How long before adding a 2nd puppy?

Sangmort

Ok, I've noticed a lot of people getting 2nd puppies [ on the forum & in the "real world" lol ] so I've been curious...


What is the "advisable" time to wait before adding a 2nd puppy? I've seen a variety of combination's, so which do you guys think is the smartest move?

- Getting two puppies close in age [ 8 to 12 weeks ] together & raising them together.

- Waiting until the first puppy is around 6 months & speutered.

- Waiting until the first pup is one year old & past the "rebellious" phase.


I'm just curious as to what is recommended and what people normally do.


Oh & I'm talking about two puppies...not adding a second adult dog with another adult dog. Also, I'm not talking about this from a financial standpoint. I should hope that when adding a second dog / pup people understand that the costs double or triple.

I'm more interested in the idea of raising them together & how they react to each other. As well as what hell the humans have to go through lol ~

JessicaRabbit

I think it comes down to case by case situations.
It is a lot to handle.
I would say without a doubt that there are pros and cons to having 2 puppies. But no major no nos to worry about it other than some shredded patience.

Nekopan

Personally, I most likely get another pup after the first is a year old. That way you have had time to bond to the first and get some training under your belt before you start over. My second pick would be to get two pups at the same time/age and raise them at the same time. I think to do this properly you must have at least one other person in the house committed to the dogs (be it a SO, parent, or roommate) in order to keep on top of pottying and training. That way you could take both pups to the same training classes, etc.

I don't think waiting 6 months and then adding another pup would be a good idea. While the first pup is off being rebellious, you're going through all the accidents and chewing mishaps again. I think it would be really stressful.

Sangmort

Thanks guys! Yeah, I've been kind of confused as there was no particular pattern in the way people add a second pup. I thought I might be missing something That, & I've heard some forum members like to wait a certain time... ~

dlroberts

I basically agree with Kyla, except that I would choose to add both puppies at the same time. If they are raised together the chances of them not getting along are much much lower. But, from a practical standpoint, I think its easier from a logistics point of view to have them both the same age (although certainly not financially as they will both needs shots at the same time, speuter at the same time, etc.). If you have help, it may not be as big a deal, but if you are on your own, dealing with a mature dog that needs long daily walks and a young puppy that can't go on those walks is tough.

But really, I think it can be done no matter what the age gap. The only thing that changes is your approach to managing their interactions.

Zinja

It shouldn't matter when you add in the second puppy as long as the first puppy is well socialized.

IMHO, you should wait a year before adding a second puppy. The first puppy will take a financial hit to your wallet... two puppies would be even worse! Plus, would you really want to have two teething puppies and two unpotty trained doggies? The second puppy will also learn a lot from the first puppy, and you will learn a lot too.

Osy, are you thinking about getting a second puppy? Let's focus on getting your first one

Personally, I am going to wait until I get out of college and get my own property before I get a second puppy.... Hopefully a Shika... then an Akita... Then I'll probably look like Brad's pack lol

Sangmort

lol! Oh, I'd be more than happy with just one! But it's been something I've been curious about If I can get a super amazing raise + promotion [ not going to happen in these economic times ] then I would get two...or three...or four...*cough*

Well, it's nice to dream anyway ~

Sangmort

Just thought I would add another question.


If one decided to get two puppies at the same time & raise them together, isn't it possible that the pups would bond more so with each other, than with their human?


I've read this somewhere but I wasn't sure to it's accuracy. ~

Nekopan

I've heard of that as well, but I think it's a myth. As long as you spend time with the pups and give them individual attention, there's no reason why they wouldn't bond to their human caretaker.

I think a lot of the "two puppies at once" comes from, ahem, less-informed owners. They get two pups at the same time thinking they will be able to get away with giving them less attention and less exercise since, hey, they have each other for company! And all they do is play all day, why would they need to go for a walk?

Sorry to be depressing, but people think this way.

