Do/would you have two dogs?

[Veesmart]

My fiancé and I are toying with the idea of getting a second puppy. A relative of a coworker is looking to rehome their 5 month old male Chihuahua and we are considering taking him in.

We currently have a 4 year old, female Chihuahua and two adult cats. The current dynamic among them all is wonderful. They all get along and often sleep and play together.

Financially, we are prepared to vet and care for an additional furry creature and I am also prepared for the time/responsibility that goes along with a new puppy (although, our first pup was such a breeze I am trying to prepare myself for the fact that it doesn’t always go as smoothly with most puppies).

However, I have some reservations about upsetting the balance in our household. We are blessed with three pretty low maintenance, social, happy and healthy animals and I don’t want to jeopardize that. I’m also aware that another dog can add more restrictions in terms of travel and leisure time. We don’t travel often but I am just trying to consider as many options/scenarios as possible before we make the final decision.

I suppose my question is: How did you decide to go from one dog to two? How do you feel about the decision now?

[Jull]

it is a tough decision...

We decided to get a new puppy as a companion for our 2 year old dog, he always loved playing with the other dogs in the family, but they are hours away from us, so we don't visit constantly. We also felt it would be great to have 2 pups, and were ready for it.

The first couple months were very tough for us, as friendly as our big boy was, he didn't like the idea of a new kid in the house, now do take into consideration they had not met before we brought him home (error #1!) it was really hard, our older dog was depressed and very unhappy, to the point we were considering re-homing the little one.

It has now been almost 6 months since the puppy came home with us, and yes they fight sometimes, others they don't even want to be around each other, but for the most part I can say they love each other and are very good friends now... and I enjoy the 2 Knuckleheads very much

Would it be a possibility for you to bring the little guy home for a week or so to do a trial? maybe that will give you a better idea...

[Veesmart]

That would be a good idea but they are quite far away so it would be a fairly large undertaking to execute a "trial" period.

[tezster]

In general, this seems to be a good idea. How quickly everyone adjusts to the new addition is really the most important issue. My brother got a 2nd dog, a Shih Tzu puppy, as a companion to their Bichon mix and they both bonded with each other almost instantaneously - it was a surprisingly smooth and problem-free introduction. I guess it depends on the disposition of each animal.

[hazelrunpack]

We went from 1 to 2 to 3 to 6 to 8. Each transition had its own challenges, but it all worked out in the end. I wouldn't hesitate to go from 1 to 2 again...the 6 or 8...well We're gettin' too old for that many, I think! The main thing to remember is that both dogs will still need their one-on-one time with mom and dad and that until they learn each other's dispositions, they'll need some close supervision. If they could meet first on neutral ground, it might go a long way toward letting you know if the two are compatible.

[dmc123]

We have 2 dogs (+ 6 cats)- works great for us, I think it just depends on the dogs. We got Jessie Joy 2 1/2 years ago, Simon loves her, she thinks he is "her" dog. When we adopted her we took Simon with us to meet first, I think that was a good idea. They miss each other when they are apart - it is evident.

Good luck deciding.
Diane

[Barkingdog]

Originally Posted by Veesmart

That would be a good idea but they are quite far away so it would be a fairly large undertaking to execute a "trial" period.

Would it help if an item that smelled like the puppy was send to you so your pets could get use to puppy smell? I know people do this when they're bring a baby home , they'll bring something the baby wore and let their dog get use to the baby BO so when the baby does come home is not seen as an intruder.

[Goldfields]

Is your female Chihuahua desexed? If she is, she may not have the tolerance towards a pup's playfulness that an intact bitch might. I introduced a pup here and my adult cattle dog, not speyed, thought he was wonderful, started acting like this was her pup she had to rear and educate. LOL. I think you'd have to monitor the situation. One advantage could be that if you want to travel, but leave the dogs at a boarding kennel, they would be company for each other while you are away. Like Hazel, I went from having one to 2, to 4 and on up to 12 with no regrets. I think I'll hate it when eventually I get back down to only two.

[joeysmama]

We went from one to two and don't regret it but all of your questions are valid and it's good that you're thinking it through beforehand.

We had hoped that the second dog would be nice company for the first when we were out. Our second dog came from a friend who is a breeder. She was three years old and being "retired" and re-homed. I was trying to make arrangements to get her here (she was halfway across the country) when my son flew there and got her to surprise us for Christmas.

So fun! But.....it didn't give us a chance to acclimate them to one another. I wish I had had the chance to introduce them on neutral territory. There was a lot of excitement. She was frightened in her new surroundings AND she was in heat. So when he approached her she tried to take his face off. LOL !!

Well not that bad, but she gave him "what for" and that stayed with him. She's really a very mellow dog but it wasn't a good first meeting.

So plan that well.

It did change our dog sitting arrangements. When we went from one to two it was too difficult for our back up sitter (usually my son is available) but I've since found another one who is WONDERFUL and I have a friend who lives nearby who is always willing to run over and give them dinner and a piddle if I'm out and running late.

[Dog Dancer]

My concern wouldn't be the two dogs, dogs tend to work things out fairly well, I would pay extra attention to integrating the new dog with the cats. It can all be done, and many people here can attest to that.

[pattymac]

I would love to have another dog but with a fairly large dog, 4 cats, 2 of which are bigger than alot of small dogs and a small house, I'm waiting a bit. I would love to foster a small dog but don't know right now.

[marko]

Nothing to add except great advice!

[Longblades]

We've thought often about adding another dog but I don't see it happening. This dog makes me happy, keeps me busy and entertained, keeps me interested in his training classes.

Plus, I don't see how I could reconcile the different exercise needs, because I would want a puppy. This dog is high energy and needs lots of mental stimulation and physical exercise. A puppy could not keep up and I have a job.

Mostly I don't think I really want another dog. I feel fulfilled with this one. Of course I was thinking of where I'd go for grooming if I didn't find the owners of that lost poodle, I was bonding to her just an hour after finding her. So maybe I don't know my own mind.


Oh, oh yeah, I did find her owners. Darn. Whew?