Are 2 really better than 1?

My husband and I currently have one little furbaby (4 month old tri boy). He is our world and we couldn't have found a better little boy. An opportunity has arisen to get another puppy (his half brother) in three weeks. This would make our pup 5 months old and the new one 8 weeks. We have always wanted another puppy but just didnt think it would be this soon. Our little guy has been so good but it is very hard for us when we leave for work. For the past couple months we have been going home at lunch to take him out and play. We love this time but it has been getting harder since it is a long drive for me and my husband often times has to travel during the day and isnt always in the area. We feel that this opportunity might be great for both the pups since they would have a buddy while we arent home and we are ready adn willing and able to supply the love and support for another puppy.

My question is: Are two really better than one? I have heard how having another puppy can cause disaster to be a huge blessing in teh household. Is it too soon for another pup? My husband would like one now so they can go through a lot of the puppy stages together and will be done with the puppy stages near the same time.

Obviously we have already thought about how 2 dogs mean twice the food/poop/bills but we are more concerned about their development and growth than anything else.

Any advice/suggestions/thoughts are appreciated!

I'd say the answer to that is in the sheer number of posters here that have more than one cavalier (or dog even).

It really is a personal thing. I have two and wouldn't have it any other way my mum has one and he is just fine on his own and that works well for my mum.
I think in your situation it would be good to have two as it would be nicer for your little one to have a playmate when your both at work. However you need to make sure you are ready for two as in some situations its not much different, you feed one you feed two, you walk one you walk two it really doesn't impact but when it comes to things like training, vet bills, grooming and the possibilty of health probs with a cav and the impact this can have financially/emotionally you need to make sure you are ready for 2. Hope this helps :flwr:

We go out to work with the 2 of us as well and our two cavs remain at home..

I think it'll be good to have 2 but I think you'll need to be careful in their training.. Ideally one of you should take a dog and train it, since one person training 2 dogs at the same time, I think it'll be a bit too much

but if you and your hubby don't mind, I'd say go for it (but ok this is just my opinion )

Good luck and enjoy your little furbaby

What can I say ...I have 10 at least he will have company while you are out.

Hi Carrie,

Well, I would have 10 of them if my house and garden was big enough! So I am definitely of the opinion that 2 is better than 1.

Like you, we started with a just one - Millie, who is now 2 and a half years old. Before we got our second, we used to feel really guilty about leaving her in the house on her own. I just couldnt handle those big sad eyes looking up at me when I was saying goodbye to go to work.
Thankfully, my husband works shift hours - so it was not often that she would be on her own in the house anyway. But when she was about 10 months, we decided to get her a little pal, a black and tan male - Jack.

They got on famously and spent hours rolling around on the rugs playing and out on their walks loved to run in the park chasing birds together. I think becuase Jack was a little younger than Millie, he actually brought out the fun/crazy side of her.

As far as extra expense/work - we honestly didnt really notice it. Yes you can expect extra doggy doo, muddy prints on the floor and hair all over the house - extra food bills and vet bills etc. But, when you have two - its twice as much fun and you get twice the love back - so in my opinion its a very small price to pay, and you will do it without even thinking!

Good luck!
Louise

Hi,
We had Harvey when he was a puppy and 4 months ago we got an older female cavalier Bella - mainly as company for Harvey while we were at work. The vet bills is obviously a big consideration which we did forget about in the beginning and had a nasty shock when Bella needed treatments. However we love them both so much now and they have their own personalities which are completely different.

2 cavs = 2 shadows everywhere you go instead of 1 + double the love which is wonderful - I say go for it Good luck!!

Thanks for all the positive feedback. I feel that both my husband and I are very committed and are prepared for the work and love needed for two puppies. We know that each one will need individual time and ultimately depend on us to make them well adjusted dogs. I just wanted confirmation that our decision wasn't going to hurt the wellbeing of Kipling our current pup as long as we continue with the love and training we have set in place.

We recently added another puppy to our household, and had a similar situaton. When Miles was 10 months old we decided to get his half brother, Truman, who was 11 weeks old (I wouldn't get your new pup at 8 weeks - it's too young - I would wait until he's 10-12 weeks old ). We were concerned about adding a second dog so soon while Miles was so young, but I'm so glad we did! They're the best of friends and get along great. Although Miles was much more mature and trained at 10 months than he was at 5 months...if you could wait to get the new pup at 12 weeks then Kipling would be 6 months old, so it might be easier since he'll be more housetrained, etc...just a thought Although Truman is still crated during the day while we're at work (he's 4 months old now), Miles loves having the company, and will love it even more once we can leave Truman out with Miles during the day. There was a short adjustment period in the beginning with Miles being obsessed over Truman, but then he got used to him and calmed down. They play together, wrestle, chase each other, and cuddle together...I've never really had 2 dogs before, so I was worried about the extra work, etc., but it's sooo much better than having 1! And I do like that they're so close in age, because Miles wasn't used to being an "only child" (he has 2 cat sisters, though) for too long as doesn't get jealous too often. I know I've posted these pictures recently on another thread, but here are my two boys, the best of friends! Let us know what you decide

Laying by the Fire...


