Difference in 1 or 2 dogs ?

stackerman

Hi guys

We have a beautiful bitch (11 mths) and have gotten all the necessary training done. She is great and a fantastic addition to the family. We were toying around with the idea of a second dog as company for her. We can manage the work load as it is, but not double it
How do those of you with experience of two, find the difference.
We would like to give her a buddy, but don't get me wrong, she is not giving signs of needing it. We just think it would make for a happier dog. However we could not manage a big jump in work load.
The other big question is do dogs tend to wander more, or less, if two as opposed to one.

I would be most greatful for any thoughts ya'll may have on this.

Many thanks in advance

HeadOfCurls

The only advice I can really give is that if she's content and she's not alone for much of the day then stick with the one as you can give her all your attention.
If you do decide to get another one though, from my experience I would get the new addition quite early on as I think they adjust better when they're young.
As for wandering, unless one of the dogs is a nervous type they will naturally follow each other.
Having said all that I can't seem to have just one dog:p I have a male and a female at the moment and it's a joy to watch them play together and cuddle up together. They are a lot of work but bring a lot of contentment.
I hope I haven't confused you further:D but I wish you well with your decision!

andreac

Why would they need to wander? Do you not have your dog securely fenced in? ANy dog will wander if its able to so i would urge you to ensure your dog/dogs cannot wander as that is very irresponsible to allow your dogs to wander.

Regarding your query, the only real difference would be cost of having a second dog. Its extra food, vet fees, insurance, kennelling costs and so on. 2 dogs can be walked together so time shouldnt be an issue really.

There might be more hair around the house too

Shazanne

Like HeadofCurls above, I get great pleasure from watching my two together. I think they need to have canine company in addition to the time the spend with us humans! When I just had one, I often thought she looked lonely and bored, especially in the evenings when we settled down to watch tv etc. Now that she has a companion they snuggle up together, play tug-o-war, chase each other and generally have fun whenever they like. Plus, if you have to put them in kennels (which I don't do very often) I feel its nicer for them to have their own companion with them as it makes the experience less traumatic.
To be honest, I did not find any great increase in workload. Like it was said above, they can be walked together and its as easy to clean up after two as one. Sure, there will be an increase in cost, but I think it well worth it.
Just be careful when choosing a companion that they will get on together. I let my girl pick her own companion but bringing her with me to a rescue and letting her meet a number of dogs. It didn't take too long to see who she would be most likely to bond with:rolleyes::rolleyes:
But, all that said, its a very personal decision on whether you have one or two. You sound like a very caring owner so you'll make the right decision:)

Cherry Blossom

My dogs are walked separately as the older dog requires a lot of exercise and the pup needs to be trained to walk properly on a lead on his own first and needs much shorter walks. They are taken out separately for socialisation purposes as the pup is much more reserved and not so happy about strange people and dogs so nothing would be gained by taking them out together and letting the older dog take the lead while he hides behind her. Personally I think allowing dogs to develop as individuals is crucial to proper development, their mental well-being and knowing how to behave appropriately in our world. So often people put in masses of work to the first dog and then just coast along with the second, I don't understand this at all tbh. The work was put into the first dog for very good reason, it's not a good idea to allow dogs to become overly dependant on each other, they should be dependant on us. They should still getting used to being left on their own for short periods as the sudden disappearance of the other will cause a lot of problems otherwise, you should always prepare your pets in advance for any reasonably foreseeable changes that might occur, at some stage one will have to go for an over-night visit to the vets, and invariably one will pass away before the other. Often certain traits of one dog can have a negative impact on certain traits of the other - eg in my case an overly friendly, exuberant dog will impact on the more naturally shy, reserved nature of the other. If they were only taken out together the more reserved dog would not get much interaction with other people & dogs which is not a good thing.

Multiple dogs need to be trained both separately and then together, they all need one on one time with every family member and no two dogs ever got on completely 100% of the time, at best there will occasional disagreements, or one pestering the other when they aren't in the mood for it. Two dogs aren't twice as much work, they should be at least 3 times as much work.

