Are Two Puppies Really Easier than One???

Ahem.. NO.
Puppies are a TON of work. We found that a puppy and an older dog were a good combination, but they are still a TON of work... Don't do it.
LBC

Hell no! That just means that there is twice as much poop to clean up while you are housebreaking. I tell you this from experience...we bought 2 boston terrier puppies 8 years ago and it STILL haunts me. We couldn't even use the puppy training pads...the two little heathens would use them, play tug of war with them, and shred them. We had them locked in a spare bathroom while we were at work and we would come home to two puppies covered in poop and shredded puppy pads...it was awful.

Two puppies easier than one, no but two older dogs are easier than one. It is like kids...two in diapers is harder than one. Good luck with everything. I say go for it! Unless you have really young kids! :)

That's kind of like saying two babies are easier than one. No, I disagree. You have to housebreak two puppies, and as you are obviously finding out, it's hard enough to do one! Take the puppy to dog parks and areas where it can socialize with other dogs. This might help.

I see from your profile that you have 2 young children. Maybe if the kids were older and more self-sufficient a 2nd pup might be a good thing, but let me tell you from someone who has had 2 dogs (now down to 1 =0(
and 2 very young children...it can be much harder with 2 dogs.
Our first dog had severe separation anxiety, and in that respect adding a second dog helped immensely. BUT, that was before the kiddos. They WERE our kiddos. Once the kids arrived, logistics got harder. How do you walk dog(s)/puppies, train them, housebreak them, take them to the vet with 2 young children in tow? Planning to be away for the day? A walker needs to come in, especially if one of the 2 isn't able to "hold it" for long (like one of mine). Expenses...twice as much for kennel/sitter fees if you plan to go away overnight, twice as much for vet bills including regular preventive care, shots, flea/tick and heartworm preventive, twice as much shedding, twice as much food. It really does get expensive. We had to rehome our anxious hound after 6 years with our family because he could not adjust to the military moves and the kids in the house (he was sweet with them, but very anxious) and despite medications, training, behaviorists, etc. his behavior got worse and worse...no one was happy. He's now in a home where he's content with one other hound, a stay at home mom to only dogs, and we get updates that he's doing very well. Our girl still with us...she's LOVING being an only dog! I find that one dog is MUCH easier at this point. Ok, so I wrote a novel...but here's my take. Wait and see how your dog does as an "only dog" and if she does well and has no issues with separation anxiety, don't add another to the mix unless you REALLY REALLY want one yourself. If she seems to be having issues in a year or so and has a hard time being home, consider fostering another dog to see how she does, and if it's a match...great!
Good luck!

P.S.
Just read a poster comment and just to dispel a myth, greyhounds DO NOT need a lot of exercise. I have them as pets and they are EXTREMELY lazy. BUT you cannot let them off leash in an unenclosed area or you're asking for trouble because if they WANT to run, they will!

No, that is an urban legend! Seriously, it is harder to have 2 dogs. Just give the one you have your attention and it will be fine without a compadre. Even take him to day camp once a month - much easier and cheaper than another dog. Good luck to you.

Hahahahaha. No.

We got a second dog when I was pregnant with my daughter, thinking that they would have each other to play with, not be lonely, etc. I love her dearly, but did she make my life easier? No.

Dogs can get lonely if they are alone all the time, but if you pay attention to the dog when you're around and treat it like a member of the family (a well disciplined member of the family) your dog will be just fine.

Good luck.

LOL!!! NO 2 puppies is not easier than 1. That's funny.

I think it all depends really. If you are planning on treating puppy like a baby and taking her everywhere 1 is easier. We had 1 golden retriever and took him everywhere, then got a second one to keep the 1st one company and then the car became too small for the both of them so they stayed home more than before. These two were especially onery though and they behaved much better without the other one around. Kind of like kids when you have the two together its crazy and then one goes over to a friends for a sleep over and you realize how easy the one is without the other. I now have a 5 year old german longhair pointer and a 1 year old mini schnauzer and i think it was a good thing to wait til the one dog was a bit older before adding the craziness of another puppy.

Yes two are probalby better but it may not be the breed that matters but the personality that matters the most when looking for a second. If you dont have a lot of time to spend with them they need a companion to play with. They are social animals. We have sugar glidders and they are soical animals and we would have to spend three hours a day at least with one every day but with two we only have to spend one. Same goes for dogs. You dont have to spend as much time. Yes you still need to play with them and love on them but they will be so much happier!!!!

