Would you have another dog - do you have more than one?

[sparklins]

We have one large breed dog.
She's wonderful, smart and very well behaved and fits into our family brilliantly - I am aware we are quite lucky in some aspects such as there being no behavioral challenges and no destructiveness to tackle even from pup.

Obviously as any dog owners we need to account for vet fees, grooming, food and any potential costs such as dog sitting when we are away and so on.

Taking all the above into consideration would you take on another large breed?
They might not be guaranteed to be as placid and well behaved as our current golden child ...dog.
They are a similar breed and our dog is very well socialized so not concerned about them getting along.

The dog has been offered to DH who knows a very reputable breeder who has kept this pup (9mo) as his own but unfortunately due to recent health issues that will not be resolved anytime soon cannot look after it well enough as he already has two other senior dogs.
He knows we have a similar breed and would be really happy for it to go to us.

However I am not sure how to feel and what to expect having more than one dog.

WWYD? Does anyone have multiple dogs? How much different is it?
What do you do when you go away?

We currently only have one (giant) breed dog. He was mean to be part of a pair, but sadly our previous dog died very suddenly just before our current dog arrived.

We've had one of these giants and a lurcher most of our adult lives. It worked beautifully each time. The only this stopping us doing it again just now is that current dog can be a handful if he sees a squirrel and so till we sort that, two dogs just wouldn't be safe.

it sounds perfect to me!

We have 2. They are the best thing we could ever do to compliment our family. We love them to bits and neither is any better or worse than the other.

However anyone getting a dog needs to accept no two are the same. Unfortunately there is a good chance dog two might be asbo dog. There is also a chance dog two might cause dog one to turn into asbo dog light.

If you have done such a good job with your dog, chances are better that dog two will be a success. If you planned to have a second dog then great, if not then make sure you have an exit plan.

For the record, ours took to each other the first night, slept together and hate being apart for more than 5 mins. If one is well behaved, they both are. If one is being naughty, they both are.

I think older dogs teach younger ones so I would go for it personally
My dog is only 2 but I'm wondering when to get another as he is so well-behaved I'd love him to set an example for my next dog too

Not giant breeds, but I have three rescue dogs. I have a Frenchie and two mutts. The Frenchie is 25lbs, my terrier mix is 18lbs and my Heinz 57 is probably going to be 35lbs fully grown. I think it’s way easier having multiple dogs. They entertain each other. Obviously you just have to figure out if your house size would easily lend itself to two giant dogs as opposed to one.

We have 2 as I can't bear to be without a dog when oldest DDog dies but if I had my time again I wouldn't get two bitches. When our oldest goes I will rehome a male as generally male/ female pairs get on better and with less grumblings/ fights.

We have 2, we got the second one as a puppy (8 weeks old) and already having another dog in the house meant the puppy copied the older one. This was good because it meant toilet training, etc was easier. Given that the dog you already have is well behaved I would go for it. You need to understand it's likely the younger dog will also copy any unwanted behaviour from the older dog, our older dog is pretty chilled but she is a bit scared a fireworks, the younger dog doesn't react to them until the older dog does, he then barks with her.

What do you currently do when you go away, etc. would that be any different with 2. If we go away in the UK we take the dogs with us, we have found that most places that are dog friendly will allow 2 dogs and we haven't had any problems finding suitable places. If we go abroad, we have a family member who looks after then, we did discuss with them before getting the second dog to make sure they would be happy to have both of them.

My only concern is that our older dog is nearly 10 and the younger one is only 2, the younger one has never lived without another dog, so we do not know how he will cope if the time comes he is on his own, likely at some point as he is much younger.

We have 4. Started off with 1 large breed. Got 2 dpuppies a month apart. 1 largish breed and 1 lurcher..then another lurcher a few years later Ddog 1 sadly died at 11. Got a saluki cross over 2 years ago. No regrets. No negative behaviour here! All get along better than I imagined possible.

I’d definitely recommend getting another dog. I’ve had 2/3 all my adult life and really enjoyed having them. Check that they’ll get on though before you commit.

If you’re walking or feeding one dog, it’s just as easy to do it for 2. Only issues are grooming and also finding holiday cottages or hotels which accept 2 dogs. We use Homefinders as we’ve found it easier to have someone stay in the house than take them with us.

Here they are...

We had a lovely little westie. When he was about 2 we brought home a Scottie pup. We followed all the training advice of the time and tried to reinforce the westie as ‘top dog’ but he was far too laid back and Scottie was far too much of a character and very much because the boss.

If you’d asked me at the time I’d have said they were the best of friends, and they seemed to be. They’d sleep curled up together etc. Then Scottie became ill and sadly died aged 7. At this point we worried the westie might pine for his friend, what actually happened shocked me.

Suddenly we had a totally different dog. He was bouncy, outgoing and totally different to how he’d been when his friend was alive. He lived to 15 and his last years on his own he really enjoyed.

We now have one, I’d love another, but my experience really put me off unfortunately. I know this is no help whatsoever, but wanted to share our experience.

One 2yo black lab here. He is beautiful, gentle, not destructive, kind, playful, never barks and is just the right side of cheeky. We had our share of ‘tear your hair out’ moments during puppyhood but so worth it. Haha we always said if we got dog2 it would be the nightmare ripping carpets up, barking incessantly one after such an easy ride.
In all honesty we may get another when our lovely boy gets a bit older. The new pup can learn from our angel boy 😍

We've got 2 Chihuahuas.
Boy is 6 yrs and the Girl is 11 months.
The pup is the naughty one and really,really energetic but the boy is more chilled and grumpy.
Love them to bits.

