has anybody found that getting a 2nd puppy makes things easier?

[AngieW in Texas]

We just got a 10 week old puppy 2.5 weeks ago. She's coming along really well now. She is mostly house-trained. She knows to ring the bells when she needs to go outside. She knows "sit" and "down" and "go get it" and "go potty". She settles down immediately when we put her in the crate for the night. She walks nicely on the leash.

 

Dh wants to get a 2nd puppy because he thinks that will make our lives easier. He thinks that with a 2nd puppy, our 1st puppy won't get into mischief and won't require as much watching.

 

I think he's insane. I don't want a 2nd puppy. Maybe next summer when we have this puppy fully trained, maybe then I could handle another puppy. Not now.

 

Have any of y'all had a 2nd puppy make the 1st puppy easier? Or does it just exponentially multiply the amount of mischief to deal with.

[Pegasus]

I think it is like twin infants: hugely fun but exhausting until they get a little older.

[swellmomma]

don't do it! I did. And older puppy backslid in all training and new puppy would have just been too much puppy even as an only dog. We are back down to just the original puppy.

[rwjx2khsmj]

We got two puppies from the same litter with this very idea. They are a great comfort and security to each other. As tiny puppies that did make them quieter and more content. However, they are not less work because there are two. They tend to be twice the effort, not half. I love them both and wouldn't get rid of either but I won't ever get two puppies at the same time again.

[Remudamom]

Don't do it.

[Impish]

In about the same way adding another husband would make things easier.

 

As in, NOT

[AK_Mom4]

Our pups are about a year and a half now - sisters. We got both puppies at the same time.

 

I would say that training two pups was really no harder than training one (well, twice as many accidents, but you have to figure for that!). As far as training - they both picked up what we wanted them to learn at the same time. Really not twice the work, though.

 

I prefer to have two dogs because they keep each other company when I have to leave them home.

 

HOWEVER, if I had just one dog, I would wait until it was fully trained (hoursebroken, come on command, good manners) before I got a new puppy. A fully trained dog is an excellent help in training a puppy. A half-trained dog + an untrained pup DO NOT equal two fully trained dogs! More like a mess waiting to happen!

[jar7709]

No.

 

Maybe *maybe* when puppy is a little older, a second dog (maybe even an already housebroken adult dog) could be a good complimentary companion. But not another puppy while you are just getting puppy #1 adjusted.

[Dory]

When people get pups from me, I advise them to allow a minimum of 9 months from one pup to the next. They tend to feed off of each others energy, which means instead of just having a playmate, now they play twice as hard. If one decides that chewing on something is fun, well then it becomes a game and twice as much gets destroyed. By 9 months to 1 year you usually are starting to get a handle on things and it is sometimes safe to bring a new playmate into the picture.

 

The breed of dog does of course make a bit of a difference, and your experience with dogs will also make a difference.

[mom4him]

We got two puppies from the same litter with this very idea. They are a great comfort and security to each other. As tiny puppies that did make them quieter and more content. However, they are not less work because there are two. They tend to be twice the effort, not half. I love them both and wouldn't get rid of either but I won't ever get two puppies at the same time again.

 

:iagree: Our labradoodles are litter mates and they are a blast BUT house training them was a hurdle. They finally did both get it but not easy. I don't know about adding one after you are already on the way to having one trained.

 

What are the things that you are having difficulty with?

[AngieW in Texas]

There isn't anything in particular that's a huge challenge with this puppy. It's just that as long as she is awake and not in the crate, somebody has to be on puppy duty. She will decide that the corner of the chair would be a good chew toy and has to be told no. Then she'll decide that the leg of the table is a good chew toy and has to be told no. And then she'll find a pencil that fell to the floor and somebody has to take that away.

 

I think my dh thinks that with two puppies, nobody will have to watch. He's delusional. With two puppies, you have to watch twice as hard.

 

She really is a good puppy. She just has to learn about what things are ok to chew on and what are not. She has tried digging in a few spots in the yard and I have started putting her own droppings in the holes. So far, she hasn't tried to dig in those spots again.

 

I'm walking her 2-3x/day. Dh thinks walks will be unnecessary with a 2nd puppy because they'll wear each other out. She walks really nicely on the leash.

[mom4him]

There isn't anything in particular that's a huge challenge with this puppy. It's just that as long as she is awake and not in the crate, somebody has to be on puppy duty. She will decide that the corner of the chair would be a good chew toy and has to be told no. Then she'll decide that the leg of the table is a good chew toy and has to be told no. And then she'll find a pencil that fell to the floor and somebody has to take that away.

 

I think my dh thinks that with two puppies, nobody will have to watch. He's delusional. With two puppies, you have to watch twice as hard.

 

She really is a good puppy. She just has to learn about what things are ok to chew on and what are not. She has tried digging in a few spots in the yard and I have started putting her own droppings in the holes. So far, she hasn't tried to dig in those spots again.