Good luck in your search for a buddy and God Bless!

No! Never! Two puppies are much much harder than one. They feed off each other with bad behaviors. If you have a TON of time to work with them and do training and give them lots of exercise it will work. Otherwise it's best to have one puppy, spend the time training it and when it is older and mature (4 or so) then get a 2nd dog. The older dog will actually help train the new puppy bc dogs learn fastest from each other and the puppy will copy the older dog.

No.

Are 2 kids better than one?
That is not necessarily rocket science logic.

For some yes. For others no.

And, who knows if the 2 dogs will get along.

For example:
My friend, recently brought home another dog (just for a weekend, to see if that dog would 'fit in' with their current dog and their family). They wanted a companion for their current dog and so their dog will not get lonely etc. Well, that new dog, then TOOK over the whole home and their 1st dog... and massively was an "alpha" dog. Really... upset their 1st dog. So, they returned the dog... to the person who owned it. Which was okay. Because this was done via a foster parent type dog owner.

for us, that was the case - 2 is better. We have Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, and they really need companionship. Because my husband and I both have to be at work all day and can't always get home for lunch, we opted to get a second Cavalier when our first was about 4 months old. Such a good decision!! She was much happier when we weren't around. Yes, having any dog is a real commitment, and you have to put in the time, much like having a child. But in our case, Scarlett became a much happier puppy when we added Butler to the family. If your breed is very social and needs companionship, i would recommend it. More to love too!!!

Good luck!

No, Anymore than having two kids could be easier than having one.

I could not handle two puppies! But I have heard that too and I believe it to be true. But instead of a puppy, get an older dog. A dog that is mellow. It will mellow your puppy, and give the puppy someone else to play with.

BTW, I actually am one of those people who believe two kids are easier than one! The play together all day and wear each other out! :)

My first response to this was 'oh bullsh!t'... BUT I could see it being 'easier' in regards to the puppy having company, therefore they're not so bored that they're always getting into trouble (or it could still go the way I'm thinking, and the pup would have a partner in crime!!)... If your dog is bored or needs company while you're away, put the tv on!!

I really can't see how - considering the amount of work involved in raising a puppy, housetraining it, making sure they don't destroy stuff or eat things they shouldn't, sometimes having a puppy is like having a toddler. So if having 2 puppies is somehow easier, I guess having twin toddlers is easier than having 1 toddler.

Not to mention the fact that pets cost money, so having 2 means double the cost of vaccines, spay/neuter, etc. Hey, maybe that's what the vet was really trying to do! Increase his income by trying to convince you to get a second dog!

Don't worry, your puppy will be fine, as long as she gets enough exercise and interaction with the family. Doggy day care is always an option too. And if you do decide to get a second dog, do it once the puppy is housetrained and past the "crazy puppy" stage - but still young enough to become friends and want to play with the new puppy.

It depends on the dog, the family, and the household situation. For us, it WAS easier. No matter how much exercise we gave our dog when she was a puppy (we gave her A LOT!), she was still depressed, would get destructive despite training, and had a biting/chewing problem. We got another puppy on our vet's advice. It helped SO much. Now, we got the second after the first was behavior and potty trained. I think she was 8 months. She stopped tearing things up, stopped biting, and was very happy. We were doing everything right, but she was just so pack oriented. She really needed a dog to make her happy. Our lives were and are sooo much easier with two.

If you decide om another, why not rescue another dog? You can take your dog to a shelter and they will pick each other. Breed and looks don't matter, as long as it's a nice dog that is a good fit. I do recommend waiting until potty training is complete and you have some basic commands and behaviors down. The other puppy will learn from the potty trained one.

I just adopted a 70lb coonhound that keeps digging up the yard, the foundation... the pros advice is to get a second dog.... i too am debating that because of the expense, but they say it will counteract the destruction and boredom....

