I have a 15 month old GSD bitch. I'm thinking of getting a male rotty pup. Can anyone please tell me the pro's and cons of having two, apart from additional costs. ie Sophie has been spayed, but if i didn't castrate the male, would he try and mate/mount her? please tell me of your good and bad times of having two dogs, whether you lot recommend it or not.

i also have a GSD bitch, she's nearly four now. i got my Dane cross when he was about a year old, they're both rescues. Never had a puppy.
i can honestly say that i would never go back to having just one dog - two are fantastic!! They keep eachother company and they're the best of friends, and although it is more work it's very rewarding :) Most definately recommend two, in fact i'd like three!!
When we first had Tarot [the Dane x] he wasn't neutered, and he tried to have his wicked way with Speed many times in the first few days. She basically told him off and he eventually stopped. We had him "done" anyway, we didn't want him accidentally becoming a father.
Your pup will probably try and mount your bitch while he's going through "puberty", and she'll more than likely be able to tell him in no uncertain terms that enough is enough!!
The only thing i would consider a con is that the new pup might pick up any bad habits [if she has any] from your current dog. If/when i get another dog i'll be making sure that these two monsters are well trained before i do it!

Annette

Having more and more dogs can become somewhat addictive and unless they don't get on for some reason then they can be great fun and wonderful companions. Your bitch will almost certainly put a young dog in his place if he became a bit over-amourous and neutering, even young, does not always stop a dog mounting (and mating):D

I gather from some of your posts that you are "into" training and this aspect should also come into your deliberations if you are thinking of getting a dog in the near future. What do you want to do with your GSD - compete with her or just have a well trained pet? If you are going to compete then it might be as well to wait for a while and really learn about training on your girl as there never seems to be as much time when you have two (or more) and you can then make the mistakes with her and correct them for your next dog, especially as she is coming up to an age when you can really push her on.

In other words, if you are going to stick at two the longer you can wait the better, also because you hopefully won't lose them too close together if things go well in their lives, (I think this is called taking a long term view )

Christine

Ive had 2 dogs and it was one of the best times of my life, but I am one of those people who really enjoy an intense relationship and so probably wouldn't actually have more than 2 for that reason. Maybe when I get a big house in the country my ideas will change :p but I also feel that yiou have to take into consideration practicalities such as space for the dogs in the car, type of house, etc.

Having the one dog is much easier in many ways, but part of me longs for the days when I had 2, and a dog and bitch, if chosen to complement each other breed wise, can make brilliant pals and firm friends.

I'm keen on training too, not so much for competitve obedience but for agility and WT's, and my view is that I want to really bring my bitch on this year, see what happens, and then maybe consider another the following year :) or maybe the year after that.

Hth a bit

lIndsay

I have three dogs at the mo. all under three years old, My advice for what its worth;) would be to wait as long as you can and then introduce another dog. I love having my lot, but do sometimes wish I had waited longer inbetween getting them. Sunny was 6 months when we got Mauser, Mauser was about one year when we got Decoy, and Decoy was about one year when we got Cookie. so (we lost sunny to cancer sadly:() now we have a nearly three year old, a nearly two year old and a 9 month old. All very young dogs. The down side is that they can sometimes be a pain with training as they can be more interested in racing off together to play than to listen to me, but not all the time, on the whole they are good fun and I wouldnt change it now:) On the really down:( side, I know that in years to come I will have three Old dogs together and face the prospect of losing them close together too:( But in regards to getting along together I rarely have any probs, and all of mine are male. My life would certainly be different if I had just one dog, as the more you have, the bigger the prob with finding people to have them if you need to go anywhere for long, or the more expensive the boarding fees for hols (I heard some people go on them - I don't :D) and of course the more the vet bills are going to be, the more the insurance, feed bill, etc etc etc. But that said, I love having my 'orrible lot and wouldnt change it for the world:) Julie:)

Christine

>over-amourous <

hahahah ...nice one!!!;)

I started with one dog and now I have 4 !! I have made myself promise not to go to 5. They are all roughly 2 years apart in age. I have 1 male and 3 bitches and they all get along just great. On the good side it's so much easier exercising them as they all rum about much more playing than me and just one dog plodding round the hills and fields. Also if you go out to the pub or wherever you can be happy that your dog is not home alone and has company. As long as no 1 dog is well trained no 2 will/should be easier to train as it follow no 1
On the down side it does cost more to feed then and you seem to have more vets bills too.
Sophie is no idiot and will tell your new puppy what he can and what he can't do to her and mating her will not be one she will allow, a good growl and snarl and that should be it sorted without any blood shed - male dogs are not totally stupid !! Daft ....... maybe Suicidal.....NOT !
I have way too many good times with having 2, 3 and 4 dogs to mention and at the end of the day it's what you want to do.
Good luck and lets us know what you decided to do.

