Benefits of siblings

[Dzbabykel]

Soo I've been going back and forth in getting a little sister for Oliver. There is a rescue that I have fallen in love with who is only 5 months old and needs a home. I wanted to ask you all the benefits of having 2 (or more) furbutts in the home??

I've heard not only do they keep each other company (allowing mommy to get chores and work done haha) but that they're more obedient, learn commands quicker and most importantly learn bite inhibition. The only thing is I live alone in an apartment so I don't know that it would be smart to have 2 dogs in a place where neighbors already get annoyed with one dark barking Also, should I wait until Oliver is a year old before bringing another puppy into the mix or is it good to bring them up as puppies? Anyway would love to hear your thoughts and see if having double the fun is the smart way to go!

[KJLive]

Aha! You've gotten bitten by the "can't have just one" bug.

I have one Yorkie and two Biewer a la Pom Pons. All came to live with me within 6-7 months of each other (the last coming this past February). And they are each 6-7 months apart in age, with the oldest (Yorkie) turning 2 in Sept. and my littlest guy turns 1 on July 30th.

What I noticed immediately in my Sophie (yorkie) when I brought home Ivan (Biewer) is that she quickly "grew up". She stopped being the PITA, look at me, play with me, talk to me Yorkie and became like a big sister. The potty accidents stopped, the chewing on my baseboards stopped. All the bad behaviors stopped.

And when I introduced Alfie (my littlest Biewer) I noticed the same thing with Ivan. He rarely missed the pee pad, stopped chewing on baseboards, etc.

There is an advantage to it all. However, they all three play and there can be more barks and tussles and arguments over the same toy or the same bully stick. It doesn't matter if you have 2 dogs and 300 toys/bullysticks on the floor for them. You can bet they will all want the same one! But that's the fun of having them.

Lastly, it boils down to temperament of your current Yorkie and the new one you may rescue. The Biewers are a pretty laid back, gentle breed. Adding them was no problem. My Yorkie remains my opiniated one and my Biewers just "go with the flow".

Good luck!

[Rachael x]

Poppy has started learning things from my older cross breed Jess already.
And Jess does a sharp bark to put Poppy in her place when she starts to get out of hand, so hopefully Jess will keep her under control lol!
You are right about the biting, but Poppy is too small to let her loose with Jess just get but hopefully in a few more weeks Jess will be able to teach her how hard is acceptable to bite

[107barney]

We felt the same way. We got little Barney at only 8 weeks old (he came from the mill) and we felt so bad for him. He kept burying his bones in the corners of our kitchen by digging imaginary dirt. My husband felt this was his way of communicating that he wanted a friend. (Dont ask about that analysis...). Anyway, I reluctantly bought into it, and we got Daisy . They have been best friends ever since . Almost two years ago, we got Teddy. Now there are

[DvlshAngel985]

I think for this kind of thing you have to think with your head and not with your heart. Can you financially afford to support a 2nd? And that includes all the crazy buys we get for them. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. Can you handle potty training two? (assuming Oliver isn't 100% yet) Will he be ok with another dog in the house?

I would do a pro-con list and put some serious thought into it. So far, for me the answer is so not ready for a 2nd, even though Teddy Boo is calling me name. I mean look at this little face and tell me you couldn't say no.http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yor...me-person.html I must ignore what my heart wants for now.

[e_gar]

I have been asking myself this exact same question for over a month. I know that Miloh would love to have a sibling but than I think of the financial expenses and decide I'm better off with one. DvlshAngel985, Teddy-Boo is adorable! My younger sister has been looking at Odie. My family pretty much fell in love with Yorkies.

[CouversMom]

Honestly, I'm glad I spaced my two apart... When I got Couver, I lived in an apartment and one dog was great. I think that they teach eachother things, and if you bring in a new one before your first is potty trained, it will definitely be more difficult.

Also, can you afford two?

In my opinion, you should wait until you move out of the apartment and form a bond with Oliver before you bring another into your home.

In the end, it's your decision... this is just my two cents

[107barney]

Originally Posted by DvlshAngel985

I think for this kind of thing you have to think with your head and not with your heart. Can you financially afford to support a 2nd? And that includes all the crazy buys we get for them. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. Can you handle potty training two? (assuming Oliver isn't 100% yet) Will he be ok with another dog in the house?

