One doodle...two doodle?

[Kary, Sparty & Stella]

Hi all, just wanted to see if anyone has any good advice about adding another doodle to the family. We currently have a nine month old doodle boy who loves other dogs and loves to play with other dogs. Part of me says we are doing good, why get anothet but there is the other part that says one doodle isn't enough. Thought? Ideas? Upside? Downside?

[Barbara B., Sasha & Oliver]

In my opinion one doodle is never enough :)  My Sasha was 10 months old when I got my Oliver.. it was the best thing I ever did.  They are best buds and keep each other company when I am at work.  I love having 2 doodles :)

[Lori, Daphne, Lucy & Pippa]

Funny, I have a shirt that says: One GoldenDoodle is Never Enough"!

[F, Calla & Luca]

Luca was about 14 months old when I got Calla at 4 months. It is more expensive to have two doodles but I am very happy that I do.

[Diane, Baker & Oskar]

Having two doodles is great for everyone...the dogs & the people :)   Baker is 4, Oskar is almost a year old...they keep each other company, play & chase each other many times a day.  Oskar learns from Baker...I think dogs need their humans but they also need to be with other dogs.  

[Heather]

I agree with ALL of you, getting a second was the BEST decision we ever made!! Ellie and Oliver are one year apart. It's worked out Wonderfully. DOODLES are like M&M'S, you can't have just "1"~

[Janie, Jackson and Jilly]

We've added a second to our family too. Jack just turned 2 and Jilly is 10 months. I think they are great company for each other. I can see where Jack and Jilly are romping and playing together all the time in our backyard, where when it was just Jack, we would always be playing ball and Frisbee, but this is a whole different kind of play that they share. They are both so happy. I'm not one to go to a dog park and I'm glad they have each other for play.

One suggestion that comes to mind is it would be so helpful if your first has gone through basic training before you add another. Jack was trained up to getting his CGC before we got Jilly. I did continue more advanced training classes with Jack while we went through the basics with Jilly. It is such a commitment to get them that far and I was thankful Jack was as far along as he was. I think Jilly picked up a lot from Jack too. She just got her CGC and I'm breathing just a little easier now, although we will continue with classes. They both seem to really enjoy going.

Oh and talk to the breeder about the right personality match for your doodle. I think that was my biggest concern going into it.

Good luck!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Ned was two when we added the adult two -year old Clancy to our pack.  We already had two other adult dogs.  I like to space my dogs out so that the youngest can get lots of extra attention.  I love having multiple dogs.

[Kary, Sparty & Stella]

You are getting another doodles.

[Jarka, Monty & Auggie]

We added Auggie almost a year ago and it was very hard. Our first one, Monty, was 2.5 years old at that time and he also was a very easy puppy. Auggie was VERY different. I think just because we got spoiled by Monty, I expected the second puppy to be easy as well. So just be ready that they are going to be totally different from each other. 

Also, the dynamics in the house will change with two doodles. You will need to split your attention among two puppies. I used to take Monty with me everywhere, now I can't do that anymore since it' just way harder taking two and I don't want to leave one at home.

Everyone says that the younger puppy learns from the older dog, I'm just not sure how much that worked for us. I'm finding that training the younger one is much slower. He does great in classes, but practicing at home gets chaotic since the older one wants to be in the mix as well and Auggie then gets distracted and wants to play instead.

I also feel that the second puppy attaches himself more to the older dog than the owners. Monty is momma's boy and he always has been. Perhaps because he was the only dog in the house for over 2 years. He is very attached to me. Auggie, on the other hand, keeps an eye on Monty the whole time and follows him around most of the time. Auggie would walk away with anyone.

So yes, having two is definitely different. If you add a second one, you will need to deal with two puppies, since your older one is still a puppy. What helped in my case was that Monty was already trained so I was only dealing with antics of one puppy instead of two. But yours would be closer to age and will play a lot.

Whichever way you decide to go, doodles are fun. :-)

[Kary, Sparty & Stella]

Did you get both doodles from the same breeder? Your story is what makes me get anxiety over the second. I am concerned about training the new puppy to be easy going like our first. The first isn't an angel, but he gets a lot of attention and dedication.

[Valerie M]

This is so true for my doodles also. Everything you have said is exactly how it is with my doodles. Duke, my 2-1/2 yr old food, wants my love all the time. Bear my 1 yr old food wants Duke's attn. all the time

[Cyndi, The Boys & Callie]

We have three.  Two are 3 months a part in age and one is a year younger.  It is more expensive and can be crazy.  However, if you have the time, money and space, I highly recommend it.