Good time to get a second puppy?
Kenny is about 1 (7/7/2012) but I wanted to have him more trained and better behaving and kind of out of the puppy stage so he could "train" the younger one. Just seeing what people have had success with or what people have struggled with for a second OES! |
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| Keep in mind the 'puppy' stage can go on through and beyond the 18 month range. I know our Zoey finally settled down around 18-24 months. She was a littls over three when we lost bentley and chose to get Caitlyn so she wouldn't be alone. At that age, Zoey took to Caitlyn straight away. Good luck and keep us informed. Vance |
| I agree with Vance. Get #1 trained, 2 years old at least. Looking at the other end, do you want two OLD dogs in the future? I can argue both sides of that as that's where I'm at with my 3. Look how well Chewie and Bond are together.......and Mr. Chews is what 6? So you have plenty of time to think about another. I know, I know, you are loving puppyhood and want it to continue. |
| Hahaha...believe me i'm with you guys on waiting. I was just trying to get an idea....i want a bigger yard/house etc because we have 2 sheepie boys. I was thinking around the 3 year range but you know how getting sheepies go....gotta talk to breeders well in advance so wanted to be prepared. |
| We got Tay when Izzie was about 6 1/2. She has taken to him quite well...we were worried about her being any older when adding a pup. Frankly, I was a bit surprised at how well she adjusted to him. She plays with him, shares with him....etc. She had been mostly an only dog until Tay and can be quite "specific" about other dogs and what she will allow them to do. She lets Taylor get away with things I would never have imagined  She's never been mean, but what's hers has always been hers and her "rules" are law when it comes to my parents visiting sheepie. Taylor pushes her boundaries and she lets him. |
| When I was young, my parents had a wheaton terrier who was 6 when we got our 1st sheepie puppy. It worked out well because the 6 year old was still young enough to play but, old enough to teach the other one. The wheaton lived until 12 years old, so they had a good solid 6 years together as best friends....and they weren't seniors together which could get quite expensive with medications and potential illnesses. |
All of the time is a good time to get a puppy, of course!  Just kidding.Bailey's not a sheepie, she's an aussie, but she's a herding dog so kind of the same thing. Bailey was just over a year and a half when we got Eevee. Bailey was actually a big part of why we got Eevee, Bailey is super energetic and always wants someone to play with her and Jacob and I just couldn't keep up with her play demands! So we got Eevee to be Bailey's playmate, and also her companion. Bailey doesn't like being alone one bit, we couldn't leave her at home alone without coming home to a mess on the carpet and something all chewed up. So Eevee has actually helped her with that, we leave them both at home and it seems like they just sleep the whole time we are gone. Bailey is overall a lot calmer. We don't really have problems with them both being young. Since they're both young, we can take them both to obedience classes at the same time, instead of having finished Bailey's classes, then getting Eevee, then going to classes all over again with her. Having two young dogs is working out for us pretty well. Like some have said, I'm a little worried about having two old dogs eventually, but we'll get there when we get there. I wouldn't change anything though. |
| We got Winston when Dexter was 16 months old. We wanted to wait until he was about 2 but found an opportunity for a great puppy and, like Jade, needed some help with Dexter's puppyhood exuberance. Dexter is still very much a puppy so he hasn't done much toward teaching Winston but Winston seems to have settled Dex a lot and they keep each other very occupied. Dexter is starting to put Winston in his place once in a while but Winston rarely recognizes it; we think he will end up the dominant dog. |
| I've done both - as I have 3 6 year olds - Chewie, Maggie the coonhound (we got her at 1.5 yrs old), and Riley the Rat Terrier. Maggie and Riley are primarily Todd's dogs, and I was busy with Chewie. My main wait for another OES was that I had LOTS of goals and activities I wanted to finish or at least get to a solid point (like agility) with Chewie. Then I would be free to start with a new pup and REALLY be able to dedicate the time and energy that Bond will need....as I have lots of plans for him too! Working FT I only have so much spare time (and spare $$), so things are best staggered a bit. Something would have had to give if I got a puppy earlier, so I'm glad I waited. And I also had time to work with Riley and get his RN (rally novice) as well as have him be a therapy dog. I also got to cart/sled and do weight pull with Biscuit as well. They too would have missed out if I had gotten a puppy sooner. And lastly - I have good solid dogs who are the very BEST role models for Bond. |
| Mine didn't truly mature til well after 2. But it's an individual decision. I'm getting a 2nd one now and my first is 6 yo. I just figure it will cushion the blow of losing #1, and also keep #1 active although he still runs with me. |
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