How much harder is it to care for two dogs than one?

[katie01]

I need to put a website block on Petfinder so I stop falling in love with all the homeless animals. I have "dog fever" and keep mulling over adding a second dog to our family. I'd love to hear thoughts on the pros and cons of two dogs over one. Our current dog is small and loves other animals, so I don't worry about them not getting along, my main fear is the added expense. We also do not have a fenced yard, we walk the dog for all potty breaks, so that is a big consideration

 

[tsme]

It is harder. There's twice the cost of dog food, vet bills, boarding costs, the amount of poop to pick up, etc. Also there's twice the puppy love you'll receive. In all honesty, two isn't bad. But keep in mind that as they grow older you'll have more vet bills to pay. My oldest died last year, he was 16, we tried everything, many vet visits, lots of medicine, but nothing could help him. My other two are 14 & 4. Just this year, I have spent over $1000 on the 14yr old. She developed an issue at the end of 2015. Just a little something to think about.
I do love my dogs though, they are my furry babies & I'd do anything for them.

 

[design_mom]

I agree. There really aren't many shared costs for 2 dogs so most things will be double the cost -- vet bills, food, etc. Our boarding facility gives a slight price break for the 2nd dog when they share the same run, but it's still *almost* double the cost of a single dog. Also twice the poop to clean up and twice the fur (if they're shedding breeds).

We also used to take our single dog lots of places with us (not to other people's homes, but to the park, the soccer field, etc.) When you've got two, it becomes more of a production and we haven't ended up taking both of them nearly as many places as we did when there was just one.

I don't regret getting a second dog. He's a sweetie and I love him to pieces. I also think our first dog "needed" another dog in the house (our vet was actually the one who recommended that we consider adding a second dog). Although our dogs love each other, I think Dog 2 would also be fine as an only dog, so assuming Dog 1 passes away first (she's older), I think we will likely go back to a one-dog family.

p.s. Our last 3 dogs have been through Petfinder. I feel your pain!

 

[mjkacmom]

How about becoming a foster? This way you can try it out and see how it works for you. I know of a lot of families who got their 2nd dog this way, after fostering "the one."

 

[yoopermom]

It's sort of like a marriage, you "hope" that they will be at least friends, if not madly in love with each other, but sometimes personalities conflict, or they just don't mesh. I have seen first/only dogs that have gone into a depression after being used to having all the attention only on them to having to share (especially if the "new" one is treated special because it's new/different). If you do get a second, make sure and read up on how to treat them equally, so that there are no dominance issues. It will be important that each has his/her own space, eating area, time alone w/mom or dad, etc.

Choose very, very wisely, and invest in the aid of an experienced dog person as a "matchmaker" if possible. Based on your dog's age, sex, personality, etc, a new dog could be the best thing ever, or very difficult. As much as I'm a sucker for petfinder, as well, you shouldn't risk your current dog's well being by bringing an unknown entity into your home without a thorough screening.

We've always had a multidog household, but also have decades of experience with integrating dogs into a single pack. It's do-able, just look before you leap!

Terri

 

[Marionnette]

I agree with everything that has been posted. Twice the cost. Twice the love.

My dogs are great company for each other. One of the dogs gets a little bit of separation anxiety when he's left behind and he howls when left alone. He and my little girl have been together since they were 6-8 weeks old. The female has a lot of medical problems and has to "go for a ride" often.

Having two makes it a little easier when one of them passes. I hate having a house without a dog, but "replacing" one that you lose is impossible. So, that period of waiting until you're ready to open your heart to another dog is easier when you already have one that fills you with love.

 

[katie01]

How about becoming a foster? This way you can try it out and see how it works for you. I know of a lot of families who got their 2nd dog this way, after fostering "the one."

I've considered this. I am wondering about the risk to my other dog of passing on illnesses and things if any foster dog comes to us with fleas, or canine flu, or things like that, as our dog seems pretty sensitive.

I've also considered pet sitting in home as a way to earn extra income and give our dog a pal to play with occasionally, but I have to consider the liability of that. I truly am interested in pet sitting as a business and not just for dog, I am looking for "work from home" income and at least have the experience of working at a dog kennel in college

 

[Tinijocaro]

For us, it has been no harder at all. We have two Bichon Frises and they love each other. They don't shed so there is no extra fur around. There poop is small to begin with so no biggie there. The only issue is that one poops in the house, we don't know which one did it. I recently discovered that Lacey always poops, takes a few steps, poops again, takes a few more steps, and poops again. Ollie poops all in one place so now I can always tell who pooped and it's usually Lacey.

They are a joy, they look for each other first thing in the morning. While we are work, they snuggle on the couch together. I have less guilt when we aren't home knowing they are together. I will always have two dogs at a time.

 

[longboard55]

If the dogs are small, it is much easier to have 2. Not anymore work preparing dinner, a few more poopies, but the dogs happier are much more relaxed when you are gone. I would never go back to one, and I do not particularly like dogs

 

[donaldbuzz&minnie]

For many years we had two, now we're down to one small dog. At this point, we much prefer just one. For one thing, it is much easier to travel. We can take him on a plane, or stay with relatives, or find someone to dog-sit one little one really easily. With two, someone would always have to come to the house to take care of them. (But we value our mobility now and when we had two I didn't think too much about the added hassle. Different time in our lives, I guess.)

 

[Tuffcookie]

I miss having 2 dogs. However, it is more expensive and I feel guilty enough leaving Gracie when I travel. I'm not actively looking for another dog but if one happened to come along that needed a mom, I might crumble!

TC

 

[Patch'sD]

Find it very easy. They keep each other entertained and are a pleasure to share the house with. Love them dogs.

