Question for multiple dog families

[BaconsMom]

Jake and I would really like a second dog to add to our hunting team. Ever since we got Bacon we have been talking about when to do it. Jake thinks that we should wait until Bacon is at least 4 before we try to add a puppy into the mix. I agree that we should wait a while, but I think when Bacon is 2 is sufficient. Note: we are trying to move within the next year to a bigger home with more land, so this new addition will have to wait until we move.

Question for multiple dog families: How old was your first dog before you got your second?

[Jeff]

My Sister always keeps 3 or tries to. She hit a rough patch once in a while with a lot of loss. However, 2 year apart seems to be a pretty good number. Your pretty much over the worst part with the one, they know the rules, they are still young and willing to play with the other.

[shellbell]

Tux was about two when I got Cabo, and then I got married so my husband’s chocolate lab came along at about the same time. One thing to consider, you might not want to get a second dog that is very close in age to your current dog. Mine are all within a couple months of each other (not on purpose) which means I am going to have three senior dogs all at the same time, and I worry they are all going to pass away around the same time making that extra hard.

[Archie]

I'll be interested in hearing what people have to say about this too.

We went back and forth about when to get Archie a little brother. Then we found the perfect planned litter, and got to know an amazing breeder - litter is supposed to be ready to go home right around Archie's 2nd birthday. I think the 2 year age difference will work great, once Archie gets over his initial excitement.

[MightyThor]

Good question, we occasionally talk about the same thing. The crate is about to be put away in the attic "for when we get the next puppy". Thor is only 8 months now, but when he's older we'd love to get a little brother or sister. Right now we're just enjoying the heck out of him, but he loves other dogs so much I can definitely see us becoming a 2 dog household! I want him to fully enjoy being an only dog for a while (and also solidify training/get past the teenage years), but I also want him to be young enough to have the energy to play with the puppy. Our breeder only has litters come along once a year in the winter/spring time frame, so we'd have to make our decision early to get a deposit in on the litter we'd want a pup from.

[Maxx&Emma]

I like 3 to 4 years between each dog. The older dog has a great foundation and it makes it easier to concentrate on dealing with a new puppy. It is funny how much you forget or maybe block out, each new puppy is so much fun though!

[charliebbarkin]

How exciting!

For us, it was 3 years. But that happened by chance and honestly, I would do it that way all over again. Unless I had Burton first. I could have 5 Burtons all at once and still be sane, I think. In my opinion, it all depends on your current dog.

Charlie is a great dog, but somewhere between 2 and 3 years he changed a lot. He matured a lot, was more calm in the house, required less attention from me, well behaved etc. And a new puppy will mimic everything the older dog does, the good and the bad. And for us, it was really awesome because Charlie's house manners were great, his recall was great, his basic obedience was great and Burton picked up on all of that. A lot of B's foundation started at the breeder so that was a huge help, but then he came home to us and immediately took to his crate, saw Charlie ring the bell to go out and potty so he picked that up right away. He sat at the door the first time, then saw later that the bell will open the door so he did it from that moment on. So, Charlie taught him! He copied Charlie a lot so he learned basic obedience skills by just copying whatever Charlie was doing.

Charlie used to require a lot of exercise. A lot. Now I can get away with mostly walks and some off leash days if I am busy during the week, but before I used to have to hike him every day, take him to the park to run, take him for structured walks 2x a day, take him to obedience once a week and practice every day. I was a soccer mom to my dog. I took him to play groups twice a week, group walks, training, beach outings 3 or more times a week, hiking almost every day, plus on occasion I would drop him off to daycare for the day just to let him socialize some while I deep cleaned the whole house. Imagine having to do that all that plus have a puppy. It's a lot. And I know Bacon is from field lines and you are really active with him so I am guessing he is similar to Charlie. Once he hit about 3 years old, we still did training (obedience and nosework) and we still hiked almost every day, but he didn't require SO much. And it was perfect timing for a puppy. We absolutely could have added a puppy sooner, but I was able to devote more time to myself, my husband, and each dog individually by waiting.

This got long but I just wanted to add one more thing. We started looking for a breeder after Charlie turned 1. We had to stick to our guns about just looking for a breeder, not a puppy, because we did have quite a few really nice offers for either puppies or older dogs from some great lines. It was hard to turn them down, but it was best for us. I met with our breeder in Dec of 2011 and she was planning a litter for spring 2012. Due to something that came up we had to pass on the litter we first signed up for. We had to wait a full year for the next litter to be born, and B didn't come home with us until August of 2013. It was a long wait, but so so worth it. LOL we even joke that we waited forever and it was so fitting to get stuck in hours of terrible traffic on the way to pick him up.

