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Thinking of getting a second dog. Are two dogs better than one?

Carnby

Carnby

Member
Oct 25, 2017
12,236
I've got a 7 month old puppy and I'm seriously considering getting a second puppy. Mainly because I think it would be nice for my dog to have a friend.

To all the two dog owners: is it a good idea or great idea? Do you have any warnings or advice? Any feedback will be appreciated!
 
Weiss

Weiss

User requested ban
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
64,265
Evolution gave you two hands so you could pet two dogs at the same time.

Anyway it might be worth keeping an eye on your current puppy's behaviour with other dogs before you hard commit.
 
rrc1594

rrc1594

Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,771
Yes, two dogs are great, but I would wait till your first Dog is out of the puppy stage IMO.
 
KDR_11k

KDR_11k

Banned
Nov 10, 2017
5,235
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Depends, is the second dog on the back end of the first?
 
Parch

Parch

Member
Nov 6, 2017
7,980
If it's a high energy breed, having a second pet helps a lot. If they don't have a playmate then they look to you for all the attention. Two dogs cost more but I think it helps their social life and your sanity.
 
Wooden Robot

Wooden Robot

Member
Oct 27, 2017
723
If so, I'd recommend getting one of the opposite sex, tends to be less rivalry and aggression cross gender. Might want to even vary the age a bit. Two puppies are a handful.
 

Deleted member 70788

Jun 2, 2020
9,620
I had 1 dog for around 2 years and then adopted another 2 year old rescue. That was 10 years ago and they are both still alive and healthy. They are best buds. One is goofy and really brought the abused one out of his shell to become more playful. The other is more snuggly and chill, and really helps calm the goofy one down. They're both male. No issues.

The first day we brought the abused one home. We put him in his crate while we were gone. We came home and he had bent the bars off the crate (he's a pitbull) and gotten into the trash. He had taken all the trash from downstairs all the way up to our other dogs crate so he could share it with him. They've been best friends ever since (and he is much better behaved now that his anxiety over being abused has been calmed).

Overall I find 2 to be about the same work as 1 dog. The added bonus is that they keep each other busy and tire each other out playing. I love it. I'll always own 2.
 
Sirhc

Sirhc

Hasn't made a thread yet. Shame me.
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Oct 27, 2017
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I was hesitant at first when my wife wanted to get a second dog, mainly because he was an "outside" dog previously and we had just come out of the rebellious puppy phase with our first.

It's a great idea OP, having another dog to play with really helps burn off that puppy energy, and it's a whole new dog to love, the only question is do you get 3 doggos?
 
Robin

Robin

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Oct 25, 2017
3,502
If you can take care of them, two dogs is better than one. You want to be careful about how you introduce a new dog into the house but otherwise
 
davepoobond

davepoobond

Member
Oct 25, 2017
14,491
www.squackle.com
i think its nicer for the dog to "have a friend" but if you want to have a focused relationship with a dog, it might not be preferrable. it depends on what youre looking for out of your pet(s).

i had 2 dogs once, and one would always be jealous if i gave attention to the other and would always move her out of the way. she was also fixated on balls so would never really care as long as she had a ball in her mouth, so there's that as well.
 
BennyWhatever

BennyWhatever

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,757
US
It's absolutely a great idea to get a second dog. The main challenge you'll have is training 2 dogs at once during their most annoying/needy/high-maintenance stages. However, their socialization with each other will be a huge part of their growth.
 
OP
OP
Carnby

Carnby

Member
Oct 25, 2017
12,236
Weiss said:
Evolution gave you two hands so you could pet two dogs at the same time.

Anyway it might be worth keeping an eye on your current puppy's behaviour with other dogs before you hard commit.
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Because of covid, he really can't meet other dogs. But when we take him to our social distanced training class, he's very happy when he sees other dogs. That's really what brought up this idea.
 
Sirhc

Sirhc

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Oct 27, 2017
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Iorek Byrnison said:
Overall I find 2 to be about the same work as 1 dog. The added bonus is that they keep each other busy and tire each other out playing. I love it. I'll always own 2.
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100% this, at first you think 2 dogs is twice the work but... you're already doing everything for the one dog, so the second is really nothing extra in the long run.
 
