Are 2 Doods better than one?

[Sharon & Monty]

I hate leaving our dood. I believe *know that our Monty is lonely when we are not home.  Not going to work is not an option and retirement is not an option at this point in time either.   Any opinions on having more than one dood?  Do you think they are happier?  Do you think more than one dog equals twice the work? 

[Lee Seidman]

I was the most hesitant individual you ever met when it came to two Doodles.......I can only tell you that it is a lot more work, feeding, grooming, bathing, and vet bills..... but I would not trade our second Doodle for anything. We only have Billy for five months now and He and Lexi have bonded and are always within inches of each other....they play and entertain each other and are pure joy to watch. Billy is just eleven months, a real energetic puppy and a great watch Doodle, Lexi is two and starting to mellow out a lot but the best Doodle ever. We have come to really love the two of them so much, enjoy their different personalities and would not trade them for the world. They go everywhere with us, vacations, restaurants, visiting and boating. I believe they are much happier together rather then than staying alone all the time. When we go to the dog park they are social with all the other dogs, but still stay close to each other. They still like their own space, but always come back to check on each other. We brought Billy home when Lexi, a spayed female was two years old. Billy is a Male and since both are fixed humping has never been a problem. I do not believe that gender is a problem under those conditions.

[Melissa, Samson & Shelby]

I have a 3yr old and a 2 yr old. I absolutely love having 2 doodles! That being said... My husaband and I work full time outside the home and my 2 kids are at school during the day. I don't think that my dogs play at all or interact much while we are gone. All evidence points to them sleeping until someone gets home. I took them to daycare over the winter when I was worried about them geting out and about more and enough exercise during the cold dark months. Two dogs didn't solve our problem of lack of exercise during the winter, 2 dogs just doubled the cost of daycare.

They play and love each other for sure. My older dog's personality didn't change at all after adopting my younger female. I think that they are happier and do keep each other company. I know that my female looks for my male when they are apart. The down side is the cost and time involved. The comment earlier about looking at your lifestyle was right on. Do you have time, room, money, energy, etc to devote to another dog. It's not a matter of 2 dogs will entertain themselves and I'll have more free time. I defintely have less free time. It is a big commitment.

[Jennifer Tramell]

The biggest change from 1 dog to 2 dogs is that it is much harder to take 2 dogs places. Our Webster would just hop in the car and we would go to Lowes, Home Depot or wherever. Taking 2 dogs requires more consideration : both leashes? room in the car? people to dog ratio ok? etc...
We've only had Charlotte for a month and she is only a puppy, but Webster does enjoy her company. That said, I don't think he missed having her before she joined the family. I think he was very happy as an only dog. I don't know that dogs play together when they don't have an audience but I'm sure there is a shared companionship. I also don't think that dogs have much grasp of time - our dogs are as happy to see us when we've been gone 30 minutes as 8 hours.
The amount of extra work depends on the workload neccessary for that individual dog. Adding a low maintenance dog to a low maintenance dog = no big change; a high maintenance dog to a low or high maintenance dog could add a bit of work.
We have not noticed Webster's relationship with us changing accept that he is a little less needy sometimes. He is still very loyal and loving and it is clear that he is first our boy and then Charlotte's buddy.

[HeatherA]

I love having two. It took a while to convince my husband. We just got Violet less then a month ago. I am a stay at home Mom, so it's not like I feel that Veruca doesn't get enough attention.. but another dog means lots of playing and romping. It's like having more kids - they entertain each other, they run each other out... they play in a way I can't.

I do not feel the extra work. We got Violet because we wanted another dog, we had so much fun this summer with Veruca I just felt like our family had room for one more. It was very much like the feeling of wanting another child.. like our family wasn't "done" yet. But we got her because we wanted her.. not for Veruca. Like I said, it's much like having more kids.. once you are already in the routine of taking care of one, it's not that big of a deal to have second.. or third. (I tease my husband I could easily see 4 dogs running around as we get older, he thinks I am insane.)

