Question for those with multiple dogs!

[mcpeaches]

Hey! It's been forever since I last posted, but I have a question that I thought you pet-having ladies could give your opinion on.

Ty, our sweet and adorable Corgi, turned 1 at the beginning of June. We'll have had him for a year come November. We seriously love him and are so happy he's a part of our family. He is smart, has the perfect amount of energy and the right temperament for our household and is the perfect companion for the two of us.
...And he makes me really want to have another Pem.
But honestly, I'm not sure if or when is a good time to bring a second dog into our family. I waver on if earlier is better so they are closer in age, have similar energy, etc or if we should wait until Ty is older, has been with us solo longer, and can be a "big brother" type of influence on a new pup.

For those with multiple pups, when did you get your second? Do you wish you had done it sooner/later? Share your wisdom!

[So_Fetch]

My Daisy was around 2 when we got a 3 month old puppy. We had originally wanted to get an adult dog to teach her how to be a dog, but the opportunity came up to get this little sweet puppy so we got him instead.
They are buddies and spend a lot of time playing and having too much fun. It's a bit more work and a bit more expense (especially to take them to daycare or kennel them). But I feel less guilty leaving them alone during the day.

Daisy's attitude changed a bit though. She's pretty jealous so she got a little more sullen. (this may have been the terrible threes though). Sometimes I feel bad that she's jealous and has to share our attention. And she lost her freedom because he wanted to do everything she did all the time. She got no alone time for awhile. (we called him "me too" because he would just follow her around and do what she did. lol

[mcpeaches]

Ty seems to be doing really well as the lone dog of the house - he has no separation anxiety, he has two people to play with, cuddle with and lick to death. But he looooves other dogs. When we watch my parents dog, Ty loves to play with and always be near him and he follows us around like a shadow, too.
Part of me thinks another dog would be a great companion for us AND for him, but part of me is worried about jealousy over a longer period of time, like you mentioned aimee. We are in a good, stable place in our lives that we could bring in another dog anytime, but our big concern is bringing in another dog at the right time for Ty, which obviously is a struggle for us! I love his sweet, little face so much that I want it to be awesome for him, too!

Thank you for all the feed back so far!

[evynsmama]

Do it now.
We got Z in July at 10 weeks and brought home R a year later in August at 10ish weeks and they are best buds. Z was still a puppy and loved having another puppy to play with, but she also had manners and good habits that R copied and learned from. They are now 5 and 4 and they still play together and are best friends

[fiddles]

I would suggest now so they are closer in age. We got a puppy last year. We now have a 1.5 year old and a 9 year old. They are the best of friends and it makes me sad to think that the 1.5 year old is going to have to go through losing his buddy.

[MrsAxilla]

I don't think it matters, so long as the first dog is totally potty trained. Almost all my friends and family with dogs have two or three and they've all added new pups at various ages. It all seems to work out. Whenever you're ready, go for it!

[sawyerthedestroyer]

Sawyer had just turned four when we took Maya in. He was starting to get old, fat, and lazy. In other words, perfect. Then three-month-old Maya came along. Sawyer isn't so fat anymore from all the wrestling, but he still knows how to appreciate a warm sunny day by lounging in the yard. Maya, on the other hand, is still wild with all of her puppy energy and jumping and all the things we forgot Sawyer did when he was her age.

So I'd say get another dog while the first one is still young so you don't get old and crotchety and settled in your ways only for everything to be thrown off with a new pup years later.

ETA: FWIW, I really, truly do love Maya, but I totally did forget how much work puppies are.

[Jalapeñomel]

I have a corgi! We introduced our second dog when she was 3. At first the corgi didn´t like the new dog, but now they are truly sisters. Stray Jones bugs Miranda, Miranda grumps at her and they go about their days.

and if your dog is potty trained, it will help the second dog with potty training.

[Deleted]

Have you thought about fostering? It's great exposure to a lot of different dog/energy levels and it's a great help for rescues and shelters. That's how we have a "second" dog.

[mcpeaches]

It seems like the general consensus is younger is better... which makes me happy!
And also, two corgis? It might be too much adorable for one house!

Thank you all again for the input and advice! I really want Ty and any new pup to be best friends so all these success stories have relieved some concerns!

[mcpeaches]

Jul 9, 2013 15:44:04 GMT -5 doglove said:

Have you thought about fostering? It's great exposure to a lot of different dog/energy levels and it's a great help for rescues and shelters. That's how we have a "second" dog.

We briefly talked about fostering in the past (FI really was unaware of what fostering was and how it works) but honestly, hadn't really thought of it as a way to get exposure to having a "second" dog. Our regional Pembroke club has a rescue organization that has volunteering as a way to help, so we will most definitely look into this as well! Thank you for thinking of this!

[Deleted]

Jul 9, 2013 15:52:21 GMT -5 mcpeaches said:

Jul 9, 2013 15:44:04 GMT -5 doglove said:

Have you thought about fostering? It's great exposure to a lot of different dog/energy levels and it's a great help for rescues and shelters. That's how we have a "second" dog.

We briefly talked about fostering in the past (FI really was unaware of what fostering was and how it works) but honestly, hadn't really thought of it as a way to get exposure to having a "second" dog. Our regional Pembroke club has a rescue organization that has volunteering as a way to help, so we will most definitely look into this as well! Thank you for thinking of this!

Yep and the bonus is that if you find a dog who is a match - walla! If not, you help a dog on their way to a permanent home and you try again. Win win for everyone. 

[revolution]

If you are ready for a second, go for it.

I'd like another dog, but I need to get a kid potty trained before I deal with potty training a dog.

We used to have 2, and when our older dog was 7, we got a puppy. It actually really helped our older dog. She was not exercising as much as she should be and "acting" very old. Bringing in the puppy they played together and she started to act like a playful puppy again. Once the puppy got bigger than our older dog, we did have to watch them playing. But the older dog had no issue putting the puppy in its place.

[fuckyourcouch]

we have always done closer in age. it works well because older dogs usually are not tolerant of puppy energy levels.
our first dog is now 3 and we just got a 7 month old puppy in may. but the first dog will always have the energy level of a puppy on cocaine, so it's fine. he wears the puppy out and then plays with toys by himself until she wakes up again.

[lolly]

We got our first dog as a 2 month old puppy, then adopted our second 6 months later. He was 8 months (estimated) so they are the same age. I call them my first set of twins lol.

Getting a second dog was the best thing we ever did. They love each other so much and keep each other company. I'll never have just one again.

[karmasabiotch]

We got our 2'nd dog after about 6 months. They are both from a rescues but Im guessing they are about 1 year apart in age. Having a 2'nd dog was great for our 1'st dog and they both got in well with my family. No regrets.