Why do people get a second dog?

[Mamabear12]

I’m just curious why do people decide to get a second dog? We are thinking of getting another. Something we don’t take lightly of course and it will probably not be for another 2-3 years. We have one that is 2, almost 3. She is amazing. We all love her. She gets loads of attention and I am a sahm so we could easily get another and we are a family of 5 so no problem giving attention to a second. Our first has brought so much love and joy into the family. We are very happy w her and even the puppy stages were a dream (don’t mean to brag! Lol). I get all dogs are not the same and the second one could be more difficult.

But I do wonder is it better to just stick to one? Why do people get two? It’s just strange, I can’t explain or justify my reasoning for wanting another. My dh also talks about it and is keen. We have enough space and can afford it. We live next a huge park w great space for a dog to run around plus have a garden. So having a dog is easy for us.

So I’m curious to those who have gotten a second what was the reason? And any regrets? It took us two years of research and waiting for the right time to get our first; who we love dearly. So I’m starting to do research now about getting a second.

Surely it’s just like having 1, 2 or 5 children? Personal choice.

I’d like another but the only thing that puts me off is the cost. If I didn’t use doggy day care every week I’d consider it but Ddog already costs me a fortune!

I think it's really good that they have company. Doggy friends are much better for them than humans. Also, if your older dog is well behaved the hope is that they can 'help' train the new pup. You will then still have a dog when the older one dies (then you can buy another pup and the cycle continues!).

As company for the first dog. I think dogs enjoy having another of their own kind around. Our two have this fascinating dog body language that humans can't understand and it's interesting to watch. They also play together a lot, sleep together, enjoy each other's company.

We always have two dogs at the same time. Apart for the two years when we had three which won't be repeated. We thought our ancient oldest dog wasn't long for the world, but the new pup gave her a new lease of life and she lived for another two years.

We got ddog2 because I essentially thought that whilst we have the mess of one, the need to walk one, feed one, get holiday cover for one, etc, we may as well do it with two. And with having two dogs they will always have company ie. of the other when we are out.

We have two labs, they are very elderly now. Going forward we will only have one dog at one time as although all the above is true, our particular dogs have been a pain in that they seem to be polar opposites- what one does well the other doesn’t and vice versa. (Ie one is good in the car, one is an absolute nightmare). So we have any possible problems covered by having two dogs!

Adore them both though.

I think it depends on the existing dog , my dog prefers to be an only dog , he has a few dog friends but definitely prefers humans .

I got 2, litter mates (back in the day when this wasn't so advised-against).

We always wanted 2, and they were best pals for over 13 years. Company for one another, different little personalities, they were my beautiful shadows. One is still here (almost 19!) and when we do finally get another, it will be another 2 (different breeds this time).

Because I’m insane! Well, I sometimes feel like that at the moment. My main reason was because much as I adore ddog 1 she’s quite big and muscly, she loves to snuggle, she’s robust, loves exercise and is generally a lovely family dog but she’s not very cuddly. I wanted a dog I could pick up and snuggle with- a little lap dog. I also thought it would be nice company for ddog 1.

My dog wanted doggie company. She used to cry when dogs passed the house. She like a couple of different breeds, not the same as her, so we got a puppy. Then that breed does better in pairs, so we ended up with a 3rd dog.

I did a tonne of research about going 1-2 & it worked really well. 2-3 is harder in lots of ways. Watching them all get on is lovely.

cos more dogs

My first family dog was an older dog and I suffer really bad with mental health so we thought getting a new one would give me company and our first dog, then our first dog got ill and had to be put down this summer ( second dog was 5) and the second dog was lonely and we thought we'll look not necessarily to get one but if one really catches our heart we'll look into it and after about a month looking sporadically we saw one and here we are!

We got our second dog when our puppy was only 9 months old. Although it was hard to train two puppies at the same time, it was so worth it. They love each other to bits and I do think that dogs need playtime with other dogs. We will never have just one dog on it's own again, I would feel too guilty!