 

I'm walking her 2-3x/day. Dh thinks walks will be unnecessary with a 2nd puppy because they'll wear each other out. She walks really nicely on the leash.

 

You have probably already done this but make sure she has plenty of things that are hers that she can chew on. When she starts to chew on something that is not hers and after you have let her know she can't chew on that be sure to direct her to something that is hers and praise her for playing/chewing with it. Right now our living room looks like a puppy toy war zone. :lol:

 

I didn't see where having two at the same time made it so you needed to watch them less. If anything it is more. You have just brought double trouble into your house with two.:D

[beaners]

We always get two kittens at a time. We never get two puppies at a time. Ever.

[Stayseeliz]

We got two beagle puppies 2 1/2 weeks ago not realizing that getting two puppies at once is generally frowned upon. They do play together a lot but they are still very connected to us. We make sure to spend one on one time with them everyday and train them seperately. They do wear each other out.

 

BUT they are still a lot of work. A lot. A lot. They have to be watched constantly or they are chewing on chairs, cabinets, the kids' toys, etc. They have come a long way since we've gotten them but having two puppies versus one is not going to keep them from getting into trouble. Not even remotely.

 

I know it will pay off in the end to have two dogs together. But it's tough now. Is it tougher than one puppy? I'm not sure. It seems about the same as when we had just one puppy 12 years ago. We feed them at the same time, put them to bed at the same time, etc. If one whines to go out we just take them both out and usually they'll both go. One might take longer than the other. But I'm enjoying both of them. :)

[Pawz4me]

In general it's a really bad idea.

 

Call any good trainer or read any good training book and the advice will always be a resounding "NO" to getting two pups at a time. I know quite a few trainers, and none of them ever recommends getting two puppies at one time. But still there are people who will insist on doing it. So here are a couple of good articles from reliable sources that spell out why it's a bad idea, but what to do if you find yourself with two:

 

Veterinary Partner -- Two Puppies or One?

 

Whole Dog Journal--Problems Associated with Adopting Two Puppies at Once

 

Despite all the extra work associated with two dogs, the main reason that would keep me from doing so is that I shudder at the thought of having two elderly dogs at the same time. The vet care costs can be astronomical, and while it's terribly hard to lose one dog, I can't imagine the pain and heartache of losing two within a short period of time. It's why I always prefer to have at least two years' age difference in my pets. That's still no guarantee, but IMO a much "safer" approach all around than having two the same age.

[kroe1]

Well, I thought it would be a good idea to get two Siberian Husky puppies at once. Not too long thereafter, I came home and found an entire winged-back chair missing. Nothing left except a little dust where each leg used to be and the foam scattered everywhere in the house.

 

I did get two puppies again a few years later. The difference was I already had the two trained Siberians to teach them, and they lived in the garage with backyard access. That wasn't so bad.

 

:)

[DarlaS]

Well, I thought it would be a good idea to get two Siberian Husky puppies at once. Not too long thereafter, I came home and found an entire winged-back chair missing. Nothing left except a little dust where each leg used to be and the foam scattered everywhere in the house.

 

I did get two puppies again a few years later. The difference was I already had the two trained Siberians to teach them, and they lived in the garage with backyard access. That wasn't so bad.

 

:)

 

:svengo:

 

Our reduced quite a few things to nothing and she was just one puppy. I can't even imagine two, but I can imagine the innocent looks they must have given you. That breed does not seem to be capable of the guilty look. :tongue_smilie:

 

Puppies chew. It's a necessary thing for them, and two of them will chew twice as much. Why would anyone think they wouldn't? :001_huh:

 

 

There isn't anything in particular that's a huge challenge with this puppy. It's just that as long as she is awake and not in the crate, somebody has to be on puppy duty. She will decide that the corner of the chair would be a good chew toy and has to be told no. Then she'll decide that the leg of the table is a good chew toy and has to be told no. And then she'll find a pencil that fell to the floor and somebody has to take that away.

 

I think my dh thinks that with two puppies, nobody will have to watch. He's delusional. With two puppies, you have to watch twice as hard.

She really is a good puppy. She just has to learn about what things are ok to chew on and what are not. She has tried digging in a few spots in the yard and I have started putting her own droppings in the holes. So far, she hasn't tried to dig in those spots again.

 

I'm walking her 2-3x/day. Dh thinks walks will be unnecessary with a 2nd puppy because they'll wear each other out. She walks really nicely on the leash.

 

:iagree: Totally delusional!

 

 

The person who gets to live with a decision gets to make it. It sounds like you're the one taking care of the puppy so it should be up to you. He seems to realize you're putting a lot of effort into caring for a puppy, and he wants to get another? :001_huh:

[Lizzie in Ma]

No, short, sweet and simple. NO.

