Adding a Second dog to the family

Question
Hi Nancy,
I have a two year old male lab, who is a very good dog within the home, but is very excitable out on walks. He is very jumpy around strangers until he gets to know them for a few minutes. He gets extremely excited about other dogs, sometimes he acts dominant right at first and then calms down after a few munutes. My brother has new puppies and he gets extremly excited when they come over, and every time we go on a walk he acts like he is looking for them. I am considering getting another dog for the family in hopes it might calm him down about other dogs. I was thinking that  maybe if he was around another dog all the time he wouldn't be as excited when he saw a dog on a walk. He is very good with the puppies, but I want to make the right decision and not aggravate the situation by adding a dog. Any advise or experience you have on the subject would be greatly apprechiated. Thank You, Annie

Answer
Hi there. Sounds like you need a dog trainer to help you calm your dog down. i can not help you from here unfortunately, but i can tell you that adding another dog may cause problems. Many people get a second dog for a playmate for their dog or other reasons pertaining to their dog. The thing is.....the dog only cares about its pack whiich is you. Although your reason for getting another dog is different, there are things to consider. Your present dog may not be happy that another dog has entered its pack and may actually fight with the dog, depending on the sex of the dog. The dog may actually start showing other behavioral signs that he didnt have before in order to gain attention from you. I am not saying NOT  to get another dog, i am just making sure you make your decision based on the proper information. If you want to get another dog for YOU, then just make sure it is the opposite sex and that you introduce your dog outside the house before bringing it in. I do think a trainer can help you get your dog calmed down around other animals. Thanks for writing...good luck
nancy