Having a Guilt trip for leaving puppy alone in the house

December 15, 2008 9:56 AM

Does having a second puppy makes the first happier?

For all dog owners out there who have 2 (or more) dogs:

We have currently a 9 month old puppy. We sometimes think that she seems lonely, and we think that getting a playmate for her would be great.

Specific questions:
1. Will having a second puppy make like more happier/interesting to both of them?
(i.e. when we have to leave the house for more than 5-6 hours...will they be less sad/bored than if it was a single dog?)

2. Will the destruction binge that is related to those long periods
of time of being alone (i.e couch munching, detroying the x-mas tree...doing holes in the back yard...you name it..) diminish with a second puppy? I am hoping that both of them will play with each other and stop from destroying their surroundings...

But I guess that the most important thing is: will she be happier
with a new brother/sister?

posted by theKik to Pets & Animals (21 answers total)

Having two is great, in my experience. Mine are littermates, which makes a slightly different experience, I guess, but I think getting your little one a friend would be great.
posted by Pax at 10:09 AM on December 15, 2008

I made the mistake of getting two very young puppies two months apart. They hated each other for a while (a looong while) and trying to train two puppies at once was a nightmare for me.

How well trained is she? If you'll be able to focus attention on training the new one, I'd maybe consider it, but it sounds like maybe you just want to find more ways to keep her entertained while you're away -- have you left on tv or radio? Filled a Kong with peanut butter? Given her a long walk before you leave?

I'd suggest trying that first.
posted by cestmoi15 at 10:11 AM on December 15, 2008

Two is greater than one. Not only are they company for each other when you're gone, the younger can learn from the elder how to use dog doors, etc. Just make sure your current hound has no tendencies towards dog aggression - or that you can return the newcomer if the match doesn't work out.

Also be prepared to discover that sibling rivalry is not a primate-exclusive phenomenon.
posted by Joe Beese at 10:12 AM on December 15, 2008

I've heard, and personally experienced, that two female dogs do not work well together. I'd also venture to guess that a good portion of the destruction is age related and two puppies would equal two times the destruction.
posted by wg at 10:16 AM on December 15, 2008

I've heard, and personally experienced, that two female dogs do not work well together.

I actually meant to mention that mine are brother and sister and all the best two dog combos that I personally know are opposite sex.
posted by Pax at 10:18 AM on December 15, 2008

Yes, it probably will. It's just as easy to keep two dogs as one, and in my experience, they entertain each other
That being said... you still need to plan walks (for exercise) and make sure they know they are part of your pack. While puppies chew on things because it feels good on their gums, adult dogs will chew or destroy to relieve anxiety or get rid of excess energy. Proper exercise will help your adult dog to use energy properly so your stuff won't get destroyed. And, having toys specifically for the dogs to use is an excellent idea.
You should also get a male puppy to be a companion to your female. Two female dogs together do not usually work out.
Can you take your puppy to a doggie day care for a day, to see how she does with other dogs? I bet she'd really like it.
posted by FergieBelle at 10:21 AM on December 15, 2008

In my experience, having one dog that is 5+ years older than the puppy makes the puppy easier to train. It also keeps the older dog more active and the younger dog less destructive.

Maybe you'll consider an older adoptee?
posted by kuujjuarapik at 10:23 AM on December 15, 2008 [2 favorites]

I have two. I got the second (a male) when the first (a female) was two years old. She definitely enjoys having a canine companion, even though they don't always get along. There are two important things to think about, though:

1) You definitely want your second dog to be a male. It's not that two females can't work (I'm sure there will now be a flood of MeFites saying they have two females and it's fine), it's just that when it doesn't work, it can be very serious. When females fight, they mean business.

2) You definitely want to make sure that your first dog is solidly trained and that you have any behavioral issues under control before bringing in a second dog, because they're not going to get better on their own, and once the new puppy arrives you will be forced to give most of your attention to him.

Regarding the destruction--I think nine months is pretty young to leave a puppy uncrated when you're not home. Crating will completely solve your destruction problems, and is a much simpler solution than getting a second dog. If you are planning to leave two young dogs uncrated, I would expect at least twice as much destruction.
posted by HotToddy at 10:29 AM on December 15, 2008 [1 favorite]

biscotti is unavailable but we've talked about this some:

*There is no "will." There is only "might" -- a probability distribution. Maybe getting a second puppy will cause reduced stress and destruction. Maybe you'll have twice the destruction and annoyance from two dogs instead of one. Maybe you'll have four times because they stimulate each other.

*Don't anthropomorphize your dog. Dog, with dog concerns in her little dog brain. Not miniature person with miniature people concerns. Doesn't mean that the dog can't feel some kind of distress at being a pack animal alone, but it does mean that what the dog feels is probably not analogous to human loneliness. In general, dogs don't (seem to) think about the future and past in the way that humans do, or in the way that being lonely in the human sense requires.

