I’ve got a high energy dog and want to get it a low energy companion. What would be a good choice of dog breed?
I’ve always been a staunch supporter of having two dogs rather than just one as they are pack animals and in my own personal experience find that two together are happier than just one on his/her own.
However, getting a low energy dog is probably not the best match for your high energy boy/girl and will not change the fact that your dog will remain high energy and may drain the low energy dog. I’m of the belief (and practice what I preach) that you walk one dog or you walk two dogs and it’s all the same but your high energy dog will still need those longer walks and off leash runs so ensure that the new dog will also enjoy this activity and look at dogs that perhaps aren’t high energy but at least medium energy.
Ensure that the two meet and like each other before adopting a second dog and the best way is to start off by fostering a dog first before committing to full adoption. It may even take a few weeks for the two to become friends so give it some time. I don’t think dog breed is of the most importance but temperament is and you want two dogs that will become friends that can keep each other company and play together while you are at work. I find that having a dog companion that will help slow down your high energy dog to a certain extent as she/he will now have a companion and in many cases high energy is just boredom when left at home by him/herself all day and having that companion will really help.
I have pretty much always had two dogs and in the past would start off with a puppy and when that puppy hit around 1 to 2 years old would introduce a new puppy to the family - in some cases you may find a bit of jealousy in the first dog at first but in my experience that quickly disappears and the two quickly bond - first time I had a female and introduced a male puppy and the second time when my first female passed and had the male dog I then adopted a female puppy and both times were very successful so do think of gender as well. This last time I decided to go for the gusto and adopted two Mexican rescue sister dogs at the same time which has been quite the experience as both are high energy and definitely give me a run for the money!! - but that story is for another question and post! Needless to say they are great company for one another!