2 DOGS OR NOT 2 DOGS, THAT IS THE QUESTION...

[katchambers]

Hi everyone,

Just want some opinions from some outsiders who may potentially like dogs as we are only getting views from people who hate dogs at present, which isn't helpful.

 

I have a border collie called Cali, she's a gem, but we are thinking about adopting another dog, a german shepherd. I grew up with german shepherds and totally love them so have always wanted my own, my husband has decided that he likes the idea now so we have been thinking about it. The problem is that we have told a couple of our friends and my parents and they are all reacting negatively, I have taken they're viewpoints on board and will think about what they are saying.

 

Firstly, we don't have a lot of money, but we have put in the budget the extra food it would need and the extra pet insurance and sundries, we are thinking it will cost between £35-£40 a month for that and have budgeted accordingly.

 

Secondly, we have a 3 bedroom house with an ensuite and a garage and a large garden and lots of lovely places to walk our dogs nearbv, but apparently our house is too small. I only have one dog and we have plenty of room, I have also dog-sat a lot over the last 6 months as I work for platinum petcare and we have had 2 full grown weimeranars running around with Cali and still had room, so I don't see why that would be an issue, although anyone who has 2 dogs please enlighten me.

 

Thirdly, we are trying to have a child at present, my mum thinks that would interfere. I personally think another dog will keep cali company so she stops bugging me every 2 seconds to throw a ball. Everytime we dog sit we have loads more time to ourselves as cali is happy playing with the other dog.

 

Fourthly, there has been 4 rapes in my area, right where I usually walk cali and now I am too afraid to walk her, and I am trying to lose weight so not being able to walk her now is a real downer for that, cali wouldn't hurt a fly so I really don't think she would protect me, a german shepherd on the other hand, I believe it would protect me, as I had one before. Since security has become a big issue in my area lately I would feel more secure and confident with a german shepherd, especially when I have a child too.

 

Anyway, I really would like to bring a german shepherd into the family, my husband really wants it too and we are big animal lovers so I don't see why that would be a problem.

 

Any advice would be grately appreciated, especially from people who have more than 1 dog, is it easier in some ways, or harder in others?

 

Thanks

Kat x

[BustopherJones]

Up until Missy passed on last year, we never had only one dog in the house. We raised two sons with two dogs in the house, and there was never a problem. Once you have had two dogs (or more), it becomes impossible to visualize one's home with only one dog. 2 dogs = 2 x the love, 2 x the fun, 2 x the fulfillment. Does 2 dogs also mean 2 x the trouble and 2 x the work? Yes, but it is worth it. DW says no more dogs at our age; but I know that when the right "hard luck story" rescue dog shows up, we will be back to two dogs.

 

GO FOR IT!!! (And maybe add a couple of cats for good measure.)

[Cody & Duchess]

We had one dog for ten years. Added a second in hopes of keeping the older dog young. The older dog passed last year (broke my heart). We decided we liked the two dog interaction and rescued a BC. The best thing we ever did. They play together - I swear Duchess helped Cody with the transition and learn things. Although they are both very different they are a perfect pair. There is about 2.5 years difference between them.

[silhouettestable]

A 3 bedroom house isn't big enough to have 2 dogs? Oh dear. I'd better break the news to my eight that we need a larger house. Maybe one bedroom per dog, so that most of them don't all sleep on my bed? Guess I'd better go win a lottery so I can buy my dogs a mansion.

 

Seriously, ours is a 1050 square foot home and 2 of the rooms are blocked off from the dogs (too many toys for them to get into in my daughter's bedroom and playroom). They don't care how many rooms there are, they are always wherever I am. Up to 6 of them at a time even follow me into the bathroom. Hmmm...maybe all I need is a house with a bigger bathroom

 

I love my pack, I can't imagine ever having only 1 dog again. If you and your husband are both in agreement and you have the finances to do it...go for it!

[Brad]

I have 2 dogs, adding a third next spring. I'm in a 2 bdrm house, with a large fenced yard. Having 2 is great, they're best friends and are able to entertain each other when I'm too tired to play anymore (they don't get the whole "job" thing). The reasons given above to not have 2 are just silly. Tell them to mind their own business and you two do what you want.

[Liz P]

Cali will not stop pestering you to play with her if you add another dog. Border Collies and GSDs are very handler focused. They want to play with you first and foremost. If you add a second dog the novelty for Cali of having a new friend will wear off and then you will have 2 dogs asking for your attention instead of one. Just ask my non dog savvy relatives how it feels to come over and be surrounded by an entire pack of BCs wanting them to throw the ball or pet them.

