Dog owners - should we get one dog or two?

[Tonia]

We are getting a beagle from a guy dh works with. (They are a week old today and sooooo cute!) He asked if we wanted two puppies instead of just one and we've been talking about the pros and cons.

 

Would it be much more work to have two dogs? I know the obvious - twice as much food, etc. but never having had a dog before I'm just wondering if we could deal with two. Any thoughts?

[Danestress]

But I've always had large dogs. I can certainly imagine with smaller dogs, it might be nice to have two that will play together in the yard and burn off some of that energy.

 

On the con side, though, Beagles are notorious barkers. Would double the noise bother you?

[Kris]

We are getting a beagle from a guy dh works with. (They are a week old today and sooooo cute!) He asked if we wanted two puppies instead of just one and we've been talking about the pros and cons.

 

Would it be much more work to have two dogs? I know the obvious - twice as much food, etc. but never having had a dog before I'm just wondering if we could deal with two. Any thoughts?

 

Definitely double trouble. But aside from that, if you get two pups, they might tend to bond with each other instead of with you.

 

Since you've never had a puppy before, I'd *definitely* keep it at one for now. :001_smile:

[mrsdash]

Get two! They will be friends. That is all.

[NevadaRabbit]

We are getting a beagle from a guy dh works with. (They are a week old today and sooooo cute!) He asked if we wanted two puppies instead of just one and we've been talking about the pros and cons.

 

Would it be much more work to have two dogs? I know the obvious - twice as much food, etc. but never having had a dog before I'm just wondering if we could deal with two. Any thoughts?

 

Getting sibling pups from the same litter can be dicey. They will bond and establish a pecking order with each other, and it's very possible that your kids and you will be left out. On the flip side, if one is aggressive, you could be dealing with fights and having to keep them separated.

 

Especially since you have never had a dog before - start with one. :)

[5kidsforME]

We are getting a beagle from a guy dh works with. (They are a week old today and sooooo cute!) He asked if we wanted two puppies instead of just one and we've been talking about the pros and cons.

 

Would it be much more work to have two dogs? I know the obvious - twice as much food, etc. but never having had a dog before I'm just wondering if we could deal with two. Any thoughts?

 

I think 2 dogs. BUT I would get one first and train it and then get another 2-3 years later. The first one helps train the second one.

 

We got our chocolate lab then about 1 year later we got another dog for my sister and bil and kept the puppy for a couple weeks until we could take him to them. Our 1 year old trained dog reverted to puppy status. Pottying and pooping right behind the new pup.

 

 

Fast foward to our a few years: We got another chocolate lab when our first dog was 4 and he was great with her. He even helped train her as much as a dog can. :tongue_smilie: She would pretty much do everything he did. They are best buds now.

[The Governess]

I think it's nice having two dogs, because then when you aren't home they will keep each other company. But I agree that getting two at once might not be the best idea. Our dogs are a year apart and have different parents (although they may be distant cousins). They love each other so much. They share a bed, it's so cute. They are best buddies and our older dog barks much less now that we have two.

[Blue Hen]

I agree. Get one puppy. Let it grow up a bit and then get a second puppy.

 

I was a one-dog person for years, and years, and decades.....then we took in a friend's dog for 2 weeks. Our puppy was wonderful and so tired out those 2 weeks. Penelope went home, and fast--forward to December when we took in a different friend's dog for 2-1/2 weeks. Again, our dog was so happy and so tired out. We got a second puppy in January of last year and the two are so wonderful together. There's one year apart and I'm so glad I have two. I never would have thought that two is actually half-the-work but it is.

 

If you want to see photos just explore my blog where I give the history of these two. But anyway, the older onw since they were a year apart did help the puppy train.

 

Carole

[hornblower]

I'm a multiple dog person BUT I would never recommend getting two littermates or getting two young puppies, even from a different litter. Even the best trainers will not raise two littermates for the reasons mentioned - they will likely prefer each other's company & rules to yours. Absolutely get only one.

 

Here's just one article on the problems faced later on:

http://www.caninedevelopment.com/Sibling.htm

I have seen this issue crop up on training message boards time & again though.

 

If you want a second dog, adopt an older one now or wait until your pup is around a year old & get another one.