Zinja

I think it also might depend on the breed... Shikas LOVE to please their owners so I'm pretty sure they wouldn't have a problem.

Uhhh.... I have South American Cichlids and I've raised a few of them (dwarf Cichlid and Oscar for example) and they get along great... Normally the Oscar would eat the smaller fish, as long as you raise them together, I think they are good for life.

I'm not sure if my fish story helped, I just wanted to talk about them lol

dlroberts

I don't think the bonding thing is a concern at all. Dogs bond with other pack members (human or canine) by spending time with them and doing activities together. Like Kyla said, as long as you don't use the second dog as an excuse not to give them attention, there's no reason they wouldn't bond with you. Now, that being said, every dog has their own personality and their won preferences for the personality of the humans or dogs they keep company with. It is entirely possible that your two pups could be like peas in a pod and not mesh as well personality-wise with their human, but that could happen regardless of when you bring the second dog into your pack. So I'd have to say that's probably a pile of crap.

Sangmort

Ah! Ok, that does make sense ~

wliu003

im in the category of wanting another puppy.

i think its best to evaluate your current situation first, for example, how busy are you with job/school? would adding another puppy positively impact your life, or will it cause unnecessary stress?

regarding the senarios that you gave, it would be kind of cool to raise two at once. when i was raising kelly i used to think about what it would be like to raise another one at once. however, it would also be fun to have one puppy thats already one or older and another one that is a 8-12 week old puppy. that way the older one could act as a motherly figure which could be awesome.

BradA1878

As said already, I think it depends on the individual's situation and their current dog as well as their experience with dogs. Obviously if you have a very reactive or fearful dog you should put a LOT of thought into whether or not adding a new pup is right or wrong for your other pup. Also, if you have little dog experience you should probably stick with one dog till you feel you are comfortable enough for another.

For us, we have purposely spaced our dogs out by [approx] 6 months in age. It is our personal opinion [and experience] that it is better for 2 younger pups to meet and grow together than one mature pup and one very young pup. If you wait a year, for a breed like the Shiba, to add a puppy to your family you risk having a to introduce a puppy to a dog that is very close, if not already, mature. This can cause issues since the key socialization period [up to 6 months] has already past for the 1 year old Shiba by several months. If you had not properly socialized [with puppies and other dogs] your Shiba up to one year in age before adding a pup you could run into some big problems when you show up with a new "buddy".

You also have to take into consideration the breed, a 6 month old Shiba is way more mature than a 6 month old Akita. I'm using the Shiba as an example above, but really the same [time table] applies for most of the small - medium sized Nihonken. Kai Ken mature slower than Shikoku, and Shikoku mature slower than Shiba but that 1 year mark in all three breeds is a big changing point in maturity levels.

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As for the comment/question about you bonding less with your pup if they have another pup to bond with as well - I don't really see that being the case.

Dogs have evolved for thousands of years to bond with humans. Your puppy will bond with you just as strongly as he would if he had another dog to bond with too.

Having said that, you may see a difference in dependency with a dog that has other dogs to be social with vs. a dog that only has a human to be social with - in this case the dog will look to the human for EVERYTHING where, if they have another dog to interact with, the bond between the human and the dogs will be different and less dependant but not less.

Example: A single dog home will have a dog that needs playtime as well as grooming and feeding time with his/her human companion to be happy. A multi-dog household will have dogs that don't need human playtime but do require human grooming and feeding time. A dog will bond with whomever controls the resources of their environment.

My point is, the bond is just as strong between a human and a pup in a multi dog household, the difference is just that the dog is not 100% dependant on the human for ALL social and entertainment needs. I would actually argue that in a multi-dog household the human bonds with the dogs less and not the other way around.

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dlroberts

It can backfire too. I got Joey in part because I thought it would be fun for Lucy to have a playmate. Lucy is about 14 months older than Joey. It turns out, Lucy doesn't particularly like having a playmate. Before Joey came along, she played very nicely with her friends and would often keep me up at night playing when other dogs stayed with us. Since Joey has come, she's lost interest in play all together and is constantly annoyed by Joey doing his damnedest to play with her.