I would do a pro-con list and put some serious thought into it. So far, for me the answer is so not ready for a 2nd, even though Teddy Boo is calling me name. I mean look at this little face and tell me you couldn't say no.http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yor...me-person.html I must ignore what my heart wants for now.

I have to agree with Dvlishangel - especially with regard to finances. One bout of pancreatitis (non hospitalized) ran me $1500 from start to finish with Barney. I just had to deal with urinary crystals with Teddy, and I havent added up his total costs but today's outing today was around $120 for a single organ ultrasound plus a vet visit that was reduced.

As an aside, Dvlishangel, I have heard some AMAZING things about Teddy-Boo from Jo Ann - he is a real good boy. He needs a special home - maybe yours?

[DvlshAngel985]

Originally Posted by e_gar

I have been asking myself this exact same question for over a month. I know that Miloh would love to have a sibling but than I think of the financial expenses and decide I'm better off with one. DvlshAngel985, Teddy-Boo is adorable! My younger sister has been looking at Odie. My family pretty much fell in love with Yorkies.

Teddy Boo loves the ladies just like Kaji. They could be each others wing man.
Not now though, we're already crowded at Kaji's grandparents house. When we move out, and he's still available, you bet your hinney I'd put in an app for him.

[ls1smith]

My 2 are almost 4 years apart. We got the second one for company to the first one. Unfortunately, she was fine being an "only child" and really has to this day just "tolerated" Maggie. Maybe it would have been different if they were closer in age?? They do have the same father! Interestingly enough, she was terrified of the puppy and Maggie immediately became "top dog" in pecking order. Still is to this day.

Anyway, I was in the same position as you. With my first Yorkie I was single living in an apartment. For me, a second would have been difficult. So like a few others have said you may want to wait a little longer. The Yorkie bug is hard to ignore but be strong and do the best thing for you and your current family!

[Maximo]

Originally Posted by DvlshAngel985

Teddy Boo loves the ladies just like Kaji. They could be each others wing man.
Not now though, we're already crowded at Kaji's grandparents house. When we move out, and he's still available, you bet your hinney I'd put in an app for him.

Wing man, I love it! Teddy Boo is hard to resist.

While there are so many benefits to having 2, I have to agree that expenses are the first consideration. Second consideration is your lifestyle. If you are a person on the go and you like to take your dog with you, wrangling 2 is much more difficult than 1. There are some exceptional YT'ers who make it look easy dealing with 4 to 8 Yorkies.

I love my darling Teddy boy, but life was a lot simpler when I had just the Maxman.

[Ringo1]

Having two is fun; but twice the work too! Also, if you take your baby lots of places with you . . it IS harder to take two. I find my Westie staying home a little more than he used to because I feel guilty taking just one and can't always accomodate two.

Ringo and Lucy get along and play but . . frankly, he would have been just as happy being a singleton.

I don't feel quite as guilty when I leave them because I know they have each other. When I come home from being away; they are often on the same stool or on the couch together so I do think they keep each other company.

[fifeandshaffer]

I got my first dog ever a yorkie in june of 04, about a month later i got my second they grew up together learned from each other and were 2 peas in a pod, Fife recently needed to be put to sleep both shaffer and i were devistated, so we rescued cooper, and they are such great buddies in such a short time. I think 2 is no harder than 1, was strange to only take care of 1 to be honest. It was always easier for me to leave the 2 of them when i went out because they had each other. I say if you can afford care, dentals and other things they need I say do it. best of luck

[Rhetts_mama]

Originally Posted by KJLive

. However, they all three play and there can be more barks and tussles and arguments over the same toy or the same bully stick. It doesn't matter if you have 2 dogs and 300 toys/bullysticks on the floor for them. You can bet they will all want the same one! But that's the fun of having them.

Truer words have never been spoken.

[2Morkies]

I've loved having two and I live in an apt. I got them together and it's been better with two than when I had my old dog who was alone when I left. They do keep eachother company and I don't think they bark as much because they're occupied with one another. I say go for it!