What is it REALLY like having 2 dogs??

[cansleepanywhere]

Our lab bitch is 9 months now and we'd love another. We were thinking of next Jan when my youngest is at nursery weekday mornings so I can do the 'big walk' without the pushchair/backpack. I can handle 1 dog and a pushchair but not 2!

She'd be nearly 2 then....is that a good age?? Bit like having kids in that I don't want to leave too long between them as I'd like them to play together.

If you have 2 dogs, do yours tend to sleep together or will I have to get separate beds? Would I HAVE to do separate walks with a new pup?? I'm happy to take new pup training separately and do little sessions alone in the garden but not sure I can do long walks for current dog and then more for pup....how do you find the time? I was planning on taking pup along and then carrying her/him.

Also is it a bit like having more than 1 kid in that the workload doesn't just double, it goes up tenfold??

Would a smaller dog (i'm thinking cocker/springer) work well? Whatever we get would need to keep up with lab length walks when it's ready. I'd love another lab but not sure we have the space. This morning there were 2 kids, 2 adults and 1 dog on my bed!!! Also would it be better to get a male? Would this increase the chances of them getting along?

Am I mad to want another??

i can concur actually with the guilt bit actually. i wasn't kidding when i said it has put me off having a second child because they can be so different and so hard to give equal attention to and it's hard not to compare and compound annoyance for one with preference for the other. though these days the roles are interchangeable depending on who is being the most irksome

to be entirely honest much as i love both of my dogs it was easier, simpler and less guilt inducing when i had one and the one was perfectly happy as a solo. my solo was impeccably well behaved and sociable and good with other dogs so i had a headstart and yet still maybe in my heart of hearts i wish i'd stuck at one.
if you're still thinking of it by january let me know but i honestly would give it plenty of time and wait for your first dog to be really well trained and into a mature phase and to be well settled in with your new baby and life in that new dynamic before adding more to the mix.

i have one child only but 2 dogs, a cat and two chickens and some days i wonder why on earth i took on so much (single parent) but ds loves having them all around and it compensates in some ways for the lack of siblings so it's ok but looking forward to the end of my older dogs life i don't think i would get another. it's likely that by the time my son is ready to head off to uni or otherwise the dogs will be gone or nearing the end and i suspect i won't get another dog until my dotage then so that i have more freedom back.

that read so wrong! i did not mean that i'm looking forward to my dog dying!!!! i meant looking into the future when she does i can't see me getting a second dog again. i so am NOT looking forward to my baby dying

We are a 2 dog household, a 19month old cocker with issues and 2 months ago we got a lab from a rescue who is now 10 months old who belongs to my eldest daughter who still lives at home.

The lab needs lots of basic training which she is getting and is learning very quickly so we have to train them separately, the cocker is (or was until the lab came along) very well trained but we've had to up his training to stop it slipping. At the moment they have to be walked seperatly if 2 people aren't available at the same time and also have to take into consideration that the lab can't be walked as far as the cocker due to the amount of time she spent in the rescue kennels before we got her (3 months +)

It is double the amount of mud, dust, water trailed across the floor from their water bowls, muddy footprints, hair, vets bills, insurance, kennel/dog sitter costs, washing of muddy towels and smelly bedding, food, equipment etc, etc, the lab has to go in her crate when we're out or at night or left alone as she can be distructive which was an extra expense as well as taking up a lot of room.

They have both picked up each others bad habits but at the same time their good habits are rubbing of on each other. Both dogs get on well with each other, lots of playing which is lovely to see as they both look very happy if not sounding very vocal!

In hindsight, if it was just me I wouldn't have had another dog just yet (would eventually) but would have waited a couple of years as I wouldn't mange 2 dogs alone despite working from home. It is made possible as my daughter does the majority of the work with the dogs as she only works part time, however we have only had the lab a couple of months and we can see that things are getting better and it is especially nice to see them both cuddled up together in the evening.

I posted on here a while back about getting a second dog and decided against it in the end.

Not because of the extra work or expense but because I realised that my dog would hate it. She loves other dogs but I've noticed that she also needs her space and her time with her humans. My fault really as she's with me all day, every day and whilst she does play with other dogs and acts like a puppy, she needs to be around people more. I also realised that I would feel guilty at changing her life to satisfy dog broodiness in me. But then I may also be overinvested in this particular dog because whilst she's not perfect, she's worked some magic on me and is the dog of a lifetime.

Sorry, that doesn't help much OP, I guess it really boils down to what your existing dog is like and whether you believe a second dog would enhance all of your lives or not.

Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has responded. It's certainly not a decision I'll be taking lightly. If I don't feel that my lab is 100% by January then I have no problem waiting a while longer.

I'm maybe looking through rose tinted glasses at those families with 2 (or more) dogs and it's always good to get the reality check.

My house is a madhouse anyway so noise/mess etc isn't putting me off, just making me chuckle