Should we get a second dood or not?

[Jarka, Monty & Auggie]

I have just learned from our Monty's breeder that she will have a last litter of standard sized goldendoodles in June. The puppies would be half siblings to Monty as the litter will have the same dad.

We have been thinking whether we should add another puppy to our house, this time a little half-sister to Monty. Monty will turn 2 in March. He is such a good dog and we love him very much. He is my first dog and I just fell in love with goldendoodles and so did my husband who was at first opposed of getting a doodle two years ago.

 

Even though having two dogs sounds exiting, here are some worries that I have:

 

1. We are training Monty to become a therapy dog. We are scheduled to take the test in February. That means we take him with us wherever we go, whether it be a store or a restaurant. He seldom stays behind and he loves it. Would I have to leave Monty home with the other pup? I just cannot imagine going to a store by myself, pushing a cart and handling two dogs. Do I just take Monty and face the sad eyes of the other doggie? Or do I just keep them both home while running errands?

 

2. I work from home few days a week. There are days when I have a full day meeting and Monty goes to a daycare, and there are days when I just take him with me to work and he stays in my office. How is it going to work with two dogs? (Not counting the fact that my Ford Focus will be too small for 2 large dogs, but that's a detail, LOL) Would I just leave them home together and they can entertain themselves or do I dare taking them both to work with me?

 

3. I believe having one-on-one quality time with both dogs separately would be beneficial. So just like we did with Monty, I would need to take the other puppy to puppy socialization classes and eventually to obedience courses and Monty would have to stay home. Or would the little puppie learn from Monty and the training would be easier?

 

And what if the dogs don't like each other? Then what?

I would think that Monty would love to have a best friend to play with while I work, but at the same time, I don't want to make his life miserable.

 

Just sooo many things to consider. Anything else that I'm forgetting? (and I don't mean double the bills for the vet, food, etc. that just comes with the territory and I understand that)

 

Thank you for any input you might have.

[Tracy L Boring]

Jarka,

I went through the same thing two years ago.  I did a list of the pros and cons of having a second dog.  I did get a second dog, and it has been fantastic.  Our three year old doodle is a trained therapy dog, and we are training the second to be a therapy dog. 

We spend twice a week in obedience class with both dogs.  I train one, and my nine year old son trained the three year old doodle.  We do trade off training, so that both dogs will listen to either one of us.  I leave them home when I run errands now.  I do take them some, but they seem to like to stay home at times to play. 

My son and I both spend one on one time with both dogs, because I thought it was important.  The dogs are at a point now that they really don't like to be separated much.  They have bonded so well.  My worry at this point is, that our second dog does not like to be separated from our first dog.  I do take them for short separate walks. 

I go out to work a couple of times a week, and I now leave them both at home.  I make sure that I have taken both out for a long walk before I leave, and my son plays hide and seek with them before school.  They are good a tired by the time I leave, so they will play some with their toys while I am gone, but most often thought they curl up in a big over sized chair together and sleep and watch television. 

I talked with our breeder, and gave her a full description of our first dog, showed her pictures, and she got a really good feel for our first dog.  She picked out a wonderful second dog to add to our house.  I wanted a girl, and not another boy, but it turned out the best fit for us and our Rex was another boy. 

I can not imagine not having the second dog.  I so love to watch the two of them play together.  They act just like brothers.  They are so funny to watch.   

 

 

 

[Jarka, Monty & Auggie]

Thank you, Tracy, your thoughts help. I just know we have few more months to contemplate yet, so I want to make sure I cover all basis. We are in touch with our breeder and she knows Monty pretty well from my emails so I know she will be very helpful with picking the right puppy if we decide to do that. I will give her a call later this week just to chat with her about multiple dogs in the family. She is great. I love Monty so very much and he is like my shadow. I can't even take a shower without the bathroom door swinging open and him laying down in front of the shower door. He is very much connected to me, but when we are separated, he's not nervous. He is just "depressed" as my husband puts it. See, I'm the only one feeding him, taking him to walks, parks, and driving him around to run errands. My DH spends 5 minutes playing with Monty when he gets back from work and that's all. My DH is a HS teacher and blames it on being too tired. Only walks the dog over the summer, when he's  off. I do it all, so I'm also a bit worried that instead of having two dogs who would play with each other, I'm going to end up with two dogs that would have me as their main toy, LOL.

