How To Manage Two Doods at Once

[Traci -Bexter & Maggie]

This is a question for all you members who have 2 doodles.  As you probably know (by my millions of posts...) that I am getting a second doodle probably next spring or summer (earlier if I can't stand the wait).  Anyway - I have a couple of questions.  The breeder that I am getting this new doodle from feeds a different food than I feed Bexter.  She really wants me to keep her on that food (she will be a guardian pup & will be bred as part of the breeder program), so I need to keep her on that food. 

1.  Should I keep Bexter on his food he's doing so well on or at some point transition him over to the food my girl doodle will be eating?  Is it crazy to have 2 dogs on 2 different foods?

2.  When you leave for work or whatever, do any of you keep the same doodles in one big crate or separate crates?  I will have a small crate for when she is potty training as a pup, but when she gets bigger, will they want to sleep & be together in the same crate or put 2 crates side by side?  Actually, since she will be bred, it might make more sense to keep them in separate crates so she has more space & privacy when needed?

3.  Do you feed them in their separate crates or something?  I will want to know how much they are eating & I'm worried if I feed them together outside crates that they might want to steal/eat each other's food - especially if they are on different foods.

4.  Anything else I should think about or be aware of with 2 dogs?  Thanks!

[Adina P]

I think 2 separate foods is fine...just keep them separated.  One can eat IN the crate and the other out of the crate or each in his own crate .  I also vote for them EACH having their own crate regardless.  They will not necessarily WANT to snuggle all the time and when your girl  is in heat you don't want shared messy area.  Plus if they ever have an issue over something you don't want them STUCK together with no way to get space when they are alone.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Ditto.  I fed different foods to my guys for a long time and it was never an issue.

[Barbara B., Sasha & Oliver]

Great questions Traci..... My two doodles eat different foods Oliver is still on puppy and Sasha is on adult.  I feed them one at a time because the bowl system I have is a two part (food/water) that is raised 16" off the floor and only has two compartments.  When I first got Oliver he would inhale his food so I would feed him first but then when he was finished I would make Sasha's food and the second I put it down Oliver wanted to eat her food as well.  I used that time to train Oliver on sit and stay but as soon as I turned my back he was pushing her away to get at her food.  Now it is the complete opposite.  I have to feed Sasha first because Oliver takes his time and is in no rush to eat and now Sasha is little miss piggy now - LOL.  They get fed in the kitchen and it you have to keep one dog away from the other use that time to play or do some one-on-one time with each dog.  I hope to get them both on the same food once Ollie goes on adult food but sometimes his tummy gets upset so I may have to keep him on Neutro and Sasha on Wellness - time will tell.

I don't think its a good idea for 2 dogs in same crate just not a good idea at all.  My two are crated when I am not home but I have the crates next to each other.  My doodles are attached at the hip - LOL

 

I try to give each dog one-on-one time every day.  Sasha is such a Mommy's girl and welcomed Oliver with open paws.  Sasha was 11 months old when I got Oliver.  I wanted to get #2 Doodle when she was young and a puppy so there would be no issues.  Sasha is going to be 2 in October and Ollie just turned 1 in June and they get along wonderfully.  As I said earlier they are attached at the hip.  If I have to take one dog to the vet or out without the other - OMG the other dog that is left home is VERY upset. 

 

If you think of anything else please let me know I will be happy to help.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

1.  You have had so much trouble with B's food - keep it the same!  I used to shiver at the thought of feeding two seperate foods, but it is MUCH easier than I initially thought.  Just keep them separate and keep an eye on them :)

2. My dogs are not crated anymore (took 2 years for doodle to chill out), but if I were you, I would keep them in separate crates definitely....

3. I feed them out of their crates - Peri gobbles her food immediately and Taquito barks if she tries to impede on his space :)  You can play it by ear and the crate feeding might work better for you.

4. You will love having two dogs. It's much more work and more expensive, but worth it in my opinion if you can swing it.  We come home from work to doodle and chi snuggled together on the couch :) Love seeing that.

 

BTW what food does your breeder recommend?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Regarding the food, while we all have our favorites, and some dogs require certain types of formulas that don't contain certain ingredients, there are an awful lot of choices out there, and there is rarely a food that has such unique ingredients that it couldn't be duplicated in another line. If the food in question is the one that is only sold through breeders and private reps, via a multi-level marketing program, I suspect that is why she wants the dog kept on that food, and not because there is something wonderfully unique about it. I can understand if she simply wants the dog kept on a high-quality food, perhaps grain-free or fish-based or whatever, but otherwise, that doesn't make sense to me. If she trusts you to care for the dog, she ought to trust you to feed her properly. Or give you a broader range of choices.

