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  #1  
Old August 5th, 2014, 08:33 PM
JonahNovaScotia JonahNovaScotia is offline
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Are 2 dogs better than 1?

Hi! so I have a 8 month old lab mix, a total sweetheart gets along great with everyone and everything lol. I adopted him from SC, and he was set to arrive in Canada, the same week my beagle was hit by a car and passed away. He was going to be a buddy for my beagle Jasper, but sadly that never panned out . The other day a female shar pei mix caught my eye on the Greenville county shelter facebook page. She is the mother of two pups who are also available. My question is...What is the difference between 1-2 dogs? I only work part time, so would be home often! Thanks a lot, all opinions and cons and pros welcome
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Old August 5th, 2014, 08:52 PM
Barkingdog Barkingdog is offline
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http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/sharpei.htm


I think it would depend on breed of the dogs and the owner . According to web site sharpei are dominance dogs but OK with puppies and need a strong owner . It could be find as long as you let both dogs know who wears the pants in the house. There a lot of members here that have a lot knowledge about dogs . I know a lot of people that have 2 dogs so they'll have a buddy to keep them company when they go out. I would not let be alone until you're sure how they'll get along
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Old August 5th, 2014, 09:20 PM
Lynne&Co. Lynne&Co. is offline
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I agree with BarkingDog that as long as you properly introduce the dogs and ensure they are not left alone together until you are confident there will be no serious conflict, two or more dogs can be great. I've owned a single dog as well as multiple dogs and have found pros and cons to each. It is really a personal choice for you and of course you need to remember you will double your feeding expenses and vet bills which may or may not be a factor for you.
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Old August 6th, 2014, 07:36 AM
Longblades Longblades is offline
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Sibling puppies or two same age puppies can be way more than twice the work. Many breeders will not allow sibling puppies to go to a home together. It can be a huge job to train them separately so they bond to you and not to each other.

8 months is still a puppy and just the introduction to the dreaded teenage months for Labs. I swear I've heard more people begging for help when their Lab pup was 9 months old than any other age. I'd wait till the Lab mix is older, past the teenage years, thoroughly trained in manners and well bonded to you.

I don't recommend getting a dog for a dog. You get a dog for yourself. Too many times people expect the buddies to entertain each other and leave the owner off the hook for exercise and training needs. Doesn't work, only the owner can do that properly.

Two can certainly work but I suggest you examine your reasons for wanting two, and your timing, carefully.
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Old August 6th, 2014, 02:24 PM
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Dog Dancer Dog Dancer is offline
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All great points from Longblades. I am the proud owner of two Malamute pups of a year and a half. Not siblings by birth (they are a week apart from different breeders), but siblings for all intents and purposes - and boy are they a ton of work! I have to admit I have not had enough time (or support from hubby) to train them properly. I took one to obedience and not the other. They listen OKAY, but they certainly pay more attention to each other. Two is a handful. I would definitely wait for the lab to be fully trained before bringing in a second pup. Love my Moots, but would do one at a time in the future. I am sorry to hear you lost your beloved Beagle, it's never easy losing our pets.
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Old August 12th, 2014, 06:49 PM
JonahNovaScotia JonahNovaScotia is offline
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Thanks everyone! I am going to wait, as I think it would be better to wait until JoJo is a little bit more mature . Great feedback, helped me make my mind up. Also the girl I was going to adopt has been adopted, so I am happy
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  #7  
Old August 23rd, 2014, 06:48 AM
Snowflakes Snowflakes is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JonahNovaScotia View Post
Hi! so I have a 8 month old lab mix, a total sweetheart gets along great with everyone and everything lol. I adopted him from SC, and he was set to arrive in Canada, the same week my beagle was hit by a car and passed away. He was going to be a buddy for my beagle Jasper, but sadly that never panned out . The other day a female shar pei mix caught my eye on the Greenville county shelter facebook page. She is the mother of two pups who are also available. My question is...What is the difference between 1-2 dogs? I only work part time, so would be home often! Thanks a lot, all opinions and cons and pros welcome
Hi!
Based on my experience, I and my family had 4 so far. we started only with one adding up through the years through adoption from friends. Although dogs have odd ways to get acquainted with his other dog companion they will still cling to each other in the long run becoming pals with each other. By nature, dogs are pack animals and they thrive to live with a companion, be it of their kind or us humans.As they become domesticated with us, we TRAINED them to live according to our rules. Thus, they cling to us and learn our ways. The most important thing actually is not as to how many is ideal since it depend on how capable are you, their human companion to manage, care and love them. And as a reward and in turn, their LOYALTY, LOVE and AFFECTION will only only be for YOU. An unconditional partnership for life.

Enjoy dog parenting for not only because the rewards are great from your dogs but you are doing some great responsibility for yourself and to man's greatest animal friend - the DOG.
Cheees!
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  #8  
Old September 16th, 2014, 04:02 PM
kittispeaks kittispeaks is offline
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I know this is an older post but I just wanted to add in my experience. We currently have two dogs, but started with one about 3 years ago whom we adopted from a rescue at about a year and a half old. He did great as an only dog for the first few years, but we moved to a new place and he had new doggy neighbors - a pair of males who are the bestest of buds. I'm not sure if it was him seeing the two of them play together or what but he started seeming lonely (he'd just sit in the yard and wistfully watch the neighbor boys).

This year we got him a buddy/us a second dog from another rescue who is about about a year and a half. Our older dog seems happier since he has a friend to hang out with and play with.

With that said our boy was very social to begin with - loves loves loves everyone, regardless of whether they're people or dogs or cats. And we waited until we found the right dog for our family. They're great together, but it is a bit more to handle and there's no way I'd want two young dogs at the same time, even two "adolescent" (year-2 year old) dogs. Too much energy and orneriness in my opinion. (As we discovered when we fostered a 6mo old puppy - oh my goodness 3 dogs is one too many for us!).

It's also much more difficult to train two dogs at a time. It's a lot easier when one is already adapted to the ways of the house and what's expected of him/her so you can focus more on the new kid. Hope that's helpful to someone.
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