*A better idea might be to get another puppy in five years or so. Then, older dog can show the new puppy the ropes to some extent, and new puppy has an older dog to be around, and older dog has a new puppy to maybe increase youthfulness.

*The solutions to couch eating, hole digging, etc while you're away are more commonly located in training and in exercise, exercise, exercise. And crating, if your puppy takes to crate training.

*Same sex similar age is a bad idea. Doesn't mean it's a guarantee of disaster, but those situations where things worsen from normal dog arguments to DIE FUCKER DIE are much more common w/ same sex similar age. Maybe moreso with bitches.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 10:34 AM on December 15, 2008 [3 favorites]

One suggestion... dogs learn behavior from eachother. So for your own sake try to make sure your first dog is relatively well trained or in obedience classes before bringing on a second if you can. If the first dog has a routine with you and respects that you're in charge, the second one will pick up the habits faster since they learn by following the other dogs in his/her pack.

On the flip side, if the first dog is crazy misbehaving, having another dog in the mix probably isn't going to make the first one mind you better. You might end up with two unruly dogs which is a harder problem to fix than just one.
posted by miss lynnster at 10:36 AM on December 15, 2008 [1 favorite]

what ROU_Xenophobe said.

You are not going to address destructive behaviour and other issues by just getting a playmate. Probably multiply it two times. If that is the case you may end having to separate them anyway (my dog walker had this issue where she had to crate one while other used to have run of the house).

I think if you give him consistent exercise so that he tuckered out in the morning, he will sleep throughout the day. Boredom and destructive behavior only comes in if they have excess energy.
posted by shr1n1 at 10:49 AM on December 15, 2008

oh god yeah, having two absolutely takes the social pressure off of you.

they do sometimes egg each other on into trouble.
posted by rmd1023 at 11:00 AM on December 15, 2008

second dog older, well-mannered, opposite sex...great
posted by mumstheword at 11:06 AM on December 15, 2008

nthing all the comments above; dogs are primarily pack animals and feel better where there are more than one. A good book dealing with the issues that may/could arise from introducing a new dog into a situation where one has formerly ruled the roost is Who Moved My Bone? Worked great in our house.
posted by jasondbarr at 11:14 AM on December 15, 2008

Good idea - a companion for your dog. I've always felt that dogs were definitely happier when they had another dog as a companion.

Bad idea - getting a 2nd puppy.

I'm an experienced dog person, and I adopted a 1 year old pit bull from a shelter on top of the 1 year old doberman I had adopted six months earlier. I have found it far more difficult to teach them manners than if I could concentrate on each of them individually. The majority of their socialization has been between themselves. They are not as 'tuned in' to me or other humans as other dogs I have raised and trained individually. They are, however, very 'tuned in' to each other. Bad behavior by one is amplified by the other. As they are both the same age, they have gone through the same 'terrible' stages of adolescent development together.

It is not at all likely that having two puppies would result in a net decrease in destructiveness. Even though they have the rock-steady companionship of each other all day long, that simple fact has not prevented my pair of young dogs from destroying a couch, the carpet, dog beds, the garbage... I do feel less guilty knowing that my dogs have each other. But it's very, very difficult to raise two well-mannered young dogs together.

Good idea - adopting an older companion for your puppy. As has already been mentioned, dogs take cues from each other. It is very difficult to raise two young dogs together with the proper socialization. An older dog could help steady your young pup. There are so so so many older dogs available in animal shelters. If you decide to go this route, take your pup along to meet its potential older sibling. Non-related dogs of opposite genders tend to get along better than those of the same sex.

Also, your pup should be crate trained, and stay in the crate until it can be trusted to be alone in the house without destroying it. That's a gradual process that may extend beyond your dog's first and second birthday. Even some adult dogs can be happily crated for the entire workday. Just be sure that the crate is a place of total awesomeness, not a place of punishment, and that your pup is exercised before being crated.

Best of luck!
posted by Seppaku at 11:31 AM on December 15, 2008

Response by poster: Thanks to All. very insightful advice!
posted by theKik at 11:35 AM on December 15, 2008