M.

not at my house! I think it is more about the dog and the dog owners that a general rule. when I am not home my pets are in there kennels (so they don't destroy or go potty on anything) they sleep most of the time, so they are not bored. if you have a very active breed of dog and it needs lots of entertainment, and you are not willing to be his/her entertainment then yes a companion dog of similar temperament might be a good idea, for example if you had a greyhound or a Jack Russell that needed a lot of running around, and you don't want to do that then yes, but if you have an active breed dog and you take him/her for a 5 mile run every morning and play with your dog in the afternoon when you get home, then no you probably don't need another dog right now. As far as the Frenchie... they are not very high strung dogs and I don't think they would generally need a constant companion. Ask your Breeder what they think as far as if that type of Dog really needs a constant companion, but the Frenchies I've known haven't.

NO!
We rescued 2 puppies (from different litters) 5 years ago. I love them, but they're as difficult as my 5 kids some days. Training is much, much harder w/2, especially if they have very different personalities.

IMO, it depends on the dogs. We have a 9 year old dachsund mix that we adopted 6 years ago and we have a 2 year old Golden Retriever puppy that we got from a family whose child was allergic when she was only 14 weeks old. The 2 dogs are great, get along really well and are 100% part of our family. They don't generally cost us alot of money (occasional issues require a special vet visit which can be expensive but otherwise, it is just routine). We have a good network of friends and family so if we go away we have people to take care of them. We also have a 3 1/2 year old, 4 1/2 year old and baby #3 on the way! I figured with 2 young kids and one dog already, what the heck, get a second dog and hey while we're at it, have a 3rd kid! LOL! I would suggest getting a mutt from a local shelter. They're very low maintenance in general. French bulldogs are generally good dogs from what I know but can be pricey with health issues.

Two puppies are easier than one in the same way that two babies are easier than one - i.e. two puppies are twice as much work as one puppy.

I tried this, ONCE. Housebreaking two at once was quite a chore. They also had to figure out who the alpha was (they were both male and very young- 8-10 weeks). They also had different personalities and different wants/ needs. It would be like having two babies and expecting them to act the same and need the same thing at the same time. My 11 year old Lhasa Apso has been an "only child" for her entire life. She is quite content. There are plenty of toys and puzzles designed to stimulate dogs and keep them entertained when you can't. My sister has two dogs- one that has always been content to be by herself and one that tears things up and acts up whether alone or with another dog. I think you really have to think about if you have the time, energy, and money for another one!

absolutely not.
I have two puppies. Thankfully I also have two kids that are old enough to help with them. two puppies have to be trained , walked and played with separately. or they get what's called "twin syndrome" where they can't bare to be separated. and then you have a whole new problem. And all bills are doubled, food is doubled, vet bills are doubled, medications, flea prevention, heartworm prevention, fixing surgery. etc
yes they entertain each other but you can get an entertainment boredom busting toy. They are toys that you put treats in that they have to figure out how to get the treat out.

having two puppies is like having twin toddlers they get into twice as much trouble.

Easier is definitely the wrong word. Obviously, it is more work to train two puppies. It is also more expensive, especially when they are puppies and you need to get all the puppy vet care done. However, I think that it can ultimately result in a happier, better balanced pet for a dog to have a "friend." We adopted littermates, and they are the best of friends. They slept in the same kennel as puppies which led to much less "crying" at night. I felt better when we were gone knowing that they were not alone. Before we adopted the puppies, we had another dog who had separation anxiety. The first puppy was for the older dog, the second puppy was so the first puppy wouldn't drive the older dog nuts! It is hard in the beginning, but well worth it in the long run. My dad is a veterinarian, BTW, and we used a lot of his advice in making our choices.

DEFINITELY go to a rescue, bring your puppy once she has had all of her shots, and get the staff to help you choose another dog that works well with yours.

Best of luck to you!!

While it's great for dogs to have play-mates - it's hard potty training two dogs at once. You also need to consider the personalities - at one point there will be a fight over who is the alpha - even with girls!!!

If you are not home all the time with them - then you need to make a decision on what you are going to do with him/them when you are not home - two can get pretty darn mischievious!!! :)

If you can afford it - check into the day camps at PetSmart or pay someone to come over and walk them mid-day if you can't come home during lunch. 8 to 10 hours is a long time for a dog to be alone - they are a "pack" animal and need companionship.

I walk several neighbors and friends dogs during the day. I also have my little man have playdates with other dogs...thank God he just gets along with everyone!!

bottom line? you need to do what's right for you and your home. Can you manage two? can you afford two - food, toys, vet visits, emergency care, etc. can you give them the time and love they need? It all depends upon your lifestyle and what you can fit/work with!!
Good luck!