For dog owners around the world, the idea of living without a furry friend will sound impossible. Over the years, both you and your pooch will come to rely on one another, providing each other with emotional support and companionship, while also entertaining yourselves together. The only thing which could make this relationship better would be another dog being thrown into the mix.
Choosing to take on a second dog can be a difficult decision. A lot of people find themselves struggling to know how to approach something like this, and it can be a challenge to make sure that you’re making the right decisions at every stage. To help you out, this article will be exploring the challenges and benefits which come when you adopt another dog, making it much easier for you to decide whether or not you’re ready.
The challenges of a second dog
A lot of challenges can come with taking on a second dog. It’s worth considering these before you even think about the benefits, as they can often be make or break when it comes to the decision you make at the end.
Furry Friends
You can never guarantee that your new dog will be friends with the one you already have. If your dog seems to like every animal it sees, this shouldn’t be too much of an issue. Old pooches which have spent their lives around humans and have not been properly socialized with other dogs might struggle, though, and this could make life very unpleasant for both of the dogs.
Added Work
Raising a puppy isn’t an easy job, though through proper training and clear expectations for your dog it can get easier as the dog grows up. By taking on another dog, you will be effectively doubling the work you have to do, with activities like walks and play becoming far more intense when you have two dogs to contend with. Alongside this, dogs can become more playful and disobedient when they have a friend to spur them on. This is why training is so important.
Space
With modern homes getting smaller and smaller, space is a very real concern for homeowners across the world. Taking on a second dog will mean sacrificing a lot more of your limited space to them, with beds, food bowls, and everything else which comes with your dog taking up a lot of room. Of course, this won’t be a problem for some, but it is still worth keeping in mind.
The benefits of a second dog
For a lot of people, the benefits of a second dog will outweigh the negative side of this decision. There are loads of reasons to choose another pooch, and your current dog could benefit from this more than anyone else.
Furry Friends
As any dog owner knows, our Labrador Retrievers are incredibly social, and they love to spend time around other hounds. Getting another dog can provide companionship, entertainment, and support for your current dog, giving them a friend who will understand them better than anyone else.
More Efficient Work
As mentioned above, having another dog at home will mean that you have to do more work to keep your pooches healthy and happy. While this will mean spending more time with your dogs, it will also mean that the work you do is more efficient. You will do less overall but will accomplish more, especially if you pick two dogs that have very similar needs and requirements.
More dog!
There are plenty of reasons to look at the idea of getting another dog, but few are better than the fact that adopting another dog means that you’ll have more dogs in your life. These animals are special, and the relationships you can build with them are like nothing else. Having more of them around you can only be a good thing, even if it means you have to do more work in the process.
Choosing your new dog
Choosing your second dog will be a more complicated process than choosing the first. Not only do you have to think about what you want out of your dog, but you also have to keep your current dog in mind, making sure that your choice isn’t going to have a negative impact on them. If your first dog has been properly socialized then bringing in a new puppy should be relatively easy as the puppy is normally submissive to an older dog.
A Dog They Will Like
After a couple of years of keeping your first dog, they will have interacted with plenty of other pooches on their adventures around town. If they find it hard to be social with other dogs, it’s worth trying to figure out which breeds upset them the most, avoiding them as much as you can when you pick your new pooch. A Lab is always a safe bet because of their amazing temperaments.
Always A Puppy
A dog’s personality and demeanor will always be influenced by their upbringing. This means that you will have a much greater chance of successfully pairing dogs if at least one of them is a puppy. Not only will this ensure that they aren’t big enough to be aggressive, but it will also make it easier for your current dog to avoid feeling threatened by the little one.
The Right Breeder
Different breeders will always take a different approach with the way that they rear their puppies. It’s always worth doing your research to make sure that you pick a breeder with the right credentials, as this will ensure that your dog has the best possible upbringing before you welcome them home. Here at Lucky Labs, we pride ourselves on providing the best possible start in life for all of our pups.
Our family is always happy to answer questions and offer advice about dogs, and the Labrador Retrievers we breed are second to none. You can find pictures of the dogs we have on offer on our website along with web pages talking about how we select our dogs to breed, the qualities we breed for and our amazing puppy socialization program. We’re sure that you’ll be happy with any of the furry friends we have waiting for you.
