Adding a second Dog

[SoMissTV]

My wife has been asking me to consider adopting a second dog. Our dog, Sydney, has been an only child since we got her from the pound in November 2005. She stays inside the house during the day, and is mostly good, except for the times when she decides to chew on my recliner. She is almost 2 years old and weighs about 30 pounds. We're thinking about getting a dog that is similar-sized or larger (i.e. - golden retriever mix, etc.), but I'm curious as to anyone else's experiences on adding a dog. Sydney is very friendly, so I doubt they would fight, but I'd like to know a couple of things, namely:

1) Will adding a second dog decrease the furniture chewing by giving Sydney a playmate, or will they tag team the couch?

2) Will having two dogs make it difficult to sleep through the night together? They would both sleep in the bedroom. Sydney does not sleep in a crate.

3) Does upkeep cost significantly more when having multiple dogs?

4) Any other stuff you can think of.

Thanks!

[aaron]

I have added a second dog to my household twice, and both times got the same result. The first dog's time was taken up by the second dog, but I still got some bad behaviors. The second dog loved the first dog more than us. I have never seen jealousy in the form of fighting, but I'm sure it wouldn't have taken much for that to happen.

[Southern_Belle]

i think that our two dogs together are great. they keep each other entertained.

1. the first one still gets into things that she shouldn't and often leads the other one to join her. she is the ring leader. but mostly they play with each other and only chew on their toys (ropes, balls, chews, etc...)

2. both of our dogs sleep in their separate kennels. when we added the second one he was 3 months old (almost 4) and was sleeping through the night. they still do this.

3. upkeep is expensive, but depends on the breed. our second dog has to be groomed consistently to keep his schnauzer appearance. so that is a little more expensive. the vet bills are definately more. i spent $192.00 today at the vet for both of them. (physical exam, tested for heartworms, one got all vaccinations, fecals for both, two treatments of revolution) so the vet is expensive. food isn't bad b/c we have small dogs (23 and 13 lbs.)

4. i think that it is good for the other dog to have a playmate. it does make life a little easier b/c all of your attention is not constantly devoted to the dog. you can be cooking, cleaning, whatever - and they are entertaining themselves.

i say go for it!

[Maggie-Doodle]

My wife has been asking me to consider adopting a second dog. Our dog, Sydney, has been an only child since we got her from the pound in November 2005. She stays inside the house during the day, and is mostly good, except for the times when she decides to chew on my recliner. She is almost 2 years old and weighs about 30 pounds. We're thinking about getting a dog that is similar-sized or larger (i.e. - golden retriever mix, etc.), but I'm curious as to anyone else's experiences on adding a dog. Sydney is very friendly, so I doubt they would fight, but I'd like to know a couple of things, namely:

1) Will adding a second dog decrease the furniture chewing by giving Sydney a playmate, or will they tag team the couch?

2) Will having two dogs make it difficult to sleep through the night together? They would both sleep in the bedroom. Sydney does not sleep in a crate.

3) Does upkeep cost significantly more when having multiple dogs?

4) Any other stuff you can think of.

Thanks!

Having two dogs is a big responsibility! It is like having two kids. Although I never wanted but one child, I would love to have another doggy...they just double the fun. :)

If you have a chewer he may teach the new dog to chew too...they are just like kids, the older one teaches the younger stuff he really doesn't need to know! They do keep each other company though. If you have a chewer you might need to keep him crated when left alone. It does not harm them and does prevent bad and expensive stuff from happening.

I never found it much more expensive to have multiple dogs, initially yes, maybe but after the shots etc. not so much for food...for an average size dog anyways.

When we had multiple dogs sleeping wasn't so bad, Pooh (my momma WFT and my heart) of course slept with me and my husband, her pups slept with our son...or on the sofa in the den.

Right now I only have Boo Boo and will keep it that way for awhile...probably until she has to be put down...(hopefully that will not be for a few years though.) IF you have a dog breed that gets along good I say go for two...having WFT's it is a bitch to have more than one...they get into real knock-down dragouts alot...or mine always did...Unless I would have good kennel facilities at my house again, I would only want one of them at a time..having a more docile type dog would be different. Good luck with what ever decision you make.

[iheartellisons]

Well I don't necessarily have two dogs, but we do have two dogs in our apartment - the other one belongs to my brother and his fiance. We had my dog, Riley, first and he was great. He got into things but he enjoyed the attention and everything. Then about two months after he turned one, my brother and his fiance got Lucy. Now my dog is a mutt and rarely costs outrageous amounts. He doesn't need weekly or monthly haircuts just nail trim and his vet bill is reasonable. Lucy however seems to be racking up the bill more and more every week - but a sharpe' comes with that warning. Anyways back to my point - now that they have been together, I can't imagine splitting them up but its eventually gonna have to happen. They play together and keep each other occupied during the day. When one leaves to go for a weekend visit, the other gets really depressed. LOL...its fun having two dogs bc when I'm tired they still have someone to play with.

Good luck though with what you choose....