Dog number two

Ok so this is a very serious question and I'd like very honest answers.

We have had Dora for about a year now. Me OH and dog are all well settled and happy.
My question is this. How different would life be with two dogs instead of one?

I know many of you have more than one dog. I guess what I really want to know is, do two dogs take up more time than one dog? I feel we have home/work/Dora time quite well balanced at the moment. Obviously there is the cost of two dogs to think about.

The reason I ask is because I noticed this pop up in my facebook feed this morning.
https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/t23162-tauro-boxer-x-dob-0811-bicester-oxon-oxfordshire#330968

I have always been open to the idea of having more than one dog, and perhaps rescuing, but didn't really think it would be any time soon, but something about this little guy calls to me. Also he is currently living in the same town as me.

He is only a few weeks younger than Dora.

So what are the pros and cons of two dogs verses one dog? What should I be considering?

I haven't had two dogs together for quite a few years, now, but when I did it wasn't that much more work. The training is helped if the existing dog is well behaved because the other will (hopefully) follow what they do.

To start with there's more training & the settling in period can take up a bit of your time, but once they're settled, two isn't much more work than one!

The only difference is that it will be twice the food bill, twice the vets bills and twice the poo. The rest is just happy times

I'd have to disagree a bit with the above I'm afraid.

Unless your current dog and the dog you will be adding are both well trained and behaved, it's more than double the work because you will have to do individual training sessions as well as training sessions together.

Just one example would be if one of the dogs is reactive when outdoors, you will have to walk the dogs separately until you get the reactive dogs behaviour under control otherwise you risk problems like redirected agression on the non reactive dog which could create problems in the once problem free dog; not being able to work on the reactive dog whilst out as you've got your other hand occupied with the other dog etc.

When I first went from one dog to two, I thought it would just mean double the cost but found it to be much more as I took on another rescue and when I tried taking them out together, it made the issues I had with both dogs worse as they'd set each other off so had to spend a considerable amount of time doing separate walks before they could go out together.

When training any new behaviour, it takes double the amount of time.

There are plus sides though like the amount of time they'll spend occupying themselves by playing with each other.

Which part did you have to disagree with exactly?

Hayley wrote:Which part did you have to disagree with exactly?

That it's just twice the food bill, twice the vets bills and twice the poo; as I said, unless your current dog and the dog you'll be adding are well trained and behaved, there's a bit more to it than that IME.

I love having two dogs together
Yes it can be harder to start but if yours is a well behaved dog and you have someone to help walk both ( to start with mainly) and with training there should be no more hardships ok you may have to step in and calm situations down as play can get rough
I've always had two or more at one time and had 3 when my kids were babies( which I had many comments like how can you walk a staff a gsd pup and a collie with a pram!!!! )Like anything if you are willing to put the work in you reep the rewards
Good luck if you decide on getting another fur baby for me it is strange to only have 1

Why not see if you can take Dora along to meet up with Tauro and see how they on together. If they do then OK if not you haven't lost anything.

Yes it will mean more time on your behalf to put into training etc, and of course twice the food bill, insurance and vet bills along the way.

I'm sure you would have already considered the financial side of this anyway otherwise you wouldn't have even looked at Tauro at all and thought of him being part of your family. I wish I had the room for another dog as hubby, me and Rocky would be back to Woodgreen looking for a sister for Rocky no problem.

Do you have any children to put into the equation too as this would also be a consideration?

Thank you all for your comments, they are really informative and helpful. The positives sound fun, but I fear the negatives may outweigh too much...

To be honest, his little face popped up in my facebook feed this morning and he planted a little seed in my head... ooh I wonder...

Which is why I'm asking you the questions rather than Rescue Remedies because I haven't thought about this at all until today and I didn't want to waste their time or get their hopes up when I haven't had chance to think it through. And I also wanted to get your help to decide for myself before approaching OH with the question seriously.

I think your comments Galadriel are very valid. Although Dora is well behaved around the home she is far from perfect outside - she pulls on the lead towards anything remotely interesting (though I'm not sure if that's what you meant by reactive) so I think I would struggle to walk two dogs together on lead with her current behaviour, hence separate walks may be necessary. Though I guess this could be tested beforehand when/if we met Tauro.

I did read though their rehoming questionnaire and I think we would do well on it. The decision could very well come down to the cost of having two dogs that would put a spanner in the works as your comments have reminded me of costs which I'd forgotten about (insurance for example). Also it occurred to me that it would be twice as expensive when we had to book them both in with our dog boarding place.

And as for children Kathy. We don't have any as yet but we haven't ruled them out. I also think our parents would be very disappointed that we chose to get dog number two instead of trying for baby number one....

I shall ponder it some more. If anyone has any other thoughts please do add to the discussion, they have been really helpful so far, thanks everyone.

Gazagem wrote:
I've always had two or more at one time and had 3 when my kids were babies( which I had many comments like how can you walk a staff a gsd pup and a collie with a pram!!!! )Like anything if you are willing to put the work in you reep the rewards

Now that sounds like hard work!

well we've got 2 and 1 is a growing pup and it really isn't that much more work , by my personal experience. Our biggest problem is the walking situation as Tommy should only do a little less than 1/2 hour and Tilly needs more , we balance this by more off lead time for both of them , more garden time and at least once a day Tilly gets a good walk on her own or we Take Tilly for half hour first and then collect Tommy and carry on.
Tommy learns well from Tilly , it was apiece of cake to get him to walk because he just follows Tilly. My daughter has claimed Tommy so he sleeps with her and Tilly sleeps with us.
Tilly has a much more energetic life these days with her playmate and though she gets the hump sometimes she generalyy enjoys the company of her little brother.
Yes there are negatives as in double all the bills but that's life , and thats my personal experience , to me it just makes more fun and thats worth paying for

Sometimes we simply get chosen. Follow your heart. It would be wise though to introduce them before making any decisions. Talk to the shelter and get their advice.

alexiastra wrote:Thank you all for your comments, they are really informative and helpful. The positives sound fun, but I fear the negatives may outweigh too much...

