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I adopted my current dog 3 years ago, at 8 months. She was trouble at first but has matured into such a lovely, stable, friendly pup. In the years I've had her we have dogsat multiple times, walked various dogs, etc. It always works very well, Thea truly thrives in the company of other dogs and has no problems sharing toys/treats/chews (we usually hide chews in case other dogs guard, but on occasion they've found one we missed). She often goes off her food for a few days after her buddies go home.
We've been considering adding a second dog for quite a while. My partner has only ever had dogs in twos, and assures me it's no more work than just having one. I, on the other hand, have only ever had single dogs and am a bit nervous. We can definitely afford it, and while we don't have a backyard we have access to miles and miles of trails. I'm confident in my ability to train it for basic stuff, and we have access to great trainers for anything I can't handle. My main worry is that the dogs will become too dependent on each other, or the second dog won't bond as much with us.
So basically, when did you decide to get a second dog, and how much extra work was/is it? How did your first dog adjust, and did you take any steps to ensure the dogs weren't too attached to each other? Anything you wish you would have done differently?
We've been considering adding a second dog for quite a while. My partner has only ever had dogs in twos, and assures me it's no more work than just having one. I, on the other hand, have only ever had single dogs and am a bit nervous. We can definitely afford it, and while we don't have a backyard we have access to miles and miles of trails. I'm confident in my ability to train it for basic stuff, and we have access to great trainers for anything I can't handle. My main worry is that the dogs will become too dependent on each other, or the second dog won't bond as much with us.
So basically, when did you decide to get a second dog, and how much extra work was/is it? How did your first dog adjust, and did you take any steps to ensure the dogs weren't too attached to each other? Anything you wish you would have done differently?