2 doodles and 1 human?

[Devin and Indy]

I haven't posted in awhile, but Indy is going on 3 (in January) and I've been thinking about getting a second puppy (preferably a female mini labradoodle). He is about 20 lbs and I'm not worried about him getting along with other dogs at all.

Obviously yall all deal with multiple doodles, but I'm single and will be living alone or with roommates for the near future. I won't be getting the second puppy until after I take the Bar Exam in summer 2014 but I was wondering if anyone has experience with handling 2 dogs on their own?

I would have a month or two to spend at home with the both of them full or part-time while I wait for results.

Any advice or guidance would be really appreciated!

Here's a bonus picture of Indy:

[Phyllis Kandul]

hi Devin,
i am single and live by myself and work a lot and i'm sorta what some people would call a senior citizen. i had eloise who was 16 mos and got sam at 7 weeks. eloise went to north carolina with me to pick out sam. it's a little like having babies close together. it can be a bit hectic. i didn't do as good a job with strict training as eloise, because it was my busy season at work. but he is a trip, bottom line, elosie in now 2 1/2 and sam is a little over 2. they are the best of friends and they play together all the time and keep each so much company. i wouldn't have it any other way.

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

having 2 is definitely a LOT more work than having 1.  I knew it would cost more and take more time, but I underestimated just how much extra time.  I am currently living by myself with the 2 dogs and it will be like this for another 7 months until my husband can move out to our new home with me.  I recently started a new job so I'm struggling to balance my time between a fully work week, running errands on the weeks to take care of new house stuff, and finding time to spend with the 2 doods. 

 

You said you will have a month or 2 while you wait for the results of your bar exam, but what happens after that?  I imagine that you will get busy with a new job.  Will you have time to continue training a puppy, pay attention to Indy, and focus on your new job all at the same time?  I'm not trying to talk you out of it, but just really give it some thought before you take on all that extra responsibility. 

 

There is always the chance that you might have issues between the 2 dogs and that would require extra work and training and time.  There is no guarantee that Indy will get along with a new dog that comes into his home.  Cubbie was always great around other dogs until Ollie moved into his house.  It is likely that you won't have any problems, but you just can't assume it. 

 

Thank you for taking the time to think this through and not just jump into something like this.  Best of luck with the Bar exam too!  I took the cpa exam a few years ago so I know how much fun all that studying is!

[Devin and Indy]

These are all points I'm kind of nervous about. I think I did a great job training Indy but I had MONTHS where I was only working part-time to do so (we did Agility and all sorts of fun stuff). My job hopefully will be a pretty standard 9-5 but I'm worried about not being able to train the new puppy as well as Indy.

If I get a second dog, I want her to be a blessing and joy and not a source of extra stress and worry (at least not more than usual for a dog :) ). I have about a year and a half to think about it and decide. I'm going to contact a few of the good breeder's in my area and see what they think too. I've also been thinking about trying to foster a dog for the short-term and see how Indy responds.

[Lynda Kamrath]

Hmmm.  Good questions.  My husband says that two dogs are more than twice as much as one.  However, I will always have multiple doodles since they are so bonded with each other.  It is more work and more expense, but they are lost without each other.  It is good that you are thinking about things so far in advance and it might be a good idea to try a foster before you go for a new puppy.  See what Indy thinks of sharing YOU.  I took care of three doodles (different times) last summer and my dogs got along well with all of them.  So, it really depends on the situation.  It seems almost like you may be getting a second dog as a reward for finally taking the bar exam.  What if you don't pass the first time?  Would it be difficult to continue with two dogs as you study again for the next exam?  I don't know.  But you have plenty of time to think about it.  It's good that you are starting to  consider everything now.

[Devin and Indy]

So a bit of an update: My timeline has changed slightly and now I'm looking to potentially bring home a puppy in July/August of this year. I'll have about a month off from school to dedicate to the initial training and the semester doesn't really heat up until after Thanksgiving. This way, I'd have a 1 year old dog around the time I'd be taking the Bar. The other reason to consider this timeframe is that law school, while busy, does allow me a LOT of flexibility with timing. I wouldn't have to leave the puppy alone for longer than 4 hours....ever.

Financially I'm pretty stable, though I don't quite know where I'll be ending up. Is this silly? I really think adding a second puppy would bring a lot of joy to my life, but I want to be fair to her/him and put in the training and time that every dog deserves.