hi all

i have a 7 month old cocker spaniel pup who i adore, she comes everywhere with me.  she is a very friendly dog with other people and amimals.  i have noticed she loves the company of other dogs, i know this is common but i mean  really, example being if we stays with my  mum who also has a spaniel, when she leave she lies and just stares, off her food for up to 4-5 days, all signs of depressed (i would think)  i was always planning on getting a second pup to bring on when she was 1-1 1/2. note i i would never get a pup unless i felt i really wanted one, for myself as well as (dog) company for her (something i cant give!!). i work from home and so i have lots of time to put in and love to give, i have plenty of room for two dogs i was just wondering if anyone with the know-how thought this was too soon, as many breeders dont let 2 pups go together as they become too attached together.  i know dogs have a terrible 2 style thing at 5-7 months but feel because we are together all the time problems get fixed on a daily basis rather than them building up into a "teenage problem!" if i made the effort to socialise the new one separately as well as with my 7 month old would this be ok, fare on the new pup etc.
any feed back would be great
caroline

Hi

I think you would be better off waiting and keeping to your original plan of getting another pup when she was 1-1 and a half.

The thing is - you say that she really loves other dogs.  Well, that's a reason NOT to get one, in my eyes.  Because she will be even more likely to bond with the other dog rather than you, and this will mean training of both dogs will be a lot harder.

Rather than getting another dog to make her feel better, I believe you should try to make her feel better by working on your relationship with her, so that you are the centre of her world and the provider of all great things.  Try to alter the way that she feels about people compared to dogs by bonding with her more.  She will feel happier then, because she will have less desire for anything other than you!  Training is a great way to bond - have you taken her to reward based training classes?

I agree, wait for a while.  Gives your 7 month old a chance to have his puppyhood with you all to himself.  Also, the puppy will probably be steadier with an older brother/sister to follow.  You could find your 7 month old goes backward in his training if you introduced a puppy now even though it is very tempting.

thanks
please everyone dont think i dont spend time with my dog, as i said she does go everywhere with me, friends houses, work..everywhere! she is very attached to me and loves nothin more than cuddles, bit harder the bigger she gets!! please note i am not wanting to substitute my love with another dog at all.
as for training:
we do our homework most days, and she is a very bright. we have been to puppy training and got on great, the young dog classes start in a few weeks and we will be going to those, the new dog would be getting the same.

Hi emmebear,

Others can advise about the timing, I'm just adding my twopenn'orth about having two dogs.  If the mix is good, it's much more than just double the fun.  You will learn so much about each dogs character as they show their differing talents (or lack of them) and watching them interact is some of the best entertainment going. 

Admittedly mine are only trained to 'civilised companion' standard (i.e. basic commands, strong recall, walking well on leads, socialised with people and other dogs) but I didn't find the training more difficult just more interesting. (She 'gets it' in three minutes, he takes three weeks!)

Hope you and your girl get a good companion whenthe time is right.

i would wait a bit longer. At 7 months my girl loved other dogs and i couldnt wait to get her a friend-- i did wait till she was 18 months, then all hell broke lose! im not saying it happens to everyone but our girl hated the new pup being on her territory and now- 18 months later they just about tolerate each other! however, this doesnt put me off- im desperate for a third dog and get broody whenever i see a pup! can someone talk me out of it please??

I'd wait a bit longer, I'm never going to have dogs closer together than 18 months again if I can avoid it!!

I dont know about other breeds but I have Labs and have had them for over 20 years and have always had at least 2 sometimes more and they all live togher in the house with us, in my own experience I couldnt have just one,  if you spend alot of time training them one on one as pups they arnt dependent on eashother as adults and they all get along great.I have had 2 pups close in age at the same time and had no trouble at all with them,but that is my own experance and from what I have been reading on this sight that is not the norm.
I think if you have any reservations at all about getting a 2nd pup than the answer is no you shouldnt, when the time is right you will just know it.

>i know dogs have a terrible 2 style thing at 5-7 months but feel because we are together all the time problems get fixed on a daily basis rather than them building up into a "teenage problem!"

These problems are known as the "Kevin phase" and often last a lot longer than 2 months. In different breeds they start at different ages and in my own breed they last anything from around 11 months right up to the age of 2.

Being together all the time does not by any means negate the Kevin phase. Dogs brains are going through a lot of hormonal and psychological changes at this stage and you cannot outwit nature I'm afraid. Everybody has to go through it with their dogs be it problematic or fairly simple and if it was as easy as dealing with it on a daily basis it wouldn't be such an infamous subject/discussion amongst doggy people.

I can say this on good authority as I am currently and have in the past been through it. I certainly couldn't cope with another dog with only months difference in age, at the same time. My sanity is being severely tested as it is :rolleyes: 

I normally like to wait a minimum of 2 yrs before introducing another pup, the simple reason being that I like the first dog to have matured and learnt everything I wish to teach properly before I start again. They can become very bad influences on each other otherwise.