Four Reasons to Think Twice Before Getting a Second Dog

[Paw5]

When we adopted our first dog, Emmett, we were unprepared for his intense separation anxiety. After months of working with trainers and taking him to doggy daycare, we made a decision: Since he loved daycare and hated to be alone, Emmett needed a buddy. So, we adopted our second dog, Lucas. Now, with the benefit of hindsight, we realize that adding a second dog could have been a serious mistake. Here’s why:
Not all dogs are compatible.
Same-species play is an important factor for a full, enriched life—for some dogs. Novice dog owners often assume all dogs just get along. Sure, play stymies boredom, but the second dog has to be chosen carefully to complement the original dog’s personality.
The adjustment period can be intense.
When you bring a new pup home, your original dog may experience jealousy or defensiveness. They need to learn each other’s boundaries, and that can be an intense adjustment for both dogs and people.
Both dogs will need additional support.
One-on-one time with you is critical during the adjustment phase. Keep your original dog’s schedule intact. Walk them individually and together, and monitor playtime. Give both dogs a chance to get used to new routines gradually.
Individual personalities have individual needs.
No two dogs are alike. Each dog needs individual enrichment activities. For instance, Lucas loved puzzles and worked hard to solve them. Emmett preferred to chew toys instead, so it was up to us to deliver what they needed.
Emmett and Lucas ended up best friends, despite a litany of errors in those early days. It can happen, and it’s wonderful when it does. As their person, though, it’s up to you to make sure they get along, respect each other, and receive individualized attention.
Maggie Marton is a freelance writer based in Indianapolis. When not hiking with her two pit mixes, Emmett and Cooper, or playing with Newt the Cat, Maggie writes about them (and the pet industry) at ohmydogblog.com and maggiemarton.com.


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[angelbears]

Excellent post. I could not agree more.

 

[season]

Yes. Totally agree. Most ppl aren't equipped for one puppy let alone two. Bad idea. Leerburg | Raising Two Pups at a Time: Why It's a Bad Idea

 

[tmricciuto]

From someone who brought home two puppies I can agree.

 

[Boxergirl]

Doesn't even have to be two puppies. Sometimes the first dog doesn't need or want a companion.

 

[teodora]

I guess most owners get the second dog to play with the first one and they think this would make their life - and their dog's life - easier... Wrong. It's gonna make everyone's life harder. If they previously allocated let's say 3 hours per day playing/training/walking their dog, they will need to allocate 6, for 1-1 time with both. That's a full time job...
My dogs get along well, they're friendly with each other, and they play together nicely. For 5 minutes. Then each one of them is minding his/her own business. Jack is stalking me. Wherever I go and whatever I do he wants to be involved. This can be funny, but it can get annoying at times. He's not relating to other dogs. He doesn't consider himself one of them. He needs me and that's it. He can wait for me to come home but he can't stand me playing with other dog - he'll get in between or get offended in his crate and "complain".
Sophia is very needy. She needs undivided attention and kisses and pets 24/24. From anyone. Even from another dog. Or a stranger. She just wants her belly rubbed. Non stop. Obviously she doesn't get it her way, but when i train/spend time with any other of my dogs she's increasingly sulky/shouty: a kind of "hey, i'm here! I'm here! Look at me! LOOK AT ME!".
Luna is kinda cool, she waits patiently, but I can't spend less time with her just because the other 2 are demanding my attention loudly. Beside it, Luna is the one needing socialization most (she was like this from the very beginning). She's perfectly well behaved but i reckon she'd be the only one to bite what she perceives as "intruder". I can't risk it. She's work in progress - and so are the other 2.

I love all of them but I'm pretty sure if I had just one, then I could do a better job with that one simply because I had more time. I got the other 2 puppies to spend time with Jack and enrich his life - oh well. Jack had a different opinion.

