Were You More Lax With The Second Doodle?

[Training - Experiences, Challenges, and Mindsets]

There is no doubt about it, training is going to be more difficult with two! I expected a lot out of Hattie; and began her training the second day home. She is not a superstar by any means, but she knows her commands and generally follows them well. She has always sat and waited for her bowl of food and been kissed on the forehead as a signal to commence eating. Yesterday, I sat her bowl down (without the kiss) and turned to set Theo's bowl down because he was seriously hungry and he was taking all my attention at the moment. When I turned back around, there sat poor Hattie waiting for her kiss so she could eat.

I find I am already being more lax with Theo. Granted he is only going on 12 weeks old, but it's sometimes hard to maintain his attention with Hattie in the picture. He also loves the outdoors more than Hattie did and is a much more rough and tumble kind of dog (maybe because he's a boy?). I know I probably need to separate them to train, but I'm afraid Hattie will feel left out since it has always been just her and I; and I don't want to do anything to destroy their relationship by making her jealous of me spending extra time with Theo.

At this point Theo knows his sit, down and stay commands, both verbally and with sign. Stay is still kind of shaky if there are treats involved, lol...he has learned this by training beside Hattie. He watches her like a hawk and imitates what she does. It's soooo cute!

So my question is when you have two, is training them together so bad? Is training apart better? I already know I am going to have to take Theo to stores alone for awhile to socialize him and leave Hattie home :( I have taken them both together several times, but handling Hattie and carrying Theo is too much since he's getting heavy, and he can't be on the ground yet. 

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Sandy, I have plenty of advice. YES...take Theo out and socialize him every chance you get. YES...train him individually. I struggle with the exact same stuff as you do, all the time, every day.  I did do individual classes and training, but if I could start all over again, I would do more. More socializing with Vern, more trips to Petco, etc. Since it was hard to take two, I just didn't go. Big mistake! I do have days when I let Vern go alone to the pet sitter because he likes going so much more than Fudge and it is so nice to just walk one dog. My two feed off each other on a walk and Fudge, at four, has hyper hunting instincts and reacts to every living thing. Vern, by himself, would not react, but with Fudge leading the way, there are days I want to re-home them :) Start while Theo is young and it will be easier and better in the long run. Maybe a daycare visit for Theo and alone time with Hattie and vice versa. I also go to the park and leave one in the car while I train the other and that has worked well for us. They can see what we are doing, but not interfere.

P.S. This is definitely a case of do as I tell you and not as I do :)

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Sandy, I get it...I really do. Fudge is so incredibly loyal to me and I feel like a heel when I walk out the door with just Vern. Even if it doesn't make sense to others, it is how I feel. Plus, for me I have to drive everywhere I go and when I was taking one and coming back and then taking the other, it was half my day gone.

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

would that be the heel of a big ole velcro boot or just the heel of a petite little pump?  :)

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

This is just my opinion but I think one dog would be a snap.  You can always focus on that dog and correct every time etc.  When you add another dog, not only does the dynamic change, but you do have to divide your attention. This is why we have always spaced our dogs out by about 4 or more years. If I had it to do over again, I would leave one dog home alone and take the other. Then trade off.  I would do this often so that they learn how to stay alone and that it isn't forever.  We have always taken the new dog out alone to give them socialization and training but forgot that they needed to stay home alone also.  We now have three dogs who are not good home alone - one actually has anxiety so perhaps he doesn't count.  When we rescued the adult Clancy it was obvious to us that he had been an only dog, we should have kept his ease at being by himself up.  Now he hates, hates, hates it if we leave him.

[GBK]

I wouldn't say I was more lax with Kona, but she definitely was more intersted in Buddy in the first 6 months than the rest of us.  I took Kona alone to all the training, just like I did Buddy.  She missed him very much, but I think it was very important that she be comfortable without him, and enjoy the time alone with me. 

Buddy ADORES the mommy and me time he get's, he was the first one, and remembers the single attention.  You can really see it in his eyes and demeaner.  Kona is happier when we are all together, but enjoys any time it is just her and I, she get's very cuddly and likes my lap. 

Remember, they will feed off of each other too.  Kona is the more reactive dog, and Buddy will take cues from her....  He will respond when she does when otherwise he wouldn't.  So yes, Buddy taught Kona where to go potty in the yard, but Kona is a bad influence on Buddy when it comes to reacting to some situations.

[Lynette Main]

I have three doodles and I trained one at a time.After they are  trained you just hope they all remember  what they are suppose to do.AT THE SAME TIME!!!!!  Have fun...

[Patti Livanos]

I have a 6-year-old lab and an almost 2-year-old doodle.  My lab was a very troublesome puppy and I actually needed a special trainer to turn him around.  He is now so well-behaved he is like a service dog!  I promised myself that the next pup I got would go to that same trainer from the beginning so I could prevent any bad stuff from happening right from the beginning, as we wasted so much time with so many other trainers that just didn't know how to handle the lab.  Fast forward to Baxter, our doodle, coming home.  We worked with the same trainer from the time Baxter came home, and I must say I was not more lax with Baxter but more on top of him right from the start.  My lab is so good that I am now spoiled and want all my future pups to be trained to the same awesome standard!  There will be no going back for me!  It makes life so easy to have well behaved pups.  I trained the second at the trainers and in public places alone, but made sure I also had my times alone with the first pup.  It is good for them both to learn to be alone without the other.  Even doing this, when my lab had to stay at the vet for a day, Baxter was beside himself!  And I also train them together in the home in our normal, every day lives, as well as on our walks or when we go to the dog parks.  Just natural to put them through their paces from time to time to keep their skills sharp, and I do that together, even though the formal training for the second one was alone...  And it's funny, when Baxter was younger and in training, and wed practice at home, my lab would do everything I asked Baxter to do right next to him...  He'd join the training sessions even if I didn't ask him to, lol!

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Good for you, Patti for starting early with Baxter....avoiding the problems through training before they become a habit is so key.

[Patti Livanos]

Well, the whole time I was training the lab with the good trainer, I kept thinking, "If only I'd found him first, I never even would have had to go to those bad places we went to..."  Regular puppy classes, etc. didn't cut it for him...  Probably would have been enough for Baxter, but I'm spoiled now and have very high training expectations...  :)

[Julie, Boomer, Milo & Casey]

Yesterday I posted in the multiple doodle group about how difficult it is for me to leave one at home while I walk the other. I was directed to this conversation. I see a lot of us have similar problems with leaving one at home. I just hate to hear the whining when I close the door on a nose. That's the hardest part for me but the reunion when we return is priceless! Boomer and Milo act like they've been separated for days!

[Adina P]

It's interesting that you see it as making sure he was okay.  I always see it as my dogs are taking in all the many smells I've just been in contact with and from that gleaning info about where I've been.  This is really evident to me when I've interacted with another dog while I have been away.  They are REALLY into the smells I bring back.  And PetCo is FULL of interesting smells to a dog.

[Heather]

I had Ellie for almost "2" years before we got Oliver. We did have a trainer come to our home and we worked with Ellie everyday. I am now taking Oliver to private training classes once a week. I think it's nice that he also has his own bonding time like she did. They do get Very EXCITED to see each other when we return home!!! When I do my training homework, I include Ellie and they Both Love it. Love the Kiss on the head Sandy, just Precious!!! I do the same thing with Ellie on her Nose~