We have a 15 month dog and want to add another younger pup to the household. Our boy is very laid back, well behaved (a credit to his mother and breeder) and has always been really good with other dogs, including young pups who are regular visitors (on a daily basis) who share his dinners, toys and treats--he never is anything but the gentleman.

I would love to have another, partly because his breed are so 'clubby' and he loves their company, but mainly (selfishly) because I love the breed. I've assumed it makes sense to go for another dog. I've heard differing opinions--that it's more work/less work to have two. I'm prepared for more, but does anyone have any advice they'd give on things to encourage/avoid/look out for?

Hi Jay15,

Any advice given is going to greatly depend on breed, so could you please tell us the breed that you have, (it is only in the breeding section with dogs in whelp and for advertising afterwards that breeds can not be mentioned, here it is fine. :-) )

The breed is Welsh Springer Spaniel--we've had a year of living with our dog, and we've had other breeds before stretching over 30 off years, but strangely never two dogs at once! What was I thinking?

Lovely breed of dog, really great temperaments (as you already know :-) ) so no probs with the breed in accepting another dog or bitch and I totally agree although people dogs they love dog company, some groups of dog thrive on dog companions and yours is one of them.

Are you thinking of getting another Welsh Springer? It would be nice if you did or another type of gundog would match him well.

Personally, with the age that he is now, if I had a young adolescent male I would get a bitch but that will depend on whether you are planning on having your boy now neutered. (For obvious reasons) If he were another 6 months older another dog would be fine but as he is only an adolescent he may not bring a new male pup the authority figure needed to keep as the more alpha male and there may be possible quibbles in the future to take the top spot, though this is a very friendly breed it may not happen at all, but rather than chance it, I would rather get a bitch, a bitch will take over as the top dog (they generally do) and the maturity of the male will make no difference. But if you are after another male I really would wait until he reaches the 2 year mark and is fully mature. :-)

Pups generally learn an awful lot from the residing dog, so IMO having a second dog is actually easier as they follow and help with toilet training, recall etc as a pup will just copy the older dog, but you will also need to give a pup one to one time to make sure that it bonds with it's human and obeys your commands and does not just bond with your now dog.

This breed would thrive on company, whether you do it now or in 6 months time. :-)  I'm sure that you will handle two just fine, twice as much fun.

Hi  Jay,
I was an only 1 dog owner until I got a terrier mix bitch in 04 when my EBT boy was 7. She will be 5 in March and never looked back. Only have to mention that whoever gets to be the leader let them- she is the smallest here but so rules the roost. I recently took on a 3rd !! her brother and she gives him hell too.  I love all their different personalities and walking them together is a real pleasure having a gang rather than just the one. I feel now after having this lot it would be really hard to go back to just having the one as they cuddle up and play together. They can make twice as much mess lots more hoovering and food & vets bills, insurance and staying in kennels? so can end up being expensive.       

Agree with magica about the negatives - cost, mess etc.  But the upside is the tenfold pleasure you get.  The youngsters follow the others outside, and copy them having a wee, it is a real bonus.  I have a large play area within a short drive, where the council allow dogs (and loads of bins, which is great.)  It is a couple of acres, so when taking a youngster for the first time, there is always the chance that recall falls on deaf ears.  But the others that come immediately do set the pace, it's true that puppies will follow them.  And my eldest Beardie will shepherd them in for me, to be fair!  I agree that you do have to spend one on one time, that is important. 

But when I eventually get chance to sit down (after clearing up all the extra mess), it is great to have the gang sprawled round me, and watch the interaction between them.  It's my favourite part of having a mulitple dog household.  Sometimes I am cracked up laughing, no need for TV really, I get a comedy show put on just for me!  And they are the best tonic ever.  Don't remember what it was like to only own one dog, but I wouldn't go back to a single dog from choice.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts and encouragement, I can't wait to add to the family--and yes, it is another WSS. I don't want to neuter our boy so a bitch could be too much for us--I've mainy had dogs and the one bitch we had (brought to us as an extremely aggressive and badly behaved adult) stands out in my memory as an experience not to be repeated. I would have waited, but the opportunity has come up for just the dog I'd have waited for (and in this breed they don't come up that often), so fingers and paws crossed. I'll be taking him with me to see the puppies, and if it isn't right for him I won't take on another just yet.