 

Good luck!

[5kidsforME]

I think it's nice having two dogs, because then when you aren't home they will keep each other company. But I agree that getting two at once might not be the best idea. Our dogs are a year apart and have different parents (although they may be distant cousins). They love each other so much. They share a bed, it's so cute. They are best buddies and our older dog barks much less now that we have two.

 

:lol: I have to laugh at this because our older dog, Moose, used to bark incessently until we got the new dog, Molly. Now we rarely hear him bark cause he lets Molly do all the barking for him.

[Jodi-FL]

honestly, dogs are as different as people. we had always been one dog people, then a stray showed up and we had two dogs for 6 months until we found the owner. our dog died not long after that and a year ago we got 2 black lab puppies, from the same litter, from the pound (and they turned out to have part chow--one has black spots on her tongue, and they are smaller than the average lab, about 55 lbs. each) but they are GREAT together, and SUPER GREAT with our 7 kids. they have separate crates, bowls, beds, etc. and many people told us we would regret it because of the "bonding only with each other" thing. but we trained them together, and separately, we took them for walks separately and then together, we let one in special parts of the house and then the other, separately, and you know what? they are close (one is a boy, one is a girl, and she's afraid of thunder and likes to touch him through their crates or they lay with their legs touching when out of their crates) but they are close to us too. the girl likes to sleep with any kid who is taking a nap, the boy prefers hard, cold surfaces.

 

they have different pecking orders for different things. they have distinct personalities: he likes certain things a certain way and she could care less and vice versa. she likes to lay outside in the sun, he prefers inside in the shade.

 

so I'd talk to a local vet that will be your pet's doctor and see what they say. I would definately try two, and maybe make the stipulation with the original owners that you have the option to bring one back.

 

enjoy them! we love having 2-

jodi

[PrairieAir]

One puppy at a time. House breaking will drive you nutty with two at a time and they will probably bond with each other rather than you. Definitely one at a time. Not that you should only own one dog, just only get one at a time, completely break and train that one, and then get another.

[Mamagistra]

Definitely double trouble. But aside from that, if you get two pups, they might tend to bond with each other instead of with you.

 

Since you've never had a puppy before, I'd *definitely* keep it at one for now. :001_smile:

 

:iagree: Training two pups simultaneously takes a huge commitment. Not to mention that you'll need two crates, two handlers at the vet's office, etc. Littermates can be trouble for all the reasons stated.

 

While I haven't had beagles, I have made the two-pup mistake with border collies...it has nearly driven me in.sane. Never again.

 

Seriously: get and train one, then decide in another year or so if you're ready for all that again. :001_smile:

[linders]

I've been involved in some dog training in the past. Your goal with a puppy is to have it pay attention to you, view you as the alpha dog, and develop a strong desire to please you. Much more difficult with a buddy there!

 

Enjoy your new puppy, Snoopy puppies are so cute!

[Carrie12345]

We adopted ours from the same rescue group. They were 7 and 12 weeks old. Housebreaking was a cinch. Food wasn't a big deal. Training was/is *miserable*!!!!

 

Dogs need one-on-one training. You can't (or, *I can't) focus on correcting two dogs at a the same time, which means training sessions last twice as long for the owner.

 

I love my dogs, but they aren't nearly as well-trained as they should be, and could have been.

[Tonia]

:grouphug: You guys have been a great big help. I am going to save these replies and show dh so we can discuss.

 

I'll post pics when we get our new puppy and next up will be a post about picking a good name - how does Scout sound? :D

[Crissy]

I haven't read the other replys, but my first thought was, "Would you like twins or just a single baby?"

 

Because having a puppy is like having a baby. And having a dog is like having a toddler. For 15 years.

 

Do you want one, or two?

 

 

:D

[tnmomofboys]

We are a 2 dog family, both adopted from a rescue organization. The 1st came house broken and was about 6 months old. The 2nd as a 8 wk puppy. I think 2 dogs is the way to go but I cannot imagine trying to house train 2 at one time or pay for double shots. We had a beagle when we first got married. He was a great dog, lived to be 16. I think a companion would have been good for him. He chewed up furniture, remotes, carpet, even the walls. They need a good bit of exercise. Hope you like howling. All that said I love beagles. He had a great personality. Post some photos of the new pup.

