Any advice for adding a new Goldendoodle puppy to our family?

[Cheryl & Matey & Checkers]

I want to know the good bad and the ugly about adding a new puppy to our home. We did get our Labradoodle as a puppy but he was the only dog in the house then. Are there any specific issues that I should know about adding another dog, possibly a female? Do you have any suggestions about how they should be introduced? Fed at the same time? Crated close? I want to make sure that I know as much as possible before making the decision. TIA for your help!

[Adina P]

I'll start with the possible UGLY first:

-- More poop. 2 dogs x 2-3 poops a day x 7 days per week = 28-42 poop piles per week to pick up and dispose of
-- If they get along well...they will be CONSTANTLY getting along well...running, wrestling, playing, running...non stop action that will wear you out on some days! Puppy will likely constantly want to harass your 2 y.o. and it is tiring.
-- Traveling with more than 1 dog is much harder...few hotels allow two big dogs. Or it will cost you more. Or if you leave them behind finding boarding options/sitter costs more.
-- Unless you take the time to train both dogs...walking two large dogs can be a pain in the butt.
-- Taking two dogs to dog park is a lot harder to manage...one may be on one end pooping and the other on the other end wrestling or chasing or harassing a dog...how do you attend to BOTH?
-- It's not common but sometimes two dogs don't get along and it's very exhausting at first. One of our members, Stella, had a hard time getting her adult labradoodle to make friends with her new pup. She was a bit worried about it and it took a while for them to be able to coexist in the same space.
-- more vet bills, flea protection costs, etc.
-- more food to buy

All of the above are possible and some are inevitable...but realistically if you WANT a second dog and your dog is friendly with other dogs and you can afford it as well as afford the time for training and some one on one time with each...the worst case scenarios aren't too common. I have THREE dogs and it has been far more good than bad. The worst for us is traveling...it sucks to travel with three. But I can walk them all in heel or near heel without a hitch. Now if a loose dog runs toward us...all hell breaks loose and they all forget their manners, but general walks are a breeze because they were all trained well at least to that level.

I introduce my puppy Rosco to my hubby's dogs by simply plopping him on the ground in the yard and then releasing the hounds. Rosco, at 8 weeks, let out the saddest most horrible groan, peed on the spot, and looked terrified of the giant dogs. 5 minutes later he was tearing after them as if he had lived there forever.

Another puppy of my friend's was introduced to my dogs similarly, but to only one dog at a time. I think it's fine to just 'let them be' and meet in your yard...maybe leave a light leash hanging from your dog so you can step on the leash to stop him if he gets too roudy at first.

I feed mine at the same time but feed new dogs/pups in their crate so the pup doesn't disturb the resident dog, the pup learns to like his crate because it's associated with food and nobody steals food from anyone else. Others do it differently.

[AndySharon BoomerShaynaMariner]

In the group "Multiple Doodles" there is a discussion about adding an additional doodle to your family. http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/multipledoodlesordogs/forum/topic...

You may want to take a look at the other discussions in this group.

[Cheryl & Matey & Checkers]

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences. It looks like we will be adding another dood to our family!