Best age to introduce another dog?

I would like to get another dog of my own at some point but is there a good/best age to introduce a puppy to an existing dog?

I suppose there is no right or wrong answer to this question - it's when you feel ready.

However as some may bring up, you don't want too much or too little of an age gap between them.

Too little and you face two elderly dogs together and medical problems, not to mention training usually takes a backwards step because the new dogs teen stage disrupts the already good dogs' behaviour (My uncle had this problem). Too much and then you get a dog that doesn't want to entertain or one who cannot entertain the puppy.

We introduced Louie to Sadie (9) and Benjie (7) and Sadie seemed to get strength and energy from Louie - Benjie just got headaches I imagine Of course as Louie grows older he will lose the two best friends he's lived with so before that happens we will be adding another as he pines for them when it's just me and him. And the fact that I like more than one dog in the house..

It really is up to you and how your dogs are..

I would say it would be when YOU are ready.

I'm not sure how old your current dog is, but as long as it it passed puppyhood I would be happy to have another.

At the other end of the scale. we introduced a bouncy 5 month old BC into our previously one dog household. Our resident dog was then nearly 10, and had also been an only dog. I'm sure it has given him a longer life, and certainly cheered up his old age

In terms of 'easiest', I would say when your existing dogs are at a level (training and behaviour wise) that you are happy with. That way they are generally easier to manage and you can focus your efforts on the puppy without worrying about the older dogs. The 'good' behaviour of the older dogs will also rub off positively on the puppy.

Obviously if you bring a puppy into the home when you are working on existing issues with your current dog(s), there is a good chance the pup will follow their lead. The last thing anyone wants is two dogs that will bog off, two dogs that are reactive, etc.

I have to disagree with you - although your points can happen I have two experiences where both scenarios you've outlined aren't true.

My Uncle's GSD was beautifully trained to a high level then they decided to get a puppy and training with the puppy started but the puppy led the older dog astray however consistent he was with them both. So sometimes puppies can influence older dogs too.

Also we got Louie and Benjie had and still has reactivity to other dogs - this hasn't rubbed off on Louie despite many walks with the pair of them.

But I suppose all dogs are different and both what you have said and the experiences I have witnessed can happen to anyone..

We had our old JRT Jazz she was 13 and missed companionship so we got Sky a BC as a Puppy and Jazz adored him and he her and then she got quite ill so we got Sunny another BC puppy he will be 3 in December and she soldiered on with her boys for another glorious 15 months till we had her PTS

We then got a phonecall out of the blue from Sky's Breeder that my late father had put a deposit down on a Blue Merle before it was even conceived and baby Mistral joined us in May this year he is now 18 weeks and all 3 boys adore each other, we bought puppies in as we have an awful lot of cats and the cats have trained all 3 very well

I do a lot of walking and ball playing with the boys and have 3 happy sometime a tad unruly boys at home, away from home all 3 are very well behaved and walk off lead and folks think they are very well trained

At home they are never on leads and recall is good and all have about 5 acres of garden to run in and our shared woods and have doggy friends 3 fields away who come to play

Of course individual personalities will come into it, but you can never be too careful about these things. You are right that one dogs behaviour won't necessarily rub off on the other, but the possibility is there unfortunately and I think it is important to be considered.