Margt

Thank you all so much for your time and advice. I hope there is more to come from others.
To answer a few of your questions. No, I'm not into competing, but do demand her to be an obedient dog around the house and in public.
I have asked quite a few people, and researched into getting another (I always like to research everything thoroughly so I know exactly what I'm letting myself, and my family in for) and have been told if having two, try keeping a female with a male, apparently male/male and female/female are more likely to fight. Sophie is the perfect dog in every sense of the word at the moment (touch wood), her only problem is that she is a bit too friendly to strangers, and by that I mean that she sometimes jumps up, but that seems to be getting less and less now a days, so she cant really pass on any negative behaviour. She seems to be getting mature by the day, but am looking to get the pup in summer when she'll be nearly two, cos I've also been told to let one mature before you get another. She used to want to play 24 hours a day (like any other pup) but now, shes got her spot, and after greeting everyone, ussually settles down. My house is big enough to keep two well-behaved dogs, but not enough space for two large dogs to run around. When we go out, Sophie has the run of the garden (where her kennel is) as I bought her to be a "family guardian" (pet dog with guarding/protective instinct) so she can guard the house aswell. The garden is about 15 metres by 30 metres. Is that a large enough space to have two large breed of dogs roam and play?
The only negatives I can see is that I have trained Sophie only to toilet in my garden (i wouldn't like my kids to play in a park full of dog c**p, I'm sure you all agree) so I'd have to pick up twice the amount of s**t!!!!!. Sophie is also "free fed" which mean I leave her dry food out all day, and she eats what she wants (apparently helps prevent bloat aswell as having the convienience of not having to be at home at a specific time to feed her!! on the serious side though, dogs are fery good at regulating their own weight, and to be honest, I'm not good at calculating the amount of calories/protein etc etc she should be having. Everytime I check, she is eating the right amount of food which the guidelines read, she's always full of energy, and has good muscle construction) so I'm not sure how I could free fed the new pup on puppy food, whilst getting Sophie to only eat her own. The shed which she stays in is 6ft by 4ft, Sophie's breeder has said that that could easily house two dogs(actually its better cos their body heat would keep each other warmer than if they were on their own) but I can always buy another shed if need be. I'm just trying to think of anything else but can't at this moment in time. If anyone has any other thoughts, I'd love to hear them
Josh_

Snap Josh- I have a 10 month old GSD bitch and I'm looking to get another this time next year when she's almost two:) You'll have to let me know your up's and down's so I know what to do/expect;)

Stacey x x x

I only had one dog at a time for about 12 years, because I thought two would be just too much work. We were then given a lab x by a friend who had 'taken' her off a very bad owner, quite literally. She was meant to live with her but her own dog just wouldn't tolerate her so she asked me to have her. The two immediately became inseperable and great fun to have, and really it isn't that much extra work, although mine were easily maintained (short coats) it's no hardship taking two dogs out at a time, infact it's more fun and it's only another four paws to clean when you come back! Unfortunately we only have one now, one died at Christmas, but I'm searching for a pup. I know that I will always have two dogs, they are great company for each other.

For years we only had 1 dog at a time, but always wondered what it would be like with 2. Well, now we know !!:D
I love both my little ones very much, but, if I were perfectly honest, I don't think I'd have 2 together again. I know this is contrary to what a lot have said here but I think a lot has to do with your circumstances at the time - mine just weren't as right as I thought they were !! :D

Good luck, whatever you decide !

Joyce

Please tell me more Joyce. I'd love to know what you think are the wrong circumstances to getting another dog.

Well, Josh, I was persuaded by my husband to get a second dog, I was quite happy with just one.

Our circumstances are that I work full time and hubby is retired. However because of poor health, hubby can only do a limited amount regarding looking after the dogs. So I walk them early morning and evening before and after work. I'm also the one whose sleep is disturbed if they need to be let out during the night !
Most of the time we manage OK but I have to say that life was certainly much easier, and far less tiring for me before No. 2 arrived !!

I don't think you could "free feed" two dogs - one would almost always eat more than their fair share. The only group of dogs I've known who were fed like this were Cocker Spaniels, and they were real bloaters - they weighed over 3 stone!!! I know because I helped weigh them!

Edit - this means they were about 14lb overweight

I have had three entire male dogs living together happily with a spayed bitch. Two males were GSD's. I never had a problem with any of them trying to mount or mate with her. My Spaniel used to mount my youngest male GSD who was always happy to return the favour My bitch was usually ignored - I guess she just didn't do it for them :D
Your garden has plenty of room for two dogs who get on with each other to be in. The theory of two dogs curling up together for warmth and company is good providing they are happy to share the space! One of mine will not tolerate anyone else lying next to him and will get up and move. He has always had to have his own kennel but sometimes I find him standing out in all weathers looking miserable and have to trudge out and eject the cat who's usually asleep on his vetbed. Then he goes back in and lies out of the rain.
I train my dogs to toilet on command and like you don't like to see parks full of dog s**t. I always pick up after mine and bag it and bin it. If I'm out for a walk locally I ask them to go near the council dog waste bin so that I can pick it straight up and chuck it rather than have to lug a bag around for ages. I wouldn't train any of mine to only toilet in the garden as it could cause confusion and upset if you are anywhere else... lead to the dog holding itself unnecessarily and accidents if it thinks its not allowed to go anywhere else!
Sorry I can't agree with your comment about dogs regulating their own weight and being good at it. Overfeeding can lead to all sorts of problems and two of my dogs would have probably eaten till they burst if they had managed to pick the lock on the dog food cupboard door! Your dog may be a careful eater and eat throughout the day - that's fine but be very careful with two as one may eat everything straight away leaving nothing for the other. JMO.
Make sure that you spend time separately with your dogs when you get them as left together dogs can form a strong bond with each other. This can cause problems with the dogs being more focused on each other and what the other dog is doing and where it has gone (panic!) than you and what you want him/her to do.
Lara