Weiss

Weiss

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Oct 25, 2017
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Carnby said:
Because of covid, he really can't meet other dogs. But when we take him to our social distanced training class, he's very happy when he sees other dogs. That's really what brought up this idea.
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If he's not aggressive or otherwise bad around other dogs then sounds good. It's more money but having a playmate could do them both some good.
 
killerrin

killerrin

Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,237
Toronto
If your going to get two dogs, your probably going to want to vary the ages a bit. You dont want two puppies, but rather a Puppy, and then an Adult/Middle-Aged Dog to help you train and raise the puppy.

This method can also help dealing with the passing of your dog in 12 years because well, you wont be dealing with two deaths at the same time. And you'll be able to reason that you have a bit of your past dogs in each new generation of dog you raise.
 
Leo

Leo

Member
Oct 27, 2017
8,546
I think if you have a partner, having 2 dogs is about the same amount of work as having 1 (maybe less, because they will take care of entertaining each other a lot), it's just the expenses that are doubled.

If you have the money to accommodate it, go for it, just make sure they will get along before you adopt (you can probably take your dog to the shelter to see how they interact).
 
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Sirhc

Sirhc

Hasn't made a thread yet. Shame me.
Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,046
Carnby said:
Because of covid, he really can't meet other dogs. But when we take him to our social distanced training class, he's very happy when he sees other dogs. That's really what brought up this idea.
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I would recommend it even more if your puppy has not got to socialize much, getting them used to playing and respecting other dogs space is a must.

John Kowalski said:
OP are two best friends better than one?

Well it depends really.
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This isn't one of your dating animes, so yes, yes 2 best friends is better.
 
Fhtagn

Fhtagn

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,615
Iorek Byrnison said:
I had 1 dog for around 2 years and then adopted another 2 year old rescue. That was 10 years ago and they are both still alive and healthy. They are best buds. One is goofy and really brought the abused one out of his shell to become more playful. The other is more snuggly and chill, and really helps calm the goofy one down. They're both male. No issues.

The first day we brought the abused one home. We put him in his crate while we were gone. We came home and he had bent the bars off the crate (he's a pitbull) and gotten into the trash. He had taken all the trash from downstairs all the way up to our other dogs crate so he could share it with him. They've been best friends ever since (and he is much better behaved now that his anxiety over being abused has been calmed).

Overall I find 2 to be about the same work as 1 dog. The added bonus is that they keep each other busy and tire each other out playing. I love it. I'll always own 2.
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omg, that is an incredibly cute story! good boy!
 
tripleg

tripleg

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Banned
Jul 30, 2020
1,132
I got two puppies at the same time, the logic being they'd both have someone to play with and that the spend is really 1.25x than 2x.

I was right - it was a fantastic idea, they are brother and sister - they love each other a lot and the upkeep is minimal.
 
Parthenios

Parthenios

The Fallen
Oct 28, 2017
13,589
I have two male Shitzus and they spend all day peeing on each other's heads, and on everything in the house. 0/10, would not recommend.
 
swoon

swoon

Member
Oct 25, 2017
588
Wooden Robot said:
If so, I'd recommend getting one of the opposite sex, tends to be less rivalry and aggression cross gender.
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agreed , it's much better to have two dogs.

i dunno if i'd want two puppies, we typically try to have a senior dog and a younger dog. lots of benefits to adopting a senior dog while you have a puppy!
 
Fireblend

Fireblend

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,454
Costa Rica
OP, a few months into having a dog (which happened as soon as we moved into our new house), my wife was insisting we adopted a second one. I was against the idea, I worried about having to double the effort in training, being aware of what they were both up to, providing them with attention, etc. There were some costs concerns but mostly for me it was about the "cognitive load" of having 2 dogs to take care of... I finally agreed to bringing the second one and boy was I wrong.

If anything, I think it might have decreased how much time I had to spend with them, they became inseparable playmates and were even training each other. They become way more social, learn to interact with other dogs outside of the house, don't require as much attention, their anxiety and dependence issues go way down... at least that's been our experience. I'm a huge fan of having 2 dogs now and would never go back to having just the one.
Leo said:
I think you have a partner, having 2 dogs is about the same amount of work as having 1 (maybe less, because take will take care of entertaining each other a lot), it's just the expanses that are doubled.

If you have the money to accommodate it, go for it, just make sure they will get along before you adopt (you can probably take your dog to the shelter to see how they interact).
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Basically this.
 
