Words of Wisdom Needed ~ The Good ~ Bad & Ugly of 2 Doodles :-) CROSS POSTED

[Denise & Hunter!!!]

I have thought on and off for quite sometime of adding a second doodle to our family.  Personally I have gone back and forth about it for a few reasons.  At first my DH was an adamant "NO" one dog is it! Then he kind of changed to "Well maybe one day...", then "I think Hunter needs a friend" then I emailed him the blog by Carol about Banjo's "Attack" - HILARIOUS for the record and he was totally smitten with Banjo and his beautiful red coat.

 

 I think a lot of my reservations were because of his original adamant NO - it was easier to think of all the reasons why it wasn't  a good idea instead of being disappointed.  After that he told me to email Wendi, the breeder we got Hunter from, and see if she had or was expecting any red goldendoodles.  She has a liter right now but the only red girl is probably going to be the pick from the first person on the wait list for this liter :-(  I told her to let me know if that isn't the case but that's ok because she has another liter due on March 27th that she said should have red's.  

 

My DH is dead set on another female - he has never had a male dog and just loved his female golden retriever growing up and now Hunter so his experiences have been good and he is one of those that does not like to mess with a good thing.  Nothing unexpected is his philosiphy on just about everything LOL  Personally, I think he wants to be the only male in the house with me, two daughters and a female dog LOL  

 

So with all of that being said I would love to hear ALL of the good, the bad, and the ugly of two-doodle households.  I know the logical negatives like twice the expense, twice the mess, etc. but I am looking for more advise and words of wisdom on the dominance issues, dividing your time and attention, what you would do differently if you had to do it over or what you think worked great.  I am thinking about toy sharing, feeding, etc.  I worry so much about Hunter feeling slighted or replaced or like the red headed stepchild.  Hunter does absolutely love other dogs, we did have an experience with my father-in-law's Brittney Spaniel who stayed with us for a month and Hunter seemed to enjoy every minute of her.  Could that be a good sign?

 

Can I just tell you that I totally did not dwell like this over my human children?! LOL LOL

 

P.S. I cross posted this in the Multiple Doodle/Dogs Group also :-)

[Denise & Hunter!!!]

Thank you all so much!!  Sounds like there are so few "bads" and "uglies".  Hunter is such an easy doodle that I keep wondering how I could get so lucky the second time.  Hearing all of these positives really gives me a whole new perspective.

[Ellen aka BeauBeau's Mom]

[Ellen aka BeauBeau's Mom]

here are BeauBeau and Lily!

[Jennifer Tramell]

I had many of the same worries & fears as you have stated.  We had our Cody for 5 years before Dixie joined our family, however we had rescued and fostered many pups before Dixie.  We were a 2 dog famiy for over 10 years and there were many times I missed being a 1 dog family.  We had taken Cody everywhere before Dixie but Dixie was NOT a socialable dog and we couldn't take her many places. 

When we got Webster, I REALLY enjoyed being a 1 dog family.  Web went everywhere with us and was almost like a third child :-)  I enjoyed having his attention and not feeling like I was slighting another dog by giving him attention. 

We got Charlotte when Webster was 1 1/2 yrs old.  I worried about losing his devotion. hurting his feelings by sharing attention, not loving Charlotte as much as Webster, etc.  We have once again been a 2 dog family for 6 months now.  None of my fears have come true, now I have double the devotion and Webster has a doggy "sister" that he just adores (and she adores him).  Here are my "bads" & "uglies" about a 2nd dog.

It is a hassle and ordeal to take 2 dogs places.  2 dogs take up much more car space and it is an effort to make sure there is room, time, leash-holders, etc.  Charlotte has not been as socialized as Webster was because it is an effort to take both dogs and I feel bad taking just her.

It is harder to find time to train Charlotte because Webster wants attention also.

If we want to go somewhere for a weekend or week, I feel bad asking people to take care of 2 dogs but I didn't worry about leaving just Webster.  Webster would just blend with their family, might forget he was there, but you can't miss 2 medium/big dogs.

Both dogs are extremely devoted and loving to our family, however, they have each other and are much more likely to decide not to obey if they are having fun.  It's harder to get their attention when they are outside playing because they are together.

There are some doggy games that are way more fun for 2 dogs - digging, tearing up cardboard and toys, etc.  In many ways 1 dog just joins the family but 2 dogs are definitely 2 DOGS.  Probably better for the dog but sometimes harder for the family.

I am a better dog owner with just one dog - I excercise, train, groom, bathe, etc, one dog more frequently then 2 dogs.  It's just harder to find the time to commit to double the work.

 

Now after ALL that, I want to say that I adore Charlotte.  We thought we had lost her and I was devastated.  I always planned for 2 dogs, I just wasn't quite ready for a second dog when Webster was just easing out of puppyhood.  My opinion is that adding a 2nd dog when the first dog is 4-6 yrs old is perfect.  It is a huge comfort having a younger dog as your older dog ages.  I actually don't notice much difference with feeding, cleaning, etc from one dog to two, but I had 2 dogs for most of my adult life - I guess 1 dog was just a vacation :-)