at home my 4 month old GSD , benji is quite placid and calm. sometimes he looks bored, even though i do play with him and he has human company all day.

when io take him out for walks and he sees dogs he has come to now he gets really excited and happy , and they play and chase and he acts more liek a dog than.

i have met a few people now since having benji , that have more than 1 dog, and the bond the 2 dogs have is fabtastic. the owners say that they do everythign together, and the dogs are more independant and ready to tackle new experiences.

the key thing peopel have told me is that its a lot easier to get a second dog when they are both pups, or at least the one is a pup.

what are your views on this .

thaNKYOU :-)

Your dog is just a puppy, of course, like an only child, they are going to find playing with their mates quite a lot more fun than with you as they have the same boundless energy.

Of course they bond with each other, that is the problem, you then become an irrelevance.......

Doing everything together is not necessarily an unmitigated plus

Dogs can often never learn to cope with being alone, if there has always been two.
They are more difficult to train because they are busy playing with each other.

My advice would be not to get another dog until your first is at least a minimum of 18 months old, if not older, especially if you have not had a dog before.........

It is not necessarily a lot easier to have two pups because you will not have the time to train each individually.

The bonus with having an older dog, if it is well trained, is that the younger one learns good habits from it.

the independance is not necessarily a good thing!  I got my second pup when my first was 5 1/2 months old.  They are great most of the time, but the independance thing does cause problems sometimes - if I take both out for a walk, I can guarantee that the confidence boost they get from being together will make them less inclined to return to me when I want them to.  My dobe is more likely to run when my rott X is around on a walk, and is more likely to disappear into undergrowth seeking furry snacks :D

Then of course there is the training.  Honestly, if anyone finds more than one pup easy, they're doing something wrong IMO!!  I've foudn it very hard, and I would certainly not have two pups again without at least a year between them, probably more - my two are both 2 now, and I'm still finding it hard work with certain things - for example, recall training has to be done separately as I need different treats and methods for each dog; leash training has to be done separately as only one dog pulls; and only my dobe can do agility at the mo because the club I go to runs the beginners' course at the same time as the intermediate (which he does), so I can't start the other dog on it until Rem's in a different class.  It's frustrating, because I know Opi would be darn good at it!

Edit to say: despite all of this, I do prefer having more than one dog and will probably have 3 or 4 at some point :D you do get to see behaviours and playing that you don't tend to see with just one dog.  If you're willing to put the work in (and plan ahead) it's worth it.

Apart from times of bereavement and waiting for the right time we have always had more than one dog - they keep each other company, cuddle up together and cause mischief together.

Have an 18 week old boxer and a 3.5 year old springer cross - they get on really well.  I would wait until your pup is a little older and has basic training sorted though before introducing another.  It is worth it :)

to be honest im not planning on getting another pup, simply becasue with one pup already and 3 kittens and a toddler i think i would go insain lol.

it was just a general musing.

TBH if you have no real urge for another dog and don't need one for training to bring on or something then I wouldn't bother. I have three and they are seriously hard work. I got a second for obedience training because I had become hooked and wanted to go further than my first dog could take me, then I got addicted to agility and spotted Spy by 'accident' and got him too so I am bringing him on. Someone once told me having three dogs was no different to having two. They were wrong! :p

I have to say somebody once told me that one dog was no different from two.  They were wrong too!  :)

I like having more than one dog, and i think the dogs like it too.

BUT, no, whoever has told you having two young dogs together is good is talking out of their bum, you are right it would drive you INSANE!

Knowing your situation, two dogs is going to cause you endless problems i think, where one dog is an issue but its surmountable.

In the long run, as long as one dog has company, training, play and food and love, and the opportunity to play with other dogs from time to time, i dont think its a huge issue, certainly not comparable say to keeping a horse alone.

HTH

Em

If nothing else, consider the practical things....

you have a GSD pup and you have a toddler

As it is, you are going to have to learn to master a pushchair and a large dog at the same time ... not always easy.  It's gets more difficult in a way when the toddler doesn't want to be in the pushchair anymore but wants to walk... and then gets tired and wants to be carried, or when toddler runs in one direction and pup runs in another or sits down and doesn't want to budge etc.etc.

To have 2 young dogs and a toddler would end up meaning that you couldn't take all of them out for walks at the same time, so you'd either end up walking all day long, or not giving each dog as much exercise as it really needed, and that would then have a knock on effect to behaviour in the house.

:)  This is why we waited until our youngest child was 4 and able to walk quite far by himself, before entertaining the idea of a second dog.  It's working brilliantly now though, and it is wonderful to see the two dogs interacting.  Our older dog seems much happier since the addition of the puppy.

In answer to your musing i think a lot depends on the dog. My friend has a collie who is very sensitive and intune with her owner. THis particular owner also happens to live in a house of about 4 dogs, often more as she often boards dogs whilst the owners are away. This particular dog dislikes other dogs taking her owners attention and i am certain would rather be an only dog.  My collie would probably not mind being an only dog. She does play with the others regularly but you can just tell that she wouldn't care if they were here or not.  THe two gundogs however and quite close (althopugh they do have the occaisional bust up, just like siblings!) and are like the terrible two, they help each other get into mischief!

I definitely and always have had two dogs together BUT not puppies together (except once, six months age difference and it worked out fine). My current GSD is just coming up for 3yrs, and the new pup is now 6months old.

I do think two dogs gain a lot more from life, but I think that all animals kept as pets should have anothr of their own kind to relate to.

Although both my dogs get on together, I think that either of them would be quite happy as single dogs :) It's quite nice to spend time with just one dog. It wouldn't bother me if we only had one dog at a time in the future, particularly as hubby is retiring in a couple of weeks and so the dogs will always have company now :)

Daisy

I havent found having two a major issue although they are 12months apart.
The only factor i hate is the pack thing they have going on when out! We have to have at least a 100ft radius as they will NOT allow other dogs to play. (we go on the beach)
Seperately they are great! but they wind each other up and give each other a confidence boost together, apart they lose confidence and i certainly would say they relax more and have good old fun with anything and everything.

Yeah they love the company , with the right tempermant in both dogs they will get along well together for a lifetime but although somedogs love playing with others , they feel that home is there territory. I was really lucky that all of my goldens got along together soo well , they really developed a kind of pack order inbetween all of them. At the dog park they'll always be near eachother with bella the oldest in the front and the others right behind her. They'll run and chase other dogs together they never leave eachothers side.

With 2 pups though it can also become a living hell , with all good things , bad lurks close behind. Be ready for double the poop scooping , kibble cost , vet costs and toys. I wish you luck in the decision you make , Good Luck!

Its been said before.  Get one pup to the responsive and well trained stage before you take on another, minimum gap 12 months, especially if you are new to dogs.  At 12 months the first dog is still into puppy behaviour but has also bonded with you.  It is true that and older dog can bring a younger one on, with walking on lead, recall, sit etc., as long as it is well trained and responsive.  If you have any problem behaviour with the older dog the pup will pick up on that too.  As a general rule I would agree that 18 months is a good time to start thinking about another pup.  You older dog will then be a bit steadier, hopefully, but will still play with your new pup.  No one wants to be an only child and dogs love company - yours and thier own kind.  You have to think long and hard about how and when you are ready to take on another little life. 

Good luck with your pup and enjoy every minute.