No idea why people only get 2 dogs

If we had the money and time I would get more in a heartbeat. But dog walkers, insurance, health care is already in excess of £200/month and insurance is just going to get more as he gets older!!!

We knew our older dog would be getting retired from working soon so that's why we got a second. We got the puppy whilst our first dog was 7 so he could watch and learn from him. They're now 11 and 4 and couldn't be without one another. When the 11 year old is no longer with us we'll get another as the 'puppy' is very sociable and won't cope on his own.

Cos one dog is good and two dogs is double good. Also for company for the first one. They are a little team now!

I’d love to have been able to give a doggy brother or sister to my dog. DDog was so full on when he was a pup though, I don’t think I could handle two!

I thought about it when ours was getting on because I thought it might lessen the pain when he died, but the cost of insuring two dogs plus the possibility my resident dog might not take to a newcomer put me off. He's gone now and we are sadly dogless, but I have two beautiful cats (who I think are quite happy that the big smelly bum-sniffing not-a-cat is no longer in their lives).

I already had my dream ddog when I met dh. He wanted his dream ddog at some point also.. Ddog 1 was a bit of a loner but did accept family members ddogs on regular walks. Researched for a year as wasn't sure of dh's choice (Husky).. Then a family member bred some Lurchers and we decided to get 1 and then the Husky. Thinking of ddog 1 cba at times then dhusky wouldn't be rampaging round our house! Got a Lurcher then a month later a Husky.. All 3 got on more than I ever dreamt! Gamble I suppose.. We lived on a farm so space wasn't an issue.. Sadly lost ddog 1 last year. Now have dhusky +3 Lurchers.. Ime don't bet ddog is itching for a playmate-but may end up with a great one!

In our case because our Labrador boy needed a doggy companion (advised by Dog’s Trust when we adopted him). We ended up adopting a bonded pair of Labrador sisters - so three big sheddy, muddy dogs, joy!! - they all clearly loved each other and would sleep on a big Labradory pile every night. They were quite a bit older so he outlived them both and we went nearly a year before finding another suitable companion for him. She’s a haughty greyhound, but they adore each other - he wasn’t himself in that period without another dog. And, tbh, more dog is better than less dog every time .

I got a second dog as a companion for my first dog.

With the benefit of hindsight, dog 1 actually preferred being the only dog in the house.

As my friend said, if I was abducted by aliens I'd like to think they'd bring another of my species.

I’ve always had at least two as I just felt, if I were a dog, I would like to have at least one friend around that actually spoke my language.

We were down to three, lost our old girl in 2012, then lost the other girl to cancer in 2013. Our remaining dog was 7, had never been an only dog and couldn’t cope alone, so we took in another rescue of the same breed. Once we got the new rescue pup our older boy was calmer and his separation anxiety went, so they were definitely company for one another, but he never really bonded with him. We lost him last year, when he just turned 7, so our old boy is alone again, but it’s been very different this time. He was there when our other boy died and seemed to understand and accept what had happened. He’s a very old man now and seems really happy being spoiled rotten as an only dog.

So, we won’t be having another until we are dogless, as we don’t think it would be fair on him at his age and he really is loving his old age just as things are.

When we do have another we will see how it goes and consider another perhaps after about 18 months or so. Dh is set on only ever having one from then on, but I think it depends on the individual dog and we’ll make a decision accordingly, when the time comes.

Would be very interesting to see how she would be w another dog in the house. I do worry if she would feel a little jealous? But I guess it’s the same worry with children lol.

Our dog is great w other dogs and she gets to see them daily and play w different dogs daily because we live at the edge of a park.

She is quite calm at home and basically relaxes and snuggles. She plays w the kids sometimes. But she is super content. Curious if having two dogs might set eachother off; like make them more active and playful in the house? Atm she is very active when we go out. But in the house she mainly settles down in different spots for naps or to relax. She will get bursts of energy and play when the kids engage her. But she is happy to just be around us. I know the pup stage they are more playful. But curious if two in the house they might constantly play with each other? Or do they just both lie around lazing about when they are home?

PollyRoulson No idea why people only get 2 dogs

Heartily agree