 

[whitney250]

I didn't find the adjustment from 1 to 2 to be hard at all, everything fell into place pretty much instantly. I think it had something to do with one being a puppy and just learning from the older one. We now have three, we recently adopted a 1 1/2 yr old Doberman. I will say the adjustment from 2 to 3 is a bit tricky, it's not difficult to care for them by any means, but teaching him the house rules seems to be a bit more difficult. He is still in the adjustment period, everything should be routine in the next few weeks, at least I hope lol

 

[China Expat]

I have three...all rescues. They play together, sleep together and keep each other company during the day. They are pretty easy!

 

[loves to dive]

I think it depends on the first dog. When I was young, we had a miniture poodle that we got from a friend who was going to take it to the pound. He was about 3 when we got him and they had been keeping him outside. We had an indoor/outdoor cat who ruled the house at the time. The cat tolerated the dog, the dog loved the cat at first sight. After about a year we got a half lab/half german shepard (big dog) when she was a little puppy. Poodle did not like her, she let him rule her until she got big and figured out he was smaller than her. The poodle and cat slept with me until the second dog figured out her size and kicked both out of the bed. They were both great dogs and got along pretty well, the lab would cry when the poodle went to get groomed. My son has two dogs, the first was a half yorkie/half poodle. Scarlett is a well behaved little ball of fur. Both my son and DIL worked long hours so they got a second rescue dog to keep Scarlett company. They were told he was an Australian greyhound, not a big dog sweet as pie. He has some separation issues and has gone through 2 carpeted stairs and a door when Scarlett goes to the vet. She tolerates Rhett, he loves her. We dog sit for him (they got divorced he got the dogs) when he goes places since boarding two is expensive. He will be going to WDW with me in March so my honey will be pet sitting all by himself, we have a little yorkie so I'm betting I'm going to owe him big time when we get back after a week with 3 dogs.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

I've always had two dogs. I at one time had 3 , now I think that was too many but then again I have big dogs.

Twice the vet bills, twice the food, the kids take care of twice the poop lol but twice the love is definitetly worth the added work and expense.

 

[WDWBarb]

I went from one to two back to one and then all at once up to three. Yes, the expenses are much greater. One requires grooming and that costs quite a bit. My vet bills are crazy stupid. It takes a bit more time to feed. I haven't had to board them yet but it will be ridiculous.

But I wouldn't trade it for the world. And none of the three will ever be happy alone.

The biggest issue we have now is who gets my lap. Two can fit pretty comfortably, so we have to rotate.

 

[low-key]

twice as hard, the cat rule dont apply to mens best freind

 

[Pea-n-Me]

We've always had at least one dog. We've had two a few times, too. It depends on a lot of things. I agree with those who've mentioned doubling the cost and workload. If you have two dogs that get along well, you can have double the love. If you have two that don't, it can be double the angst and stress, so you have to choose wisely when you bring a second dog into the home. Dogs can be funny about territory and dominance and such, and problems may not always present themselves right away. There are a lot of dogs in shelters because they didn't get along with other dogs in the home. (And of course you always have to take into consideration what other, perhaps not so good experiences, a rescue dog brings into the home - and puppies may not be perfect, either.) So pay really close attention to how they act together, and if there are any red flags at all, don't try to "talk yourself into it". If it's possible to do a trial, that might be best. (I like the idea of fostering as well.)

I've been watching Petfinder for a long time, too. I go back and forth whether I want a second dog now. We pet-sat a few weeks ago and got a taste of what it would be like having another dog here that wanted to cuddle with us exclusively and not play with our dog. Not much fun for our dog at all, and although he liked this dog, it changed the dynamic in our household. And just last night our neighobor's dog came over for a while (with his person), so the dogs know eachother. My dog was ready to relax after being out all day and was happy to chill out. The other dog sat obsessively looking at him and wanted to jump on him every chance he got, I had to physically keep them apart. Now granted, maybe if they were either both tired or both energetic it would've been better. But I think there's more a dominance thing going on and it would be problematic if they lived together. This scares me with Petfinder when I think about adopting a dog from out of state or whatever - even though the dog may seem like a great dog, and in fact may be a great dog, I'd always want to see how any new dog got along in the house with my current dog before I brought another dog in to live with us. Hence the fostering may be a good thing for us, too.

I also agree with the pp who said a lot of it depends on your life stage, and I agree with this sentiment, too.

We also used to take our single dog lots of places with us (not to other people's homes, but to the park, the soccer field, etc.) When you've got two, it becomes more of a production and we haven't ended up taking both of them nearly as many places as we did when there was just one.

Right now we're able to take our dog a lot of places with us and I like that. Not sure I want to upset the apple cart. Also having two kids starting college next year brings up budgetary issues. I guess we'll see what happens and if the right dog comes along, it might be hard to resist.

So, re-looking at the OP, I'm bolding the potential red flags I see:

I need to put a website block on Petfinder so I stop falling in love with all the homeless animals. I have "dog fever" and keep mulling over adding a second dog to our family. I'd love to hear thoughts on the pros and cons of two dogs over one. Our current dog is small and loves other animals, so I don't worry about them not getting along, my main fear is the added expense. We also do not have a fenced yard, we walk the dog for all potty breaks, so that is a big consideration

We have a big fenced yard, so that part is easy for us. But there are a lot of considerations, really.

HTH, and good luck!

 

[Kellykins1218]

It depends on the dogs. It wasn't any harder when we got our second dog. They became buddies and actually require less attention because they entertain themselves. It's fun watching them play together & then snuggle on the couch. We do have a fenced in yard nut when we take them for walks they're fine.