Thoughts on getting a second doodle?

[Alissa Edwards]

Hi all!

I was on here a while ago and got great advice from all of you when we adopted Farley - our F1b double doodle. He's turned out to be an amazing dog that everyone of us loves dearly. He's very calm when we need him to be (naps and night) but also playful and fun with the kids, gentle and tolerant, etc.

Here's a pic of him and my daughter. He's about 19 or 20 months now. (2 in Dec.)

I've recently fallen in love with a new puppy at a different, also good breeder. Similar make up f2b labradoodle and the dad looks a lot like my dog, etc.

I'm trying to convince my husband this is a good idea, but I'm wondering if you guys can help me make sure it is and that I'm not just having puppy fever!

Here's our life: 
I stay home and work from home with my 3 y/o daughter Briar Rose, who will be in preschool part-time a year from September. We have two older kids, 6 and 9 y/o boys in full-time school, swimming and tae kwon do, also church activities Tuesday nights and Sundays. My husband works full time as a worship pastor and subs part time. We also have three cats who are very friendly with Farley (we got them as kittens when Farley was 6 months, so they're only 6 months apart. They often snuggle together.)

Here's why I think I'd like another: (and why now)
We love our dog so much, twice the love, right?

I feel like our cats and dog are the age where they would easily adapt/accept a new puppy. But that might not be the case in a year (especially cats).

I see pics/videos of doodles and they seem to love the companionship of another dog.
My kids start school soon, and it will just be me and my daughter home (for training purposes, etc.)
Fall is a good time to potty train (not too cold yet). We would pick up 8/26.

Here's why I'm not sure:

We take Farley everywhere, park, store, etc., weather permitting. He's used to that and we enjoy it. I think it would be more difficult with two dogs. I'd feel bad leaving one home.
I worry that our cats wouldn't adjust as well to a new puppy, since they are adults now. They are very social cats and I'd hate them to become fearful/hide/change.
Our life is crazy as it is.

Farley fits in really well, he's just one of us. I don't want it to be "the dogs" and "the people" (a friend of mine made me feel like maybe that would be the case with two dogs)

Here are my questions for people with 2 dogs:
How did this change your first dog's personality?
How hard was it to train your new dog?
How did it change the tempo of your home (more chaotic? dogs always playing? more barking??)
Was your second dog less attached to the people in your family? Did the addition of a second dog make that the case for your first?
How old was your first dog when you adopted your puppy? 
How did they get along? 
Any thoughts on genders of dogs getting along? Like, since Farley is a male should we get a female? Does it matter?

And any other info you have is appreicated. Including PICTURES OF YOUR TWO DOODLES TOGETHER! :) You know, to sway my hubby. 

[Amy and Annabelle]

We are thinking about it too. The reason I haven't gone for it yet is that it is hard enough trying to make travel arrangements with one dog let alone 2. We are planning a huge family reunion for sometime next year and trying to find a hotel near everyone else that accepts dogs or a boarding facility that I approve of has proved daunting. I don't like the idea of someone coming to my house, so that is out of the question. One place accepted more than one dog, but not kids, go figure. I am still considering it though. I think Annabelle would love a playmate she can run with and have fun. And my husband and I would each get a dog to snuggle with the watch tv. But we are retired and home most of the time.

[Alissa Edwards]

I hope you can find someone! We have a college girl who stays here who I trust. We let her bring her boyfriend but she lives here while we are gone and we pay her $20 a day. It's affordable and I like that he's at home (but he still stops eating, etc. when we leave so it makes me think having a puppy friend would help that!)

[Amy and Annabelle]

Thanks, it is nice that you have someone you trust. We are fairly new to this state. We don't know that many people here besides our daughter and she is going to the family reunion. Plus the reunion will be in a state that none of us live in. I really want her with us and may have to just get a place by ourselves.