The decision could very well come down to the cost of having two dogs that would put a spanner in the works as your comments have reminded me of costs which I'd forgotten about (insurance for example). Also it occurred to me that it would be twice as expensive when we had to book them both in with our dog boarding place.

Sorry I've just read the post again and see that the cost is the basic decider. If its like this then I would honestly avoid it at all costs, the last thing you want is to be in a position where the dogs are putting you in financial hardship and you have to make choices. Stick to how you are and enjoy your time with your girl. If I was in doubt about cost with getting Tommy I would never even consider it

I have a six year old staffy well behaved and social .. I tool on a 8 wekk old pup 4 weeks ago... I and my husband work full time but alter our shifts to suit the dogs and kids. I am totally suffering from sleep deprevation, stressed due to change in routine, had tears as puppy had bud tummy one day and she wouldnt eat or drink. have spent a fortune! at the vets for innoculations chipping fle and worm prevention. will have to buy new rug for living room .. had a flea infestation (from step kids bloody cat!) basically I am worn out, tired and ready for a whole weekend in bed (not gonna hapen) but! i am happy and totally chuffed at the of a day when my new addition is snoring in her bed and my old boy is snoring away on my lap ...worth every dark circle under my eyes!

Dave wrote:

alexiastra wrote:Thank you all for your comments, they are really informative and helpful. The positives sound fun, but I fear the negatives may outweigh too much...

The decision could very well come down to the cost of having two dogs that would put a spanner in the works as your comments have reminded me of costs which I'd forgotten about (insurance for example). Also it occurred to me that it would be twice as expensive when we had to book them both in with our dog boarding place.

Sorry I've just read the post again and see that the cost is the basic decider. If its like this then I would honestly avoid it at all costs, the last thing you want is to be in a position where the dogs are putting you in financial hardship and you have to make choices. Stick to how you are and enjoy your time with your girl. If I was in doubt about cost with getting Tommy I would never even consider it

Very good advice

Just to say, in kennels you usually get a 15% discount for two dogs.

jstaff wrote:

Dave wrote:

alexiastra wrote:Thank you all for your comments, they are really informative and helpful. The positives sound fun, but I fear the negatives may outweigh too much...

The decision could very well come down to the cost of having two dogs that would put a spanner in the works as your comments have reminded me of costs which I'd forgotten about (insurance for example). Also it occurred to me that it would be twice as expensive when we had to book them both in with our dog boarding place.

Sorry I've just read the post again and see that the cost is the basic decider. If its like this then I would honestly avoid it at all costs, the last thing you want is to be in a position where the dogs are putting you in financial hardship and you have to make choices. Stick to how you are and enjoy your time with your girl. If I was in doubt about cost with getting Tommy I would never even consider it

Very good advice

yeah it is. I've done the sums and I don't think we can make it work at the moment. I'm a bit sad, Tauro stole my heart before I even got chance to meet him!

Maybe in future when we are rich (lol) we'll be in the position to get another fur baby.

Thanks for all your comments and help x

alexiastra wrote:

Gazagem wrote:
I've always had two or more at one time and had 3 when my kids were babies( which I had many comments like how can you walk a staff a gsd pup and a collie with a pram!!!! )Like anything if you are willing to put the work in you reep the rewards

Now that sounds like hard work!

It was at first but once they had got in their walking places they were well behaved I also had more time as I didn't work my daughter was 2 and my son 6 months so we could walk all day if the weather was good if not we would do training in doors at the time we lived in a 3 story town house so could send them up to find treats etc
In fact I find it harder now that the kids are older (16 & 14 )and I'm working lol
The money side has always been a big thing so I put money away each week for each dog and it's suprising how quick it mounts up plus I have been very lucky my dogs haven't needed much emergency vet care

Would you consider fostering? I can't afford to adopt another either so i'm fostering a little guy until he finds a permanent home, I know it's not quite the same but it's really rewarding and you get all vet bills and equipment paid for you've just gotta buy the food it's nice for Bis to have lots of different playmates and you're saving a dog from rotting in kennels for months on end too!

Rachel33 wrote:you get all vet bills and equipment paid for you've just gotta buy the food

This does depend on the rescue (and sometimes the dog).
Some pay only vet bills. Others cover everything, including food.
Some release the dog with third party insurance. Others don't.

One avenue for the OP to possibly explore is adopting an older oldie.
Sometimes the rescue shelter covers all expenses for these hard-to-rehome dogs, including vet cost, bedding, food, toys, etc for the remaining life of the dog as, otherwise, he'd likely die in a shelter, unclaimed and unwanted by anyone.

The rescue shelter would probably be happy with a trial period prior to adoption, too.

He is a Rescues Remedies dog, it is one of the best rescues in this country and you will have full back up with him. They will only let you have him if he gets on with your other dog and that is right, if they don't they have a lot of other dogs that may be suitable. They work hard getting the dogs ready to go to new homes and also to find the right home for them.

I love having multiple dogs, I have 5 at the moment, one is a foster boy for Lurcher Link, I used to have 6.