Should I get my Pomeranian a friend?

December 9, 2005 8:35 AM

Six months ago I got a pomeranian puppy, and I absolutely love her. Should I get a second puppy to share the love?

I'm a 20 year old college student and I have a pomeranin puppy with me in my apartment. I love taking care of her and playing with her, and I would like to get a second puppy just to have another puppy and also as a playmate for my pom. I've never cared for two dogs before, let alone by myself. It would also be financially tight. Im also nervous that if I wait too long to get another puppy should I decide to do so that my pom wont accept her into our home. I have no idea what to do: should I get a second puppy?

posted by ackeber to pets & animals (15 comments total)

(Just to brag and incase anyone cares- pictures!)
posted by ackeber at 8:36 AM on December 9, 2005

The cost of having a second dog should not be underestimated. Not only will your food bills double, but your vet bills can more than double. Sure, they both will need their shots, annual exams, flea and worm preventative. However, if one gets worms, both have to be treated. That gets expensive. As a college student, can you really afford to drop several hundred dollars, or more, on a single vet visit? What if the new dog needs expensive, speciality food? More money out of your already slim pocket book.

Not to harsh on your desires for a second dog, but you're in college. What happens if your life takes a turn you're not anticipating and you suddenly need to find homes for more than one dog? You need to seriously consider the options available to you and how you'd handle an unfortunate turn of events.

I encourage you to keep to just one dog right now. Finish school. Get established and then get your second dog. During that time, you can make sure your Pom is well socialized to all sorts of other dogs. This will help her be more receptive when you add a second. Dogs are pretty adaptable to others being introduced into your family. Chances are very good that your pup would accept another dog in a few years.
posted by onhazier at 9:36 AM on December 9, 2005

That is an adorable puppy and I can see why you would want more of them. However, I completely agree with everything onhazier said. She'll adjust fine to a new dog later. And think of it this way -- your dog will be all grown up and, you know, comparatively boring, then you'll get to go through the joy of raising a puppy all over again. Spread out the cuteness.
posted by emyd at 10:20 AM on December 9, 2005

Third the waiting suggestion. If, God forbid, something should happen to either dog, having less financial options makes any care/treatment decision more difficult. Best to wait until your done and established -- wouldn't a second puppy be a wonderful graduation gift? (Note: This is the successful strategy I've used to convince Mrs. Docgonzo about the need for a second pug.)

In general, though, I think it is better for all concerned, especially your dog, to get another. Dogs -- even toy breeds seemingly far removed from the form and function of their Canid ancestors -- are still pack animals; as much as they are companions of humans, they remain pack animals and live, I believe, better with another canine member of their pack.
posted by docgonzo at 10:40 AM on December 9, 2005

Wait, especially if it's a financial stretch. There's always a decent chance that you'll have to drop a few hundred bucks in medical costs on your dog.

If you get another soonish, get a male. Same sex and similar age can be a bad scene, especially with females.

Unless you're not socializing your dog at all, I wouldn't worry much about the dog accepting a new puppy into the house in a couple-few years. And you should be socializing her!
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 10:45 AM on December 9, 2005

your vet bills can more than double... if one gets worms, both have to be treated.

Treating two dogs for worms costs more than twice as much as treating one?

I would imagine it would be slightly less than double: that you should assume you'll have to treat both dogs for everything, but in reality you probably won't.

Unless you're implying that twice as many dogs means twice as much chance to get worms, and then you'll have to treat both of them each time, which might make some sense.
posted by kindall at 10:58 AM on December 9, 2005

Wait. Leaving aside the questions of where you are in your life (I'll just assume that you are willing to rearrange your life to suit your decision when you make it), I'd wait at least until your current dog is around two years old. Maybe three. I think most breeds are still developing mentally for a while after they look fairly adult. I think the 'junior dog' can still benefit from your undivided attention. Puppies take A LOT of attention and it's hard to do justice to the junior dog. Adding a puppy to another puppy ensures you will have to work harder to rule the roost as two young dogs will be natural allies in plotting their overthrow of your household. Conversely, a well-trained mature dog can be a stable oasis and teacher (and still a fun playmate) when a new scrappy puppy enters the mix.

