We've got 5 fems and 3 males, varying ages, although six of them are within 2 years of each other. We got our first puppy, Ember, shortly after adopting Cass when she was 9 mos of age. Our second puppy, Cole, we got a few months later--he's about 2 mos younger than Ember. For a while, I'll admit, it was a bit of a circus (
) and when we moved from that house we had to totally relandscape the small backyard because it was about down to bare earth...but if you have the time to dedicate and the commitment to work with both dogs, both separately and together, there's no reason you can't make it work. But it can be very trying and difficult at times.
A lot of your success will depend on your patience level and the personalities of the dogs. If your current labby is still very much a puppy in behavior herself, adding another pup to the mix is going to give you double trouble.
In that case, adopting a dog more the same age as your lab might be a better option.
Our Cass was pretty mature for her age (sort of an atypical setter at 9 mos) and she took over as the mother figure for Ember when he arrived, so we had no issues with double trouble puppy shenanigans till Cole arrived....
Had Cass been a typical wild setter child, we would probably have had to pass on Cole, just for sanity's sake.
All three of them bonded to us as well as to each other. Working separately with them, both training and for play, builds their bond with you. Working with them together while training teaches them to work together and still pay attention to you. So if you have time and commitment you
can make it work
