Are you a better owner with you seconds dog than you were with your first? Is dog ownership like parenthood with the second you are more relaxed and better versed in the ways of dog ownership ie you don't get phased by the "park know it all" who tells you "all dogs but yours..." and you don't panic about letting them off lead etc?
Just a thought because I think a lot of a Sals good points have come about because I "understand" what makes Staffords tick better than she does ;)  I have been told a Stafford who was in our puppy group at the vets is no longer with her owner...something  must say I thought would happen as they were first time Stafford owners and couldn't seem to grasp a Stafford "chews" when teething more than the average dog so get HER something to CHEW or accept the consequences. It seems she was "too much" for them :(

So would you say you are better 2nd time around?
Karen  

Karen,

I would really HOPE that I'm a better owner second time round.  I am more relaxed in some ways and calmer about training, and I also now have more knowledge so that I can 'pick and choose' from the wealth of information that I have heard, read, watched to find the best methods for my dogs.  That said, I am also now more aware of just how subtle your body language has to be in order not to confuse your dog!.

When all is said and done, I have been incredibly lucky to have such a wonderfull 'first' dog to have begun with.  Isla is incredibly patient and has taught me more than I'll ever remember!  It's down to her willingness to forgive and forget all of my little 'mistakes'  that I even have a second dog.

I saw these word on a bookmark once and they alsways make me smile:

I want to be the kind of person my dog thinks I am!

Too true

Ali :)

I don't think we are better owners second time around,but definately different owners. :)

1st time we had this little x collie bundle aged only 5weeks,who relied on us completely,as the mum had no milk or energy left to bring up her litter,being so young herself :(  and we had two young boys at home aged 10 and 11,so our whole lifestyle was different.
She lived to the age of 14 and had a healthy life with so little problem,so I think between us we got something right :D

Now we have a bouncy,border collie,aged a little over 5months,we had her from 81/2wks old,from an excellent breeder and it's just the two of us here at home with her.

She goes to work with hubby,the 3days I work,so her social life is one based around meeting loads of different people,machinery,noises etc. so she is part of the big wide world.Our first dog was more 'home-based' doing the rounds of school runs,shopping trips etc.

I think we are wiser this time around,when we wanted another dog we researched better,although my meeting with her breeder was pure accident! or was it fate? The one thing I knew was I wanted a border collie :D

Our first dog was from an ad in the local paper shop and she cost us £10,but that was maybe the best £10 we ever spent and I wouldn't have changed her for the world.

This one was 'slightly' more expensive ;) and now she is home with us, it seems like she has been here forever.

I think we were always and will always,be destined to be owned by a dog :D
Jacqueline

I think what you learn with your first dog you put into practice sooner with your second, and what you learn from your first and second you use with your third and so on.  So although this may not make you better owners you certainly (should) know more and be able to put it into practice and become a more knowledgable dog person

I hope I am still learning  :) but I do agree - I feel I have gone in with my eyes open , knowing what to expect

i havent got a second dog yet (am still working on boyf though) but know I would be a better owner second time around as even now with Darcy at 15 months I think on all the things I would have done differently.

ie.
dont give titbits ever! otherwise at every meal time their head is glued to your lap and when you stand up your trousers are soaked with drool.
dont let them get used to sleeping on the bed, it might be cute when they're puppies but not so appealing once they reach 5 stone and snore!

o so true :D

sleeping on the bed is a big NO NO when we get our next baby :)

Yes, I'm afraid I said that after my first dog but now we have two sleeping with us!! I vowed I would be much harder but I'm just the same, I guess I'm just a soft touch lol

I probably will be the same but i may just have to buy a bigger bed :)

I found that it was much easier to be stricter and better organised having two :) The older one was allowed to do things, partly because he was not a puppy when we got him and he was also a rescue dog. When we got the second dog, we realised that we had to be quite strict with them both otherwise chaos would reign :)

Daisy

I hope we are better owners second time round as we have more understanding of what dogs need and how they think. Mind you I think going from 1 to 2 dogs will be a big step up and Ill probably make different mistakes. :) Hope it takes a while to match us with a Staff/OH to save for his Viszla...... gulp!

I agree totally with that comment. I seemed to make every mistake imaginable with my first Great Dane, luckily for me he was bombproof so I didnt get caught out. But if I hadn't had him I don't think I could have coped with my 2nd ( who was a terrible puppy).

I think you definitely learn from your first dog and know what to expect when they're puppies ie keep your puppy away from your landing carpet or it'll be in shreds when you come home!   Thankfully, we discovered ....... the cage, which we used when Willow was very young.