Considering a 2nd before perfecting the 1st?

[minkersmum]

As per previous threads I am thinking of grtting a second dog. A small dog as I already have a big one and our cottage is snug!
We do however have a huge garden and access to forest tracks right outside the door.

Our labradoodle was a rescue. He is now 6 and we have had him 2.5 years. He has calmed down a lot as was pretty wired at first.

He is great with kids and generally fab in house. Never destructive and just lovely clesn and happy dog. Good with other dogs visiting us and will play off lead happily with other friendly dogs.

His vices are - on lead he will bounce all 4 feet off ground when he meets a person/dog that he is pleased to see.
He can get a bit humpy esp after he eats or if the kids are running around carrying on he might mount them but i have a water spray and if it is around just showing him it will deter him.
He is never aggressive or dominant just over excited and like a big puppy.
The only other thing is his recall isn't great. If he gets a scent he is off so we only let him off lead when it is safe to do so. Luckily at home he can enjoy off lead walks daily.

So number 1 isn't perfect. Am I stupid to upset the apple cart. Should I be trying to perfect or at least improve number 1 before even considering another?

It's a tough one. On the one hand two dogs are easier because they play with each other and that's a lot of fun for everyone. On the other hand a new dog will come with its own training issues so that's more work. Your dog's recall issue may be a problem as he could encourage the other dog to take off with him, so you may need to keep two on the lead.

Is your cottage big enough to cope with them playing inside....I would love a 2nd, our current dog is a giant breed and very calm, mostly. However I know he would at times want to "play" with his housemate - if we got another, and we just don't have from for that inside.......

Personally I wouldn't
I find introducing another makes the older one regress anyway
The scent thing might just be a breed trait and you may hav e to always lead but the jumping needs to be worked on as 2nd dog will copy behaviour
But it's up to you reAlly, only you k n ow what you can cop e with

Agree with Owllady, my well behaved 3 yr old lab regressed when 2nd dog came, started jumping up again, lost his recall and tended to wander off looking for dead things to eat. So its back to basics with training for him and he's on a long line for walks. Dogs get walked separately so all very time consuming. Despite this I love having 2 dogs