[Kathryn]

No. Just go ahead and tell your husband that he's insane. No.

[Denisemomof4]

I did. I went against everyone's advice, including my puppy's trainer. I knew in my heart it was the right and best thing to do. BUT, my puppy was 7.5 months old.

 

IMO, your pupy is too young for you to consider this. Get some good training in first and your puppy will teach the new one by example.

[Hockey Mom]

BTDT. Two puppies at once was probably one of the most expensive decisions we've ever made. My Dh's thinking was the same as the OP (they'll keep each other company!). We had two yellow lab pups.

 

The two of them together:

 

Busted out the screens on our lanai - several times

Chewed ONE shoe out of EVERY pair in the house

Chewed the drywall in the house AND in the garage

Chewed ONE leg of EVERY dining room chair

Dug massive holes in the back yard

Chewed a stereo speaker

Chewed the plastic trays inside of the crates

Chewed every single dog bed, towel, or blanket we gave them

Destroyed dog toys (except for the kongs...which they had no interest in unless there was peanut butter inside of it)

 

We spent a small fortune in chew toys for these dogs. It didn't matter. As soon as they were together they became partners in crime.

 

We lost one of our pups around a year old. He had a bone disease that ultimately took his life. Once he was gone, our other lab was incredibly depressed. She stopped eating. Moped around. Lost weight. I was afraid we would lose her to a broken heart, so what did I do? I went out and got ANOTHER puppy. The difference between a 1 year old puppy, and a 12 week old puppy was night and day. THIS arrangement worked out much better. They were more like mom/pup. They were also different breeds (labrador/great dane).

 

If your Dh insists on a second puppy, get him to wait at least a year. It will be much easier to manage at that time.

[sunnylady303]

:lol: Yeah. The way having twins is easier.

 

 

 

 

 

Twins may be twice the joy, nice when they are older, and a terrific blessing. But easier? No. Go ahead. Tell your DH he's crazy.

[JudoMom]

We just got a 10 week old puppy 2.5 weeks ago. She's coming along really well now. She is mostly house-trained. She knows to ring the bells when she needs to go outside. She knows "sit" and "down" and "go get it" and "go potty". She settles down immediately when we put her in the crate for the night. She walks nicely on the leash.

 

Dh wants to get a 2nd puppy because he thinks that will make our lives easier. He thinks that with a 2nd puppy, our 1st puppy won't get into mischief and won't require as much watching.

 

I think he's insane. I don't want a 2nd puppy. Maybe next summer when we have this puppy fully trained, maybe then I could handle another puppy. Not now.

 

Have any of y'all had a 2nd puppy make the 1st puppy easier? Or does it just exponentially multiply the amount of mischief to deal with.

 

We got Maggie in January and Chewy in December. It didn't increase the mischief, really. And Maggie potty trained Chewy. As they got older, though, they weren't as interactive with us as they were with each other. Considering we got Maggie when I was pregnant with my oldest who was followed quickly by 4 brothers, I think it was best they had each other because we were busier than we'd ever imagined we'd be when we first got them. Maggie died first, and Chewy stuck to me like glue for the year after she died (he died a year after she did).

 

They died in 2010 & 2011. We got Jed in August of last year, and decided to keep it at one because of our experience with Maggie & Chewy. He definitely views us as his family and adores us.

 

I know lots of people have more than one dog, but this has just been our experience. When I'm tempted by other pups, I remember the difference in Chewy and now Jed and re-decide to keep it at 1 dog.

[MrsMe]

Don't do it! They'll grow up as a pack (assuming you don't kill them...) and not bonded to humans near as much.

 

Huh? Sorry Margaret, but this is utter nonsense!

 

On the other hand. If you're already overwhelmed, you will be moreso. We've had 4 at once and it's true, they romp and chew on/with each other, more than being bored and destructive on their own. So I understand where your dh is coming from. However a happy, good puppy is a tired puppy. Exercise them, and give them something to chew, unless you want two that will be destructive. Keeping a puppy (or two) busy is key. With two you just may have to do less "running" but will need the double watch. They're like little toddlers.

[JudoMom]

Huh? Sorry Margaret, but this is utter nonsense!

 

No, not really. This was our experience as well.

[Hockey Mom]

No, not really. This was our experience as well.

:iagree:

[AngieW in Texas]

I'm actually fine with getting another puppy this summer. Kylie will be fully trained then and can actually help to train a puppy. Dh is talking about an English bulldog because of Uga. I think bulldogs are really ugly, but I know he also wants a dog who will sit in his lap and watch football with him.

http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/CmaTbORW5fJ/Georgia+Southern+v+Georgia/luJPqHOLMdR/UGA+VII

 

Until we had our Golden who died almost two months ago (and really didn't like other dogs), we had always had at least 2 dogs. We never had more than one puppy at a time though.

