I must be nuts!!!

[L.M.]

Ok...hubby and I are considering getting a second doodle to join us and our 18 month pup Seamus.  Firstly, are we insane??? lol  I know so many of you have 2 doodles.  Everyone I talk to says 2 doodles is actually easier...in terms of energy burning and play time at least.  We would get a female from Seamus' own parents.    My big concern is crate training.  Would it be "bad" to crate our new pup and not crate Seamus...Seamus is no longer in a crate when we are not home, but a new pup would have to be, and the only place for a crate in our house is in our finished basement, where Seamus does NOT stay during the day.  Is it cruel to separate the dogs like that when we're not home?  

[Lindsey, Lee, Whopper and Simba]

Hi! We added a second over a month ago now and it has definitely been fun and rewarding but exhausting. It is nice that they play and tire each other out, but with one a puppy it is a lot more work. Once he is older, then I think the 2 is easier notion will be true. We crate the puppy in our bedroom when we are out and Whopper can go in there but she typically stays in the living room. They both seem to be okay with this although they do enjoy being together. I don't think crating just the puppy is bad in any way. Seamus will appreciate the space and special time.

[Lee Seidman]

Why not consider a rescue. We adopted Billy as an 8 month old rescue male to become a playmate for Lexi, our 2 1/2 year old female, It has worked out great. lexi has taught him the rules of the house, they play and run toogether, we travel with them and he is a fantastic pup. We never crated him, he was housebroken when we adopted him and Lexi showed him her place. Now they even potty together. I think rescue is definately the way to go.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I don't think you're "nuts" at all! We have two Doodles, and we love it. I would never say that it's "easier" though. There is twice as much grooming, pottying, expense, training, exercise....but there's also twice as much LOVE and FUN. I think it's totally fine for the puppy to be crated while Seamus is free in the house. There were plenty of times when Murphy was in a crate and Guinness wasn't.....no problems. Keep us posted on what you decide.

[Adina P]

If you are ready...not nuts at all.  My personal preference is to have one dog more or less 'done' with training before adding another...that would be my only reservation.  
It is OK for one dog to be crated while the other is free.  The new pup won't know anything different in your house.  Rosco was crated for 2 years while our other two were free.  Guest dogs are always crated while my free dogs roamed the house.  And our current pup is crated throughout the day while Rosco is free.  

[Adrianne Matzkin]

2 are more 'work' during the initial training stage but #2 does learn faster watching #1.
Or should I say I learned faster with #2 than I did with #1. I was trained better, knew the signs to watch for but I did take Charli to puppy kindergarten and puppy grad classes at our local shelter. It reminded me what I needed to do and she loved my 1 on 1 attention.
No - you are not crazy!

[F, Calla & Luca]

Two is great. My two are still crated when I'm not home. Calla was crated at night fo about a year when Luca was free but we were in the bedroom together. a pup doesn't need a huge crate. surely there is somewhere upstairs where a pup could be crated and still see something of seamus? I hope so.

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

We added a new puppy 6 weeks ago and she is in an ex-pen when we are out or I need a break. Murphy hasn't been crated or in a pen since he was about 5 months old but the puppy will be in the pen longer I'm sure. She is definitely a LOT of work and I was just thinking today how tired I have been. There is really no where to go that she isn't trying to nip at you or take what is in our hands, or attacking poor Murphy to play with her, (although I think he actually starts most of the ruckus)

We seem to have gotten past most of the potty accidents and that makes life a little better. I am now using the pen during the zoomie time of the evening, as DH, Murphy jand I just need a break by 7-8 pm!
So yes, I think crating one and not the other is fine. Does Seamus have access to the basement during the day, so they can see eachother so the puppy won't feel so alone? I also agree with the idea of a rescue or older pup. If that situation had presented itself prior to getting a puppy I would've gone that route. I'm not sorry I got another, because I know what a great dog she'll be once we get out of the puppy stage, and life will settle back down. They do keep eachother entertained all day that's for sure. Just picture EVERYTHING double!!!!

[Carolyn Wilkinson]

We got a second doodle when our first one was 11 months old. The first one was great, potty trained easily, was very calm and easy going. The second one (both are girls) was much harder to potty train bc we did/could not leave her in a crate all of the time bc she would bark and want to be with the other one. The second one is VERY active and won't leave the first one alone. Wants to play nonstop! She has become the Alpha dog which I know that's how dogs operate but it makes me feel bad bc the first one is so sweet and I feel like her little sister is a bully with her. They both have very good temperments and do excellent with kids and other dogs. I don't feel so bad leaving them home alone since they have each other and also boarding them. However it does cost twice as much!!! It is definitely harder right now anyway with two. It's like having little kids again and you have to be on your toes all of the time. They are ages 1 and almost 2 and I'll be honest, I can't wait for them to mature a little! Good luck if you make the decision to get another!

[L.M.]

Well everyone.....we did it!! Stella came home earlier this week. She is 11 weeks old and is Seamus' "sister" from his parents. Things are going wonderfully (knock on wood). Seamus loves playing with her...although being a big pup himself, he doesn't understand that he is 70 pounds and she is only 10....she is very petite but has a BIG personality. They also lay with each other which makes my heart melt lol. He had his head on her this afternoon while they were sleeping on the floor together. She is sleeping through the night and is doing extremely well with house training. Seamus is acting like a great big brother...in fact he "yelled" at her and mouthed her earlier when she began biting my area rug in the living room...he knows that mommy wouldn't like that. =) The only sore spot seems to be with the toys....he gets a bit possessive of his toys and tries to steal hers, so we have simply been removing them...is that what is generally recommended? Other than that, things are great and I'm so happy we decided to bring our little Stella Dora home to join our family.

[Roxanne Ochs]

First,how lucky you are that your husband wants another dood. My husband thinks that two would be over the top but I think deep down he's afraid that he wouldn't be able to love another one like he loves CeeGee.
I used to have collies and when my big guy was 4, I got a puppy and put him in a crate during the day till lunch and came home and let him out and put him back in when I went back to work and at night he slept in the crate till he was housebroken and he didn't mind it at all. It gave them both a break from each other and I had no trouble with the housebreaking.
A friend of mine has cockers and she recently got a puppy and has a 14 year old and a 2 year old and does the same thing and its working out pretty good.
Our basement is finished also and the crate area we made for our dood is gated off with the crate in it on a linoleum section. Our breeder doggy door trained all the pups and so that area also contains the wall where we installed our dog door. The only time we put her in her crate and actually closed the door was at night for the first few weeks. I think during the whole housebreaking period we had only about 3 accidents.
I never had a doggy door before and it is worth its weight in gold.