A second dog

[ConsternationStation]

We are in the very early stages of considering a second dog (puppy). We currently have a female cocker spaniel who will be two in October. She's great with the dogs she knows and shows little interest in any she sees out on walks. We often have family dogs visit and stay with us for a few days, and she's very comfortable with them in our house.

When it comes to getting a second dog we are thinking of another cocker but I don't know whether another girl or a boy is best. I've read that sometimes when you have a two dogs of the same sex they can clash as they try to "fight" to become top dog. I know several people with multiple dogs but feel like they often have two of the same. What would you suggest?

Also, any other tips, thoughts and things to consider on bringing a second dog into our home?

You might get more replies if you move this to 'DogHouse' (just ask HQ )!

But...@tizwozliz and @spanielsgalore both have multiple (unrelated) girls and it all seems to be fine with them.

As with most things, I think a lot is dependent on the dog you currently have and the dog you get as well as your experience. But yes, I believe the risk is higher with girls than girl/boy or indeed two boys. I know lots of people with two girls and it's all fine.

If you're happy with cockers, stick with them. I have Goldens and my parents have a cocker. Even at about 13 (rescue so unsure of her exact age) she can keep up with my Golden's really well, and hold her own in games and gets on with them all relatively well. Obviously there's a huge size difference but personality wise/intelligence wise they're fairly well matched as breed.

The main thing I would say is puppies are bloody hard work when you have an existing adult dog. You have to ensure the adult dog still has 'you' time and their routine/socialisation/attention doesn't suffer because of the puppy. It's not twice as hard, it's 5x as hard. And the puppy won't understand boundaries, which sounds obvious, but adult dogs tend to be a lot sharper in correcting puppies than people often expect so it's one to bear in mind.

I think it depends on your current dog and circumstances.

We have an American Bulldog and Great Dane, they are completely different dogs but get along fine. When we got the Dane, he adapted to the routine of our other dog pretty well. Having said this, the Bulldog is an angel, had I got my Dane first I don’t think we would have a second dog, he’s a bloody handful😂

We have 2 Cocker Spaniels 2 years apart. They are about to turn 7 and 5 ( birthdays one day apart!)

Our eldest is a male and youngest female. Had both from a puppy.
They are the best of friends but she’s probably the boss! They get on so well and play fight over socks etc.

I had taken early retirement after a traumatic family loss when we got our youngest so was able to dedicate lots of time to both.
They get lots of exercise and off lead time.

We introduced the youngest to our existing dog carefully at home. He was fine and calm but she did some squealing ( understandably) when they first met. She was from a litter of 10 with other adult dogs in the house but clearly let us know he wasn’t part of her pack.

It went really smoothly but we had prepared well. We had a large plastic puppy play pen so that they could have time away from each other. Initially outside she could only go in one section but he could access it all.

You do forget how difficult it is having a puppy but we thought it was worth it.
We had excellent advice and support from the breeder and a puppy WhatsApp group with her and all the litter families.

Ours look very similar but have their own personalities. Kind of have his and hers dogs now the male likes to be by my side and she prefers DH ( but not in a Collie way)

Excellent advice from PP who is very knowledgeable.
Hope it works out well for you.

I've never had a Spaniel but have had dogs all my life. I always think 2 dogs are easier than 1, although admittedly dealing with a pup at the same time as an adult can be a pain. I remember carrying a Lab pup while I took the adult for a walk, in winter/early spring. That dog always liked to cuddle a scarf for the rest of her life.

The puppy stage doesn't last long, so that inconvenience isn't much of a consideration, really.
Ever since I was 12, ( and i am in my 70s now) my family has had multiple bitches, You need to make sure that 'the top dog' in the household is a human, then you are less likely to have challenging behaviour from 2 bitches.

I wouldnt have 2 bitches. I’ve had experience when they were fine younger but there was fighting (young to old) when one got older. Found a way to manage it but it was quite a shock at the time.

Also - just because you have one good dog now doesn’t mean you’ll have the same x 2. It’s a risk.

I've never had spaniels, but have two girls (previously three) of different working breeds. The puppy will probably ignore their special puppy food and trough whatever the older one is eating, as mine have always done! Ideally, they need their own space, still some one-on-one time, and obviously time together.

The only issue that I have found is if you have two dominant dogs together, as they might end up fighting and will be tense around each other.

As for puppies, I just bought extra food bowls, beds/blankets (youngest one is a shredder, and I'm not usually in the mood for unexpected foam parties from when she has shredded a bed when I get home from work), some little treats to encourage them with training, a lead and collars (one for puppyhood, and one to grow into!), and a lot of balls. Mine are mad for them! Oh, and Kong teddies. I usually have three, because they end up being taken outside, going for adventures in the washing machine, and are always the first to be removed from the radiators...

Most of the problems I see are with same sex dogs. I would say an opposite sex pairing is the one least likely to give issues, however only get another dog because you want one. Your existing dog may not like it, although I see you have had regular visitors.

I have many! Lots of unrelated females, as well as a few males, all arrived at different times, ages and breeds and I’ve had that set up for many years and in that time been lucky enough to have more than 30 dogs. We’ve never had a problem or a serious fight (other than once, but that was between the boys, one of whom was very poorly but we didn’t know).
I agree with PP who said 2 dogs are easier than one. But puppies though? Puppies are HARD work and we tend to avoid adopting puppies if we can.
But, if that is what you want, in your situation with a dog that is not yet two, I think you could bring in a puppy of either sex with no issues.
Separate feeding initially, remove any “high value” items (favourite toys, long lasting treats) and nip any territorial behaviour in the bud. Your house, your rules, the dogs play nicely.

We’ve got 2 dogs, both rescues. Similar breeds (pug and Shih Tzu), got the 4 yr old bitch just after the dog turned 2. They enjoy each other’s company and we’ve never had any issues (now 12 and 14).

I have always had spaniels - 4 cockers, 1 sprocker and a springer.

I had two males first. They tolerated each other, rather than got on. They had the occasional handbags at dawn scraps, usually caused by someone dropping food on the floor.

Next I had a dog and bitch together. This was my worst pairing, not helped by the dog's poor health. Despite wanting to play with every dog he met when out, he hated the puppy when I brought her home. It took three months of careful management before they could be in the same room. Unfortunately, he had a lot of health issues and it affected their relationship.

I now have three bitches. I had a 3 year old and added an 8 week old puppy. Six weeks later I added a 9 year old. After the initial settling in period, they all get on well. The only time they have fallen out was when one of them was in season and feeling a bit grumpy.