 

I just don't want to do two puppies at the same time.

[Night Elf]

My 2nd dog is more mischievous than my first dog. The second dog has taught the first dog some bad stuff like digging and getting into the trashcan. First dog never did stuff like that until second dog came along. We only had cats and she acted like one. We liked that. I think that shows the pack mentality though. She followed the cats until we got the second dog and then she started doing what he did! I try to talk to her about having her own mind but she doesn't seem to get it. :tongue_smilie:

[catz]

We always get two kittens at a time. We never get two puppies at a time. Ever.

 

:iagree: We don't have any dogs right now, but I would definitely agree with this rule of thumb!

[I.Dup.]

No way. We got another puppy when our current dog was about 8 months old. She was 6 weeks at the time and she was SO much harder to train. Our current dog was so easy to train, I thought all dogs in this breed would be that way. NOT. She peed everywhere, barked constantly, was up all night (did I mention she peed EVERYWHERE???). We ended up having to sell her and it worked out great for the family that got her, but we are happy back with just our original dog.

[I.Dup.]

Also, our original dog was so much more depressed having to share attention. He likes being an "only dog." :D

[Denisemomof4]

We got Maggie in January and Chewy in December. It didn't increase the mischief, really. And Maggie potty trained Chewy. As they got older, though, they weren't as interactive with us as they were with each other. Considering we got Maggie when I was pregnant with my oldest who was followed quickly by 4 brothers, I think it was best they had each other because we were busier than we'd ever imagined we'd be when we first got them. Maggie died first, and Chewy stuck to me like glue for the year after she died (he died a year after she did).

 

They died in 2010 & 2011. We got Jed in August of last year, and decided to keep it at one because of our experience with Maggie & Chewy. He definitely views us as his family and adores us.

 

I know lots of people have more than one dog, but this has just been our experience. When I'm tempted by other pups, I remember the difference in Chewy and now Jed and re-decide to keep it at 1 dog.

 

I believe this has more to do with you and dh focusing more on the kids, which is expected.

 

We raised two labs together. We bought both years before we ever had kids. They remained loyal to people all the way to the end and Though they adored each other, they definitely didn't prefer each other's company.

 

Our new puppies are now 1 (yesterday!) and 8.5 months. They each weigh 60 lbs and cuddle in dh's and my lap every single night. They play like wild Animals every day outside but the second any of the family walks out, they are all over us.

 

I also raised my rat terrier and dachsund together. My rat terrier came to us when oldest was 8, his brother was 5, dd12 was a baby. She was my shadow and I was my life and they never, ever preferred each other over us. She and my dachsund adored each other but both preferred humans, especially me.

 

I think my labs preferred us until the end because we had them for 5 and 4 years before we ever had kids. But even my dogs we got years after our first kids were born still preferred humans to each other.

 

All that rambling to say that it was never our experience that adding a playmate for a dog = them preferring each other.

[Denisemomof4]

My 2nd dog is more mischievous than my first dog. The second dog has taught the first dog some bad stuff like digging and getting into the trashcan. First dog never did stuff like that until second dog came along. We only had cats and she acted like one. We liked that. I think that shows the pack mentality though. She followed the cats until we got the second dog and then she started doing what he did! I try to talk to her about having her own mind but she doesn't seem to get it. :tongue_smilie:

 

:lol::lol::lol:

 

My dachsund, bless his little heart, :D. Has gone on overdrive to prove he is the alpha male. He also shows the puppies things they shouldn't do, things he never did before we got the pups. I have beem giving him extra love and this bribe seems to be working.:lol::lol::lol:

[momtoamiracle]

Two puppies together would be somewhat hard, but two dogs together or a puppy and a grown dog is great. Three dogs are a bit much, but two dogs keep each other company, and are happy, in me experience.

[HappyCrazyMama]

We did it once. All I can say is double trouble and never again! We love them but, no, never again!

[fraidycat]

We got a second puppy. In some ways it was easier - they had each other to play with so we got "beat up" less (big dogs=rough play) when playing with them, and they had each other for company when we weren't home. They never preferred each other over humans, though. It was always a race to see who could get to the humans first for ear scratches and belly rubs. They'd knock each other over trying to get human affection. :001_smile:

 

However, our second one turned out to be an escape artist and taught the first one how to get out of the yard to run and roam. Our first one never left the yard before the 2nd came along - after we had to turn our yard into Fort Knox. We ended up finding them a new home, on a farm, after we moved because we couldn't make changes to the yard/fence to keep them safe.

 

ETA: I should add that ours were "puppies" in that they were both about 7 months old when we got the second one. Both were potty trained and fixed already. We got the first one at about 12 weeks old, then the second at 7 months from a young girl who got the dog then realized that they require a lot of time and money. Their birthdays were only a couple days apart - May 29 and June 1.

Edited October 6, 2012 by fraidycat