is it better to get to two dogs or one in my situation?

Question

i want to get two dogs because i will not be home all day long, but them wont be home alone because they will have my aunt or my grandmother home with them, but i think that they will keep each other company and play together for about 4 - 6 hours a day on weekdays, but the week ends belong to me and them. please no rude answers or scrutenization.

Answer 1

well, i got my first puppy 9 months ago. She's now almost 11 months. We then got our second one about 4 months ago. She's now almost 7 months. They are both girls and they love each other. We had to get the second one because we just felt a bit sorry for the first one being at work all day, she needed some company. They get on really well and just play play play allday. I'd say, get one first, see how it goes. get the first one to go through the puppy stage first and then get a second one. Having 2 puppies is maybe a bit too stresful considering the poo and pee they'll do. You'll be spending your days off cleaning up a huge amount of stuff.... Then again its up to space you have but they have to be inside at night so the mornings will be VERY messy, you'll have to get up 30 min earlier in the morning to have time to clean up the whole mess. I've been through it and i know how it is.

Answer 2

First of all, it depends on the breed. Breeds such as the Bichon Frisé prefer not to be left alone, in which case, two dogs would be advisable. However, some dogs are okay for long periods of unoccupied time. If you want a bigger dog, I would opt for a more relaxed breed, like an Irish Wolfhound, world's largest dog, yes, however they are quite gentle giants. Or perhaps a retired greyhound, it seems to me that you wouldn't want your grandmother or your aunt to have to deal with a huge, overactive beast.

On the smaller side, there is a lot to choose from. Try to steer away from high-strung breeds such as Shetland Sheepdogs and other herders/terriers. These dogs have been bred to be hardworkers and are meant to be occupied and amused. I have a Sheltie (Shetland Sheepdog) right now, and she is very shy and loud, however she has one of the most unique personalities I have ever seen in a dog, and I am a pretty experienced dog owner. If you are willing to take on the responsibility of this type of an animal, then you should probably be aware of the work that they require. Some calmer small dogs would be Pugs, Poodles should be okay, standard might be a little high-strung, Japanese Chin, these dogs are pretty relaxed, they don't like excercise. I would lean towards the Bichon Frisé type or the Japanese Chin, which can be rather expensive, but you have to be willing to cope with the cost.

But back to the multiple dog issue, I would probably suggest that you decide based on the breed. If you edit your post to include possible breeds, I will describe some possibilities later. However, if you get a larger dog, they tend to be more independent. Smaller dogs may be more apt to have some sort of comraderie, however I wouldn't get too many dogs. Also, if you do decide to get more than one, get them both at the same time as puppies, older dogs that are suddenly burdened by a puppy or a new adult dog may reject the new addition.

Good Luck!

Answer 3

You need to ask yourself some questions.

What kind of personalities are you looking for? Some breeds are considered a 'dominant breed'. Such as Huskies, Malamutes, Rotties, etc. Some are high strung or have a high level of energy, such as Jack Russell Terriers, chihuahuas, etc. Some are one-person dogs.
What size do you prefer? Is it an apt. or a house? Any Yard space? This relates to energy levels, potential behavior problems.
Does sex matter? With certain breeds, you might want a female rather than a male, or vice versa.
Any children around, how old?
Remember, there are no bad dogs, just bad handlers. If you make the effort to learn how to 'talk dog', you and any dog you choose will be happier for it. Let me know what breed you choose. Take care.

Answer 4

I'd advise you to do as I did...get one puppy first, spend the time training it, and then get a second puppy about a year or so later.
It's very hard to train two pups at the same time, especially with housebreaking. If you have already trained one puppy, the second one you bring home will mimic the first's behavior and be almost worry free as far as training it.
This is what I did. The first dog was well-trained, and I hardly had to do any training for the second one. That's not to say you won't have to do ANY training at all for the second one, it's just easier if they have a good doggy role-model to follow.
Also, both my dogs are male. It isn't true that all dogs of the same sex fight. It you get two dogs, one male and one female, and don't get around to spaying/neutering right away, you'll have a MUCH bigger problem to contend with.

Answer 5

I had this same sort of situatoin. I just got 2 black lab and blue tick mixes. I figured since I have school all day on week days, they'd keep eachother company and i wouldn't be left with one miserabley lonely puppy. It think it's the way to go, or at least it worked for me. Yeah, it's double the responsibility, but if it's what's best for the pups then I'd go for it. This also gives them a dog-to-dog bond that'll last a life time. Good luck!

Answer 6

I think getting two is a good idea. Maybe find a couple of siblings that way they would already get along with one another. Try to find a medium to small couple so they will be easier to take care of. Check out the animal shelters to see if they have any that you like. Remember to take your time looking to find what will fit into your family the best. Go visit a few times and spend time with the special ones. Good luck finding some new family members.

Answer 7

We started out with one dog; but feeling guilty about leaving her home alone, a year later we got another one. We have two females, and the older one shows her dominance to the younger one. But we love having two dogs. Yes it's another dog to feed and clean up after, but you already have to do that with the first dog, so it's not much more work. And they bring twice the joy and fun. As others have already suggested, going to the animal shelter is a good idea. In my experience, the smaller the dog, the more it will bark, and it will have a higher-pitched bark. If you've got a yard for the dogs to run around in or if you like taking them for walks, then I'd recommend medium-to-larger dogs. We have a good-size fenced-in yard for our dogs to run around in, but they still love to go for walks! Hope this helps.

Answer 8

I don't think you should get 2 dogs at once. It is a lot of hard work. You should start out with one dog. Maybe in a year, or when you get settled down, you could get another one. That way, you don't have to train 2 dogs at once.

Answer 9

It is great you are thinking about all considerations I think in your case it would be great to get two dogs but make sure they get a long well with each other once my two dogs toar up our lomlium and our other dog ate some of it so make sure they are not trouble makers either! And by the way maybe getting siblings would be a good idea

Answer 10

I would recommend two dogs. Go down to the animal shelter and see what dogs are there and try adopting kennel mates. they always get along after being in a cage together. you will be saving two lives, which is always better than one. they will have each other to play with, and they will keep each other company while your away at work. but keep in mind that its two more mouths to feed and pick up after. but if your willing to than go for it. Just remember that shelter dogs are always the best... don't breed or buy while shelter pets die.