BassForever

BassForever

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Oct 25, 2017
29,912
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It's something I plan to do when I have some more money. My lab is a wonderful girl but she needs a playmate and after 3-4 hours of working remotely she wants attention.
 
teruterubozu

teruterubozu

Member
Oct 28, 2017
7,828
Depends. If they get along then great, if they don't then you may need to find another home. It happens.
 
Boondocks

Boondocks

Member
Nov 30, 2020
2,679
NE Georgia USA
Two females are easier than two males. Spay or neuter both of them. They will still have arguments so you have to watch them especially at feeding time. And two leashes can be a trying time when they get excited.
I have two females.
 
nullref

nullref

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,046
Just keep in mind that there's no guarantee they'll be best friends that play together all day—depends on their individual personalities, socialization, relationship to you and other high-value objects in the home (food, toys), etc. You know your existing dog, so you can probably have some idea how they'd deal with a new dog. Regardless, there's likely to be some kind of dynamic between them that you have to actively manage and correct.

For whatever reason, I've mostly had the experience of multiple dogs that merely figure out how to tolerate each other but don't really interact much, more like roommates than friends. Even in that case, though, it seems like they get some value out of the presence of another dog, in terms of having them feel more secure when when they're left home alone, or boarded somewhere.
 
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Serule

Serule

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,765
Boondocks said:
Two females are easier than two males. Spay or neuter both of them. They will still have arguments so you have to watch them especially at feeding time. And two leashes can be a trying time when they get excited.
I have two females.
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I will say my experience with this was the opposite. At one point we had six dogs (do not recommend!); four males and two females. The only dogs that fought were the two females, they did not like each other at all.
 
Boondocks

Boondocks

Member
Nov 30, 2020
2,679
NE Georgia USA
Serule said:
I will say my experience with this was the opposite. At one point we had six dogs (do not recommend!); four males and two females. The only dogs that fought were the two females, they did not like each other at all.
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That's a doggone shame. (I couldn't resist)
I guess its just up to chance on what happens. Maybe with all the male dogs the females had to determine which was alpha female?
 
MechaMarmaset

MechaMarmaset

Member
Nov 20, 2017
3,573
It'll keep them from getting depressed if they have a buddy to hang out with when you're gone for decent stretches of time. My only caveat is vet bills. Instantly doubles the cost of vaccinations and checkups every year, which with one dog was fine, but with two comes with a bit of sticker shock if I get them both vaccinated in the same visit.
 

Deleted member 70788

Jun 2, 2020
9,620
Boondocks said:
That's a doggone shame. (I couldn't resist)
I guess its just up to chance on what happens. Maybe with all the male dogs the females had to determine which was alpha female?
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A lot of this comes with training and household rules. If you clearly have established yourself as the alpha in the pack to both male dogs there rarely are issues (obviously depends on each dog). Only time we had issues was when my sister and her dog stayed with us for an extended period of time (also male). It cause the pack order to be confusing for them and we didn't do a good enough job establishing the boundaries and we had one fight. After that I dropped the hammer and was VERY strict with all three. Everything was fine after that. They just need clarity and leadership.
 
Futureman

Futureman

Member
Oct 26, 2017
9,397
are you planning on having human babies anytime soon? I have a 1 year old and sometimes want to pull my hair out because of my two dogs. Our one dog is legit insane though so that's part of the problem.
 
Dr. Zoidberg

Dr. Zoidberg

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,198
Decapod 10
We always had one dog at a time (always female) up until 6 years ago when we got a male Doberman. Right now we have the Doberman and a 2 y/o female Mini Schnauzer and they mean so much to each other that I can't imagine going back to one dog at a time. Not being alone has made crate time, going out in the backyard, etc. so much easier because in our experience with just one dog they tend to always want you around/involved. They still like humans but now they have each other and seem much happier to do things without a human around. It's important that the dogs are socialized though. When we first got our Dobie the Schnauzer we had at the time had been an "only dog" her whole life and she was already pretty old. She didn't want to have anything to do with him for the most part. She acted like dog stuff was beneath her. But if they are socialized via daycare or things like that like our Dobie it helps a lot. He's super friendly with other dogs and humans.
 
Patryn

Patryn

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Oct 25, 2017
1,824
I personally think two dogs is often easier than a single dog, simply because they occupy each other and help burn off energy.
 
Septimus Prime

Septimus Prime

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Oct 25, 2017
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Depends. I have four, and they all get along well.

However, my mom has two, and the first feel into kind of a depression when she got the second.

It's possible your dog might like being the only dog.
 
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