We have a 35 kg rescue dog. Aside from the additional costs, we are very conscious that walking one large dog is fine if (as does happen) one of us is on our own, but walking two could be very difficult for us. Four weeks ago, the dog was happily crossing the road with me when she spotted Barney in his garden opposite and lunged excitedly towards him. This caused me to do a fast, inadvertent pirouette and then hit the road on my back. It still hurts...

We started off with one dog - a brown lab - it was the first time I’d ever had a dog, and the first time dh had had one as a grown up (his family had dogs while he was growing up, so he did have experience), so we wanted to ease ourselves in.

Coco was a lovely, even tempered, laid back dog, and socialised very well with other local dogs - there is a daily walk at 9am, which we took her to, and she also made friends with our neighbours’ lab - we’d take the other dog out with us, when we walked Coco, and vice versa.

When these neighbours moved away, Coco really missed her friend, so we got a rescue lab-pointer cross from the Dogs’ Trust, and they were very happy together, until Mia developed untreatable anaemia, and became so poorly we had to have her out to sleep - so Coco was on her own again.

We definitely enjoyed having two dogs - and it made them happy too - so we got another rescue dog, this time from Cyprus, and she settled down very well with Coco. U fortunately Coco died on the 10th of September - in recent years she had had an eye removed because of glaucoma, and more recently had a mast cell tumour removed, and needed chemotherapy - and at 13, she was an elderly dog - so when she picked up gastroenteritis (from eating something manky she found in the bushes, we think - she always did have depraved tastes), she went downhill very fast, and passed away at the vet’s surgery, whilst he was putting her on a drip and taking tests.

Our other dog is clearly upset, and missing Coco - even though Coco couldn’t run round with her and play the silly games she loves - so we will definitely be getting another dog, probably a similar age to Bella.

All of which is a rather long winded way of saying that we love having more than one dog, and would definitely recommend it.

And please can we see puppy pictures?

@Pumpkinpatchlookinggood they are BEAUTIFUL!
Can I come & live with you? ;-)

Lovely picture!

I had two big girls (GSD's) both gone now.. I intended having others but the kids felt it wasn't the right time.. years have gone by & I'm not as active as I was, so still no new doggies..but seeing Pumpkin patch's pics..
Oh, forgot to say (am obsessed by that pic!) we got the girls at different times, everyone said you can't keep two girls, they won't get on. Apart from one warning bite when DDog 2 went to DDog 1's water bowl on the first day together, they were the best of friends & didn't get into any mischief! :-)

We have a 2 year old Lab, who is a dream. And a 14 week old Lab puppy, who is a delightful horror (as they are at this age). So reading these experiences has been very helpful.

My two have got on just fine in the past six weeks. DDog has stayed in kennels when we've been away, and although he is fine with this, I think he'll appreciate a cell mate next time. One thing we have noticed is that he loves his long walks away from the puppy (both with us and with his dog walker) and I'm not sure how he'll respond to having a hanger-on. I think we'll try at least a couple of lone walks for each of them.

I have two lurchers (and currently a foster puppy as well) and I think having two dogs works better for them, and its very little more hassle. Three dogs seems to tip into a lot more of an issue - I'm happy walking my two, but three is hard work.
How old is your current dog? Old enough to be a good influence on the puppy, or young enough for a puppy to undo your good work?

Always had more than one dog for lots of reasons but the main one being the company should they have to be left at home.
Currently have two Pugs and they are adorable together. The pup has brought out things in the older dog ( she thinks she is the mum) that we would never have known about and I am in doggy heaven every time I look at them :)

As tempting as it may be - have you ever thought about getting a second large breed dog before this offer came up?
Even if you have the time, space, money to cope with a second dog, you don't really know how well it will work out. Could you perhaps offer to take him/her for a week trial first?

I've got a 18mnth old gsd and a 6mth golden and they are epic I wasn't sure about a second dog but the moment the gsd met the puppy we were having her. He absolutely loves her and she brings a dimension of fun that we can't offer him (being human). I don't think I'll ever have 1 dog again

In the past we've had years of multiple dogs at one time ( 2 large plus one medium size). We also had 4 acres of land for them to run about on, and a half-door which could limit wet muddy dogs to the end of the house where all the floors were tiled and washable. Then we had years of "only" two dogs and then we cut right down to just one dog at a time.

You know your current dog, but you don't know the other, or how well they will get on. Your nice dog who is sociable with others it meets in the park, may be much more territorial in its home, or jealous of your affections. Dogs are pack animals, so two living together have to agree doggy status between them. Soppy breeds don't care much; but powerful assertive breeds can be more challenging around feeding, space in the car etc.

Its expensive to feed insure vet and boarding-kennel two big dogs. While you might find a friend willing to have one visiting dog to stay for a few hours or days (with or without owner) , few friends, hotels and holiday cottages want to host two visiting big dogs. Especially around nice carpets furniture, small children, other dogs and cats. Think hard about where you could park two big dogs at short notice if anything goes wrong in your humans (family emergency, hospital stay). How easily you can transport two big dogs in your car. Safely managing one big dog around unpredictable strangers on a ferry bus or train is doable (and I have, many a time); two are tricky. Same with vet visits.

We have one, I am always drawn to looking at another rescue but hold off for some reason. We get round it by ddog having playdates with exh's dog either here or at his. They both get on really well together but it's hard to know whether they would want a permanent playmate.

These are our two (3 y-o and 5 months)