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Newbie with a question
Hi all!!!
I've lurked around the nest in general but haven't been on this board much since I'm a relatively new puppy mom. Back in July we got our wonderful beagle pup. I had serious hesitations about getting a dog since I never had pets growing up but my H pushed and now this is my baby!!!
Our problem comes in with the fact that when we got puppy, I was working part time. This way I was home with him a good part of the day, he went in his crate while I went to work, all was well with the world. A few months later, I unexpectedly got moved to full time at work. We got an exercise pen to attatch to his crate so he has more room during the day and we make sure he gets PLENTY of play time when DH and I come home from work but I still have horrible puppy mommy guilt that he's left home alone all day.
DH mentioned getting another puppy so he would have a "friend" to spend the days with. My SIL thinks this would help me feel better because he would't be home alone and even when we get home at night, if we can't spend lots of time playing with him, the pups could play with each other. The problem is, current puppy had time to adjust to being left alone, it started with small periods of time and moved up to the full day. I would HATE the idea of bringing in a new puppy and immediately leaving him home for full days at a time, especially if we get a really young one.
I'm looking for any thoughts or suggestions. (Also, DH or I taking time off to spend with a new pup is not an option. We both work in strict offices and neither of us have any vacation time for a long while.)
Thanks in advance!!!!
Re: Newbie with a question
Well I see two potential solutions...
Get an adult dog.
Get a dog walker.
My H and I have two dogs (one is unbelievably high energy) and we are out of the house for 9 to 10 hours each day. Someone comes in at lunch time to let them out, and that has eliminated my guilt, especially since they get so much exercise every evening.
My Lunch Blog
As PPs suggested, what about a dog walker and/or doggy day care? Is your current puppy giving signs of boredom, loneliness, etc.? Increased exercise and mental stimulation can fix these without needing a second puppy. I was in school when we got our first dog (at age 13 weeks), so I was home with him the vast majority of the time. When he was about 14-15 months old, I started working full-time, so he was alone most of the day. We hired a dog walker to come every afternoon, and we gave him plenty of exercise each evening. We never had any problem with boredom, destruction, etc. (he was in a play pen). We didn't adopt our second dog for another couple years, and while I think they enjoy each other's company during the day, they sleep most of the time we are gone.
In your situation, I personally would not immediately jump to getting a second puppy for a number of reasons. First, having two puppies at once is a ton of work, even if your first puppy is ~8-10 months old and especially since your current puppy may hit the teenage stage sometime soon. You would need to feel very confident that you would have enough time to devote to training both dogs and fulfilling their needs. I can't imagine getting another puppy 6 months after getting the first one, but everyone is different.
Also, how long is your current puppy alone during the day? Assuming you get a 3-month-old puppy, s/he would need to go out every 3-4 hours. Unless you hire a dog walker, that doesn't sound feasible. If you do decide to get a second dog, it sounds like rescuing an older puppy or adult dog might be the best fit for you.
I don't think he's showing negative signs of being alone. When we occassionally get a day off to spend with him at home he sleeps most of the day so I assume that's habit from his usual schedule.
He does chew A LOT and has a tendency to take things he's not supposed to to play keep away but I chalk that up to him being an energetic puppy. We also recently started giving him condensed (or compressed? I can't remember what they're called) rawhide bones instead of the traditional rawhide and I think that helps with the chewing, they certainly last longer anyway.
I'm sure he's probably fine with the arrangement and I'm just overthinking it. Getting a dog walker isn't really an option for us, that's not very common in our area and I don't feel comfortable letting a stranger have access to my house while we're both at work. I guess this will just have to do until DH lets me become a stay at home puppy mom!!!!!
Doggie day care a couple of days a week sounds like a great solution. Or a dog walker.
I dont have a whole lot of experience with dogs, but I would not leave two dogs alone together, especially right away. I think that is asking for trouble. The way I see it is this: your dog is probably sleeping most of the time when you are gone, and if this continued with the new dog, is there really a need to have another dog there to sleep next to? If your dog and new dog played together all day, playing could turn into an accidental injury or potential rough play that might lead to fighting.
I am sure some multi-dog households leave their dogs alone together all day, but I think you wont know how they are together for a while, and by that point your dog will probably be well-adjusted to your new work schedule.
If you want a second dog just because you want a second dog, then I think it is great and you should get another dog. I just probably would not do it for the sole purpose of keeping your current dog company for the reasons I listed above.
It is twice as much work. Training two puppies is HARD. Twice the vet bills. Twice the food. Twice the boarding if you go away. Twice the toys & treats & chewed up dog beds.
Both of my dogs act like angels when they are by themselves. When you put the two of them together they turn into crazy demons.
They can not be left together without supervision. When we are are work they are both crates in the same room. That seems to work out alright. Either myself, my H or a dog walker let them out at lunch. When I get home for the day, I take them both for a walk. Do you know how difficult it is to teach good leash manners to two dogs at the same time? It's tough. It works out better when I can walk one dog at a time, but its just too cold for that now.
If I had known better, I would have waited until dog #1 was older & had perfect manners, was completely trained & was 100% reliable with them.
Just my two cents. But... Being the sucker I am, I fell in love with a puppy face & the rest is history.
Ditto the bolded part x100 and not just in terms of leash manners but all training is much tougher with 2 dogs. You have to teach each dog individually, and only when they are both totally solid on the command/skill can you try it with both of them together. It takes a lot of time. Additionally, your resident dog may regress a bit when dog #2 comes into the picture, which can make things really tough.
I think the best decision we made was waiting to adopt dog #2 until dog #1 was 100% rock solid on all training. Teddie was almost 3 when we adopted Skippy, and Teddie had just earned his CGC certification. It made the transition so smooth and allowed us to focus on training Skippy without having to also worry about Teddie.
Also, if a dog walker isn't an option, you should definitely not get a puppy. Housebreaking will be a nightmare if your puppy is forced to hold it longer than s/he is physically able.
Sorry this is long, but I did want to address the issue of leaving 2 dogs alone together. Some dogs can never be together unsupervised; others are fine. Almost 18 months after adopting Skippy, we just started allowing Teddie and Skippy to be together (uncrated) in the same room while we are at work. They are totally fine together and sleep most of the time. That said, there is absolutely no food allowed in the "dog" room, and they are only allowed to have Nylabones in their with them (no toys that could be destroyed or that are even slightly valuable to either of them).
GL with your decision!