N-thing all of the advice to (a) get a companion, (b) get a male dog, (c) remember that dogs learn behavior from each other, so a slightly older, calm dog might make all the difference in the world to your puppy's chewing and destruction. Two dogs are really not any more trouble than one (apart from food and vet costs) - but remember that when you go on vacation, boarding one dog with friends or relatives is a LOT easier than boarding two. (We are lucky, we have a wonderful boarding kennel nearby that is very reasonably-priced and that the dogs always seem to love going back to).
We had a frenetic 3-year-old female border collie, who had started to calm down but who also seemed lonely. We adopted an 18-month-old border collie mix from a shelter. They seem to love having each other around (after the statutory 1-month sorting-out-the-pecking-order part) and they have both blossomed wonderfully, in terms of behavior. The male dog was rather subdued when we got him - he had been seized as part of a dog-hoarder case, so while he had been treated well in terms of being neutered and vaccinated, he did not seem to understand what toys were for, or how to behave with people. He has improved his social skills enormously and copies our slightly older female dog all the time - he seems to see her as a surrogate mother sometimes. He has learned to come up to be cuddled, to modulate his growly-vocalization to sound like her collie-howl, to play with their toys -- and to rush over whenever someone has food (there is always a downside to copied behavior!).
The female dog has stopped worrying when we leave the house (she is too interested in making sure that he does not get her treat-stuffed Kong as well as his own). They play all the time while we are out (I can hear them if I am working upstairs and the toys are all over the place when we return). So she is much fitter and happier. She has also learned to focus a little more on commands as she has observed that this brings rewards to the other dog. The downside here is that if she starts digging, the other one joins in, so the holes are now bigger (but less frequent, so I suppose there is a good side!).
My advice would be to take your dog along to meet any other dog that you are considering adopting. Try to match the breed-type and energy-level of your dog -- for example, our border collie plays rough, so we needed a dog that could stand up to that but also one that would not challenge her dominance too much. There is every type of dog that you could possibly want, listed on Petfinder. You normally get information on the dog's temperament as well. Take some time to find a dog who would be a good match.
Remember that another dog will take some time to adjust -- and expect there to be some small spats between the two when you first get the second dog home, as they compete for toys, space, and attention. Introduce the new dog when you will be around for a few days, to separate them if they get into a spat and to reinforce behavior rules. If both are not neutered, I would strongly advise this. Neutering will reduce aggression and "protectiveness" behavior (when one dog sticks up for the other when they meet other dogs while out walking). Never mind that you really do not want any accidental litters of puppies. A good animal shelter will allow you to introduce the animals and to let them play together, to see how they get on. Do remember that a shelter dog will need a good bath (with flea shampoo) first thing - Petsmart and Petco both have reasonable grooming services. The new dog should get a vet visit as soon as possible to top up its shots.
posted by Susurration at 12:15 PM on December 15, 2008

Regarding the destruction--I think nine months is pretty young to leave a puppy uncrated when you're not home. Crating will completely solve your destruction problems, and is a much simpler solution than getting a second dog. If you are planning to leave two young dogs uncrated, I would expect at least twice as much destruction.

Couldn't agree more on the crate/kennel. I've raised two dogs using it and it keeps them safe (from chewing electrical wire, for example) and your house safe. Dogs seek crate/kennel like surroundings on their own (I'm writing this with my dog under my desk)

My 12 month old Golden prefers the kennel when he sleeps and will go in there without being told to when we are in the bedroom.

I also strongly agree with exercising the dog. You can run the dog, walk the dog, find a local dog park and let the dog socialize, or find a park and play ball/frisbee with your dog, or find some other sort of exercise that suits you and your dog. For what it's worth, I have seen studies that state that people who begin a walking regimen are 75% more likely to keep doing it if they do it with their dog.

If you can kennel your dog and exercise her every day, I bet 90% of your issues will disappear overnight.
posted by cjets at 12:17 PM on December 15, 2008

You could consider a cat, too, I adopted my cat and dog at the same time and they have a blast together.

The cat was/is older and more confident and had lived with dogs before, my dog was more shy. I like knowing they have each other during the day. Also, they share many of the same interests, such as glowering at cats who walk through the yard, and staring menacingly at squirrels.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 12:45 PM on December 15, 2008

We used to have a single yellow lab dog for years, and I'd never have a solitary dog again. My yellow lab had all sorts of medical and anxiety issues and constantly destroyed things in the house. I hesitate to assign feelings, but the poor dog just seemed miserable when she was home alone all day. We eventually got a dachshund puppy and my lab loved it. The lab helped train and mother the puppy, and a lot of her anxiety and disobedience issues went away. She was still sick, though, and died about a year later.

...Which meant we had to get another dog because the dachshund wasn't used to being home alone all the time. I'm glad we did it, and I don't ever plan to have just one dog again, but now we're almost stuck in a cycle. Older dog dies, need a new companion for remaining dog, repeat. An age differential is good, as everyone else has said, but you might want to think about what happens in 10 years in the back of your mind.
posted by lilac girl at 6:19 PM on December 15, 2008

So late to this as to be pointless, but a lot of great advice in here. I would suggest also considering the 'end of the equation' where you have two geriatric dogs at the same time. As much fun as two pups are, think of the compounded sadness of potentially losing two dogs in rapid succession. Not to mention that veterinary expenses can increase as age-related conditions are managed. I think a two to five year gap in age is ideal, for the training reasons mentioned above, and for end-of-life concerns as well.
posted by cairnish at 11:00 AM on December 16, 2008