Advice needed please
 

Can you guys give me your input on what you think about having one dog vs two? I'm considering getting a playmate for Magnus and I'd like see what your thoughts are to hopefully help make my decision. I have done some reading about bringing a 2nd dog into the house but I want to get as much info as possible (especially from those that have more than one) and weight all the pros & cons. Thanks!

I'm biased. I've never lived in a house with just one dog so I always think it's great for the furbabies to have a playmate.

That being said, having two dogs is kind of like having 2 kids: it's FAR more than double the work. You will be amazed at what new and creative trouble two dogs can get in to together :) I love watching my boys play together- it gets a little loud and yappy sometimes when Rhett wants to play and Sam doesn't, but they do love chasing each other and rolling around. We do get the occasional bouts of jealousy when one has a toy the other wants, but we always manage to get it worked out.

You will lose some flexibility with two- it's not as easy to toss them both in the car and go anywhere (at least for me because Sam weighs 17 pounds.) And not all pet friendly hotels will let you stay with 2 dogs.

You already know the other drawbacks- twice the food, twice the clean up, twice the vet care bills.

But at the end of the day when Rhett and Sam are cuddled up on the couch together, it's all totally worth it to me.

I have 2 puppies
 

Hi I have 2 puppies. I got Chloe first and after 2 weeks my husband and I decided to get her a playmate. I work from home so I'm able to spend a lot of time with the two babies. My second pup Claire Bear is from a different breeder and is one week younger. One is 12 weeks and one is 11 weeks old and they are about the same size. I love watching them play together and snuggle in their bed. The only hard thing I've found is potty training keeping my eyes on them when they go in different directions I will miss catching an accident. I give them individual attention through out the day because I want them each to feel special. I have been teaching them to do their trick together and they now will do sit down jump and rollover together it is so cute. They also have totally different personalities one is hyper and climbs loves giving kisses, the other is a calm and love to cuddle. I hope this helps these are my first Yorkie's I've always had Maltese.:):)

This has been discussed numerous times here....I think a lot of it depends on your lifestyle. I personally prefer 1 dog because I can take her everywhere. If I want to fly somewhere I can take her. Also it's easier to get someone to watch 1 dog as opposed to 2 dogs. The other thing with 2 dogs is that I think they get into more trouble and teach each other to bark - at least this was the experience my next door neighbor had. When she had 1 yorkie he was very quiet but once she got another they just barked non-stop. If you are home a lot and do not travel then it it is probably GREAT to have 2 dogs. Also, if you are married then when you travel you can each bring 1 dog with you. There are a lot of pros and cons.....but think it through because you don't want to regret getting another one later. Good luck!! :)

Well i have 3 and I love having multiple. They love to play with each other and they just adore each other. I love to watch them together. There are definitely drawbacks, but I didn't really feel that way until I got the 3rd one. My first 2 still went everywhere with me in my large Kwigy-Bo bag, with the 3rd wasn't quite so easy. That's why I'm thinking of adding 1 more to make it even again so that I can take turns taking 2 with me and nobody is ever alone. :D

Two is the magic number for me. They have each other to keep company and become best buds but still look to you for attention. It is harder taking two someplace as opposed to one and your vet bills are higher those are the only downfalls. My breeder told me they do better in 2s I don't know if its true or not but its worked out for us

Thanks for all your inputs, they're definitely helpful and there are some things I haven't considered.

I don't travel much so I don't think that'll be too much of an issue. And Magnus is only home alone for about 3 hours a day as mom comes home. But he sleeps alot until I get home which would be around 5-6pm. So by the time I'm home, he's all energized and wants to play all night. Which is why I'm considering a 2nd pup in hopes they'll keep each other company and sort of tire themselves out a bit as well.

Of course, I'm not expecting them to keep each other busy all the time. But it'd be nice if I could have little time to myself once in a while without worrying about them being lonely or bored without me. (If I'm upstairs for more than 5 min, Magnus starts barking/whining.)

I have 4 Yorkies and mine love each other's company and enjoy having a play buddy...and also someone to snuggle with on the couch. But it also varies from dog to dog. If my Harley could speak, he would tell us that he does NOT appreciate having the others here. :rolleyes:

Thanks for posting this thread, I'm considering adding a second one in July..I've been on the fence for awhile, but pretty much decided 2 will be the magic number in my house.

With Dudley turning 2 yr today, I think it will be the perfect time.;)

Ditto
 

We have 2 girls (20 months old & 18.5 months old). They're awesome !!!

