1 or 2 dogs? Been asked if I can rehome.

[1Mumwhowingsit]

Hi, I have a boy 7month old standard poodle and have been asked if we would like to rehome a boy toy cockapoo who is also around 7months old. Is this a bad or good idea!? We have him staying with us for a few days to see how it goes and everything seems ok but I can’t help thinking i might regret it if we take him on as they are both puppies! Any advice? Thank you

How is your 7 month old now? My cocker around that age was just hitting his teenage phase which meant all training was thrown out of the window and his recall went from 100% to 0% so I was spending a lot of time trying to reinforce those boundaries again until he matured into an adult dog.

Do you have the ability to walk and train both dogs separately given their age?

I wouldn't. I believe they are still young enough to end up with litter mate syndrome. You would need to have time to train and walk them both seperate, as well as together.

Also 7months means they are both about to hit "teenage" phase. Rehoming a dog at that age can be a challenging time but when your existing dog is also going into that same phase it could make your life incredibly difficult and take longer to get them out if that teenage phase.

Really it's best not to get a second dog until your first has passed the teenage phase and is mature enough to be a well trained and past the hormonal phases (usually between 18months - 2.5years depending on dog).

Also cockapoo's are totally nuts often as intelligent as a poodle but with the working brain of a cocker meaning they can be incredibly high energy dogs that need lots of mental stimulation to keep them sane.

I really really wouldn't.

Thanks everyone, I know deep down it’s not the right thing to do. I just need others to tell me! I need to put my own puppy first and concentrate on him :)