When is a good time to get a second dog?

[Isithalftermyet]

So my darling girl is now 10 - where did the time go! She still has a good amount of energy but I can tell she is slowing down a bit.

I'd always thought I'd get a second dog when she was 8 or so but covid has gotten in the way. Is there any good time to get a second dog? We'd be looking at a puppy or a younger dog/bitch and I'm naively hoping that they would follow my older girls lead a bit and that having an older dog will be a stabilising influence... but am I kidding myself?

We did bronze/silver/gold good kennel club with our old girl and agility and I'm willing to put in the hours with a second - but worried about how mad it will be with two!

Would be grateful for any advice!

We got another when ours was one. Best thing we ever did and they are the best of friends. Although it did take a few days for them to like each other.

From experience I wouldn't inflict a pup on an elderly again. My elder dog was jealous and bullied the pup rotten. The pup grew up a beautiful dog but quite timid and submissive.

We have five years between ours and it has worked really well. Older dog was still young and fit when the baby arrived. She’s getting on a bit now and it breaks my heart to think of the younger one (and us) coping without her.

It sounds like it really depends on the character of the current dog and the younger one coming in.

Thx for the replies. I guess I either bite the bullet and go for it or accept that I'll be without a dog for a while when we lose her, which is a very sad thought.

We got our new pup when Old Dog was 13 - but we lost the old boy only 5 months later. We were very glad then that we weren't left dogless. In hindsight it would have been better to have got a second dog a bit earlier as Old Dog was a bit too old to really take to him and was mostly past playing - although he did appreciate any warm body to cuddle up to! But family-wise it wasn't really the right time earlier so ... /shrug/

My old dog was a terrier, a bit of a git at times, and not particularly interested in other dogs. So personality would come into it too. The puppy adored him 🥰

I think the ideal gap is about 4 years. I have a 12 yo, a 10 yo and a 1 yo. The 2 year gap with the older two means I’m likely to lose 2 in short order. The 10 yo loves the puppy and they’re now the best of friends and go everywhere together, snuggle together to sleep etc. The 12 yo tolerates her but is largely indifferent. The puppy will be distraught when the older two die.

Years ago I had puppies with a 6 month age gap. That was horrendous. They hated each other and life was miserable.