I am in no way about to say I'm getting another puppy or dog anytime soon but I'm definitely giving it some thought. So many on this forum have two or three and it seems so lovely that they have one another. I would love to hear how things are with more than one. Positives and negatives?
When we had 2, they both rubbed along but generally ignored one another. We will be getting a second dog again though, just because we liked it with 2 dogs in the house, and to be blunt - when the inevitable happens and we lose one, the house will not be so terribly empty. For me.. the positive - Double dog love. Possible companionship/play mates for each other Negatives - Training separately. Possibly walking separately - I'm not sure I have enough time for this. Double the bills. Double the hoovering.
I have two dogs and it's not something I would do again. We rescued Charlie so my views are a little different than if we had gone down the puppy route as lots of issues unfolded over time and it's been really tough and exhausting for the last 5 1/2 years with separate training etc. I am really petite and cannot walk them together as Charlie is so strong and grew to be a very big boy . You have to think of double vet bills, insurance, food, who will have two dogs when you want to go out for the day or on holiday. There is a lot to take into consideration, which of course we did and we always manage. On a positive note my two do love each other, cuddle up, eat together and play. I do love them both to bits and wouldn't part with them, I just wouldn't do it again. xx
It's hard work! You have to do a lot apart. Think about how you'll cope if - like here - the established dog doesn't like the new one. Do you have enough space to separate them, and enough time to spend with them both, separately, so your existing dog isn't missing out and your new puppy is getting enough attention? I think I'll have at least a couple more months until they're able to be out permanently together, if not longer. Willow and Shadow now generally get walked together, because I've put a lot of work into them "honouring" each other, so when I am training one, the other one settles down and watches, without interfering. I'll have to do this all again with Luna when she's bigger, too. Positives for me are, I have different personalities of dog, who each make me laugh in their own different ways. More dog is more love. When I need goofy cuddles, Shadow is there, doing forward rolls into my lap. When I need tears (or anything edible!) cleaning, Willow is there with the fastest tongue in the west. Training-wise, they are so different that it presents different challenges for me to work out, which I love to do. I don't think there's much in the way of positives for them, to be honest. Often people cite the "company" thing, but I'm not sure this is really a thing for them. They don't really interact when I'm not around. Even on walks, W&S are generally doing their own thing, and only interact when either I involve them both in an activity, or if one of them starts obviously hunting (which I then stop immediately - I don't want them to go self-employed!). Practicalities of walking them together include, what happens if one of your dogs runs up to another dog/person/whatever and you want to go and collect them, but without the other dog getting involved? I had this when walking Shadow and Luna together the other morning (I do this for socialisation of the two of them together, and only for a few minutes) - Luna ran over to a dog that came round a corner and I had to collect her, but I knew I could put Shadow in a sit/stay while I did so. If you couldn't do this, you're potentially going to have a nightmare, especially if there's any hostility. I'm certainly not trying to put you off - I think multiple dogs are brilliant, obviously! - but you do have to put a lot more time into training, I think, than if you just had one, which you can just "manage", without training, a lot more effectively.
I love having two. I can't afford the insurance etc for two, so that's a big reason I puppy walk for Guide Dogs. I simply train them both together - Tatze shows the pups how it's done. 'Tho they are mostly walked separately. They get three free runs a week together. I love watching them interact. They keep each other amused while I'm not interacting with them. Personally I find it harder work with just one - I wouldn't want to have the puppies if I didn't have Tatze to help me out with the baby sitting ..
We chose to have more than one dog many years ago for similar reasons to Sue. Initially we borrowed my in-law's dog, a labrador look-a-like, for weekends and holidays, then we had our own cairn terrier puppy, Fella, when my eldest son was born (but continued to 'borrow' the other dog too). Later we were asked to rehome a Tibetan Terrier, Rufus, just a few weeks before our then elderly Fella died. Rufus was an only dog for several years, but when he was eleven we had the chance of getting a labrador puppy, Penny. Penny breathed new life into Rufus, who lived until he was almost seventeen - but a third dog had joined us then by accident (a long story!), our springer/whippet cross Amber, who looked and behaved like a collie. Penny and Amber were then joined by Callum (another lab look-a-like - and another long story!), but then sadly we lost Penny when she was only seven. As Amber and Callum were getting older, we got Wispa as a puppy. She had a few months on her own after Callum and then Amber had died, but then we got Tuppence - and somehow I seem to have two dogs close in age again, which we had previously tried to avoid! Each dog has had its own personality and they have fortunately all got on well with whichever dog(s) were around at the time. It's hard work with two labs, though, and of course double the expense with food, insurance, vets' fees - not forgetting treats and toys! I make time to walk them separately on their lead walks for some individual time and training, although their free runs in the woods are always together. They are good company for each other and I'm not sure what one would be like without the other. Wispa tends to be a bit more independent, yet she provokes Tuppence into playing with her rather than just playing by herself. Tuppence prefers to have Wispa in the garden with her and is reluctant to go out by herself when I let them out after their meals. The real difficulty is getting someone to look after them if necessary when they're young and still energetic, as it's much easier to off-load one dog for a day - and of course any dog care would be more expensive too. On the positive side: life is never dull!