 

[DennasMom]

We're still thinking about it over here.... IF (big IF) we do get a second dog, it's going to be a smaller, older male... something with similar energy levels to Denna, so they can relax in each other's company and also have some good times on walks and in the yard together. I also want a dog that has "loves all dogs and people" on his resume.... when we added a second dog to our home 10 years ago, the second was waaaaay to much of a "wants to be only dog" pup to be integrated into our home... and that experience has left us (and my parents) very jaded about the whole "add-a-dog" idea.... so... we'll see...

Denna just seems lonely since the cat passed away. I do work from home, but I don't leave the office very often. Denna gets bored with me...
we've also thought about getting another cat. Maybe an older one, that is known to like dogs. DH has specified that the resume for any cat must also include "loves to cuddle with men"... as our last cat - which we brought up together from a kitten - did not like him.

 

[Smokeycat]

I always knew that I wanted more than 1 dog but the deciding factor was Jiggers. He loved having other dogs come over to play or stay the night. I also got lucky that the puppy I brought home had the perfect temperment (once mature) to go with his. Jiggers has some social handicaps that I think are largely based on the fact that he was separated too early (6 weeks) and was then neutered too early (5 months). Combine that with the high strung nature of the Irish Setter and you get a dog that can easily upset other dogs. Kryten doesn't seem to care that Jiggers will bounce off as he tries to push him around or shove a toy in his face when trying to get someone to play. Kryten's mellow, patient attitude is the perfect foil to the high strung, in your face attitude of Jiggers.
Despite being confident that Jiggers would accept a new dog integration of the second dog wasn't a simple or easy thing. The first week was great, the next month Jiggers wanted nothing to do with the interloper in his house. After that month I was able to start activities and training where I had both dogs because Jiggers was then willing to stay in close proximity to Kryten. Training was also more of a challenge. The time required didn't double it tripled. Jiggers had to learn that just because Kryten got away with something (a rule that Kryten hadn't learnt yet) didn't mean that he could stop following it. Kryten needed to learn the basics. And both of them needed to learn that they still had to obey when the other dog was around.
I also learnt the hard way how much one on one attention each dog needs. Kryten is happy just being around me and is content even if everything is done with Jiggers too. Jiggers however gets destructive if not given enough solo time with me.
Having 2 dogs both well trained and mentally balanced takes a major commitment of both time and energy. I've made mistakes but thankfully I've been able to rectify them by increasing the effort I put into their training. Despite the difficulties I've faced I do believe that both dogs are happier together than they would be as single dogs. But that is after a lot of time, a lot of work and just a bit of luck. If someone is unwilling or unable to make that commitment then I don't believe they should have more than one dog.

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[BAMCB]

Raising/training multiple dogs is hard. I think Chica and Ava(the small terrier mix) enjoy each other's company. Chica follows her around outside and they lay together very often. Sunshine is an obnoxious puppy. Luckily the other two can shrug it off mostly but I always step in before they can get too upset. Chica is very upset when I'm working with the puppy and that makes it difficult. I've resorted to taking him outside or off the property to exercise/train him mostly. I think 3 dogs is too much and don't plan to do it again. Hadn't really planned on it this time either but how can you refuse a rescue who needs immediate medical treatment? I'm hoping things get easier when the pup starts to settle(signs of it periodically show up) and we move to the country and get the acre plus property completely fenced in. I will most likely always have two but probably never 3 after this lol

 

[season]

My experience with raising two dogs was easy. The main reason was Jazz (my boxer) was already 5-6 yrs old. When I got the second boxer he fit right in. Followed my lead, then Jazz's lead. I take a lot of the credit because I worked at it. I didn't pawn it off to Jazz thinking she was in charge of showing the new addition "the way." One dog, two dogs, three dogs. It's easy if you know what your doing and know how to create and instill the structure and discipline. If you don't you are going to struggle with one dog. Let alone multiple. All that said, I would never get two puppies or another dog until Solo is 4-5 yrs old.