2nd Dog??

[bobbin]

SO and I have a 13 month old Border Collie X Kelpie pup.

He really wants a second dog, and whilst I would love to have a second pup, I am not so sure. He says he mainly wants a dog to keep Lucy company during the day (when we are both at work). I think it is also because from the very beginning, we have known that should we split, Lucy is my dog, and I think he wants a dog that will be his.

The reasons I am concerned about it are:
- We will have children in a few years and our house is fairly small (but we have a large backyard). I am not sure how I will cope with 1-2 small children AND 2 active dogs.
- My parents love Lucy and look after her when we go away. They are not sure if they will be able to look after 2 dogs.
- Getting another dog may not alleviate Lucy''s boredom, we may just have 2 bored dogs and 2x the destruction.

Are there any PS''ers with small children and more than one dog (Lucy is an inside dog, so those with dogs who are inside dogs especially)? How do you cope with this?

Does anyone else have any experience with the introduction of a second dog (particularly with similar issues as above)?

Any help appreciated!

 

[Amandine]

First, I want to say that Lucy is adorable!

We have an active 3 1/2 year old dog that loves to play. This spring we added a 4 mo puppy to our house, as a companion for Edgar and because I wanted a second dog. I had similar concerns about children and the dogs, as my DH and I are looking to start a family this Christmas. We came to the decision that since I did want the second dog, it was best to get one now so he could be fully trained and manageable by the time we had a baby.

Adding Boomer to our house has gone smoothly, and I have to say while I love having both of them, two dogs are definitely enough for us! They are rambunctious, and play hard--a lot. As temperatures are cooling, they do like to be outside more, which makes the roughhousing easier on us (they seem to love to play right next to us, never mind there is much better space elsewhere in the house

). For your boredom question, yes, sometimes we do have two bored dogs. But any "destruction" comes from the puppy, Boomer. I keep working with him in the hopes that he will be sufficiently mellow and trained by the time a baby happens! We find that a walk helps a lot with the boredom, too. I would keep in mind that if you do split from your SO, this may be difficult for the dogs, too.

I know I haven''t answered many of your questions, but just wanted you to know that we faced (somewhat) similar circumstances, and decided to go ahead with the second dog, and we are still happy with our decision.

 

[sctsbride09]

Ok, so I know you wanted people with kids to answer. Hubs and I dont have kids, however we have 2 dogs, and both are inside. Initially, when we got together I brought my very small mixed breed with me when he and I first moved in together. Well as time went on we decided he needed a buddy (as well as us needing a guard dog), so we brought another dog in (a dobe). We absolutely love having 2 dogs, but I will tell you this, 2 is alot more work than 1 for some reason. Also I stay at home, so I am able to walk them, play with them etc. during the day, which really helps. Dobes happen to be VERY energetic (like collies) so I understand your concern over adding a second pooch. Especially if you both work, who will train it when it is young also are you looking at getting another high energy breed? If so I would *really* think about. On a side note, my good friend has a child and 2 labs, and most days she is going INSANE dealing with all of them. When her baby was 6 months old I grabbed her off my friends floor just in time to keep her from getting her head smashed

by an overly excited dog. Not saying all dogs do this, you just have to super aware and careful.

 

[sparklyheart]

No kids or SO at the moment but I got a 2nd dog in January so I thought I''d chime in. I have a 4 yr old dog with a lot of energy who seemed bored with just me.. So I decided he needed a puppy to play with! I don''t think he thought he needed a puppy to play with but he puts up with her. They play rough a lot.. When my puppy wakes up, all she wants to do is play, play, play! They are mini-schnauzers, which are known for having a good deal of energy (there are dogs with more though!)..

It''s definitely more work to have two.. I wanted another one so my older dog wouldn''t be bored since I knew I would be gone almost everyday (during the day) for about 6 months. My mom has always come to let my older dog out when I work (14hr days!) so that hasn''t really changed but when I take them over there it is a lot more work to have two running around. My mom claims she doesn''t mind because she loves my dogs but it is such a pain to load a crate (my older dog just sleeps on the bed but the puppy stays in a crate), all their food, toys.. It just seems like a lot more. I know there are worst things in life, but if you are taking them to stay with other people it is a lot! Plus it''s a lot to ask others to help out with 2.. One just seems so easy! As for adding kids to the mix, I think it depends on the type of dog. If I had two lazy dogs then that wouldn''t be a problem.. But two high energy dogs with one or two high energy kids.. Wow!!

All that being said, I wouldn''t trade the new puppy for anything because they are both so different personality wise and it''s fun to have both of them..even if they both love to be the center of attention AT ALL TIMES!