Apart from my first dog in the 70's, I have always had two or three. I have two now and when one is away working with a friend for the day, I feel walking with one is boring! It is more difficult in the early puppy days as the puppy cannot walk far, so it means one toddle for one and then a proper walk for the other, however, this teaches them to be alone. When I bring a new puppy home I introduce them in the garden, usually the pup is scared initially but within a minute or so is fine. I let the senior dog tell the pup off later if necessary. I love having two. However, I do leave a gap in age, with my last two it has been 6 years between them, I did have 2 GSPs with 10 months between them and cannot remember it being too troublesome, but on the whole there has been at least three years age difference.
I think its quite important to have "fully(!?)" trained the first one before getting another - I've always left about 3 years between puppies. Its important when you want to/have to walk them on lead together etc and go places. (respect for Snowbunny managing two youngsters!!). I have four - three of whom I have had from puppies and one I inherited from a friend who died. They enjoy playing together and snuggling up and being with each other. BUT I do things with the younger two separately and am only just starting to be able to train them together. Also I can step out the door and we are in woods, which makes individual walking training etc quite easy. It just needs thought as to how much time/space/cost etc is good for you.
I have always had 2 dogs, even as a child, so perhaps it's through this upbringing that I feel it is absolutely the right choice. I seem to break all the rules: * have one fully trained before you get another dog * wait until the first dog is thought the puppy stage So although I may overlap a bit on previous responses, I thought I should post to give my experience and pro's and cons from my perspective. I think it's important to note and say, that my OH and I both love dogs, they are a big part of our lives, and we do not have children, our dogs are our substitute children, so this is perhaps why what I am about to say sounds like it's all through rose coloured glasses. My current two dogs Bear and Yogi or the duo of Yogi Bear are nearly 12months and 15 weeks (both Labrador), my previous two Storm and Shadow were 6months difference and Storm was a Labrador and Shadow was a black German Shepheard. These four have all been males (not really sure why we choose males, probably just because that is what we had before although I have had females before, although never a male and a female together). Regarding training, my expectations on training are probably very basic compared to most, so perhaps this explains my lack of poor experience with introducing a second puppy so early. What I expect is to sit, come, down, stay, leave, drop, off, and be able to walk on a lead (although they are not going to win any awards for how they walk with me). By the time Yogi came along, Bear was close enough for me, not perfect every time, but enough that he knows what is expected and generally acts on first command. With these limited expectations, I do still do individual training, but there is also group training were the first to follow the command is rewarded first. A negative I could see, might be time, especially if you are the sole provider of training, my OH is equally committed to having dogs so perhaps this is also why we find it easy (we also do not have children). Perhaps the biggest rule we break is the rule of waiting till the first dog is through the puppy stage. I have read some stories where people are really tearing their hair out because they have taken on a second puppy "too early", but for us, we have never found this to be a hard stage (but then as a couple we have only been through it twice, so it's possible we just got lucky), in fact the second puppy seems easier to raise through the very early months than the first, as the older puppy seems to guide them through the rules of the house (toilet training, sitting for food, following commands, etc), and gladly absorbs some of the puppy energy (biting and rough play), while communicating to the puppy if he has overstepped the mark. Cons would be, this interaction must be supervised (as the older puppy will be much larger), but for me this is also a pro as it teaches both dogs what is acceptable energy levels around other dogs. Other cons are: * You need two separate areas. * Unsupervised time needs to be separate, at least until the first puppy gets closer in size To be honest, when we decided to get Yogi, I panicked thinking we were making a big mistake, that Storm and Shadow were an anomaly and that raising 2 young Puppies was going to be a nightmare. Being 7 weeks into having Yogi home, I am very positive about the decision (touch wood). With that said I would never consider two 8 week old puppies together, I think that would drive me insane, you do need one puppy to be controllable. So will they be close friends? I am guessing this can be effected by among other things, age gap, based on what others have said, and the difference between my childhood dogs and Storm and Shadow. I don't remember as a child our dogs having the close bond I saw with Storm and Shadow, but they all had a larger separation in age. Storm and Shadow both lived to over 13 years, and shared every stage of life together, playful Puppies to lazy senior citizens. They truly enjoyed each others company, I have video surveillance at the house, so would often get a laugh at seeing what they got up to while we were out. They also seemed to know when one was feeling sick and would support and comfort them, like they would if one of us was sick. Obviously it is early day with Bear and Yogi, but signs so far are that they will be equally close. General Pro's: * There is a lot of love. They each have different personalities, so when