What is good and bad about owning 2 dogs?

We have a westie and we are going to the dogs trust tomorrow. I would say i'm a bit apprehensive about getting another dog because i don't want our boys life turned upside down. He's got his routine and we have our cuddles etc, but when a friends dog comes to stay for a few days he really loves it! And he seems fed up when that dog goes home. He just lies about looking depressed. He loves other dogs and i know he would like someone his size and age to play about with. I think i might be being selfish to my own wants, as i don't want to lose the relationship i have with him. He might not need me as much if he has another dog to interact with. But i do know how happy he'd be and how much it would improve his life to have a friend. If you've been in my situation, please tell me how you felt and what the outcome was. thankyou.

I do not get a dog because I think my current one wants a companion etc, I get another dog because I want one.

I would have the same view if I wanted a sibling for my child.

There are pros and cons to having two dogs, increased expense, reduced time with each dog, if they are a few years apart you usually have one left when the other one dies IMO you just do what you think is best.

Good thing - watching them play and being happy together.

Bad thing - watching them play, one gets too excited, jumps up on to the bed where the lap top is, lands right onto it and smashes the 3 key right off .

Good things are they play together, fall asleep together(most of the time) provided they get along ofcourse. YOU maybe get to have a dog that will give you totally different feelings & have different qualities to the dog you have already.

Bad things, twice the pooh, twice the vet/food bills, double the insurance. Other than that & twice the amount of hair lying on the floors, on the chairs & literally everywhere, I can't think of a downside of having 2 (or in my case 3 ) dogs

Good luck in your search x

I felt exactly the same way before we got our pup. My Border Terrier, Beau, was the apple of my eye and a really mummy and daddies girl.
But we had wanted another dog since our Whippet sadly passed away. So we got Albie, now 6 months old.
To start with Beau was a little bit worried, but she got plenty of reassurance from us both, and now they are best of friends.
Having a new pup seems to have given Beau, who is 6, a new lease of life. She acts like a pup now, and has as many toys as Albie has!!!
We are even planning to get another pup late next year to join the pack!
So I would say, go for it - you can never have too many dogs!!!!

I adopted Casper, partly as I knew Kiki was so good with other dogs and would probably appreciate the company, but partly because I wanted a pure GSD - Kiki is a cross but lacking many of the traits and I really missed having a huffing, sighing, vocal GSD in the house!
Anyway, week 1, I started wondering on on earth I'd done! Casper was far too OTT and Kiki didn't like it. I gave it time though and 3 weeks on things settled down much better. They're now partners in crime, and it's lovely to see. Guests would rather watch the "dog TV" than the real TV!
As for Kiki's relationship with us, well, she's still the attention-loving mutt she was before. She's never been a soppy roll-on-my-back-for-a-belly-rub dog but she does like attention and still comes over for cuddles, loves being brushed, etc. (and Casper is the bellyrub dog). I often take the dogs out seperately just to enjoy some one-to-one walks, which they seem to enjoy, so don't feel like owning two dogs mean you're doomed to keep them unseperated forever (infact, it's a good idea to encourage some independence incase they needed to be seperated, e.g. one needed vet treatment or they needed to be kenneled seperately)

Tiny paws never say you canot have to many dogs thats what I always said and now Im up to 8

Hwestie
I find that with more than one dog the dogs often have someone to play with so they dont need you quite so much, but they do get to play much much more so for them its a good thing. Go for it

The less pleasant side of being owned by 2 dogs rather than 1 has already been mentioned - twice the insurance, food bills, vets bills, fur/hair etc.

And yes, a dog who is a big softy may find a little bit of independence. it doesn't mean they don't want to be around you but it means that there will be dog-dog play time and dog-owner play time. You don't have to lose out on any part of the relationship you already have with your current dog.

Also, if there is a little bit of an age gap, the younger dog will more often than not learn proepr "doggy manners" from the older dog (assuming your older dog has them of course).

I love owning/being owned by more than one dog. I now have 4. They drive me absolutely nuts at times but they're so much fun to be around (even when they're being norty!)

You don't HAVE to play, train or walk them together. As already said, it's a good thing to allow them to have time away from each other. Also they need to know that YOu are the owner and what YOU say goes. You would need to make sure that they listen to YOU and rely on YOU, as opposed to their furry companion. but that will come with training.

I think you have to do what you think is right for you and your family. If you're considering a second dog because you think your current dog needs a friend, then IMO you shouldn't have a second dog just yet (waits to be shot down in flames! ) On the other hand if you're considering anotehr dog because YOU want one and YOU have the time to train, play with, walk another dog separately; if you want to add anotehr dog into your family for you, not your current dog, then I'd say go for it.
the 2 dogs getting along, playing together, walking, eating and sleeping together are a fantastic bonus.

Also, have you considered the fact that your current dog loves his doggy friend visiting so much because that's all it is? Just a visit? maybe he would behave differently with another dog around all the time. When he plays and goes absolutely mad with his doggy friend, remember he hasn't seem him for a time and so is excited. Although 2 dogs in the same household will play and run about together, they don't have the excess "silly" energy they seem to have when meeting for the first time in a while.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

What they said ^^^^

I've always had two dogs for almost 20 years. I find the positives far outweigh the negatives. I always have an age gap of several year between them though and like to have a male and female rather than two of the same sex.

Pros - The pleasure and endless source of amusement of seeing your dogs interact together. Double the affection as you have two dogs that love you.

Cons - The already mentioned double of everything, though if you're going to take on another dog I'm sure you will have thought that one out properly. If you have two females that both think they are the alpha, like I had once, bitchfights in particular are no fun at all. Making sure you give each dog some one to one time so they don't become too dependent on each other and howl the house down if you have to take one out and not the other for a vet trip etc...