[Ginny Nightingale]

I guess I am the wrong person to ask since I have three doodles so I am obviously going to say GO FOR IT!! My dogs are great companions for each other, but I am still number one--they do not prefer each other to me, but when they are outside playing around the yard or inside wrestling, it is clear that they are happy to have each other too. 

I got my second doodle when the first was 1 and 1/2 and it took a while for them to be together without playing too wildly--about two weeks. It did not change my first dog's personality, but it was clear that the new dog was at the top of the pecking order. My third doodle is the son of my second doodle, so that was a whole different situation--he fit right in as a baby.

I think temperament is more important than gender--your Farley would probably appreciate a dog that is as mellow as he is. And the older dog does a lot of the training! Your cats already know a dog and should be fine with a second one--and if Farley is nice to them, the pup will pick that up as the "way to be!"

[Alissa Edwards]

Your dogs are GORGEOUS! Thank you!

[Rebecca, Kandy & Murphy]

We didn't add a puppy, but we did add a second grown dog.  Our experience may be colored by the fact that new dog was essentially a rescue who came to us as a 2 year old without any socialization to other dogs, barely any socialization to people, no training and with a tendency to be aggressive to young men.  So, he was, and is, a handful in himself.  The one thing that I sort-of regret was that addition of Doodle 2 (Murphy) did change the wonderful personality of Doodle 1 (Kandy).  Kandy is still, 1 year later, aggressive with Murphy on occasion.  They are definitely jealous of each other for our attention. Other things that I've found are:

Partly because Murphy is hard to manage, one person walking two of them together is really hard.  Mostly walks are both husband and I, but if he is traveling and I'm on my own my arms hurt by the time I'm done.  If they don't get walked they would tear the house apart though, so it still needs to happen.

There is definitely more chaos with two dogs -- especially since these are both standard sized.  More barking, more chasing, and the occasional near-fight.  I am constantly tripping over one of them.  And they take up the majority of the bed!  :-)

Obviously the vet bills doubled. 

As you noted, it is much harder to manage two dogs out and about than one.  Unless/until they are very well trained or you have two adults, it is pretty much impossible.

We took Murphy because he needed a good home after his first rotten one.  We hope that things will eventually be more mellow.  If I were just looking at a second dog for the sake of a second dog, I think I would probably not.  That said, I readily admit that it just may be that this particular dog is so challenging.

[Alissa Edwards]

Wow, good for you for rescuing. He is a lucky dog. :)

[Lori, Daphne, Lucy & Pippa]

I am with Ginny! I also have three Doodles. All of mine are minis but Im not sure that makes a difference. They can still be a handful but they are also all very sweet and loving girls. They do love being together but they also think I am the most wonderful thing on the planet and follow me everywhere!

Pippa is the youngest and Daphne was about 1-1/2 when we got her. I would not say that Daphne's personality changed with the addition of the puppy. I can see a difference in her now but that is because she is 3 years old and starting to behave less like a puppy. She still loves to play with Pippa but on her terms. Im leaving Lucy out of this because she is Daphne's Mother and we added her to the family when she was almost 4 years old. She was the breeders dog that was being retired and as such she really never got to be a puppy. She still does not play with toys but she loves to play with Daphne and Pippa.

As far as gender goes, I don't really think it makes a difference. I have all girls but there are those that have one (or more) of each.

I think that since you are a stay at home Mom, you should not have any trouble training the pup and Farley will be a big help. Dogs tend to go in packs so Farley will show the new one the way. As far as training them to go out on the town with you, it can be done. Elizabeth (Bailey & Bruin) and I have 5 doodles between us and we do take them out together occasionally. We usually get stopped a lot and have had their picture taken many times but its always fun. Training them to behave in public is not as hard as you would think. Just like with people, I think (my opinion) that the girls are easier to train because they mature a bit faster. 

I say, if you can afford it, go for it! It is so much fun watching them play together. They make me laugh every day! I will include a photo below but there are many more of them together on my page.

[Alissa Edwards]

Beautiful girls! Thanks for your thoughts!

