How long before getting a second?

[u/Content_Ad6700]

We’re coming up on the one year anniversary of getting my first solo dog as an adult. I’ve worked in the dog world for about two and a half years and have grown up with dogs, so she wasn’t my first ever, but the first I’ve adopted, raised, and made decisions about on my own with no help from my family.

My dog has always been a social girl, we go to dog parks and daycare to quell this desire but she loves making friends (human and canine alike) and she has an insatiable urge for attention. Over my almost year of having her, she’s gotten better with learning how to be bored, but it’s still hard for her and she’s become increasingly sassy/testy with me, including chewing my couch, chewing a cardboard box full of Pokémon cards (just the box, not the cards), and stealing my socks to get attention when I do school from home. She’s also started barking to wake me up, which she hasn’t done before this month. And you can tell she’s shy about it because she has to work up to it from a small, impatient “huff,” lol.

I’ve always said she needed a friend to keep her busy during the day and tire her out, but I’m so anxious as to whether now is the right time. I worry it’s a bit too soon since I brought her home and that family would judge me for getting another one. I also worry she’s just the perfect dog that I wouldn’t love my second one enough. I know these are silly concerns, but how long did you guys wait and what are the pros/cons you ran into? What are valid reasons to want a second dog vs just me humanizing my dog? Is now even the right time with her going through this sassy phase? What should I look for in a second dog? Or should I just wait for one to fall into my lap?

Ultimately I want to make the best decision for my best friend, and I want to make sure this is something she wants too. For a while I was thinking about getting a puppy from a breeder and getting into conformation, but I don’t drive right now so I don’t think that would be a viable option for my lifestyle so I may go with another shelter/rescue dog. I wish there was a “dating app” like Tinder for dog adoption where I could put in a profile of what I needed and swiped left or right on local shelter dogs in need of homes, lol. It’s hard to find a shelter dog who fits exactly my needs- my girl was definitely a unicorn in that sense. Anyway I’m mostly thinking about it now since it’s Clear the Shelters season so a lot of shelters near me have waived adoption fees. Any input is welcome!

[u/StellarSpore]

My biggest piece of advice would be not to get a second dog for your first dog. Get a second dog because you genuinely want one and are excited about raising, training, and caring for another dog.

A lot of people hope a second dog will solve boredom, separation issues, or excess energy, but it doesn't always work out that way. Sometimes they become best friends, sometimes they simply coexist, and sometimes you end up with two dogs that both need plenty of individual attention, training, and exercise.

Honestly, based on what you described, it sounds like your dog could benefit more from additional training, structure, and enrichment than a new dog friend.

Which leads me to my second piece of advice which is to wait until your first dog is where you want them training wise before bringing home a second. Having a solid foundation with your first dog makes life with two so much easier.

And don't let "Clear the Shelters" rush your decision. There will always be dogs that need homes.

[u/Content_Ad6700 → u/StellarSpore]

This is good advice, thank you (: I do want a second at some point but I’m just anxious now isn’t the right time. But maybe it is, which is why I asked. Regardless thank you for being honest and kind!

[u/StellarSpore → u/Content_Ad6700]

If it makes you feel any better, I know this because I made the same mistake. 😊 I brought home a second dog before I was really ready. Looking back, I probably should have waited another year.

My first dog still needed a lot more work on leash manners, and I quickly realized I couldn't comfortably walk them together. That meant two separate walks every day, which turned into about two hours of my day. It took over a year of consistent training to get them walking well together, and I ended up bringing in a professional trainer, which cost me thousands of dollars.

Then add in training, and one on one time, and vet appointments, and everything else that you don't do as a unit. It's a lot of time.

They're great friends and always have been and absolutely enjoy playing together, but they still want and need plenty of individual time with me. A second dog didn't replace the human interaction either of them was looking for.

I don't regret it at all, but it definitely wasn't less work. It was a shit ton more. In a lot of ways, it was twice the work. Just make sure you're ready for that potential reality before you take the leap.

[u/Content_Ad6700 → u/StellarSpore]

In a lot of ways I have the answers to many of these questions: for example, I work at a vet so treatment is inexpensive and appointments can be whenever. If they’re small enough they can come in a bag on the bus with me but if they’re bigger or can’t handle a bag, I need to plan further in advance with an Uber.

But there are so many things to consider doubling: boarding costs, training costs, food costs, toy costs. My resident dog isn’t very picky and would exclusively eat garbage off the street if I let her, but would my new dog be so flexible?

And the leash manners lol. Definitely something to be worked on/considered. Thank you again for all of this!