[Tracy L Boring]

I totally understand.  Our first dog (Rex) started out following me all over the house.  The second dog came (Bacstar), and he was very attached to me.  He sat in my lap, and really cried if I shut him out of the room I was in. They tend to occupy each other for the most part now.  Rex grew up to be very loving, and very independent.  I will say that Bacstar now, is very, very attached to Rex, and really follows Rex around the house now.  Bacstar so loves Rex.  I just started taking them for separate small walks, because I worry how attached Bacstar is to Rex.  I want them both to be happy in each others company as they are apart. 

I have to laugh, when I see Bacstar following Rex around the house.  It is very cute.  I think it is a good idea to cover everything like you are doing before adding another dog.  Good luck.  I can not wait to see what you decide.

[Jarka, Monty & Auggie]

LOL, oh boy. I already know I'm going to cave in and get the puppy. My husband then can't be surprised if I fall in bed like a brick every night at 10pm. I already do now. Where did the romance go? We only have a dog, not a kid. :-)))

 

PS. Monty is my best friend and it's kind of difficult to see myself loving the other dog this much. But they say that when you have kids, you love each one of them 100%, your love is not split among them. It's hard to imagine now, but I know I will be able to love them to death both.

[Sally, Ditzy Mitzi & Sgt. Pepper]

Something you might be overlooking is the male / female situation.  Even having both neutered/ spayed, they may still want to "play" in a way that you might not expect, at least mine get a little too friendly on occasion.  All they need is a gentle reminder to behave and there is or at least has been no real problem at this time.  The boy is not yet two years old, the girl is a little over 4 years old.  They are not related and are best of friends but they do get into mild skirmishes at times, and she is not always willing to share her toys and always tries to take his toys away.   Just some ideas of what our experiences have been.  They also share food bowls, going from one to the other so if one is on a different diet  they would have to be separated.  Just something else to think about. 

[Bev]

I have four doods so everything is with the group. They gather around me and everyone gets pets, hugs, or whatever the event. I walk three together as my little one doesn't like to walk. I refer to her as Princess Gracie LOL as she lays on her pillow and watches us leave. I schedule annual vet visits in June (take two) and Dec (take two) and it works well. Two often share the same dog pillow or one will have a part of the sleeping space. It's tight when all want up on the bed!! Gracie is only 17 lbs so I often say she doesn't count as the others are full size doods. I have fun with them and they keep each other company. Good luck and Happy New Year!!

[Jarka, Monty & Auggie]

Thank you, Bev, for your input. We still have few more months to decide so I'm sure the idea of having two dogs will sink in some more. I'm I first time dog owner. It was very exciting and scary at the same time when I made the decision to get Monty. 100% of my attention goes to him (if I don't count my DH, LOL), I'm making sure he is well excercised, trained, and not bored. He is my baby boy. So it's still a bit strange to imagine myself with two dogs. Happy New Year to you, too! 

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

Adding a second dog will change the dynamics in the household without a doubt.  It is easy to take one dog with you, but taking 2 dogs is sometimes a bit of a hassle.  When it was just Cubbie we spent a lot of time training and practicing at home but now that we have Ollie, I have found that we are a bit more lax with his training.  We take Ollie to training classes but I noticed that we just don't seem to put in as much practice time at home with him as we did with Cubbie. 

It is a little more difficult to get in that quality one on one time but where there is a will there is a way.  :)  I do feel guilty when I have to take one dog out somewhere and leave the other behind...those sad puppy eyes make my heart hurt every time I have to leave one dog at home.

We had some problems with Cubbie and Ollie getting along initially but we adopted Ollie when he was almost 2 and Cubbie was 2.5 years old.  I don't think you would have the same issues if you brought a puppy into the mix, but there is no guarantee.  Monty would need some time to adjust but he would probably do fine and help teach the puppy what is acceptable in your house. 