In another vein, we realized we made a tactical error in getting our second dog too quickly after our first - when they become geriatric we will likely be faced with losing them both fairly close together. That makes me sad to contemplate. Also note the expense of an increased healthcare burden that can develop in a dog's dotage.
posted by cairnish at 11:00 AM on December 9, 2005

I would like to get a second puppy just to have another puppy

This is the one of the worst reasons to get a dog. They don't stay puppies for very long.
posted by luneray at 11:28 AM on December 9, 2005

Just a comment on what cairnish said about the dogs getting old together...if they're the same breed, etc. it's true that they'll likely die around the same time but that can actually be a good thing. Not for the owner, of course, but for the dogs...I had 3 dogs until recently, 2 older and 1 quite a bit younger. The 2 older dogs died within 2 months of each other and while the surviving older dog was a little depressed for those 2 months, she was too old and sick to care that much. The younger dog, on the other hand, is STILL depressed 6 months later. He's been sleeping all day and refusing to eat...he's gotten a little better, but it's a really slow process (getting another puppy helped a bit...gotta fill that void).

Anyways, I'm not saying that this is the right way of going about it...just another factor to consider...
posted by johnsmith415 at 12:04 PM on December 9, 2005

thanks everyone!
posted by ackeber at 12:50 PM on December 9, 2005

Kindall, my statement may not have been terribly clear. What I meant was that even if only one dog currently has worms, the vet will want to treat both to ensure the other doesn't have worms that went undetected. With Poms, being of similar weight, the cost would be a simple double since weight will dictate dosage and thus cost. For a college student that can be a financial shock in itself.

I'm established and have had two dogs for a couple of years now. My boxer mix got worms this spring and both dogs had to be treated. Since my Berner is three times the weight of the boxer mix, (45 lbs vs. 140 lbs), the cost increase was staggering. I was expecting a $300 or $400 bill and was suddenly facing a $700 bill. I don't think it matters what income bracket you're in. A bill like that will set you back a bit.
posted by onhazier at 12:52 PM on December 9, 2005

I would imagine it would be slightly less than double: that you should assume you'll have to treat both dogs for everything, but in reality you probably won't.

Think of it this way: suppose I have a dog and my girlfriend has a dog. They both require roughly the same amount of medical attention, so we both expect to spend the same amount of money per dog. Now if me and my girlfriend move in together, we'll still expect to spend at least as much as we did before. However, now there are some ailments that if one dog gets, both must be treated. So more than double.
posted by Johnny Assay at 12:52 PM on December 9, 2005

I have had dogs my entire life and several have been close in age and the same sex. I disagree about having two that are the same sex. They can get along just fine. We had males that were the same age and were the best of friends. I had one older female (who died in April) and a younger female. The older one mothered the younger one. But they played non-stop. The younger one was sad for a couple of months when the older one died. We are now ready for another puppy and I think our dog is too.
I do agree on how it is harder on the wallet and heart when they are the same age and they die within months of each other.
posted by nimsey lou at 1:39 PM on December 9, 2005

I disagree about having two that are the same sex. They can get along just fine.

Sure, they can, or they can try to kill each other, or anything in between. As a central tendency, having same-sex-similar-age dogs, especially if they're both intact bitches*, is pushing them away from let's-all-get-along and towards out-of-my-house-or-die. It creates more frequent and severe opportunities for serious disagreements about the pecking order between the dogs -- not that every pair of dogs will take the opportunities, but it's a risk.

*[takei]young wet bitches...[/takei]
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 1:54 PM on December 9, 2005

Give your current pup time. I don't know much about Poms, but most dogs take a while to mentally mature, well after their bodies are fully grown. (Ask me about my 54-lb Boxer puppy!) Added to that, this is an important time in the dog's life: this is when they imprint, when they socialize.. in short, when you build the personality of the adult dog. Right now, with just her and you, she will focus on a dog-person relationship as being the most important thing, and all training will be MUCH easier.

Spend your time and money making your pup the best dog she can be. Take her to parks, to outdoor events, to obedience classes. Train the hell out of her. Teach her fun tricks. Then, when you have more disposable income and your pup is a mature, well-adjusted animal, get the second dog. It'll learn how to behave from the example of the older dog, and you will only have one instance of puppy insanity to deal with.
posted by cmyk at 4:39 PM on December 9, 2005