[Peek a Boo]

We've done both --had two littermates for a few years, now have one.

 

Is this dog/ are these dogs going to be indoor or outdoor dogs? are you expecting to turn them loose in the backyard and just let them be dogs, or do you expect to work w/ them more and let them in the house regularly?

 

we did the casual backyard thing w/ the first two we had and it worked out well.

we are doing the indoor thing w/ the one dog we have now and it's working out well :)

 

You only have the one dd right? that could help a lot, esp if you wanted to go ahead and get 2. Plus, she's old enough to help! My kiddos took turns leashing the dog to their side [per the Complete Idiot's guide to dog training] and letting her follow us around all day.

 

My initial advice would be to get one dog and train it well [esp if you haven't owned dogs before], then get another dog. But two can be fun too :D

 

happy decision making!

[Peek a Boo]

We are getting a beagle from a guy dh works with. (They are a week old today and sooooo cute!)

 

OH!! and do NOT let those pups leave their momma till 8 weeks old!

i saw one family offering a reduced rate if people took the pups at 4 weeks old. bad bad bad.....

 

so you have at least 7 weeks to read up and think about your options :)

[The Governess]

:lol: I have to laugh at this because our older dog, Moose, used to bark incessently until we got the new dog, Molly. Now we rarely hear him bark cause he lets Molly do all the barking for him.

 

 

:lol: :lol:

[I talk to the trees]

We raised two from pups, one boy from a well-bred litter, one girl from the humane society. They were inseparable, yet each one picked "their" human to hang out with. I can honestly say that after living with the two of them, I'll never be a "one dog" person again. BUT... If you have never had a dog, I would strongly suggest a single puppy for now, especially with a...er, uh, how shall I say it without offending beagle owners? Vocal, yes, that's it! A vocal breed. Our neighbors often doggy-sit their son's two beagles, and while I find their chatty nature positively charming (the dogs, not the neighbors, though I find them charming, too), there are others in the neighborhood who don't care for it. And then there is the training issue. House-training and basic manners take daily practice, and must be done individually, so two pups means twice the time needed to train them.

 

I would recommend just the one pup for now. There will always be puppies who need a home if you decide Fido needs a friend.

 

Oh, and could I just take a moment to make a suggestion? Get a nice crate before the puppy comes home. Crate training makes housebreaking a piece of cake! Well, unless you have one like our last puppy! He knew that he was supposed to come get one of us whenever he needed to go, but he just didn't get the "wait until you get outside" bit. He'd look up at us with those adorable puppy eyes, and immediately start to dribble. When we tried to correct him or pick him up to put him out, he'd scamper away, dribbling a little streak through the house. :lol: It's funny now, and I laugh when I tell the story, but golly! Was it ever trying at the time!

 

-Robin

[Tonia]

OH!! and do NOT let those pups leave their momma till 8 weeks old!

i saw one family offering a reduced rate if people took the pups at 4 weeks old. bad bad bad.....

 

so you have at least 7 weeks to read up and think about your options :)

 

:001_smile: We're waiting until January to get the pup (or pups!) - just in time for dd's birthday!

 

Oh, and could I just take a moment to make a suggestion? Get a nice crate before the puppy comes home. Crate training makes housebreaking a piece of cake!

 

A crate is on my list of things to buy. Can you explain crate training for me? :bigear:

[Tonia]

Is this dog/ are these dogs going to be indoor or outdoor dogs? are you expecting to turn them loose in the backyard and just let them be dogs, or do you expect to work w/ them more and let them in the house regularly?

 

Indoor with access to a fenced-in back yard. Would that make a difference to getting 1 or 2?

 

Dh just came home from work and told me he is leaning more on the side of getting 2.

[Peek a Boo]

Indoor with access to a fenced-in back yard. Would that make a difference to getting 1 or 2?

 

Dh just came home from work and told me he is leaning more on the side of getting 2.

 

mostly indoor just means you will have to clean up twice the amount of messes at first ;)

 

As long as y'all commit to really study up on dog training, you can certainly make getting two work for mostly-inside dogs.

