Two dogs?

Is it double the work of one dog? Our biggest regret with our old dog was that he didn't have a friend so when we adopted our lovely girl last summer we planned to take on a second dog this summer. Mollie is now 7 months old and a sociable girl who loves, loves, loves to be around other dogs, just before Christmas I dog-sat a friend's dog for 10 days as she had to go to the States at very short notice and Mollie seemed to enjoy having another dog in the house. The only difficulty I found was walking both dogs as the other dog has had zero training so had to remain on the lead at all times whereas Moll is used to being able to run free for most of our walks (interspersed by practicing recall/sit/wait/stop/away etc).

So, is it double the work, twice the fun or both?

I've got 4 dogs, I think ensuring they go to training is important, and mine are at different stages in their lives, 2 being older and 2 being their daughters, fairly close in age. I do enjoy having them, but I have got the time to do what I need to do with them and if you haven't got the time or the interest to do that then no I wouldn't recommend more than one dog.

The way shifts work out in our house mean there is nearly always someone home for the majority of each day so time for them would not be an issue. I believe that dogs are as big a commitment as children and training would be a given as it is something that I think helps bond dog and human.

I think its nice for the dogs to have a friend there for them, mine are all related in some way and live as a family, someone always there for them to play with, curl up with, tell them off when needed etc

Hello Debs I would say providing you can afford the 'keep' of another dog including the vets fees and have the time to give it essential training, two or more dogs are better than one

I would love to have another dog but now I am retired worry I could not afford the vets bills for 2 (even with insurance which is pretty useless when dogs have a chronic condition) .

It is not a good idea though to get another dog purely as a companion for a dog as some people consider doing, it should always be because the owner wants one

Not really twice the work unless one or the other is high maintenance. You learn to prepare two bowls automatically but yes walking them can be tricky. Mine have always had to be walked separately. Sophie is too spirited-read possessed and Callie too strong to safely walk them together. But more work in general not really. I would add that I feel both benefit greatly from each others company.

We have two dogs, a basset and a cocker spaniel. Walking can be difficult as they like to go a different speeds, but when they are off lead seeing them romping round the copse together makes it all worthwhile. Charlie the basset loves his new friend and they play together all the time in the house. It can be hard work, but it's definitely rewarding.

Really depends on the dogs and you.
Sometimes it is not much harder than 1, and other times it can be 4 or 5 times harder.

I have 5 dogs at the moment, but have had as many as eight. I think you need to make sure the first dog is trained to the ways of the household and basic obedience before number 2 arrives. You will have to invest in number 2's training at first and you will have to do one to one training on the lead. Dont walk them together at first. I usually take the new dog to training classes too. I find the existing dogs teach the newbie the ways of the household and yes they are good company for each other. Feeding and cleaning up after several only takes seconds longer. Grooming takes twice as long ! You just need to time it so that you can lay the foundations training the newbie. You will however have to pay twice the food bills and twice the vet bills !

It does indeed largely depend on the particular dogs you have, possibly more so on the incumbent dogs than the newcomers. In a lot of cases dogs will learn more things more rapidly from other dogs than from the handler, as such if you have a well behaved dog already the likelihood of the newbie falling into place is much greater. Naturally personality clashes cannot be ruled out however, I had to lay down the law between my patriarch male and his son for a few months but they found their niches in the end.

Also lovemybull you coward I've had 3 bullies out at once and was only slightly traumatised by the ordeal...