Getting a Second Dog - Convincing
Ace is going to be a year old in May, how time flies! He has always been a little gentleman, but these days I am just beaming with pride for him. I have been working on his socialization every single day - we walk for 25 minutes to the city centre, we sit at the fountain in the square for 20 minutes, and let people come up to him. It's tough for him, but I never push him more than he's willing to go. Today he made a huge breakthrough - he sniffed someone's extended hand! Previously, he'd shy away and not even dream about approaching them. I am so very happy.
So with that in mind, that I am a dedicated dog owner and love training and working with dogs, I have given a lot of serious thought to getting a second one. Firstly to be Ace's companion - Ace LOVES the ladies. And not in that way! All his playdate "girlfriends" have been females, and of all sizes as well - from a tiny French Bulldog puppy, to a beautiful 6 year old white German Shepherd. I am considering the idea of getting a spayed, retired/"didn't show well" adult Cardigan female.
Ace would be thrilled. He longs for a playmate at home - all three of my Bengal cats just tolerate his presence, nothing more. I can keep him entertained, sure, and I love playing with him. But seeing him play with his girlfriends just makes me realize that he has a whole 'nother tier of energy that he can't exploit when he's with me. Dogs playing with each other are just magical to watch.
Anyway, so my husband is pretty much the opposite of me in this regard. He believes that two dogs is twice more work, and twice the headache. While I agree that financially, it does double, I do not believe that it will equate to time spent doubling as well. I am keen to walk them together to the fenced-in park for games of Fetch and Keep Away, as well as into the city centre for socializing. I am the one doing the entirety of the clicker training, and I think a lot can be learned when training one dog while the other sits quietly and observes.
What has bringing a second Corgi into your home done for you? Has it really required twice more of the time invested? Do the dogs burn excess energy through play time with each other, or does that cease when the novelty of meeting each other wears off?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Jane on
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I like having two. I don't really think it's twice the work but it can be costly. Flea and tick treatments, heartworm preventative and tests, wormings, food, chews, etc are all doubled and it does add up very quickly.
I think I'm a much better trainer when I only have the one dog to worry about too. This is really my own fault for not training a better sit/stay, but I hate trying to work with one dog while the other is out. Usually I have to either put one outside or have my fiance take him for a walk or something. They are a huge distraction to one another during training, and the competition for the treats makes it worse (mine are both VERY food motivated). We tried to put them both in the same obedience class once, needless to say I won't be doing that again! lol
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Permalink Reply by steve smith on
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OOOHHHH thanks for the reminder it is time for heartworm today
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Permalink Reply by Chris West on
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Have you read Sam's FAQ piece about getting a 2nd corgi? ( Click Here ) I am personally in favor of getting a 2nd myself. But please make sure that don't just keep the first one that come along. Ace is counting on you to be sure he is ok with the new dog. I never felt like 2 dogs was any more work than one. Remember that it costs twice as much to have two though lol!!
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Permalink Reply by Ludi on
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Thank you all so much for your replies! General consensus seems to be that two isn't exactly twice the "work"; my husband will be pleased to know that. Or rather, I'll be pleased to tell him that - we'll see what he actually thinks, later. :D
As for getting along, I'm largely not worried as Ace tends to fall in love with any dog he meets regardless of gender, but I will shoot for a female in particular as he really, really adores having girlfriends. I've never seen him as happy as when he has a female dog around to play with - he won't even get that happy for me! I intend to adopt a mature adult female, and will of course voice concerns of "Will they get along?" before I commit to anything. Provided that I can "return" the dog in case she and Ace REALLY do not like each other, then I am fine with that. My priority is the happiness and well-being of my animals - not me having two just for the sake of having them.
I'd say we're pretty well prepared for doubled costs; we're not rich but we always put our animals' needs first, no questions asked. I'll be waiting until Ace hits the year-old mark to start looking around for available adults. In the mean time, he's busy getting socialized to humans. Just today I put up fliers in my apartment complex asking for volunteers to spend 5 minutes getting to know him. I hope I get some responses. :)
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Permalink Reply by Emily & Scout on
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OK.. Just watched the video on your blog. Ace is adorable doing his tricks! Scout does "spin" and it has to be my favorite of them all. I never have used clicker training but probably will try it out with a new puppy. Especially since I kind of want to start getting into agility and think it would work better using a clicker. (hopefully I will get a cardi, too!)
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Thank you! And yeah, clicker training is really wonderful. I abhor the "old-school" yank and yell method employed by our neighborhood "obedience" classes - sadly, these are the same people that also do a bit of agility. I can't find a way to get Ace into obedience or agi without having to encounter these people, and I'm not really thrilled at that prospect. If you can find a place to do agility in a safe, caring environment, then I am very jealous of you! :)
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Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on
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Hi Ludi, because of your previous posts and the fact that you got Ace recently ( September 2011) I would recommend waiting before you add another dog. Your Blog post today shows you have made a small inroad into his shyness, and this is indeed a great and promising step forward, but I would just continue to let him be the only dog for awhile longer, until you've had him at least a year. This time will allow you to focus on him exclusively and will allow him to concentrate on getting his attention from people and learning to like it. There is no rush. You need to consolidate your gains.
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It'll probably be after summer anyway that my husband and I will be able to start committing to one dog or another. :) I like to plan ahead!
Ace is undoubtedly getting the work he needs on his people shyness - every day is a new set of challenges for him to overcome. I wouldn't dream of adding another dog into the mix before I'm sure that he is a well-rounded dog himself, ready for anything.
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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Markley on
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I've always had more than one dog, and can't imaging it being any other way. In a way it's nice just having one, because it's just the two of you, but then I agree that it is more magical with two. My two females are best friends, and play incessantly. It is double the cost--food, vet's...but well worth the love. Training, however, goes much better with just one. Otherwise they want to play, or see what the other dog is doing. I've never been successful training while one just watches. I have to separate them. Having two did help in agility when we first started though. Since Seanna is Sage's security blanket, we had Seanna do the things Sage was too scared to do at first. Sage watched, and then we had Seanna do it while Sage followed. I'd get two...corgi's ARE like potato chips 'ya know!
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Yeah, I see how difficult it could be to have training set up so that one sits and watches while the other gets the instruction - but then again, I am always up for a challenge and I believe Ace would be, as well.
I'll wait until the end of the summer to see where Ace is in his overall training to make my final decision regarding this. I just love the idea of having two!
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Two dogs will be great, you just need to give it a little more time. By the way, it will be easier on the cats too....
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Hahaha, so I thought. The cats aren't fans of Ace's Greco-Roman wrestling type of play - in fact, I'd say they actively avoid it based on how often they spend in height compared to before. Ace has had his fair share of little knicks above the nose for sticking his head into the cat tree while my oldest was sleeping. She does not treat trespassers lightly. ;)
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