Hi Estelle,
Myself and my partner adopted a second dog recently from DID, Fizz. So rather than give you any advice I’m going to explain how things are going in our home and let you see how that fits your situation.

Ollie (PJ) is a really sociable dog, loves the dog park in Marley, loves meeting other people and dogs on our walks and didn’t seem to show much jealousy when we had friend’s dogs in the house, even to stay for a few days. So I eventually persuaded Rossa we needed a friend for him.

The most important part for us was to see how Ollie responded to the other dogs we met. In the end we knew when we had found the right companion for him, just knew they were playing well together compared to other dogs we had met. We also went for the opposite sex and got a female dog this time.

Things in our house have been CRAZY for the last 2 weeks so be warned it may be a bumpy ride for the first while. The first few days the novelty for both of then having a dog to play with meant they went mental playing and chasing and wrestling. They DID NOT STOP. Then Ollie seemed to realise that Mia (Fizz) wasn’t going anywhere and became quite possessive over toys and us if we gave her cuddles.

2 weeks in Ollie is getting better at sharing, but still watches closely when we cuddle Mia, but we just make a special effort to give them both alone time with us and get visitors to say hello to Ollie first, feed him first, etc. I read somewhere that you have 2 hands so use them, so I scratch 2 bellies at the same time.

So things are settling down but I think it’ll take another week or 2 for them to be best friends. I don’t know if this is helpful to you, and also didn’t mean it to be so long. I live in Rathfarnham, so a bit far away for play dates unfortunately. Good luck whatever you decide.

All dogs great and small are based in raheny, they do doggy daycare and socialization. They had 6 dogs on one dog bed when I was there on Monday, all as happy as Larry. A little pup was licking a boxers face, no problem.
My little terrier belle was playing with a pup when I came to pick her up ( normally she can’t stand pups ) good luck

I would say, to take the hand off Marie and jump at her offer of help! Seriously, yourself and your little girl would be learning from the expert for sure! Only other thing I suppose maybe that hasnt been said, if there is a local park or green area where you take her for a walk, insofar as you can, why not go there at exactly the same time, every day, or days, whenever you take her for a walk? I can guarantee you, if its a green area, and other doggies are there, it wont take you a wet minute before you’ve chummed up with other dog walkers. Apart from a few wierd ones, or those who cant socialise with other doggies for very genuine reasons, I’m sure most of us love our dogs to meet and greet other dogs. Its a great form of communication and camaraderie for dog and owners alike and it wears your dog out as well! I’m sure there must be some people that you could buddy up with. Well done for trying to address the problem, once you’ve identified it. No good would come of putting your head in the sand and hoping it will go away – my friend had a dog like that before and unfortunately it did lead to aggression issues later in life for her dog, as she had a dog that was not socialised and just did not know how to relate to other dogs. As with all other issues, behavioural or otherwise, I’d recommend consulting the experts, ergo the lovely Marie, or one of the training groups. I can personally recommend any of the DSPCA run courses…… Good luck with your little one! If all else fails, I could take Harry over to meet her – his pic is on the boards under Calista the Dalmatian (on the Happy Endings page) – he loves other dogs and would love a gad about with her. The only issue is that he would be a lot bigger, he is a collie/terrier cross so I dunno if that may scare her? Its just a thought…. I wouldnt bring the girls over as they would be too big for your little one. Like I say, Marie would be the best bet for now, but if all else fails, pm me and I’ll do what I can! Best of luck now!

hi there, I have a 3 year old mini schnauzer, we walk in Fr. Collins Park in Clongriffin, there’s some quiet areas nearby where you can let dogs off the lead. I’d be more than happy to meet up there if it’s not too far for you.