The reason I am saying this -- When I had two Bichons I had my first one, Belle, and the second one. We called her Little Bug. She was my dog's dog. I had no bond with her, and she had no bond with me. She didn't follow me around, she followed Belle. Unfortunately we lost Belle before Little Bug, and for over a year I had a dog that had no part in our family. It was definitely something I don't ever want to happen again. I talked to my trainer and she said to make sure we do everything alone with Violet that we did with Veruca. Walks, training, time alone with us, play time.. and that's exactly what we've done. At night the girls have time out together, after the kids have gone to bed.. and then we take turns kenneling one of them and have some alone time. My husband has been going on runs with Veruca, and I stay and play with Violet. We walk the girls out separately.

As a side - I actually do the same things with my kids. I will take just one with me on an errand, or I go alone with them to Soccer, Dance, Boy Scouts, etc. Always nice to have some one on one.... and sometimes hard to get when you have 2 other kids and number four being born shortly! :)

So, I guess I am saying it can be a GREAT choice or a BAD choice depending on you. Some people prefer having one child. Some people won't connect with multiple dogs. I've learned that I don't enjoy a dog I don't connect with. Again, it depends what you want out of the relationship. I warn you though, if you get a "dog" for Monty.. god forbid something happen to Monty (like our situation) you are then stuck with this dog you didn't really want, that was always a pet for the dog you loved. It's not really fair to the dog, or yourself. Speaking from experience here.

Good luck whatever you decide! :)

[Jennifer Tramell]

Good points! I hadn't thought of the "dog's dog" point, but you are so right! BTW, love your dogs' names - the Ooompa loompa song runs through my head every time I read a post about them :-)

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

I think the bottom line is to get a dog for you and not just your Monty.
IMO these doodles require a lot of work, so remember what Monty was like as a puppy and think about incorporating a new one into your hectic schedule.
I have a hectic schedule, but always make time for the dogs and am always fully aware of the time and $ it takes to have my companions with me.
If you are ready for a second doodle, go for it. Monty enjoying him/her would just be an added bonus!

[HeatherA]

Yes, Allyson I agree. I think if you want a dog for you and feel like your family will love and support a second dog - DO IT. You won't mind the work and they will bring a lot of joy... if you're just wanting a second dog for "company" I would reconsider. Perhaps look into Doggy Daycare? Or a swap off with a friend that has a dog?

Sharon -- It just hit me --- Perhaps you could start fostering with the DRC! :) They are always looking for quality foster homes. I am sure they would love to have you! Then you get the best of both worlds, company.. plus testing out what it would be like with two.. AND helping a Dood in need.

[Sharon & Monty]

Dont put stuff like that in print........ foster home. oh my, how did you know i think about stuff like that! lol Maybe some day when i retire :)

Doggy Daycare? Thats looking more realistic. especially with winter coming along soon. Thanks for that one!

[Mary, Scrappy, Sully and Olive]

The best thing we ever did was add Grover to our family. I would never go back to one dog. I don't feel it makes twice the work, since you're doing it for one anyway. The only downside is the cost....heartworm and flea protection 12 packs, only last half as long:( They so make up for that in other ways tho, I wouldn't trade mine for anything and they truly seem to love each other!
Go for it and don't look back!!!

[Margaret Curry]

We have Sadie, a choc labradoodle who is 4 and Sara, a goldendoole who is 3. All my life I have only had one dog but we decided to go with 2 this time. They weigh about 75lbs each. We waited a year before we got the 2nd dog. They really care for each other and of course loves to wrestle. My husband and I work long hours and it is great they have each other.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