you want the super cuddly personal space invader, Storm was their, if you wanted the vocal crying from a good pat and rub, Shadow was their. If you wanted no dogs around you, well you might be in trouble. * Sense of security (even if it may be false). On rare occasions I need to stay away overnight for work, and knowing their are 2 dogs in the house with my OH who will hear and react to an intruder, and hopefully make an intruder think twice about staying in the house is comforting. * If we are out for a few hours they do have each others company. I have seen lots of footage of tug of war, chasing, licking sessions, sleeping buddies, etc. to believe that at least in my example companionship is a real thing. So for me this is a big Pro. * There is plenty of dog to go around. My OH likes dogs as much as me, so having one can lead to 'not enough dog'. One person and two dogs is even better, but two people and two dogs is certainly better than two dog people and only one dog at times. General Cons: * Cost * Group bad behavior. I remember during early years, coming home to a room full of stuffing. Storm and Shadow had decided a pillow that must have made it on the floor was a good toy. It was torn into tiny pieces, stuffing everywhere. According to them, neither was responsible. I think this is probably were good supervision of interactive play is critical, and deescalating tools need to be well ingrained. I imagine two puppies who have been given no guidance as to what is acceptable behavior could really do some damage if unsupervised. As an example I can initiate and end a zoomie run with Bear, this is something I really did focus some serious effort into and I think this sort of training is more essential to develop before introducing a second puppy than some of the other commands. You could imagine the potential vet bills for the poor little puppy when his brother is 40kg and when he gets excited just starts running around madly and the owner can't stop him. * space. They will (at least initially and this could be the first 6 months) need separate spaces, for training, and unsupervised time, and for individual time. My two have their own crates, there is an inside pen, and an outside pen, and the yard can be divided into two. As Yogi gets a bit bigger, the need for separate spaces will decrease, but you will always need the option to be able to separate them. As an example Storm once had a cut that needed stitches, he had to have an Elizabeth Collar, and when unsupervised he had to be separated, as Shadow tried to help him lick the wound. * Traveling. Will others be happy to look after two dogs while you are away. If you can take them with you, will you be able to fit both dogs, everything they need (perhaps 2 crates), and what you need. We have 2 fold down crates, and can already see we will need to take the bigger vehicle when we go away (which adds to the cost of travel in fuel). * Probably the hardest one that I went through is, if they are close in age, they may pass away within a close period of each other. Shadow passed away about 4 months after Storm (both unfortunately were euthanasia cases with no possible options for quality of life regardless of cost). To loose one dog was heart breaking, to loose our second companion so soon after, is a completely different level of pain. The only thing that got us through was knowing they each shared a great life together, and their lives were better having shared it together (this last Con is very hard to write, and honestly I had to take a break for a few hours to finish my post, how I miss my boys). Anyway I could probably keep writing, but I think this is almost already a small book. I would say, having two dogs is probably not for everyone, but it is certainly for me and my OH. I think with the right training, temperament, and environment it is also a very enriching experience for your dogs. As I write this, Bear is laying on some toys in the play pen, and Yogi is laying on Bear, they are both sound asleep after a big morning of fun, I can't imagine a better example of why I think it's a great idea. My phone is saying "there is not enough available storage to take a photo", so hear is another one I have posted before that I think says the same thing All the best in whatever decision you take. It is great that you are not just rushing in, as the most important thing is that whatever decision you make, it is in the best interest of your current and potentially new dog.
I really enjoyed having two and at the time it didn't seem much more work than having one. In fact, I probably would have gone bonkers without Mama Jodhi to keep Brogan entertained as a puppy. As adults they were absolutely best buddies. It never occurred to me that they wouldn't be and it's only now that I realise how lucky I was. And when I had foster dogs, my own dog Duncan was an invaluable partner in helping raise the puppies especially. We called my house "Camp Duncan" for those years and when he passed I realised just how tough it was to do fostering for multiple dogs/puppies at the same time without him around. Certainly when one dog passes away, I wouldn't say it's "easier" when you still have the second dog, but at least you are not completely alone. For this reason if you do have more than one dog, it seems so much better to have them at least a few years apart in age. A friend of mine has four dogs and five cats (!) and seven of them are almost the same age. She's never had geriatric animals and I really do worry that in she will have some very hard years when the time comes. The downside, as others mentioned, is the additional cost, especially if both dogs are large. And in my case, now that I travel so much, I just can't have two because of logistics. You simply can't fit two dogs under an airplane or train seat. But if my lifestyle were more stable, I would love to have two again. My favourite combo remains one big one and one little one!
