Getting another doodle...........

[Debb Rogers]

My Breeder has a very sweet laid back pup that matches my one year olds personallity.  Can't make up my mind if it is a good idea to add one more to the mix.  Anyone out there regret getting the second doodle?  Also worry about destruction that a teething pup can do.  We were very lucky with our first one!

2 better than one?  And what has your doodle destroyed??

[Jennifer and Jack]

My dog prefers very much to be an only child. He does not like another dog in the house. He is sort of co-raised with my mom's golden doodle who is 3 years younger then him.  My mom's dog would love another dog to play with all day. Jack hates it. When Molly and Jack are together, one plays with a toy and Jack stalks her till she drops it and then takes it. It goes on all day long. 

I know a lot of people do really well with two. I would love to have two. When I have my mom's dog, I can't take Jack out with me and leave Molly home, Molly is not used to going places so she doesn't behave as well and having two dogs out is a lot of work. One is easy.

You have no idea what you are going to get but one thing for sure if you are looking for a dog that behaves like yours you will be disappointed. Mostly what I have seen from some people is they expected their second one to be as dreamy as their first one.... when the new puppy doesn't look like, act like the other one their is disappointments.

There are a lot of people who do really well with two dogs, I think it depends on what you are looking for personally and really what your first dogs personality is like. Some people will tell you if you want a second dog get one.. I tend to take my dogs feelings into account.

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

I'm really late to this discussion, but what you said, "if you're looking for a dog that behaves like yours, you will be disappointed", isn't always the case. I've found the opposite to be true.  I wasn't expecting a Lucy clone when we got Oscar, but I was expecting good things, considering Oscar was a mellow pup and came from the same breeder as Lucy.  We had thought Lucy was a pretty easy pup to raise, with her being our  first puppy/dog ever. What we didn't know, and only became apparent after bringing Oscar home, was that Lucy had been the difficult one. We had no clue! My point is, getting a 2nd doodle can go either way. You might be disappointed with how much harder it is, or you might be pleasantly surprised as to how much easier it is. (There's no getting around those numerous potty breaks though... I am so yearning for the day (in months, or years) when Oscar only needs about 3 potty breaks a day!). IMHO, its best to pick out a MELLOW and LAID BACK puppy for the 2nd (I hate to say it, but that probably means a boy :).

[Cyndi, The Boys & Callie]

At least for us, having more than one means they have someone to play with, sleep with and just be a dog with.  While we can certainly play with them, not to the extent they would like.  Rolling in the grass and playing chase across the yard is not something I do very well.  They can sleep with us but not all piled together like a bunch of pillows.  Not every dog yearns for other dogs around, ours do. They love their people but they love their doggie brothers also. 

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

what about stuff like grooming? Cubbie's coat is fairly low maintenance (fleece) and when we were thinking about adopting Ollie I said "how much more work can grooming a 2nd one be?"  Yeah, I totally underestimated that one.  Ollie has a wool coat that needs a lot of brushing/combing and ears that always need cleaned.  Now there are 4 extra paws of nails that need trimmed.  I can't imagine doing it with 3.  I give you major credit!

[Cyndi, The Boys & Callie]

We have been lucky.  Tank is the only one with the thick soft coat (which of course mats).  Beau and Sully do not routinely mat.  That makes it a little easier and they go to the groomer every 6-8 weeks.  I'm just not talented enough to groom them myself so that takes care of nails.  One morning every week-end is brush coat, brush teeth and a general spiffing up.  However, my husband took early retirement several years ago.  Although I'm still working, we have the time to devote to them.  If we were younger and still had children (all ours are in college/flown the nest) in the house, no way could we do this with the doodles.  I can't imagine all the football/lacrosse practice and games, general activities and then the doodles.  We would have been crazy long ago. 

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

I love the name Tank

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

I agree with what you said about the right time. I could not have had these two dogs when my kids were younger. My two get two very long walks each day or we pay later for it in the evening. I walk in every kind of weather to make this happen. A large part of my day is taken up with Doodle stuff and I know people say all the time their dogs entertain each other and my dogs will wrestle and play, but never enough that we can forget about the walks. As far as when we added Vern, he was super easy to potty train and fit right in with us from day one. He does still get me up at night and he is three. Fudge would happily snuggle all day and sleep all night, but not Vern. No two dogs are ever alike. I am crazy about both my dogs, but I think Fudge would have been fine as an only dog. I feel Vern is a dog who really needs another dog in his life. Good luck!

[Jennifer and Jack]

Jack is going to be four and still gets me up to potty at night at least once... He is only a little guy you would think I could wear him out.. If I try to cheat him out of one of his walks he literally gets right up next to me and stares at me...without wavering until I play dumb and say what Jack show me.. He leads me right to the door that is used for him to go walking..... He will not let me sleep either if he doesn't get all his energy out.... 

[Lynda Kamrath]

Two are definitely better than one.  Ask any doodle!  But teething puppies can be very destructive.  Groucho ate a pair of glasses (bifocals, plastic lenses) that I left on the nightstand.  They all ate shoes.  Harpo used to teeth on the deck and baseboards.   My husband discovered that he really disliked tobasco sauce and would buy big jars of it and paint the areas when the puppy was chewing.  It doesn't last too long but we still place our shoes on the window ledge in the bathroom or behind closed doors in closets.  Actually seems to help with getting organized.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

What it really boils down to is:

Your second dog will NOT be the same as the first.  Some things will be better and some will be worse.  What one doesn't think of or do, the other will.

TIME.  Do you have the time to devote to the second one IF he turns out to be a more high maintenance dog? If he turns out to be one of the high energy doodles, can you handle that until he matures?  If he turns out to have a high maintenance coat, can you take care of that - the 'dreaded' coat change can last a couple of years with that type of coat and you will need to brush/comb (at least 40 minutes) daily, every other day, 3 times a week gradually changing to weekly? (However you can keep the coat pretty short if you wanted.)  If you are training your first, do you have the time to continue that training and add the second one's training?

COST. Times two.

If these are questions you have solutions to, I say go for it.  Two is lots more fun than one.

[Kyoko]

I am very happy that I added another dog to my family. Since the original, first dog passed away, Charlie looked lonesome. Plus, she really didn't know how to play with other dogs nicely, so adding the new one was much helpful to her. They play together well, and Charlie seems happier with companion...

Training the new one - Pinot Grigio -has been much easier with having Charlie as well. Pinot picked up few basic commands just by watching what Charlie does.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Kyoko, Congratulations on your new dog!! Love the name!!