 

here's a great site to walk you through crate training:

 

http://www.inch.com/~dogs/cratetraining.html

 

you can check craigslist for crates too.

our dog doesn't spend much time in her crate anymore: we have a wireless fence system and she likes being outside. She has free roam of the house at night. We do keep her in it every once in a while so she doesn't forget, cuz you never know when a dog will need to be crated for safety or in an emergency.

 

there are a lot of other articles for housetraining a puppy --read all of them :D

We had great success w/ tethering our dog to us: she was with us almost allllll daaaaaay loooong. Two dogs just means you'll each have a pup tethered to you ;)

 

If you have carpets, just buy a steam cleaner --we used ours a LOT the first few weeks.

 

 

and if your dh is the one deciding, make sure HE reads this stuff too!! :)

[happyWImom]

I haven't read the other replys, but my first thought was, "Would you like twins or just a single baby?"

 

Because having a puppy is like having a baby. And having a dog is like having a toddler. For 15 years.

 

Do you want one, or two?

 

 

:D

 

:iagree::iagree: Should you get one, or two? How about : NONE?!

 

You caught me on a "Wish I was petless" day.:D Think "hair & poop", and you will get the picture. Also, think "hair & poop" before you make this decision. :D

[SonshineLearner]

I'd suggest looking at leerburg.com/ for some info. I would like 2, but from two separate litters. I would also crate (yay crates!) and keep them on a leash with you for the first few weeks...or in the crate...or supervised outside if you want them to run a bit freer. And of course, now you get to read about puppy vaccinations and also what to feed. I'd feed something with no grain (grain is for animals like cows...grow fast...and protein for puppies and other such animals)...we like feeding our dog raw food....

Have a blast! And remember, it's easier to train puppies from the start, rather than untrain/retrain them later...

[Tonia]

if your dh is the one deciding, make sure HE reads this stuff too!! :)

 

:D He's the one who thinks we should get two pups. Me. . . I'm not so sure (probably because I know I'll be the one cleaning up the messes!)

 

And, yeah, I am going to make him read this thread!

[MIch elle]

I think 2 dogs. BUT I would get one first and train it and then get another 2-3 years later. The first one helps train the second one.

 

 

 

 

:iagree:

 

Our 2 dogs love each other. At first there was some fighting to est. pecking order, but now are the best buddies. We love to watch them chase each other & play.

[Peek a Boo]

:D He's the one who thinks we should get two pups. Me. . . I'm not so sure (probably because I know I'll be the one cleaning up the messes!)

 

And, yeah, I am going to make him read this thread!

 

just tell him that as long as he doesn't mind taking a turn each night being tethered to A Dog for 3 hours straight and cleaning up any messes that might occur during that time, you're fine w/ 2, lol.

[AnnetteB]

We made the mistake of bringing home 2 cute Giant Schnoodle puppies (brother and sister). They were adorable and dh couldn't help himself. They were more than twice the work here in rainy Oregon. They got each other all wet and muddy. We had our (late) faithful Border Collie/Aussie mix with us always in the house and these two rambunctious pups found themselves banished. I put up with the extra feedings, mess, grooming, barking, and muddy floors for just over 2 years and then I found a wonderful home for the girl dog. Both dogs have "bloomed" being the only dog in their respective homes now. Jessie also has a catless home which was a must after the close calls we had with our kitties! We have tried two dogs at a time before, but this has convinced me...Never again.

[Highereducation]

Just my $.02 (adjusted for inflation!)

 

I've spent a fair amount of time with dog trainers over the last few years (dd is interested in showing dogs, so it seems like we're at an event almost every weekend!), and the general consensus on your question seems to be this:

 

Two dogs (puppies) brought into the house at the same time, or, if one dog is already there but under eighteen months and another puppy is brought in, will bond with each other and not with you, leading to many potential behavioral issues.

 

We took their advice and waited until our puppy was eighteen months before bringing home #2. They get along, but their allegiance is to the human hierarchy first, and then to each other.

 

Having said that, I like having two dogs better than just one. They're good company for each other when we go out, and since one is very large and the other small, we get the best of all worlds.

 

Interestingly enough, the small dog is the alpha. He's pretty easygoing, but when he gets mad, the GSD turns tail real quick!