Just to preface, we're not going to be getting another dog anytime soon (Stampy is just 14 weeks now), but I was wondering if anyone had experience with adopting a dog who is older than your current one? For example, adopting a 5 year old when your dog is 2. All I see is how to introduce a puppy to an established older dog, not the other way around. So I'm curious!
I had two circumstances of this - one worked really well (at least until I added a new puppy to the mix) and one worked out fairly horribly. The dogs were all about the same age, but in both cases, one was established in the household when the new one came along. I got 5-7-ish year old Tavish as a rescue when my dog Duncan was also five. Duncan loved everyone so loved Tavish on sight. Tavish hated NEARLY everyone and hated Duncan on sight. Simply due to Duncan's good nature - and the 120 lb. size difference between them probably didn't hurt - a general peace reigned in the house with the exception of Tavish marking indoors occasionally as an "up yours" to the rest of us. However, when Duncan got cancer and was going through treatment, Tavish felt is was his chance to take him out for good and things got nasty. To protect Duncan, I had to pack the little troublemaker off for the duration. After Duncan passed away, I got an 8 year old foster who eventually became a "foster fail" and stayed with me for the rest of her life. The one who was originally there (Tavish) adored the one who arrived (Jodhi). Maybe adored her a little too much as it was a chore trying to get him to stop humping on her. She loved everyone and every dog so just accepted his occasional weirdness with grace and patience until I could re-direct his ardour to one of his toys instead. Helped that he was only 5 lbs and she was 55 lbs. Jodhi also had the type of personality that she didn't care if someone else thought they were in charge, even if they weren't really. I think that helped as Tavish still felt he was the doggie boss in the house. I then got Brogan as a puppy and Tavish hated, hated, hated him...so that didn't all work out so well. Tavish would have been thrilled if it could have just stayed him and his girl Jodhi, poor wee little man!
Yes, my Gavin and Callum were six months apart in age and they both lived to 15, so we lost them in the same year - which was awful. I got Tatze before Gavin died and he was wonderful, he taught her that you can't play with old boys, but he would cuddle up if she behaved. I got a young pup because I knew that when Gavin died I wouldn't even be able to contemplate another. I'm really glad I did - Tatze was the comfort we both needed. Here is 15 year old Gavin telling Tatze what's what
This scenario was exactly the route we took. We didn't plan it...well my OH likes to plan...now he just rolls with it! I had been involved in the Black Retriever X organisation, at that time mainly for helping out with transport, then the odd overnighter, then well....they had a sad black labrador on death row, not doing well in the shelter.He was five..could we just foster him for a while? That was Cas...now Casper. Benson at the time was a typical, loopy, adolescent chocolate, I think 10/11 months old (seriously what were we thinking?) Now I have to say Jemima (who runs BRX) has a knack of getting things right, maybe that was it, she had got to know us quite well...or maybe it was luck I just don't know. Benson and Casper hit it off from day 1. They are now 8 and 3, quite inseparable. If you have a look at these two links they give you a fair idea of our experience at the time.. https://thelabradorforum.com/threads/home-check-advice.7837/ https://thelabradorforum.com/threads/its-official-benson-has-a-new-partner-in-crime.8329/ Echo the pro's and con's above, it really is hard work with two...and now we have three. We are fortunate in the fact that we have land on our doorstep, and very large fenced garden. The cost of two dogs is also important to factor, you do need a good insurance policy to start off with, you don't want to chop and change later down the line and suddenly find exclusions to really expensive health issues. Food, treats, toys..you can't just buy one toy anymore! I used to have lots of lovely clothes, boots ( I loved boots!) now I spend my evenings scrolling the internet for the perfect welly!
Did you find a new pair yet? Kate's wellies have holes in them! I mean, what point is there in going to the beach if you can't wade through the water, that's what the pod of Labradors wanted to know
Nope...have a brand new pair of muckboots at home, wore them once and hate them! Caused me all sorts of bother, so the hunt is still on.....
I got Rory because I knew Doug's time was running out and I wanted another dog . I knew that the loss of Doug would more than likely kill Moo, I would feel pretty bad too. I've seen too many friends dogs give up when they loose their partners. i needed Rory to help Moo and to give me some hope. I was very sick then my chemo wasn't working. Rory is funny silly and hard to ignore. My dogs tolerated him quickly because he had good manners and wanted to fit in. He had a big job for a small pup He did it his way with style. He cheered us all up bought fun and laughter into the house kept me very very busy. I started my new experimental drugs the week he came and things have got much better. Doug lasted for 2 more years Rory made him feel important he was daddy Doug teaching Rory helping him and just a great influence. Moo built up a lovely old lady crush on him and found someone new to play with. Doug died and Moo relationships with Rory helped her greatly. He helped me too. I loved having 3 dogs is was hard work and expensive but I will always look back on it as one of the most fun times in my life. For me 3 us the perfect number. Rory is a wonderful dog so glad I found him.