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

You are looking at this very seriously, as you should be and have very valid concerns. Your questions are very specific and it seems everyone will have different experiences with some of the issues you inquire about. I will give you mine.

No adding Bella, did not seem to change Murphy's personality, but it did help him with seperation anxiety and to be more active. He is still a very anxious dog, but it is not a problem to leave him since she has come onboard.

Bella trained very easily, but I think because she was 10 weeks old when we got her, we missed 2 whole weeks of frequent potty trips like we had with Murphy at 8 weeks old. Bella is a natural born polite walking dog and she did help teach Murphy how to stay at a good pace, not pull and stay right by my side when on leash.

It definitely changed the tempo of our home. One always wants to go out when the other doesn't, so doors are opening and closing all the time, one hears something and barks and the other follows along and I think he/she didn't even hear it, just wants to add to the chatter. One always wants attention and to play ball and one always just wants attention, mostly with a rub or massage, so there is always one or the other demanding attention.  

The addition of Bella (second) made our first more attached to my husband. Im not sure if that would have happened anyway since I have always been the care provider for the dogs and Murphy has had some painful ear infections that I have had to treat. He is still very leery of my coming near him with anything that looks like a cottonball, q-tip or bottle of medication. He goes to DH for protection as he knows he is not going to do anything to him.

Murphy was 18 months when we adopted Bella. She is now 5 and he will be 7 in Dec. 

It took Murphy a few weeks to even acknowledge Bella and he would just move away from her. Then one day they started playing tug of war and have been best buddies ever since. 

I cant imagine how the genders would matter, only the personalities of the dogs would affect how they would get along I would think.

Having said all that, I love having 2, now, and am glad we have them both. And it has been helpful for Murphy. But we most likely will never have 2 again. Been there, done that, and once was enough. It is much more hectic in the home, noise, clinking dog tags, messes, dirt, hair, 8 paws to clip, double the food, grooming, vet bills, Heartworm and Flea and Tick meds, concern for what one or the other is doing or getting into, dog poop pick-up, water slobber all over the floor, together they make up the size of one more adult in our bed, (60# each), taking them on quick rides or trips is a production and never done any longer, although they love long car rides to our cabin 2 hours away and we go often, but it's from one home to another. Taking one for a quick trip to Home Depot has crossed my mind, but I cant imagine leaving one at home, especially Murphy.  Vacations require two different families to take one each, as they have their own 2 dogs and adding 2 more is just not fair to even ask. We are very fortunate to have that option though. 

I would love to simplify having a dog, by just that, having A dog.  Not 2. So if being more hectic and having more to do in your life is what you desire, then by all means get a puppy. But Im sure if you do get another puppy, it will have a very good life with all of you and fit in well in what appears to be a loving home. 

[Alissa Edwards]

I love taking my dog on quick trips. He always jumps in. I can see it being hard to take two. You validate my concerns for sure.

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

Alissa ~ Re-read that second to last paragraph above written by Sue, Murphy & Bella because that is how it is with two.  I have two also, and got the second for a playmate for the first - Haha, who knew he really did not want a playmate.  I think Charlie was happy to be the "only child"!  That being said, he does love his brother and they look for each other throughout the day, but probably play no more than 5 or 10 minutes a day with each other.  We also are not traveling quite as much the last couple of years and have opted for shorter trips flying instead of driving and leaving the boys at home with a lady who stays here 24/7.  I think if your DH is onboard with two, that can make a big difference rather than one trying to do everything for two dogs.  I do the grooming, walking and training.  My DH generally plays ball with two - three times a day and since he has his office in the home is here to take care of them when I am out of the house.  Charlie is now 5 and Beau is 3 and we cannot imagine life without either one, but we both agree if we ever find ourselves without either of them, we will remain a one dog family. Good luck in making your decision.  I remember when I had puppy fever, believe me, I doubt anyone could have changed my mind! LOL