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

[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

[Ginny Nightingale]

Have you visited the multiple doodles group? I am sure you will find many answers there--but whenever I have read through one of the discussions on this topic, one thing came through--DO IT! I was hesitant and now I would never go back and I am adding a third! (Caution: they are addictive.) As for toys, etc,  dogs will work out their differences and you needn't worry about it--the less you interfere, the better--unless one really gets aggressive, of course, but that is rarely the case. I don't see the slighting problem either in any of the discussion--that is not the way a dog thinks! Try not to out human emotions into the picture! They are usually glad to have another 4-legged member of the "pack" that likes to sniff butts as much as they do. The male/female thing is usually a myth, too. I had male dogs forever and got female labradoodles--one acts more like a typical male-- so, you never really can predict their personality based on their gender, in my opinion.

[Kimberly Daisy Kalli]

I vote yes.  In all honesty, I had many of the same concerns you mentioned.  I was worried about sharing toys, feeding and how Daisy (our 2 year old doodle) would feel.  In the end, I let my husband talk me into it because we both really wanted Daisy to have a friend.  Kalli is 4 1/2 months now (she has been with us since she was 8 wks old) and we are SO glad we decided to get a 2nd doodle.  Her and Daisy LOVE each other... now.  There were times in the first several weeks when I wondered if we made the right decision.  Daisy tolerated her, but didn't really show that she loved having a sister for the first few weeks.  Kalli wanted to play constantly and the play was kind of rough.  I felt like a referee.  We made sure each family member spent time with Daisy alone and Kalli alone during that time.  Then had to constantly supervise the playtime in the beginning.  Now... it's just like I hoped it would be.  They play together nicely, snuggle each other, do well on walks together, chase each other around the yard for hours and follow each other around the house like shadows.  It is really a decision that we worried about making, questioned after we made it and now feel grateful that we did it every day.  Let us know what you decide.

[Jeanne, Tura and Dolly]

We wanted to get a playmate for our Tura and were very hesitant.  The first 24 hours after we got Dolly were not promising and we were wondering "what have we done?"  It slowly got better.  Dolly seemed to adjust pretty well but Tura let us know she was a little put out by peeing and pooping in inappropriate places.  You can expect some adjustment period for both.  Now they get along great but it is a struggle walking them so I need to work on that!  Good luck!

[Tracy L Boring]

Denise,
I got my second doodle a year ago. I told the breeder about our first doodle, and she matched us with a perfect fit for our situation. I have two boy doodle. It was not the girl I wanted, and not my first choice in coat or color, but he is a perfect fit. Our two dogs are great. They play together and sleep together. They seem to love each other. I love having two doodle. I do have a little more work to do with two, but I don't mind. I am thinking of adding a third.

[Jersey, Jasmine, Jypsy and Diane]

A far as I am concerned, there is no bad and ugly, ONLY GOOD. We couldn't be happier. The girls get along great. There is never any fighting over food, toys or attention. I have two hands, one for each doodle. ;-)

[Tina, Clover, Plus 5 More]

Denise, I vote YES!  We have always been a multi dog family.  Recently we added are first doodle Clover.  I didn't realize how lonely Apollo (lab) had been since Weiner went to the rainbow bridge about 18 months age.  Before I go on Weiner was a nickname because he was scared of loud noises and his shadow sometimes, LOL.  Anyway since Clover has joined our family Apollo is so happy.  Even through we went on daily walks, swims and games of fetch Apollo still had so much energy.  But now the two of them play in the yard for an hour or so, 4-5 times a day.  When they come in both are relaxed and mello until it's time to go again.  

Toy sharing has not been a problem, but we have multiple toys.  I feed my dogs in their crates.  My trainer is the one that got me to do this.  One of our Yorkies just hated being crated.  Since we started feeding them in the crates it's no longer a problem.  Karen (trainer) said by feeding them in the crates it reinforces the crate as being a good thing. 

Has far as dominance issues go it really depends on the dog.  It sounds like Hunter enjoys the company of other dogs.  There is always an adjustment period when adding another dog and usually a few time outs.  But the end result is usually pure joy when things have adjusted.  It's so much fun watching the hours of playing and bonding.  Good luck with your decision.

[Ginny Nightingale]

Boy, do I feel dumb--I just realized that you ARE IN the multiple dogs group!! Sorry!

[Denise & Hunter!!!]

LOL LOL I did post it in both the Multiple Dogs Group and the main discussions LOL  

[Hollie Slattery]

We brought home Moose (11 month old male double doodle) as a puppy when Darbey (2 year old female goldendoodle) was a little over a year old.  They truely treat each other like brother and sister, pestering each other, stealing each other's toys, and loving each other! They are really fun to watch and we don't regret getting the second one at all.  The only "bad" thing that I have noticed is that Darbey is getting somewhat food agressive.  It started when Moose started taking treats and toys away from Dabey.  We are working on that.  I was told that females tend to gravitate towards one family member and males will go to anyone with a treat! That has seemed to be true in our house.  Darbey follows me everywhere and sits by my side when I'm sitting dOAADS E(Darbey just typed that! She keeps putting her nose on my keyboard wanting me to pet her!  Anyway, bottom line, if you love doodles....go for it.  You won't regret it!

[Debbie Penny]

I can't imagine only one doodle, mine absolutely love each other, double the love and double the fun!   We also had a third with an older maltese when the dood's came aboard, (one at a time) and that blend was also wonderful.   Enjoy without worries!

[Lauria Orr]

We have 2 mini Goldendoodles.  The grooming bills are reasonable for us...I don't know how much it would be for 2 standards.  Melody is 17 months old, and we got her brother Morgan,2 and a half months ago, at 3 months of age.  They are the best of friends.  Melody was enthused about Morgan the first day, which changed to a tolerance of him for about 2 weeks.  By the 3rd week, they were the best of friends, and now they are inseparable.  My husband was not really up for getting a second doodle.  Melody has issues with being terribly shy and easily frightened. My hope was that a second dog would help with that.  We worked with our breeder to select the right fit for Melody, and I am so glad we talked it over with her. My husband agreed, but not wholeheartedly at first.  (Now he acts as if it was his idea all along!) Morgan is out-going,  friendly, he has confidence, without being a bully.  He is perfect for her.  For us, personality was important, and we got him at 3 months, as his little personality was emerging more. Melody is gaining in confidence and they play so well together.  They have fun and they love being with each other as well as my husband and me.  We did get Pet health insurance, as I know medical expenses can add up if needed.  So far we have not used it.  There has been no down side for us.  We shake our heads in amazement as to how well suited these good natured dogs are. They find their way with who will get the toys...Morgan's favorite toy is "whatever is interesting to Melody".  They work all of that pack order routine out between themselves.  I think training is also important for manners, walking, healing, sit/stay,etc.  We are still beginners with that part. We couldn't be more pleased, having two.  As one trainer said to me, "no matter how much we want to, we just don't speak dog".   She was right.

[Linda Lynch]

I totally agree with Kimberly.  We were very hesitant in bringing in another dog with our Alpha male Schnauzer but after about 5 days , it was like the doodle had always been there.  She is very sweet and they share toys, treats and always are together whether in the house or in the yard.  They have a blast.  Now we are considering adding a small doodle to the pack.  This way we could have small dood, medium schnauzer and large dood!  Go for it!