Sorry if this is a repeat threat, I searched and didnt see anything similar??

We have our 8 month old husky Dakota, and couldn't be more in love with her, she is very good for her age, very social, been through 2 sessions of training and is very good on a leash, her only issue is when she gets really excited she will jump (we are working on that).

We really want to have another dog to add to our pack, looking for a male. I recently went to a fundraiser for a husky rescue in the area, and was soo close to coming home with a 2 yr old male husky, he was adorable and him and Dakota seemed to get along in their short encounter. I am hesitant only b/c Im not sure the right time to add to our family, partly b/c Dakota is still young and I know she still has a lot of maturing to do and don't know if 2 pups and the same time will be too much? (dakota being young and rescue with own issues im sure) and partly b/c I don't know if we have enough room right now. We will be moving late this year or early next year to a bigger place for sure, so should we wait??

Just wondering if anyone had any experiences good or bad on what age is a good time to add to the family???

Thanks

Hi Jenn,
My Selena is 9 months and Keeara is 5 months. We brought Keeara home just 2 months ago. Some people tried to talk me out of it one because Selena is still a busy puppy herself, granted she is very well behaved but puppies learn from each other and they all have areas to be worked on. And two because of course it was going to be a lot more work, but I was up for the challenge and honestly, I don't think things are all that harder..they are constantly tiring each other out! I didn't see any reason to wait, other than after Selena got spayed. I was going to go the route of an adult rescue but I really wanted to have 2 puppies grown up together so we didn't have any food, toy aggression issues etc. Plus I have a cat! As far as having enough room, I don't really notice the difference with 2 other than another dog bed and my king size bed has somehow turned into a twin with them in it lol! I guess if you use a crate that would take up more space. Actually, I know there's quite a few people on here that live in apartments with several huskies and manage just fine. If I was moving I might of second guessed it and maybe waited until after the move..but I feel like you still have plenty of time before the move to get a new dog adjusted properly.

Anyways, it's definitely awesome having 2 huskies, I highly recommend it!

I had dom and lexi both as puppies. They were about 7 months apart. I think the bare minimum is 6 months apart to reduce the chances of littermate syndrome. It was hard to have two puppies at once. I think my lab was similar as what I have read on huskies that their puppyhood lasts until about 2-3 years old. Also, you must realize you will end up with 2 seniors at same time.

The good part is what Laura said in that they both wear each other out tremendously. I had little aggression after the first month I had Lexi (she had food aggression when I got her at 12 weeks old). One incident over a huge bone resulted in Lexi's ear hurt. After that I just paid more attention when high value treats were given to the dogs. I think this was more the result of dom being young and not knowing his strength.

I would say the most important thing is do you have time for seperate walks or is Dakota very good on a lead? That was honestly the most fearful thing for me as dom was huge as a puppy (100+ lb dog) and lexi is about 75lb dog. At that time, I was about 120 lbs, so my 2 dogs quickly weighed more then me and both were high prey drive dogs. The fear of bunnies and squirrels. Oh my. Yet, Dom learned to walk very good pretty quickly as well as leave it. Allowing me to focus on training Lexi on walks, but I did for a few weeks take them seperately.

All in all, it can be done, but be prepared as two puppies flips your house upside down a lot. I also probably would not get a puppy if I planned on moving in the next 3 months.

I would probably have to agree with Jessica. It is doable but definitely a lot more work. I've thought about getting a second puppy but I've yet to go for it because I would like Lycus to be on a higher level of training than what he's at now. He's a large husky and I still have trouble loose leash walking so I think about trying to walk a puppy with him and it just sounds like a disaster.

I think the most important thing would be having your other pup at a good trained level thats comfortable before you add another one.

Most people will tell you when your dog is 2-5 years old is a great time to add another one. We are getting a new pup and Pongo is 4 years old. I think any older the puppy might bother them a bit as Pongo can act like a grumpy old man lol. I wouldn't do 2 young pups though.

When Juneau was ten months, I fostered another ten month old husky puppy. They both had the same energy level and it was fine.

However, I would wait until you are 100% satisfied with Dakota's training. Once he is trained, he can teach the new pup the 'ways' of the household. Be careful though, the new pup may teach Dakota new things as well!!

If you're satisfied with Dakota's training, I say go for it.

Thanks guys, this has been really helpful, Dakota's training is really good, she's had training since she was approx 12-14 wks old, she just passed intermediate level, and I have no problems on the leash. When she was a pup she was def food aggressive to anyone going near her bowl, or near her with a bone, but we have corrected that, although we have never tried to feed her around other dogs, so that will have to be monitored closely.
I def think Ill talk with my fiance and make a decision soon. I really think having a friend at home for Dakota would be good, shes such a social girl and loves to play lol !!
Keep you all posted on our decision !

I waited until Embry was 1 until I got Zoey, and she was 4 months when we brought her home from the breeder. I think it was a perfect age for both of them. She was big enough to be playing with him, and he was young enough to love it. We got Ares when Embry was 3 and Zoey was 2 and they were both kinda outgrowing the puppy stage at that point even though Ares was 5 months when we brought him home, it still worked out and they all get along and never had issues.