I don't know if 2 dogs are more likely to wander than one as mine are secured on my own property as the law requires me to and I've no interest in scrapping them off the road when they get knocked down or paying the release fee from the pound when they get picked up as strays, but I would certainly imagine they would be more likely to cover greater distances, more likely to worry livestock and more likely to get into disputes with other strays with an accomplice to back them up. My terrier is generally completely fine with the local aggressive JRT and happy enough to ignore it and look to me for direction when alone but she will not tolerate growling at the kids or my pup and will give it a warning bark which results in it's behaviour escalating.

Shazanne

I really enjoyed reading that post by AJ - as always her advice, and her method in giving it, is excellent.
And I agree with almost everything she says and it gave me lots of food for thought;)
I most certainly agree with the fact that dogs are individuals - very much so! I have one that could walk forever and one who tires easily. My usual solution is to bring the less active one home and continue on with the other or, on occasions when my OH is walking them, I will pick up the tired one in the car and bring the wee guy home.
Same applies with food - my male could eat 10 times a day while my female is the fussiest dog God ever put on earth:rolleyes: Breakfast is not too bad but the evening feed is totally different. He savages his and she wont touch hers until about 9p.m. at night. So I halve his amount in the evening and give him the second half when she gets hers so he doesn't feel left out:p
With training, they are both entirely different as well so she gets more attention in this regard but he is happy to just watch and they don't appear to distract each other too much.
As regards the wandering - they are never, ever, ever left in a position where that could happen:eek:
However - I am still inclined to disagree with the fact that two dogs are twice the work and could not go along with them being three times the work. However, maybe that's because I don't find them to be work at all and I hope that doesn't make me sound like a bad or clueless owner My dogs are two of the most important things in my life - so for me they are twice the pleasure.
But, as I said above, its a very personal thing and the OP should take on board advice from someone like AJ who has always given expert opinion on here and is a great support to all dog owners:)

nadey

well does your dog get on with other dogs??

some dogs might not get on with others

could she get jealous when the new pup comes into the home getting most the attenion with the training and all that

we have 2 dogs we first had fedor our australian silky terrier who's 4 years old now with his sister daisy but the evil b****d that sold them to us gave them with pravo and daisy died

i felt bad on fedor because he was used to being with his sister all the time and now he was on his own when we went to college or work

i then got maxi our shih tzu when he was 6 weeks old when fedor was 2years old

it was the best thing i ever done they love the bones off one another, maxi never leaves fedor side when they are out for walks

lucky fedor never got jealous of maxi when when we had to train him

i hope it all works out for you if you get another dog or not at least you will have your beautiful dog that you have now

callmekenneth

double the dogs = double the fun

stackerman

Thanks all for your imput, much appreciated

First off, I TOTALLY agree about keeping your dog under control, and I do. But Animals have a knack every now and again of surprising you
And I defy you to say it never happened to you. Anyway, my Vizsla is confined and well looked after. Hence why I am looking for guidance, with regard to a possible addition to the family.
As I said, she is not displaying any need for company, but I just think it would make her that little bit happier. We have been toying around with the idea for quite a while, and a nice dog is needing rehoming. Luckily the rehoming is not urgent, and so we can think on a bit longer. We just want it to be the right choice for both us and the animals. I guess sometimes one can think too much, and maybe the best answer is to just go for it. I just don't know!(yet)
:P

Thanks once again all !!

Cherry Blossom

If the re-homing is not urgent and is a private re-home, then you have plenty of time for trial runs.

Cork24

i have 3 dogs at the moment.

when getting a Puppy and taken into the house for the first time, dont force your dog to play or go near it,

dont be two worried if your dog goes for the puppy just make sure you correct this when it happens.

if you could bring the dog and puppy to a place away from the house when you first get the puppy Limit the risk of the dog going for the puppy.

within 3 - 5 weeks they will be best of Friends, they will allows ways be abit of jealousy going on when you start rubbing one...

best way to make great friends out of both dogs are walking next to each other.