My feelings on this question have really evolved. Let me start by saying that I have two Doodles, and I love it...I wouldn't change it for the world. But, I am retired, and I have lots of time for the dogs. There are a couple of key benefits of having two Doodles - my guys play together and entertain each other a lot....there's twice as much Doodle love. Here are the challenges that I face with my two guys...
-They are both "Mommy's boys" and are competitive about my attention. When Murphy was a puppy, this wasn't an issue, but now they are both looking for "Mommy and Me time" (and that means alone).
-Training Murphy is harder, because I need to separate him from Guinness to work with him effectively. Guinness hates that. With Guinness I had lots of time to train, and it seemed to go much faster.
-It's hard for me to take the two of them together right now to a public place. I think that will resolve itself when Murph is fully trained, but for now DH and I need to be together if we take them to a place with lots of distractions. Walks are usually fine with the two of them, but I can't take them to stores or other places with other people and dogs without help.
So, that said I often wonder if this is all due to me or the breed. For many years we had a Lab and a Golden Retriever, and I never had these concerns. They were nowhere near as "joined at the hip" as my two Doodles. They never, ever followed me around. They liked to be petted (when they were in the mood), but for the most part they were very independent. They didn't sleep in our bed, or even our room. They loved being outside, and spent a good portion of their time in the yard. They were always inside at night, and slept on the tile floor in the kitchen together. I admit I never was as interested in taking them places...actually other than the Vet I can't remember taking them anywhere. I seem to have created this "Doodle lifestyle" for my guys which is way more high maintenance that with any of my other dogs. I don't mind it...in fact, I love it. But it's that "lifestyle" that makes it a little more challenging to have two. The question is am I driving that or is it a Doodle thing? I'm rambling, but I guess what I'm saying here is that you probably can control how much work it is when you go from one to two. I certainly don't think it has to be twice the work, and even in my case it definitely isn't, but there are some challenges. As far as being "lonely" when you're not home, I'm not sure another Doodle would make much of a difference. My two sleep most of the time we're away. I know that because the toys have never even been moved. It's not like they're playing together while we're gone, so I'm not sure that they are preventing each other from being "lonely". They know that we've left, and they just rest and wait for our return. I could be wrong, but I don't think it matters much whether they're waiting alone or together.

[HeatherA]

Jane,
That is an excellent question -- whether the Doodles are the change or you. I wonder that too. I think its a bit of both. We planned our summer vacation around Veruca coming too. I've never done that for a "dog"... I think at least part of it is the intelligence of the poodle. I think the higher the dogs intelligence the more "human" they seem, the more personality traits. The more they like being engaged. These dogs are also very biddable - they want to please.. thanks to having Lab or Golden. That mix makes a great personality, but it is definitely much more dependent on it's human. They care about my being pleased with them. I do things for these two girls I never did before. I don't take them out on errands, but I have three kids and we live in Texas.. most errands require me going inside. I shop for them all the time. They have a basket of toys that rivals the collection my kids have... and I don't even need to tell you how much I've spent on chew bones, bully sticks, etc. At night I make it a priority to spend time alone with both girls (one on one), and I've taken Veruca to training classes, we're starting training for Violet tomorrow. I don't know what it is... if its the Doodles changing me, or that a Doodle is a type of dog you desire when you're at a different point in your life?

I've actually gotten in some pretty heated arguments with my Mother in Law because she will not let us bring Veruca (she was all we had at the time) when we come to visit. They have a lake in their backyard - it's a perfect Doodle vacation! We've explained until we're blue Veruca is potty trained and crate trained.. she won't hear of it. She would want us to keep Vee outside,(IF she let her come at all) and I won't do that. They have no fence, and I refuse to tie Veruca up outside. She would be miserable. I wouldn't leave her outside even WITH a fence.. she's not that kind of dog. She would miss us.

My MIL can't understand where we are coming from at all. She has never let a dog in her house. The only kind of dog my MIL has ever had is an outside dog. They have a dog house and her dog is tied up. They have 5 acres of land, the dog is to warn them if someone is on the property that shouldn't be, and to kill gophers/garden pests. My Father in Law does walk their dog regularly but she's not part of the family... she's more like an employee - her pay is food and shelter.

Annnyway, long tangent aside.. I think its a little of both, I've changed.. I've matured.. but my girls make it so rewarding to spoil them they make me want to do more for them ;)