Dinnertime!


Time for a Nap...


Cuddling...

I suppose my worry would be longer term... two dogs so close in age, chances are they will be old together. With Cavs that means double the meds for MVD at least, as well as the potential heartbreak of losing two dogs pretty close to each other. Then again, in two years time you decide you want anoter pup! :lol: .. and the Cav addiction will be well and truly set in.

Lisa_T said:

I suppose my worry would be longer term... two dogs so close in age, chances are they will be old together. With Cavs that means double the meds for MVD at least, as well as the potential heartbreak of losing two dogs pretty close to each other. Then again, in two years time you decide you want anoter pup! :lol: .. and the Cav addiction will be well and truly set in.

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You can have that same issue if you put 3, 5 or even 7 years between them. I've heard of cavaliers passing from MVD as young as 6 years (very rare) and we've seen and heard of cavaliers doing 'well' even at age 12.
I can't live thinking about the possible heartbreak years down the road-- life isn't that concrete anyway. IF cavaliers lived to be ONLY *5* years of age--- I would give that dog the best darn 5 years and cherish every moment.
Ironically, we rescued a severely ill cocker that only lived to be 2 1/2-- and I had a 4 year old Britney that had to be put down due to an immune issue (ironically a few weeks after getting shots).

ACK I LOVE THEIR LITTLE BONNETS! Where did you get them? I am guessing you use them to keep their ears out of their water.

Thanks cy1266 that was an excellent idea to see if we could wait even until the new pup was 10-12 weeks which can make a huge difference. It was good to hear someone else who got pups closer in age. BTW they are adorable!

vicarrieous said:

This would make our pup 5 months old and the new one 8 weeks.

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Would you believe these are the exact same ages that Bailey and Holly were when Holly joined our family!!

If I were you I would defo go for it, it took a few days for bailey and holly to accept eachother but now they are so close its unbelievable, like if holly is in bed bailey will always go over and give her a kiss or nuzzle into her he cant just walk past her!

Also if your lucky the older one will step in as a mother/father figure and that will help with the toilet training. nipping etc.. Good luck...

Thanks so much! My husband will be so happy to hear this. I am more of the worrywart and he is more like "we love kip so much that adding another will only bring more love into our family!"

Carrie,
Snoods -- they wear them every time they eat - they eat raw, so it keeps the food out of their ears I know some people think they're pretty silly looking (they are!) and won't use them, but we couldn't live without them - their ears would be full of food! My fiance has trained them (even the little one!) to slide their heads into the snoods to get them on - it's SO cute!

Also, housebreaking is MUCH easier with Truman than it was with Miles! Miles was housebroken (for the most part, with the rare accident) around 5 1/2 - 6 months, and Truman just turned 4 months and is *almost* housebroken - obviously he's young and we don't have high expectations for him right now, but it's amazing how well he's doing! He follows Miles' lead on many things including letting us know he has to go outside

By the way, I was the hesitant one, too - my fiance had to surprise me with Truman for Valentine's Day because I couldn't decide whether or not it was a good time to add another puppy! :luv:

Carrie,

I just think those snoods are adorable! My husband cannot wait for another one and is so inlove with our little Kip. Its so cute to see them interact. Kip is 4 months and is pretty good with potty training. He still has some accidents but usually its when we can't pick up his signs. My hubby got in contact with the breeder we got Kip from and found a little blenheim boy that he adores so it would be his half brother which is great and I am sure I cannot talk my husband out of it. It will just be me and my boys!

OH and Carrie, can I ask how big your Truman is? He looks small compared to my Kipling and I have been trying to track Kips growth but I keep forgetting. I am trying to see if he is staying normal in his weight for his age. Both his mom and dad were on the smaller side (12 & 15 lbs) so I want to see how he grows up. I think Kip was weighed in last week at 6.13lbs. Does that sound like too much?

Aaawww, it sounds like it was meant to be :luv: I love having two boys, they're tons of fun and are great cuddlers...If you end up ordering snoods, I would order smalls - they're a bit big on the puppy (as you can see), but Miles also wears a small - and he's 17-18 lbs...I throw them in the wash once or twice a week and it's worked out really well! Send us pictures as soon as you get the new pup!

Hi again,
with regard to what Lisa_T mentioned in her earlier post about facing twice the heartbreak of losing two older dogs at the same time, I know only too well that you can loose a younger dog when you least expect it.
Our little man Jack passed away just 3 weeks ago. He was 20 months old and suffered heart failure. His little heart was so enlarged as a result of MVD, it just stopped working. Even though a few months earlier he was checked by the vet and not even a heart murmour was detected. (Ironically its Millie who has a murmour)

Since his passing, Millie's character has very much changed. She is not as playful and hasn't got an appetite for her food. She spends most of her day sleeping, and I only see her perk up when my Mam's two dogs come to visit - which we try to arrange as much as we can these days.

Our two were great companions and I know Millie is really missing him, as we all are. I suppose this would be one of my biggest concerns about having two pups.

Louise