3 things (as mentioned in other replies):

1) DOUBLE vet bills. When you take them for their rounds of shots, spaying, etc. insted of them saying, "that'll be $200, please". They're gonna say, "$400 is your total !!!" Ouch.

2) Potty training is a struggle...they seem to learn each other's BAD habits, not the other way around !! Ours aren't barkers per se, but I'm reminded of the saying, "One dog barks at what he hears. All the other dogs bark because the first dog is barking."

3) Traveling with them is a little bit of a hassle, but it's not too bad. Some people aren't comfortable with boarding their dogs, that's understandable to me.

My wife had a "single Yorkie" before we got these two & she said she always felt a little sad that her Yorkie was alone when she was gone a lot for work, etc. & by the time the dog got older there was no way it would allow her to introduce another dog into the home. Ironically enough, now my wife works FROM home now so she gets to spend lots of time with our two little ones. We're so happy to have them both.

Just so long as you know what to expect, I personally think having two is great. They're best buddies and they're a lot of fun !!!

I'm still in the process of reading different forums and what not regarding this as it's such a big decision and I came up with a question.

Magnus being 7.5 months old now, is it better to bring home a new female pup now or wait till he's at least 1 year old? It took him about a month or so to be pad trained but he seems to have "accidents" if he's allowed to roam the entire house. (He's only allowed to roam the kitchen and livingroom) He barks if he wants to play or if I'm not paying attention to him or of course, if I'm upstairs. It's funny b/c he's quiet as a mouse when it's bedtime and I put him in his room which is a little hallway I blocked off that's between the kitchen and the dining room.

As I mentioned earlier, if I am to get another pup, I'm leaning towards female as I've read somewhere that it's more likely they'd get along better with that combo. I'm sure there are exceptions to the rules. Any thought?

I think some of it depends on the one you have. I only have one and she prefers it that way not that she unfriendly and dosent like other dogs. She loves playing with other dogs but she likes to be my one and only baby and the only attention taker. She would love to play with one durning the day and stuff but at the end of the day she wants it just me and her.

We never planned on getting another... Roxie was our princess and then one night hubby said we were going to have another:rolleyes: and we got Ryder, who is perfect but without the circumstances we wouldnt have gotten another in some time.

I love my three and couldnt imagine not having them all! Roxie is very high strung and Ryder has really helped mellow her out and Prince completes our bunch. They are the best of buddies and make my day, but I do have lots of time to devote to them.

Its a decision that you will have to think thoroughly about. In my own expereince my girl is much more fiesty and has more anxiety issues than the boys.

i would also suggest that you put a stop to the barking/whining when he can't get your attention. when i leave bijou in her kennel and she wants out when i get home, she will start to whine. i *never* take her out when she's whining b/c it teaches her she will get what she wants by whining. when i hear it, i give her a very firm "shhhhhhht" sound. it startles her and she stops. if she starts again, i do it again, but that is the only attention i will give her. i will not play with her in response to whining.

you might also try to give him a toy to occupy his time. i just got one, but i hear that kong toys work well b/c they are busy working to get the treat out.

I have a girl yorkie and a male Westie and they get along just fine. Ringo was a dominant male Westie and we were REALLY worried how things would work out.

It took a few weeks for things to settle down; but now I couldn't imagine life without any other way.

And I think they would be lost without each other too!

I find two or more is better if you work and are away most of the day.

I had 1 for a year and decided to get a second. Oliver is a rescue and is so scared of pretty much everything, but seems to do better when other dogs are around.. so I thought having another dog here all the time might help. (and it is helping, slowly, but helping!)

Things I didn't quite consider as much as I should have - COST... Mya has gotten SO expensive... just to get her up to date on shots and heartworm (includes Oliver's heartworm too, they share a box) was almost $500. Now we are looking at spaying her, likely another $400. Hopefully after that the financial burdens settle down and we're off to the occasional visit and once a yr shots.

Jealousy is also another big factor for us.. treats, toys, and my attention. Oliver is kinda rough with Mya too, so I really have to keep a close eye on them as they play. Now that she's almost his size that's gotten better, but when I brought her home he was nearly 10 pounds heavier than her... it was nerve wracking.

That being said, it's really awesome to watch them together. Oliver is even helping with potty training.. if she's doing something in the house he will come and tell on her - barks and runs to where she is, if I don't follow, he'll do it again. He also goes and gets her outside when I want them inside.. it's too funny! He is starting to enjoy her more and more as she gets bigger and can really rumble with him. They love to wrestle and chase each other around.

You'll need to make sure that your pup likes other dogs and seems to enjoy having them around. Some dogs like to be the sole canine and will really resist another dog moving in.

