Need advice ..

My lil girl Cherrise, 7 month, is so playful.. and i feel that i need to get her a friend , she's very gentle and often get bullied by other breeds
is a young adult a good option ? ( bout 1-5 years old ? ) i was offered a 7 year old girl who is retiring .. opinions pls .. ? thks in advance !



p.s : anybody knows any young adults cava available around Vancouver ?

Hi there,

Cherrise is gorgeous, congratulations
Most people would recommend waiting until your pup is over one year old before getting another dog (especially if it were to be another puppy). That way your pup should be reliably housetrained and settled before introducing an unknown into the mix. As for an adult... I think I'd think about it a bit more. Do you wanted the second dog for yourself, or for your puppy to play with? An adult dog will have a lot of needs aswell. Some may not have the energy to deal with a young puppy (particularly more mature adults).

As long as Cherrise has you to play with her she'll be fine for another little while 8)

For reasons mentioned in another thread, i wouldn't have a puppy at this stage. however, the older dog could be an option, but would depend on the dog.

If she is the maternal type, who doesn't mind puppy playfulnes then fine.
Provided she's housetrained and well behaved , you can concentrate your training on the younger one. Monty was around 8 when I had Joly and teddy and , even though male, he enjoyed their little playsessions. On the other hand, if she is one of thse bitches who are glad to be rid of their litters, then she's not a good idea.

Perhaps ask about her temperament and have a trial visit with the two dogs together.

How is she getting bullied by other dogs, and in what context?

Have you taken her to a good, rewards-based obedience and socialisation course yet? This would be a must for her confidence and social skills.

Puppy play can appear to be bullying when actually its typical roughhousing. This is another reason it is good to get into a class where a trainer can assess whether she actually is in a position of being bullied, which is probably unlikely unless she is being exposed to some very unpleasant dogs -= in which case I would remove her from such situations and avoid those particular dogs. Cavaliers are very friendly and small -- and this can put them at risk from ore aggressive, unfriendly dogs. Those are interchanges an owner needs to be alert to and able to assess -- and a puppy should of course never be off lead and out of your close reach, specially as she is so small. You need to be able to always pick her up immediately if necessary.

Another dog won't protect her from other dogs -- these are socialising skills she needs to learn herself. It's very important for dogs to acquire these while young and in a positive way so they don't end up being timid -- which is why a class is a good safe setting.

Thank you very much for all your responses.. Greatly appreciated. Bullied i meant was something like this , Cherrise has a younger puppy friend , a 5 month old daschund , he tends to play roughly and bit her tail, bottom etc .. ( she would cry now and then, but bcause she's so playful, she would still play :| ) and she meets other lil dogs too, that are alpha dogs and again, she would just flip over and let the other dog "Tackle" her.. there was only one time she was the alpha one '' The way she plays,she approaches every dog she sees, and plays "tug and run " (?) -- . -- '' That's why i'm looking for a friend for her to play just gently and not biting-kind-of-play and there's nothing in the neighbourhood.

The other older female ( 7 years old ) she's very gentle and well-behaved i heard. Cherrise herself is very well-behaved, i trained her since the 1st day she arrived, she slept in the living room on her bed alone, she whined a lil and fell asleep. That's how it has been for a while , she never whine when we leave her ( which is very seldom, i carry her EVERYwhere, even to movies.. ) She listens to every command, doesn't enter rooms that she's not suppose to ( kitchen, bathroom..etc ) never chewed on ANYTHING inside the house! no jumping on sofa's etc.. i could list so many things! that's why i could actually think bout another dog.. i'm not too sure what a 7-year old dog requires except from plenty of love, healthy nutrition everyday, exercises, vet checks .. ? I'm afraid of heart diseases though, eventhough her heart is clear now and eyes too, but she's getting old .. i'm afraid it'll be more work ? is this true ?

anyws for fun.. this is the 7-year one ..

In my opinion, the play you describe is normal behavior. Dogs play can look scary to people but to the dogs it's FUN. Think about young siblings, primarily young brothers. They rough house and wrestle and sometimes they get a bit hurt. They turn around and go again, though. Dogs do the same thing. It's just the way dogs play. I have two dogs who are both 1; they play and bite and have a grand ol' time til I get annoyed and make them stop like a mean ol'mommy.

A seven year old dog will bring with it a number of responsibilities, and there is no guarantee a seven year old dog will want ANYTHING to do with a rambunctious pup. If you're seriously considering bringing in an older dog, you might want to visit the breeder and the potential addition, taking your pup with you to see how the two dogs interact.

Agree with the above. A second dog, even a young one, will not necessarily be the playfriend you imagine and it can take an adult dog of any age weeks to months to adjust to having a second dog around and it may never really care much for the other dog in the house. Most dogs do enjoy a companion... BUT:

Please don't get a dog solely because you think your puppy wants a playfriend. A second dog is the full additional responsibility, through sickness and health, of another dog, just as important as your existing dog. You should only get a second dog if *you*, more than anything else, really, really want a second dog and all the pleasures but potential difficulties and extra time and responsibility and costs that might bring (expect to add at least another $1000 a year in expenses between food, toys, vets, boarding etc). A second dog needs all the same time of the first dog for grooming, feeding, walks, general care -- plus you need to give each dog separate training time and alone time with you. A 7 year old dog could live another 7 years as well and will start to encounter some senior issues sooner rather than later.

Regarding hearts -- most cavalier owners will eventually deal with heart problems as they affect almost 100 per cent of cavaliers by age 10, and 50% by age 5. So a clear heart at 7 is a good sign but also most likely this dog, as well as your own, will eventually have a murmur. Most cavaliers lead a full life despite this but all cavalier owners need to be fully aware of MVD and what to watch for.

Thank you very much for all your responses .. :jump: Yeah, i will take that all into consideration and think bout it again, i'm trying my best to make the right decision

Monty at 11 this month is in fact less trouble than the younger ones as he is quieter. Izzy, with heart problems, is no trouble, at 9 , but hiis meds cost me £43 for 4 weeks.

As has been said, don't go for a second dog for your present dog, have her because you want her for herself, but find an older , trained dog easier.