These two boys are so amazing together and I just love the bond that they have. And they are so different, so it's really neat to have different relationships with each of them.

Good luck in your search! Keep us posted!

[Archie]

How exciting!

For us, it was 3 years. But that happened by chance and honestly, I would do it that way all over again. Unless I had Burton first. I could have 5 Burtons all at once and still be sane, I think. In my opinion, it all depends on your current dog.

Charlie is a great dog, but somewhere between 2 and 3 years he changed a lot. He matured a lot, was more calm in the house, required less attention from me, well behaved etc. And a new puppy will mimic everything the older dog does, the good and the bad. And for us, it was really awesome because Charlie's house manners were great, his recall was great, his basic obedience was great and Burton picked up on all of that. A lot of B's foundation started at the breeder so that was a huge help, but then he came home to us and immediately took to his crate, saw Charlie ring the bell to go out and potty so he picked that up right away. He sat at the door the first time, then saw later that the bell will open the door so he did it from that moment on. So, Charlie taught him! He copied Charlie a lot so he learned basic obedience skills by just copying whatever Charlie was doing.

Charlie used to require a lot of exercise. A lot. Now I can get away with mostly walks and some off leash days if I am busy during the week, but before I used to have to hike him every day, take him to the park to run, take him for structured walks 2x a day, take him to obedience once a week and practice every day. I was a soccer mom to my dog. I took him to play groups twice a week, group walks, training, beach outings 3 or more times a week, hiking almost every day, plus on occasion I would drop him off to daycare for the day just to let him socialize some while I deep cleaned the whole house. Imagine having to do that all that plus have a puppy. It's a lot. And I know Bacon is from field lines and you are really active with him so I am guessing he is similar to Charlie. Once he hit about 3 years old, we still did training (obedience and nosework) and we still hiked almost every day, but he didn't require SO much. And it was perfect timing for a puppy. We absolutely could have added a puppy sooner, but I was able to devote more time to myself, my husband, and each dog individually by waiting.

This got long but I just wanted to add one more thing. We started looking for a breeder after Charlie turned 1. We had to stick to our guns about just looking for a breeder, not a puppy, because we did have quite a few really nice offers for either puppies or older dogs from some great lines. It was hard to turn them down, but it was best for us. I met with our breeder in Dec of 2011 and she was planning a litter for spring 2012. Due to something that came up we had to pass on the litter we first signed up for. We had to wait a full year for the next litter to be born, and B didn't come home with us until August of 2013. It was a long wait, but so so worth it. LOL we even joke that we waited forever and it was so fitting to get stuck in hours of terrible traffic on the way to pick him up.

These two boys are so amazing together and I just love the bond that they have. And they are so different, so it's really neat to have different relationships with each of them.

Good luck in your search! Keep us posted!

I don't want to hi-jack but have always wanted to ask you: was Charlie ever WILD about other dogs? Did you find that subsided a bit as he matured?

[charliebbarkin]

I don't want to hi-jack but have always wanted to ask you: was Charlie ever WILD about other dogs? Did you find that subsided a bit as he matured?

absolutely yes! Our puppy soc trainer called him her ambassador! He had to greet everyone and he played with everyone, big or small. This is why we did so many outings, he thrived on playing with other dogs. He would do these exaggerated play bows that everyone would laugh at! He was very dog savvy too. He would shy away from older dogs or dogs that didn't want to play, he was gentle with smaller dogs or puppies, he would run with the collies and wrestle with the labs. We were often asked to stick around at dog parks or meet up with people who had dogs that were undersocialized and needed help. It was a risk, on my part, since I didn't know the other dogs, but Charlie just has that personality. He just knows when to back off or when to engage. There was this little 10lb mix that would meet up with us every week and at first Charlie would go and grab a ball for her, drop it a few feet away, nudge it with his nose, each week they would get a little closer. Within a few months this dog that would hide under the bench at the park was running in the pack of big dogs all from Charlie building up her confidence. This was one reason why we wanted so badly to get a second dog right away. But I am glad we waited.

But yes, now he has mellowed out. He will run with other dogs and say hi to them if they approach him but he no longer actively seeks them out or pulls on his leash to greet them. This has a lot to do with training too. If I bring a ball to the park that's really all he wants, but if a dog wants to run with him he is happy to have the interaction.

[Annette47]

Scully was 3 when we got Mulder, which worked out well. She was 13 and Mulder was 10 when we got Chloe, which worked out fine - even at that age, Scully liked to play with her for short periods, but Mulder took the brunt of it (he was still relatively young at 10 - still competing, etc). When Scully was 14, Mulder 11, and Chloe 1, we got Jolie who was 11. No problems there, either.

I think a lot depends on your older dog, as well as how much time you have to work with each.