It just goes to show you can't outguess these things. You can never be 100% sure of how a dog will react to a new situation.

BradA1878

Also - imo - I think getting 2 dogs that are the exact same age, and especially from the same litter, is not a very good idea. There should be some age difference.

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Calia

Tetsu and Tikaani are about 3 months apart, and that long of a gap between getting them. We, both my boyfriend Tom and I, wanted to have "our own" dog that were close in age. The reason for getting them as close in age as possible was more reflected on the routine, and more so the house breaking. With Tetsu, we were "learning" to take him out for potty 8 times a day, to keep him attached at the hip and all those other puppy things you must do. With Tikaani, we were already in the routine of puppy habits. There's no gap when it comes to "dealing with diapers" so house breaking was a breeze.
They have become quite bonded to each other, but I think Tikaani likes Tetsu more than Tetsu likes Tikaani. For about a week, they were both the same size, but now that Tikaani is bigger Tetsu sometimes gets annoyed when they play. Even though they are sort of growing up together, they both would rather play with one of us than each other. Their games with each other don't last too long if we're not in it.

sunyata

Just my two cents...

For a single dog household who is looking to add a puppy, I think the best time is once your older dog/pup is well socialized and well (reliably) trained. A well trained older dog (be it 10 months, a year, or 3 years) can be a blessing with a puppy. For one, you will not have to correct two dogs, and the older dog will correct the puppy. Also, the puppy will see the behaviours of the older dog and... well, monkey see, monkey do.

This has been the case with Bella and Nola. If Bella was not a well socialized, well behaved dog, I doubt we would have even considered adding a new puppy to our household. And Bella has been a great behavioural influence on Nola. We would have spaced them a bit closer together (we got Nola when Bella was just over 2 1/2 years old), but the timing was not right for us as a family.

Sangmort

Thanks guys! You're all such awesome help, I really appreciate it ~

lindsayt

Before I got Ike, the breeder made it mandatory for me to have whatever issues I had with Beebe ironed out or dealt with BEFORE he came into the mix just to make it easier on me as far as behavior issues were concerned. It worked out so much better I think to have waited and gotten her obedience training and manners polished (she was 1.5 years when he came home) before introducing Ike.

The other thing I dealt with recently, someone came into the clinic after getting 2 siblings, informing us of the return of 1 dog to the breeder for re-homing as the 2 siblings were competing with each other over resources and not bonding with the family. I think this was an owner mis-education issue, mismatch of dog to lifestyle, etc, and that they were relying too much on the dogs to entertain each other.

The last thing, working with pets as they approach the end of their lives and require euthanasia, I've learned that often people who have littermates or dogs of the same age do more frequently experience the loss of both their pets within the same timespans. It sucks for them because they end up losing not one beloved family member, but 2 within realtively short spans of time. I don't like to get pets that are the same age for this reason, it's too hard to lose them really close together, even if it is from ripe old age.

StaticNfuzz

Well I am again going to back up Dave and Brad. Sunyata and Lindsayt have some really good points too.

Particularly with Shibas, like Lucy, the resident dogs have a better relationship with some than others. Shibas tend to pick their friends.
It is tough to figure out sometimes when selecting a puppy though what will match up well. Each personality is different and some dogs are way more forward than the older dog likes. The best success rates have been with balanced personalities and energy about 7 to 10 months apart in age for Shibas. That way they are not in the same stage at the same time and teething is over for one. Also it is easier to manage the training as one dog is in puppy socialization and the other should be well on its way to formal training in another class. Integration with a different breed is usually successful even at three yrs if the older dog is social. Sometimes the pairing is easier with a different relaxed breed since some Shibas can have the overbearing "mine" factor or simply can get their noise out of joint if they think they are being pushed out of the sun.

Snf