the brakes on and not want to walk at all. or to try and pull you to where he wants to go etc. Until you get a handle on his behavior you can use a number of tricks to help keep your dogs marking under more control. You can use a spray dog repellant on or near the carpet - Spray a towel then put the towel down near the carpet on another dry towel, you can use one of those office floor mats which go under an office chair to protect the floor, only place it with the plastic nubs normall stuck in the carpet facing upwards which will make walking on it unpleasant for your dog. The very last thing I recommend is a belly band, which I do NOT recommend for long time or permanent use. Good luck
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debd18
17 years ago
I had two neutered males that were raised together and were best buddies. At the age of ten, one of them developed some health problems and begin having accidents in the house. This triggered the other to start marking his territory, which doubled my problems.

The dog that started marking is a minpin, which is an assertive breed that has a tendency to want to mark anyway, so this probably played a part. Still, I'm thinking you may have better luck adding a female to your family.

After my sick dog died, we got a female puppy and even though she has accidents, the minpin has never reacted to it at all.
annzgw
17 years ago
If your male was intact, I'd worry, but I think the odds are slim that marking will be a problem. I've fostered multiple male dogs and the only marking occured outdoors.

I would suggest you take your dog with you when you meet the new dog..........and if the adoptive dog is still living in his original home, ask them to meet you a couple of blocks from the house, with the dog.

I'm sure you're aware that being told he's housebroken doesn't mean this applies to your home without additional training.
Lillie1441
17 years ago
I have a neutered male and 2 spayed female Chihuahuas,(mother,daughter and grandson).He is 5 years old and still marks in the house.I think it depends on the dog.
mazer415
17 years ago
Actually two males are often easier than two females, make certain both are fixed, keep an eye on them both of a good week after introducing them, MAKE sure you dont muddy the works by feeding one before the other then visa versa- although you should be the ALPHA, we all know that theory does not always work in every household. SO be sure to keep the pecking order in place at all times. I hope this works for you and you let us know what happens...good luck.

Two male dogs in same house?

scryn

Comments (7)

laurief_gw

wooderlander

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