 

I would not add a puppy right now if you are trying to have kids in the very near future. Puppies and babies both take a whole lot of work, and I can't even begin to imagine trying to walk an adolescent GSD while pregnant. There are companies that sell adult, fully trained GSDs for protection work, but they cost big bucks. If there is a GSD rescue they might be able to help you find an adult dog that is known to be good with kids. That is another option.

 

Do they have defense classes for women near you? I bet that taking one of those would make you feel much better.

 

When you are trying to budget for a new dog you can't just double what you pay now. A GSD is much larger than a BC. A big male GSD can weight 4 times as much as a female Border Collie. Not only will that dog eat 2 to 3 times as much food as Cali, but drugs and treatments at a vet will cost proportionally more. A trip to the vet for Cali with a prescription for antibiotics might run $80, but for a GSD it could be $170 (for a higher dose of medication). I would bet that a pet insurance company would charge a lot more to cover a GSD than a BC. Just something to think about.

 

I don't think the small house is an issue. Many people live quite happily in apartments with far more dogs. It all comes down to how much exercise and mental stimulation they get. Skip a few days of walks and outside play time and the dogs may get rowdy, making it seem as if you are stuck in a tiny house when before you did not have a problem.

[ejano]

Hi everyone,

Just want some opinions from some outsiders who may potentially like dogs as we are only getting views from people who hate dogs at present, which isn't helpful.

 

I have a border collie called Cali, she's a gem, but we are thinking about adopting another dog, a german shepherd. I grew up with german shepherds and totally love them so have always wanted my own, my husband has decided that he likes the idea now so we have been thinking about it. The problem is that we have told a couple of our friends and my parents and they are all reacting negatively, I have taken they're viewpoints on board and will think about what they are saying.

 

Firstly, we don't have a lot of money, but we have put in the budget the extra food it would need and the extra pet insurance and sundries, we are thinking it will cost between £35-£40 a month for that and have budgeted accordingly.

 

Secondly, we have a 3 bedroom house with an ensuite and a garage and a large garden and lots of lovely places to walk our dogs nearbv, but apparently our house is too small. I only have one dog and we have plenty of room, I have also dog-sat a lot over the last 6 months as I work for platinum petcare and we have had 2 full grown weimeranars running around with Cali and still had room, so I don't see why that would be an issue, although anyone who has 2 dogs please enlighten me.

 

Thirdly, we are trying to have a child at present, my mum thinks that would interfere. I personally think another dog will keep cali company so she stops bugging me every 2 seconds to throw a ball. Everytime we dog sit we have loads more time to ourselves as cali is happy playing with the other dog.

 

Fourthly, there has been 4 rapes in my area, right where I usually walk cali and now I am too afraid to walk her, and I am trying to lose weight so not being able to walk her now is a real downer for that, cali wouldn't hurt a fly so I really don't think she would protect me, a german shepherd on the other hand, I believe it would protect me, as I had one before. Since security has become a big issue in my area lately I would feel more secure and confident with a german shepherd, especially when I have a child too.

 

Anyway, I really would like to bring a german shepherd into the family, my husband really wants it too and we are big animal lovers so I don't see why that would be a problem.

 

Any advice would be grately appreciated, especially from people who have more than 1 dog, is it easier in some ways, or harder in others?

 

Thanks

Kat x

• 
  

 

Does your BC like German Shepherds? Before you adopt, see how they react together....they might not "like" each other at first, but its important that they don't react badly to each other.

[sweet_ceana]

One of my dearest friends in the whole world found out she was pregnant a month before her German Sheppard puppy was scheduled to come home. It was a HANDFUL. Of course they survived, and so did Kane (He is 1.5 yr old now) but it was hard. I'll never forget how badly I wished I was in the same state as her when she had a colicky (sp?) baby screaming non stop and a puppy with explosive diarrhea. I don't think I would wish that on anyone.

 

I prefer having two dogs, but I would definitely suggest an adult. puppies are a crap shoot, you never know what dog you will get. It sounds like you know what type of personality you are looking for, and an adult would make the transition much easier for all of you.

[desertranger]

At max, 3 dogs, 2 Bs and rough collie, 2 cats and 3 kids in 1450 sq ft. There are now 2 dogs and 2 cats with a daughter still at home. We like it.

[katchambers]

Thanks all, something to think about. We are going to meet her today, cali will meet her and if they don't get on then we def won't take her, altho cali gets on with everyone, usually! She is a small bitch, 11 months old, I know she will get bigger. We are on hols next week so we will be taking the time to make our decision about her.

 

I didn't just double the amount, I actually asked some people who have adult gsd's how much food they eat. Cali only costs us £15 a month for her food, so £40 is a lot more, I have quotes for pet insurance too, thx though!