It is a lot of work and sometimes I wish things were simplier, but then I see those 2 sweet faces looking up at me and couldn't be happier!

[Lynda Kamrath]

I'm sure your doodles will love each other.  That is usually not the problem.  I have had two dogs for years after our last poodle fell apart when his companion died.  He had never spent a day alone in his life.  That is when we got started with doodles.  I got him a labradoodle puppy.  When the poodle was on his last legs, I got the labradoodle a goldendoodle puppy and the LD hardly noticed when the poodle died.  The LD, however, had medical problems and when he died the GD was so distressed that he would not even look out the window.  So, I got him an ALD puppy.  We have had two dogs for many years now and all of our pups have been males.  They are always best of friends and we separate them frequently just so they also have that experience.  We have a 5-mile hike around a park near our house, and my DH and I each take a dog and go opposite ways.  When we meet up in the middle, the dogs are delighted to see each other.  Both dogs are trained to go on bike rides with us (not on a leash) and we also do that. Sometimes I walk both dogs while my husband rides his bikes, but that also works.  We prefer off leash, but many areas require a leash.  Our youngest is being trained to do agility, but his coach broke her foot, so that is on hold for now.  You will have a great time with your two dogs.

[Bev]

They will have fun together! You will get stressed as we all do going through puppy training. My Callie who is over a year is a very SLOW learner but I love her dearly. I never took my doodles to training classes. Many say the training is for the owner. Some say doggie day care is great but I respond with four doodles it's 24 - 7 here. My doodles use a doggie seat belt harness so one bucket seat up front and one sitting in the back. You can fit two adults in your Ford Fucus so why not two doodles? When mine get tired of watching traffic they curl up in a ball while in the harness and fall asleep. You will never have one-on-one quality time. They both want attention at the same time. I pet each head right to left and start all over. My doods range from 50 lbs down to 18 lbs and they all LOVE attention. When they get on the bed with me I say - leave room for me LOL!! I buy Kirtland food at Costco and it's A+ rated and very affordable. I can't take my doodles to work but some would be super greeters. My little one would stay under my desk and sleep as Princess Gracie loves to sleep. The other three would be playing and greeting folks until nap time. They are worth every dollar to me as they bring me  happiness. I do the Momma's home and everyone dances around me. The Princess can nearly jump into my arms and then looks down at her sisters as if saying - you are on the floor BUT I am being held.  My latest one Callie, 40 lbs will start play fights with her sisters. Even the Princess will stand on her toes to get in some growl in your face moments. Doodles don't get size so they all play together.  Go for two as they always have company and I love watching my doods snuggle together. I take two to the vet in June and two to the vet in Dec so it's like only have two doodles LOL!! Seriously, I can only comfortably handle two doods at the vet. I can walk three doodles together with no issues. Princess Gracie doesn't walk but she runs like the wind in my yard. He muscle tone is great so the vet doesn't care that she refuses to walk. Her name of course is Gracie but she thinks she is more special than her sisters so Princess has been tagged to her name. Go for it and have lots of wonderful moments with your kids.

[Jarka, Monty & Auggie]

Thank you, Bev. Your message made me smile. Thank you. I needed to hear this today.

My office got moved to the building where my boss resides and she told me today I can't bring Monty to work anymore since she told other people they can't bring their dogs. Don't get me started; I'm just very upset today and I'm ready to fight for Monty no matter what. In the meantime, we did put down a deposit for the second puppy so it is going to happen. In my head, I kind of fast forward to when the puppy is all house trained and she and Monty are best buddies playing and snuggling together. That thought is priceless and I can't wait for it to materialize. Again, thank you.

[Lynette Main]

When I got the second Doodle ,it was great no fighting ever. They still love to play.Then I got the third,a little rescue. They all love each other,and never fight. They all know who rides in the front seat and who takes the back. I'm pretty good at walking all three at the same time also. You will be surprized at how much you don't have to train the newone. They really learn from the other dog. My rescue had been confined and does what they do. No accidents,great at walking and great with people. I think it had a lot to do with the other dogs and how they were trained. Good luck. You always have room for another Doodle.