Going from 1 to 2 dogs difficult?

[violet]

My French Bulldog is 1.5 years I was thinking about getting him a friend.  I'm single so I work 8 hours a day and I thought it would be nice for my dog to have company during the day.  I would get another Frenchie and I already know all the problems with the breed.  The only downside is I rent (dogs allowed), but there is a park and dog park 3 miles away.  WDYT?  Is getting my dog a friend a good idea?  Is going from one to two very difficult?

[Deleted]

I think I would find a good doggie daycare before I'd buy another dog is you just want him to have more interaction with dogs while you are gone at work.

[fiddles]

I agree with otterama. Have you thought about doggie day care? Do you have a PetSmart near you? Their camp is amazing.

I would only get a 2nd dog if you could devote the time necessary to the dog. You're going to have the same problems you have now, except it's going to be multiplied by 2.

[luvmygsp]

Ditto pp's
Doggie daycare can be extra $, but its less $ then it would be to have another dog in the house!

[riverpestie]

Adding another dog was the best thing I could have done. It actually made things a lot easier. They played with each other, kept each other company etc...
I would recommend getting another dog that is relatively the same age as the one you have already.

[Deleted]

Or if whole day doggie day care is too much you can sign him up for mid day group walks with a dog walker.

I would try one of those options before jumping into another dog.

[caz1221]

If you have the time, money, and energy to devote to two dogs (and you want two dogs), it might be a good fit for you, but really, only you can decide that.  If you find the right match for your current dog, getting another could be a wonderful idea.  We adopted our second dog when our first was 3.5 years old, and it has been fantastic.  However, it's important to know that two dogs =more work (and more money, but I'm assuming your budget can handle a second dog or you wouldn't be considering one).  You have to train them separately before training them together, which can even include separate walks if they are not good on leash.  Also, if they aren't a good match, you might have to deal with issues that arise as a result.  Also, not all dog pairs will tire each other out - my two sleep the vast majority of the day and prefer to snuggle rather than play.  They are low-energy dogs to begin with, but getting a second did not lower the amount of time I spend exercising them!  GL! 

[sparrowgreen]

Adding a second dog was a BIG adjustment for us. I'd say it took a good couple of months before we established a smooth routine, and it still has its challenges. That said, we love watching our two interact with each other. They are crated separately during the day, though, so that's not a factor for us.

[greencrayon]

Apr 25, 2013 9:01:26 GMT -5 riverpestie said:

Adding another dog was the best thing I could have done. It actually made things a lot easier. They played with each other, kept each other company etc...
I would recommend getting another dog that is relatively the same age as the one you have already.

I agree with this. I wasn't able to devote enough time to my dog, so she was a little overweight. DH was deployed, I was in grad school, so she was crated a lot. I got a second one 2 years younger, and within a few months, my first lost 15 lbs because she was getting more play time and exercise with the second one. Just remember, you're probably going to more than double your vet bills...

[awick14]

Before you take on a second dog could you possibly foster a second dog? You can usually pick the type of dog that you foster, this can help you figure out if you really can handle a second dog or not.

We plan on doing this soon, we have already become "foster parents" with a local rescue and we will foster starting in June. DH wants a second dog and I am unsure so this is our compromise.

[snickers]

We tried going from 1 dog to 2 dogs about 2 years ago, and it did not work for us. We ended up having to give the new dog back after 2 weeks. Our older dog was 4 at the time, so that probably had something to do with it. Give it some serious thought before hand.

[brittmk0922]

Its really dependant on you and on your dog. We had 2 dogs when my husband and I moved in together (he had one and I had one). Our dogs didn't hate each other per say, but they definitely didn't get along much of the time. It was often stressful trying to deal with it. When Chloe passed we were quite happy with 1 dog for a few months. We ended up deciding to try a second dog again when DH got a little jealous of how close Dav and I are. We found a rescue that let us take our newer boy Indy on a 1 week trial to see if it would work. We were lucky and they are long lost best friends. Maybe you can find somewhere that will allow you a trial period?

[Deleted]

I have 1 small dog but I've always wanted a second one to keep the other company but our condo only allows 1 dog. Anyway, I have a married couple at work that has 5 dogs, yes 5! And they are all medium size dogs, can you imagine? I dont know how they do it or afford it. They are so active with them all though, they train, groom, take classes/agility with the, it's crazy! 

Sorry can't answer your question though

[nital]

Depends on the dog.  Our first is a social butterfly, and was much happier when we added to the family.  Duke, on the other had, gets along wonderfully with HER, but dislikes all other dogs.  Excluding her, he would be much happier as an only dog.

[Chelle]

I found training the second dog to be difficult because the first one was either begging for treats, distracting the puppy somehow, or getting herself into trouble if I put her into the back yard or another room to focus on training. Once that was over though they were best of friends and things worked out great!