Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jennifer Markley on June 22, 2012 at 10:05am

I think it's a great idea!  

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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on June 22, 2012 at 10:44am

I would suggest at least a year-18 months apart. You want the dog bonding with you not each other.

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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on June 22, 2012 at 11:27am

Hi Allie, it is harder than you think, a different sport if you will. Corgis are perfectly happy on their own, most corgis put up with their owner's idea of adding a second one. Out of 30+- fosters I had, I would say only one of them was a perfect match for my Vienna. Read the FAQ on the topic of "adding another corgi", you'll need to do an honest assesement on your own dog handling capability, financial ability / stability, family plans and social commitments.

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Permalink Reply by Jane on June 22, 2012 at 12:01pm

I would wait until she is at least a year old. Sometimes adding a new pup can cause a lot of regression with learned behaviors, so you want the original dog to be very secure and well trained before adding another. And as the other Jane said two puppies close in age tend to bond more with each other than you, which you don't want to happen. I'd also wait because her personality may change some as she matures, and you want to make sure the two dogs will be compatible with one another.

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Permalink Reply by Melissa and Franklin! on June 22, 2012 at 12:31pm

Many times when you get a new dog and your current dog is still so young she will revert back to bad puppy behaviors. You will have to start over with potty training and obedience and be prepared to have to do it with TWO dogs now. They will have a lot of fun playing but it will take a whole lot of patience. Until your first dog is over a year old you really aren't going to have training down and instead of puppy "learning from her" it will probably be the opposite of her seeing what puppy is doing and getting away with. Also as Jane said her personality is going to grow and develop as she matures. Many owners get a second dog when the first is still young and end up having to re-home one or the other because as they mature they begin to fight. If you do get a second I'd get a boy (as you are planning) because in my experience 2 girls tend to cause the most problems. Females can grow to be very independant and has she matures she may be better as an only dog with frequent playdates with buddies.

Another thing to consider, which yes it may be a morbid thought, they will get old at the same time and you will likely end up losing them at the same time. This is something I see a lot at the vet I work at and it is DEVESTATING for the owners and so hard to see. You have to go through the loss of not one dog, but two and a lot of times we see it happen within a month or two of each other. I always like my dogs to be a few years apart to help avoid this situation in the future and also for the training reasons.

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Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on June 22, 2012 at 1:57pm

 My advice is to add a second one when the first one is at least 12 to 18 months and ONLY if you are delighted with the one you have.   There are people who have success with raising two puppies at the same time, but they are few and far between. Personally, I like spreading my animals out a bit more age-wise, this has many advantages in the long run.  Concentrate on obedience classes where she can be around other dogs and still have to keep good manners.  Your pup needs exposure to many different situations, people  and environments, it's all easier to do if you have one pup, than with two.

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Permalink Reply by Beth on June 22, 2012 at 8:35pm

Proper socializing takes many hours of work with the dog outside the home, and two puppies must be socialized separately lest they use each other as a crutch;  frequently the more confident one gets all the socialization and the other one (unbeknownst to its owner) is not really getting socialized but learning "I will stay behind that one and do whatever she does!" and then you find when the dog is on its own, it's terrified.  

Many show dog handlers, who keep multiple pups, send them out to foster homes for one-on-one handling and socializing.  It's very hard for most people to properly socialize one puppy, let alone two! 

I seriously would wait.  

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