 

You have given me a lot to think about, thx

Kat x

[Jumpin Boots]

I'm happy to hear that you are looking at a 10 month old dog versus a little pup, my first recommendation was going to be looking in that age range or older. The size of the house/yard sounds great. When dbf and I first moved in together we had an 800 sq ft apartment w/ about 1500 sq ft yard and 3 dogs with no issues. It did get challenging at times i.e. sick dog, sick people, dog issues over food/toys, but we also all became very close and understanding.

 

Best of luck, keep us posted.

[1sheepdoggal]

Ive had Shepherds and collies together for many, many years, and Ive found them to get along just fine. The shepherd takes a different roll in the house hold, and the collies respect that. I have also had children and grandchildren newborns and older with all my shepherds, and again, they play a different roll. They are tenders and protectors, and they take that roll very seriously. Raising chilren with shepherds is a wonderful experience for kids, and if they treat the dog with love and respect, they will gain a best friend and lay down their life for them gaurdian for life.

Enjoy your GSD (Alsation) enroll in an OB class, and watch her become the best companion, loyal friend, and protector you've ever known.

[kaos]

You may want to reconsider the dynamic of having two bitches of similar ages in the house. Search inter dog aggression on these boards to see why.

It might be a better choice to go with an adult male to try and avoid future problems.

 

Sara

[BCDreamer]

Oh crap! Three bed rooms isn't big enough for TWO dogs? Dang! We have 8 in ours!

 

I say go for it, I don't see a problem with any of the information you've given...

 

[Sasha's Mom]

I have a GSD and a bunch of border collies... all are house-dogs, even though we have acreage. Space isn't usually an issue, as they're all wherever I am.

 

We adopted the GSD first, and he does have a different role than the BCs, but he's a great dog. He patrols. The BCs just zoom. We got him when he was about 3, so already grown, and knew what his personality was. It was SOOOO much easier than a pup, and he still learned the basic obedience package easily. He is big and scary looking, unlikely the perenially jovial/smiling BCs, and people always have given me a wide berth when walking him.

 

As far as play, he's now a lot older than the youngest BCs in the pack and while pushing 13, he still has plenty of oomph. In my experience, he's been about the same accident-prone-wise as my BCs, and the vet bills have been comparable.

 

He practically raised BC #1. Puppies are an insane amount of work, and I didn't do the best job with here, as she has some issues. But I found that two dogs were not actually double the work. And then three was very little more work. Barely noticed #4 and #5.

[Laurelin]

He practically raised BC #1. Puppies are an insane amount of work, and I didn't do the best job with here, as she has some issues. But I found that two dogs were not actually double the work. And then three was very little more work. Barely noticed #4 and #5.

 

See for us dog #3 was WAY more work to add than #2. I guess it depends on the dog but 4, 5, 6 were much easier than the 3rd. Right now we have 5 and it's a breeze now that they all finally like each other.

[Pia]

When I lived on the farm my first two SPCA rescues were several years apart, but timed beautifully.

The Border/Lab mix was the perfect teacher for my new rescue Shep/Collie, and through example, I showed the new pup

just how we "behaved" around here.

 

Moving away from the farm and the seperation issues the Shep/Collie had, I could not get another dog when she was older.

I knew this would not be a good thing for her intense need to have her Mom & Dad all to herself.

 

Now, with my BC @ 3 years old, I will get another BC but not for a few more years. I will always remember how

much easier it was to train a new pup when the 'doggie voice of experience' helped me along the way.

Timing is important, plan your addition to the best of your ability.

Good Luck

Pia

 

See for us dog #3 was WAY more work to add than #2. I guess it depends on the dog but 4, 5, 6 were much easier than the 3rd. Right now we have 5 and it's a breeze now that they all finally like each other.

[silhouettestable]

I guess it depends on the dog but 4, 5, 6 were much easier ...

Yeah and by the time you get to 7 and then 8 you barely even notice Wait a minute, dh didn't notice number 8 in our house until about 30 hours after I brought him home! Dh was out working or on call or something when I brought Dru home, and by the time he came home I was in bed and the room was dark with Dru all tucked up cozy and quiet in his crate beside my side of the bed. Dh was up early for work (before it was light out) and didn't come home until the evening. I was cracking up as he was petting the new addition without even noticing and he kept saying "What? What's so funny? What did I do?" It took him a few minutes to realize that he wasn't petting Rain.

[Sasha's Mom]

That is awesome! I could probably sneak in another past DH, although he'd embrace it. I think we're in a holding pattern until ol' Nik passes on, though. He's 13, and getting grumper by the day. We've had to stop fostering (well, we can get away with puppies) because of him.

 

I had a foster who was a dead ringer for #3 once... to the point that I thought I was petting one and it would be the other one if I wasn't paying attention.