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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on July 17, 2013 at 10:54am

Hi Bella, please read the FAQ for an in-depth answer to your question.

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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on July 17, 2013 at 11:19am

No, wait at least 1-2 years and ready what Same suggested:) She'll be fine!

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Permalink Reply by Beth on July 17, 2013 at 12:03pm

Chiba will be just fine. Wait til she's one or two and her training is progressing, and then think about whether you want another or not.

Two of the same age will bond strongly with each other instead of you. It makes it hard to socialize and train them. :-)

She will be very happy just having you for now and then you can see how she matures.

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Permalink Reply by Priss, Charlie & Kaylee (PK) on July 17, 2013 at 1:40pm

I second all the previous answers. You may feel guilty, but if you have gotten her used to being alone (you should start now BTW), she will be fine. I'd wait until you have a well-trained young adult Chiba before you get a new puppy. That way Chiba can help you teach the new pup all about your house rules and what not. 

I set up a skype video call for the first few days to watch Kaylee when she was home alone, and to tell you the truth, it was very boring. All she did was nap. So, I'm sure Chiba will probably do the same and be fine at home. But you may need to plan to do something extra fun when you get home from work if you're gone all day.

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Permalink Reply by sarah & tapiola on July 17, 2013 at 4:16pm

Hire a dog-walker if you're worried about her getting bored while she's home alone. Makes much more sense than getting puppy #2 to "entertain" puppy #1. You would really just have two bored puppies instead of one. ;)

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Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on July 17, 2013 at 6:47pm

Agree wholeheartedly with the others.  When I had a litter, I occasionally had someone who wanted to purchase two puppies.  I never sold two puppies and explained why it was necessary to wait.  I advise getting a second puppy only after the first puppy is 18 months old and so well behaved that you can't wait to have another one.

Having worked in Rescue for many years, I can tell you that most dogs lose thair home between 6 and 18 months.

Enjoy your pup, train it and love it and learn how to make it become an integral part of your life and THEN, from that vantage point, see if another pup is what you want.

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Permalink Reply by Jane on July 17, 2013 at 8:18pm

Wait a year or two. Socializing a puppy alone (which they really need!) is really hard when you have to leave the other dog at home, especially if it's another puppy. And dogs often regress in behavior when a new puppy is added as well, so you want your first dog to be an adult and well house trained before adding another.

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Permalink Reply by Bella & Chiba on July 18, 2013 at 4:26pm

Thank you everyone who responded!  Great advice!  I have decided to wait at least a year before I adopt another corgi.  Also, by then I will live in a much bigger place, so that will be better for everyone involved!  I've always wanted to have two dogs and that will definitely happen one day!  Meanwhile, Chiba is quite a handful and will keep me quite busy!

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Permalink Reply by Yuki & Ellie on July 18, 2013 at 7:34pm

It definitely is not cruel to have only one dog!  Yuki was our only dog for nearly 3 years and he was just as happy as can be.  :)  My decision to get Ellie was because I was ready for a second dog in my life.  Yuki wouldn't have cared either way, as he was happy as an only dog and is still just as happy now that he has his little corgi sister.  I would definitely recommend waiting a couple of years before you decide if you're ready for the work of handling two dogs!

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