Two dogs - tell me the draw backs please

[EmMcK]

So, we have a year old dog who is a goofy, friendly, non-aggressive well trained golden retriever. We have been dog sitting a friend’s dog for a fortnight and both dogs have loved it. So much playing, amicable sharing of high value things like bones, sleeping together during the day.
I grew up with two dogs and remember how much company they provide each other and would like this for our dog who is going to miss having his friend here 24/7. I am basically here all the time, I work from home. We get a house/dog sitter as opposed to putting the dog in a kennel. Would getting another dog be a good idea or am I being overly romantic about the whole idea.

I loved having 2 dogs. The trick is making sure they're a match for each other. The combinations aren't always that obvious. Example one of the best matches i know are my bosses dogs - a lurcher and a spaniel jack Russell cross. She is the sensible to his idiot but they work extremely well together.

Getting a second dog was the best thing we did for ddog1, they get so much pleasure out of playing together.
You do need to find the right combination - were you thinking of a puppy or a rescue adult?

I have four dogs. They all love each other. I say go for it.

I got a second pup when my first was a year old. I now have two pups of the same, slightly bonkers, breed. Best thing ever! They adore each other, play sleep eat and share toys.
Cost is the only down side- insurance, feed, daycare, everything is nearly double the cost! With it in my eyes though.

I’m looking at getting a second dog right now. I have a 12 month old whippet who is lovely but doesn’t like being left alone. He recently spent a couple of weeks with a home boarder and did really well living with other dogs.

I’ll be getting another whippet. An older puppy or young dog. Bluepuppy will need to be able to meet the other dog first. Hopefully it won’t take too long to find. I don’t want another hyper whippet like him. It would be chaos! I’m hoping to find something a bit more chilled.

I have two and I do much prefer it. They are good company for eachother and play all the time.

Drawbacks I would say are double the fur/mess/cost and also it makes it harder to go public places as mine are both big and take up lots of space. Also the playing can get annoying too!

Mine have never fought but I assume there would be potential for resource guarding issues too.

We got a second dog when our first was 1. He very obviously needed a companion and like you, loved having people over with their dogs. From the dogs point of view it has been 100% the right decision. They are inseparable, play together, sleep together, share toys etc and there has never been as much as a second of aggression between them.

I really enjoy having the two but I would say that having a second changes the dynamic. My first is a very soft, dog loving, laid back boy who rarely barked or chewed any he wasn't meant to. Add in little miss diva and he now likes to join in the barking, is more excitable on walks, has learnt to raid the rubbish and had started playing tug of war with our socks! I wouldn't change my decision, it has been the right thing to do, but just make sure you're prepared for whatever the second dog might throw in to the mix. If we'd had our second dog first I'm not sure we would have got a second! 😂 (Although she is very cute)

Oops, we may have the same dogs! My first is little miss perfect pants who wouldn’t dream of putting a foot wrong. My second, of the same breed is a whirlwind of naughty puppy mixed with guard dog on steroids! I would do it again in a heart beat but I may have been guilty of assuming that the second puppy would be very similar to the first

I can't think of many drawbacks, as it's so good for dogs to have company, they are pack animals, after all.
Cost, and jealousy, perhaps. One can't contain herself if the other is getting attention/a cuddle. More poo to contend with...

As others have mentioned:

• double the cost of things (food, insurance etc)
• double the dirt
• changes the dynamic of the house so don't be surprised if your old dogs suddenly starts doing things s/he didn't used to
• you have less time on the sofa/bed (if that's allowed)

Other than that, just choose carefully and take your time finding the right second dog. Two dogs that get along make for a harmonious life. Two that don't make for heartbreak.

A puppy may not be as welcome as an older dog so if you go down that route then be prepared to help them both through the puppy years.

(Having said all that, we have 3 dogs so are clearly in the mad camp of thinking 'the more, the better')

Thanks all. I was thinking we would go for rehoming another retriever having met it first as, as you all point out, some dogs just click and others don’t. I grew up with a shepherd and a Samoyed so am used to snow drifts of white fur everywhere which is what I envision living with two retrievers would be like. Plus of course, double the poo.
Our guest dog leaves tomorrow - he is a wheaten terrier and more charmingly irascible than our dog. I can see our dog watching him do things we don’t allow with a look of adoration and hero worship. It is too lovely. Still, eating all the walnuts in shells wasn’t his best decision....

The one downside of having two dogs is when/if one dies. We had an older shih tzu and a yorkie pup. She was distraught when the shih tzu died when she was two. We got another dog (a jrt pup) but she only really tolerated him, it was never the love affair that she had before.
Also the cost - double vaccinations for two dogs and various worming and flea treatments meant I was always stung for £150 plus at the vets annually, plus other sundry vets visits, like if one got d and v, the other one would get it too. We use kennels and it massively increased the cost of holidays. Two muddy dogs after a walk. Also where one dog may be acceptable to visit somewhere (say friends) two dogs may not be so welcome.
When my yorkie died, my jrt was thrilled because he then had me all to himself - they were so jealous of each other. All these things put me off getting another, even though I think my current dog would probably like a companion.

Id never have a lone dog ever again after seeing how much companionship and fun they get from having another canine around. My first dog was jealous of the new dog for a while though.

We got round the problem of one dog being left after one dies by getting a third! We had one age two, one aged six and one aged nine. The elder one died recently and the middle dog has taken comfort from his younger pal. Now that dog is getting older we may well add another into the mix in the near future (although I prefer having two dogs to three, it's just easier!)

We had two labs initially, and they played so well together as were of the same mentality and liked the same things (water and balls). Our third dog is a terrier type, and while she gets on very well with our remaining lab they don't play the same games or seem quite as pally as the two labs were. So I'd choose a similar type.

I'd resigned myself to one dog. Now I've read this and want another !

I only ever planned on one dog but my one is so needy that it’s become obvious that my only options are to send my current dog back to his breeder to find a home with other dogs or get another dog myself. Life doesn’t always run to your carefully thought out plans!

yearofyou, they haven’t been that great at painting a bad side to two have they!

Bluetongue we basically bought ddog2 as a present for ddog1. Had not intention of having two. You're rarely see one border terrier......now I know why!

Not at al, EmMcK!

I have two golden retrievers. The cons are, as expected, double the cost of everything. Double poo, double the hair!

One year is still young. I prefer a slightly bigger age gap between dogs as I like the older dog to be well trained before introducing a a pup or rescue that might need more attention from you for a while.

But there is nothing like seeing them play and sleep together! Makes it all worth it.