This is one reason I could never be a guardian home. Either the dog is mine or she isn't. Nobody knows how to take care of my dog better than I do, and being restricted in every basic area of the dog's life, even down to the food you feed....well, I just couldn't do it.

I would absolutely not change Bexter's food if he's doing well on it. Depending on what you're feeding and what the breeder wants you to feed, the food Bexter is on may very well be a better quality food. And if the breeder is selling the food, I would not even consider it.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Well said Karen. I came to the same conclusion about guardianship.

[Jane, Rooney & Stuart]

Rooney will be 1 on Aug. 17 and Stuart is 4 months.  We are almost done with crates - Stuart still sleeps in the soft sided one in my room at night.  If I leave during the day they have a large hallway/laundry room that I have gated off.  If I choose too, I can also gate this into 2 sections - giving each dog their own space but they can see each other.  Stuart would eat his food and Rooney's also so I feed Stuart inside the gate and Rooney outside the gate.  Stuart gets large breed puppy and Rooney, just this week got switched to Origen adult.  Works perfectly.

[Cindy M, Zachary & the Frenchies]

Second dog - such fun!! Definately feed separately - prevents problems before they start. I have fed as many as 3 different foods - certainly easier to feed one kind- but that is a personal choice and i think you need to decide what is best for Bexter and what is required for your guardian dog. When my dogs were still crated, I fed in the crate - it helped them to associate the crate with all things good. If you are going to keep them crated I would suggest separate crates so they each have their own space. They can share during the day time when the crates are open if they want to get cozy for a nap. Multiple dogs are a special treat!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Every time someone posts, I get kicked off the discussion and my partial post.  ARGH!!!!  Is the food an all life stages food or will Bexter still be on puppy food? If the breeder's choice of food is a high quality one, I would transition Bexter to it now so that is just what he eats and there isn't additional stress when the new pup comes.  If it isn't on dk's list, frankly I would change the new pup's food to a high quality one after a period of transition.  You can train them to NOT eat out of each other's bowls though even if the food is different.  Adina's suggestion of feeding in the crate is probably  best for puppies. I think it is going to be very hard to give two puppies enough attention and training though.

[Jennifer,Chloe & Myla]

I think they both deserve their own crate for sure, we just put ours side by side. Feeding different foods is fine feed them separate and I would keep Bexter on the one he's on if it working for you. You should think about how tired you will get with 2 dogs! LOL! You have time to get ready for that. Good luck!

[Ginny Nightingale]

I agree with all that is said. Up until a few weeks ago, i had three different foods for my three doods! (The puppy now eats the same food as mom, so I am down to two.) I think they should have their own crates and their own beds as well. Make sure one doesn't take everything over from the other. You may also want to get a "Y" shaped hook up for two dogs so you can walk them on one leash. I do that with my two adults. i have not yet tried walking three--they might pull me to China!

My breeder was very specific about the food my guardian dog had to be on, but then all these things kept happening with different foods being recalled and she kept changing her mind. I finally started feeding a grain-free high quality food that was similar to the one she recommended and she left me on my own after that. It is just a matter of establishing trust. And frankly, I was clueless when I got my first doodle from her and learned A LOT! And I had owned dogs for over 50 years at that point! Of course, I have also learned A LOT form DK and all the food experts here and will never go back to my old ways!

 

[Traci -Bexter & Maggie]

Thanks for all the comments!  I will definitely get 2 crates & probably will feed them in their crates.  I would feel really guilty about switching Bexter's food for no good reason, so likely I will keep him on Natural Balance Synergy. It is all life stages, so there's really no need to switch him ever.

Karen - The food the breeder feeds her dogs is Diamond Naturals.  I don't remember seeing that on the DK recommended list.  I looked it up on Dog Food Advisor & it has 4 stars (which is the same as Natural Balance Synergy).  Do you know anything about that food?

The reason the breeder gave me for keeping the pup on that food was that when she is pregnant & goes to the breeder for 7 weeks to give birth & nurse pups, she'll be feeding her that food & if I feed something different than that she thought it would be hard for her.  However, I didn't think of the fact that I could send some Natural Balance Synergy with her when I take her to stay over there.  Also, I get to visit as often as I want during that time so I can always make sure she has plenty.  That way I can keep her on the same food as Bexter.  I will discuss that more with the breeder.  If she insists, then I'll feed what she wants; I just didn't know much about that food & I know that Bexter is doing well & didn't want to rock the boat with him.

Thanks for all your advice.  I know having 2 puppies (well, Bexter will be 1 when I get the new pup) may be a challenge, but I'm sure it'll be well worth it.  I wanted them to be close enough in age to still want to play together while they're still young & rest together when they grow old.