I don't know that I will ever go back to one dog again. For me, the benefits outweigh the annoyances, but it's a personal choice. If you have the time and money, and you think you can handle 2, go for it!

Two dogs make a Pack
 

Hi this is my first day here and this question is the one that concerned me since the first day I got my first puppy.
5 months later I decided to ad a second one to our family. I think that was the best decision ever.
I don't think that a second Yorkie is more work that you already have.
Pros

You can leave them home and they don't mind
They play all day long and they consume there energy
They learn from each other and you have less work training them
They are more balanced, as you aren't focused on one of them all the time

Cons

Vet bills
… (Let me think…) That's all

Dogs are pack animals and is's always better to have company

And a tip from my dog trainer:
How to introduce your new dog to your old one

Keep your older puppy locked in one room
Leave your new puppy near your house door.
Open your older puppy's door and don't say anything.
Just let her sniff and find the new one.
This way she will think that she found her and she'll be proud of it.
Remember the first day is the most important one.
If they get along the first day they'll get along for the rest of there lives.
Whether you are present or not.

Maria

I've got two yorkies and a bull terrier. To be honest I think having two yorkies is great, I could probably have 3 if I didn't have a third dog. It is like having extra kids though and sometimes it can get annoying and tiring of having 3 dogs in the house. I've been questioning myself lately if I wasn't too crazy getting a third. I like knowing that Lola and Zach have each other to keep company when I am busy or not home.

Gypsy was our first pup in a long time. Then I convinced hubby that Gypsy needed a playmate. So I got him Puff for a birthday present. Gypsy was 2 yrs old. Gypsy has never been a playful dog more a cuddler. I then decided that Puff needed a more energetic playmate. We now have Sophie. Now to convince Jimmie I really do need a 4th dog. Not going as well this time. I will never go back to just one dog in the home.

I got my Tessie (16 months old) last year for Mothers day, She was the greatest gift I ever had except my son, who is now 16. But since she needed a play mate we got Hobbes 5 weeks later, he is now 15 months. At first Tessie wasn't real happy but since they were still very young she accepted him and now loves to play with him, Hobbes doggie parents had another litter 7 months later so now we have Calvin ( 8 months old) and it makes a perfect 3. My husband told me today that he needed a puppy for Fathers Day, but he was kidding. Tessie is still the #1 Princess. So I think another now would be great.

dogs are pack animals so it's good for them to have a pal. that being said it's a very careful and well thought out decision to make. they have to be ok on neutral territory and get along because hte house dog doesn't need to meet the new dog in te home for te first time. if neutral ground for a few hours is going great try it at home. if they don't get along right away give it time so long as they aren't tearing each other apart. always have a back up plan in case they aren't a match, but it's just a trial and error thing of finding the perfect match.

good luck. rescues are my personal fav. place for a new dog because they do have foster for awhile and then adopt options if you need them and are better about taking the dog right back should it not work out. buying from a reputable breeder should be a good way to try as well because a good breeder will always take their dog back. with rescues however vyou can find a dog similar in age which i have found is a really good idea because my two matched are only a day apart. Sadie didn't like puppyies and an old dog would like keeping up with her. same age worked best.

thanks and good luck

that's a big con. vet bills remember are DOUBLE. that's double heart worm meds, double flea and tick meds, that's about $200 or more for 6 months for two of them. then there's double yearly exams and shots so that's another $250 or more a year, then if they get LP or anything that's double surgeries and vet bills for injuries and illness...it adds up over time. two is good for me. i don't think i can afford more than that for now.

It all depends on your lifestyle, etc. I know, for me, I'd LOVE to have a 2nd dog and I know Jackson would be much happier with a friend. Even though he's my only dog, he's never technically had to be an only dog until recently... we lived with my parents and they had a 4yr old cockapoo who passed away last September. He was really upset when she died, and even though he's obviously gotten 'over' it and has adjusted pretty well... he's just not as happy by himself. He seems alot more bored sometimes so I have to occupy him and keep him busy by going to dog parks, walks, lots of playtime.

For my lifestyle though, 1 just works right now. I'll be house/rental hunting within the next 6months hopefully and I know it's easier with one than two. I take him with me to family functions, vacations, etc and I don't think it'd be as likely with two. He's really my best friend and compainion and I'm terrified I'll screw up what we've got. I admit, it's easier with 1. When we visit my dads and sleep over it makes 3 dogs and after 1-2 nights I'm usually anxious to get back home to more peace lol. But I think once I'm settled in my own place, I will add a second. I haven't decided puppy or adult but 99% sure we're going rescue route.