We're pretty much set up for two--double sized crates for car and home, food bowls, toys, leads, beds, sofas, hugs...plenty to go round! Point taken on food and vet bills, but we can manage--and kennels never come into it because we either go on holiday together or I pay my son to come home to dog and house sit. Mess? Give me dogs any day, the carpets can always be replaced but the joy dogs bring is like Christmas every day, even when they are busy devising new forms of household destruction. On the plus side, at least it's cured me of a need to own expensive shoes. Anyway, IMO teenage sons are far worse than dogs for mess and we've survived each other for 18 years so far. 

How great that your getting a second :-)
even though I mentioned the low side there is 100 high points in having 2 dogs!!  I would never go back to a singular dog now in my home.

Always had two dogs from when we started having dogs (as opposed to family ones) in 1982 it was mongrels then. After a long lay off we decided to get two again in 2007 a cocker for me 21 months now and a Border for him 19 months now, no problems. They play very well, both can take a lot of exercise and love to watch them interact. We do walk them once a day seperate so he's definately his dog and Whistler is definatley my dog and they sniff around each other to see where the other one has been, i would highly recommend it.

Ditto two is great they chase and play so well and the interaction can be so funny.

IMO teenage boys are twice if not three times as messy as my dogs.

Two is best for me too.
I dont think I would ever by choice go back to one.

We have five and find it really easy, well apart from the masses of dog hair, waggy tail marks on walls, chewed furniture etc.

They are great company for one another when we're not about and much as they love us they do enjoy a good doggy 'chat'.
Our most recent two we got as pups at the the same time, they have picked up everything very quickly by following the older girls.
I'd have more but we'll have to move house first.

Ok Pinky this sounds like where I'm heading once kids leave home! I can just see myself with a tribe. My OH might pack up and leave, though.

We've got different breeds in the house and they get on well with each other. We are getting a Lab pup in the new year and also another Bernese in the summer if all goes to plan. I think that you do have to be careful with the personalities of different breeds and also dogs and bitches as well. Apart from the entire Jack(who is very typically terrier) its all peace and harmony and with the 2 new pups coming next year, which are two breeds we have had before together it should be fine.
We are though with the awaited new arrivals getting the garden in order and building up a kennel for the Berners to sleep in. My boy hates being in the house, we've turned off all the heating in one part to keep him cool and even then he prefers laying flat out on the cold almost frozen patio.

Thank you for that you have brightened my day!  I feel sometimes I am coming to the end of my tether with my rescue spaniel (18 months) but as you so rightly put it he does give me so much pleasure!  And that teenage thing - absolutely!  I plan to get another dog in a few months but have a lot of sorting out to do with this one first before I can consider it seriously - fear aggression with other dogs on the lead, weeing round the house etc etc but I still wouldn't be without him (perhaps you should remind me of that when he STILL doesn't tell me when he needs out......)

I think my OH is ready to pack up and leave as I keep telling him I just want one more dog to make our brood complete...at the moment we have 3 and an imminent puppy (all being well we should hopefully bring her home in February). I always say to him that 5 seems like a lovely number but he is not too sure !!

Its great having more than one dog though, we got our Samoyed in June this year and she has become best pals with my Cavalier, they follow each other everywhere and I often catch them giving each other kisses. They love having each other as company. Our other dog mainly lives outside as she prefers it, but she loves the others too and its lovely to see the 3 of them tearing down the garden together :-)

> I always say to him that 5 seems like a lovely number but he is not too sure !!
>

I smiled when I read this comment.  Quite some time back we had a thread going, and mention was made of OH complaining about too many dogs.  Tooolz post was ace!  Her husband had mentioned too many dogs.  Hope I am allowed to comment on her reply, but I loved it.  She asked hubby which one to get rid of! Good way of stopping the turn of conversation I thought.