Benifits of owning two dogs?

Hi again,

We have had our adopted 1 1/2 year old Husky for about 2 months now.

And we are considering adopting a second one. Mostly because they are such a honderful dog! also to keep each other company.

What are your guys thoughts on owning 2 (large) dogs, we have never had 2 before and hope it's not too much to handle.

Plus i've seen so many ads for people getting rid of their Huskies.

Thanks in advance
JO
~:>

 

I think it's good to own to dogs because they exercise eachother and they keep eachother home. (meaning 1 dog won't try to go searching for a buddy when he has one right next to him) they're there to keep eachother warm (a real concern where i live) and if one of them gets in a scrap with a wild animal (another concern) i would rather have 2 dogs fighting rather than just one. they are prolly safer with eachother cause if they do leave the house then people are less likely to "dognap" 2 dogs rather than 1. on the other hand people are way less likely to take 2 dogs to the pound or to the vet were you can find them rather that just 1.

 

I don't own 2 large dogs but I have a medium and a small dog. My dogs seem to enjoy each others company although they do not play together but I think that is because the small one gets overwhelmed by the medium one when she tries to play with him. They do lay together, eat together though and get along well.
Anyway, as long as you can afford a second dog and have the time to devote to a second dog I say go for it.

 

Your replies were really helpfull, thanks heaps. What do you guys think about keeping dogs on leads. We never take Makiko off the lead when we are out, (apart from a fenced backyard) How do you cope with your dogs on leads is there any tips that might help.

 

I always keep mine on leads too. There really are no safe areas around here other than my fenced yard where I'd feel comfortable letting them off. I like to let them run at the park so I use retractable leads for that.

 

Hi i won 5german shepherds and i agree with nerm aslong as you can afford to keep 2dogs and the time to devote to them then go for it.

When i walk my dogs 4 of them get let of there leash as i can trust them round other dogs but one of my males who is very head strong and can be bossy does not like strange dogs so i find it safer to keep him on his leash just to be safe.

Mike

 

Duke and Freckles are almost inseparable. Although Duke won't admit it he loves being bugged by Freckles. They do a good job of exercising each other. I could not possibly throw a tennis ball enough to wear them out.

 

I also love having two dogs. They keep each other company when we aren't home and they play together really well. Even if the dog park is empty, they still have another dog to play with! And their personalities are different, so I get the best of both worlds.

As for taking them on walks, I walk them separately or at the same time with two separate leads. While I don't make them heel, I try to keep one dog on one side of me and one on the other. Walking them separately is easier to train them to not pull, but once they learn that walking them together isn't too bad. I find head halters to be a great help as well.

Of course, there are things to think about like whether you have the time and money for two dogs. Food and vet care costs twice as much and training takes twice the time. You have to train them both separately and together. There are some new issues to be solved with two dogs, like walking them and feeding them, etc. And you need to make sure you find the right dog for your existing dog and your family. Make sure they get along well before you make a final decision.

 

You won 5 German Shepherds?? Bet that was a shock eh? :lol:

Sorry, had to be done.

I reeally want a 2nd dog, Floob craves one, but there's just no way I'd cope with a new one, him, and the cats.

 

That was the conclusion I came to as well, Nik. I figured I would need another hyper dog to keep Nala happy. We tried her out with a few dogs at the shelter in a spare room, but the ones that weren't hyper like her were annoyed by her wanting to play and the ones that WERE that hyper looked too hard to manage.

So I decided to try setting up play dates with friends' dogs instead of getting my own second dog, but that never seemed to work out with schedules.

Next I found a shelter that allows you to take dogs home for a weekend and evaluate them and bring them back. I thought "Great! I'll get a dog on free weekends!" So I got Bonnie for my first dog. She fit in so naturally and easily. She was housetrained and never had even one accident. They had to be separated while eating, but beyond that, everything was fine! They played well together, Bonnie is very tolerant of Nala's pushiness and can keep up with her and give her some good exercise, but inside the house she is calm and snuggly. That's why we still have her a year later.

 

haha, jamiya!
i have other dogs at my house all the time to play with ranger, and when i do walk them, i do it together. I usually walk them on retractable leashes together, when there are only two, for more than two, i put them all on shorter leads. i have found it is actually easier to hold all of the leashes on one hand, they don't get tangled as much, i guess cause the dogs aren't as spread out. i have never really thought it that hard to walk multiple dogs. of course, they aren't huskys!