Hey everyone, I have a 5 month old Husky girl! She is a typical high energy pup who loves her mom (aka me).... maybe a little too much. Although she does enjoy my husband, she gets anxious when I leave. She also has so much energy. We strive to exercise her not only daily but multiple times a day. Typically even that is not enough. hahah Would having another husky friend or other breed of dog help since they are pack animals? I feel like as much as we play, there is just something we cannot give her that another dog can with doggy play! What are yall's thoughts? We love her anyway and do understand that some of this is just her age!

Lauren Welcome to the forum! As much as I would like to say yes, it is highly recommended that people do not have 2 puppies at the same time. I and many others in the forum have multi dog homes, but the vast majority of us wait until the first dog is fully mature and trained, I waited until my girl was almost 3 to get our second dog. If you need some tips or ideas, I did post up some in the thread "Biting Help!" I know you are not complaining of excessive mouthing, but some if not all of my tips can be useful for our high energy pups. You can also look into advanced training, if you have already done puppy classes. Or look into puppy day care that may be a way for your pup to socialize and play with other puppies to help tire her out.

We have found a puppy day care that I am excited to try out! Yes two puppies would be WILD so waiting is probably best. She is mouthing A LOT so I will go take a look at your tips! Thank you!!

It's my personal opinion, that does come from having some experience in just about all possible scenarios of age differences in dogs in the household, that the advice/recommendations of not having two similarly aged pups at the same time, is a load of crap. I know what the "experts" say, it just hasn't rung true in any of my own experiences. There are just as many pros and cons to having two pups at the same time as there are in having an adult and then a pup at the same time. The one thing that does edge out the having only one dog versus having two dogs is that normally a household with 2 dogs, the dogs live a healthier, longer life. So the answer to your OP question is yes, in most cases (not all of course) is yes, two are often better than one.

To elaborate more on my opinion on whether to have two similarly aged pups at the same time versus waiting for one to become an adult and then getting another pup, I would say it has less to do with the ages of the dogs and much more to do with your lifestyle and how you raise them. I apologize if I get long winded here. My own background is in having a 4 year old husky when my family got a 10 week old Malamute. Then, I had 2 littermate huskies, a brother and sister, 9 weeks old when I still had the Malamute who was now 14. Unfortunately, one of those huskies lived a very short life, passing away at 4.5 years old (epileptic seizure took his life) which left me with his littermate who I ended up getting yet another husky pup, 8 weeks old. And now my current two, Kohdi and Mishka who are exactly 1 year and 10 days apart in age. So you can kinda see, I've had what the "experts" would say is the perfect pairings (adult and then a pup) and the "no no no" pairings (littermates who are obviously the same age...and two very young puppies at the same time). "Experts" advise, never get two littermates together...or two similarly aged young puppies at the same time. They say the pups end up bonding with each other instead of with their owners. So not the case. Yes, it can be the case, IF one throws the pups together and pretty much leaves it up to them to keep each other exercised, mentally and physically, with little interaction for the most part, from their owner/s. But if you raise these same two pups with a balanced interaction with yourself and the pups on their own, giving each their own time together, and their together time with you, as well as one on one time with you, you get two very well adjusted, adult dogs in the future. Think about it, you can apply that same logic to humans can't you?  Which brings us to the "raising two young pups at the same time is much more work!" . Sure it is, but you are getting it done at one time. Versus doing it twice. What the "experts" don't mention, probably because they don't have the practical experience, and are going by book knowledge and theories, is that having an adult dog already when you get a young pup, is that the adult often reverts back to "puppy" at times. I've even seen it here on iaht. The adult dog suddenly starts peeing and/or pooping in the house, or starts tearing things up, or starts resource guarding. My current two are on,y a year apart, and Kohdi is the oldest. In the year I had him by himself, never an issue with resource guarding. Mishka came along and suddenly I can't take a bone away from him. Was never an issue before that. I'd say I had to train that out of him, but it's not really training it out, it's more regaining, or building a trust that is now on another level. And that did take some time. Basically for every con to having two young pups at the same time, there are the same amount of pros. You just have to determine which suits you/your lifestyle, the best. One thing that stands out to me as being an advantage to having two similarly aged pups at the same time is...they are growing up together at the same rate. Obviously from my own background, I've experienced the differences here as well. For a good part of their lives, two similarly aged pups and having an adult who is 2, 3, 4 years old or so, is very similar. Everything is great! Til that one day the adult is now much older, and slows down, doesn't want to, or can't play as much...can't go on as long a walk, etc etc. but younger pup is still a ball of health and energy! Just another example of the pros and cons. I can go on and on, and I've gone on and on enough already, lol, but when someone asks me would I prefer 2 similarly aged pups and everything that goes along with it, or one adult and one pup, and everything that goes along with that, my choice, based on the pros and cons that I can relate to myself and my lifestyle, is....either one works for me I will adjust myself to either situation to having happy, healthy, well adjusted dogs. But I will never have "experts" telling me one is better than the other. It is not the ages of the dogs, it's how we raise them.

I think there needs to be some reiterating of the resounding BUT in all that and that is lifestyle. "Experts" give advice for the average person. "Experts" are often giving advice without knowing every little routine of a person's life. The average person has a busy life. They go out with friends after work and can't come home at lunch to walk their dog or have someone to dog sit for them all day. They go to sports games on the weekend or they are working at the same time they are trying to go to school. That life makes having the time to properly bring up two similar aged dogs together very difficult. Suggesting people who may have an average lifestyle wait on getting a second dog is not "crap". Another thing to be aware of is the cost of two dogs. Can you afford to spay/neuter 2 at the same time? Time for puppies aside, can you afford to have multiple old dogs with health issues at the same time? Could you stand to have to say goodbye to two dogs you've had for 14 years in a short period of time potentially? There is a lifetime to think about when having a pet. There's multiple lifetimes to think about when you get multiple pets. If you have the time and the dime two can be done simultaneously, but for the average person it's not advisable. Only the OP can decide what she can handle and what she wants to handle.

TwisterII wrote:

I think there needs to be some reiterating of the resounding BUT in all that and that is lifestyle. "Experts" give advice for the average person. "Experts" are often giving advice without knowing every little routine of a person's life. The average person has a busy life. They go out with friends after work and can't come home at lunch to walk their dog or have someone to dog sit for them all day. They go to sports games on the weekend or they are working at the same time they are trying to go to school. That life makes having the time to properly bring up two similar aged dogs together very difficult. Suggesting people who may have an average lifestyle wait on getting a second dog is not "crap". Another thing to be aware of is the cost of two dogs. Can you afford to spay/neuter 2 at the same time? Time for puppies aside, can you afford to have multiple old dogs with health issues at the same time? Could you stand to have to say goodbye to two dogs you've had for 14 years in a short period of time potentially? There is a lifetime to think about when having a pet. There's multiple lifetimes to think about when you get multiple pets. If you have the time and the dime two can be done simultaneously, but for the average person it's not advisable. Only the OP can decide what she can handle and what she wants to handle.

I did not suggest that a person with the average lifestyle waiting to get a second dog as being crap. I don't know where you got that from. I said having two similarly aged pups being a big no no is crap.

The average person adjusts their lifestyle when they have a pet. One pet, two pets, it doesn't matter, your lifestyle gets adjusted. Having one adult and one pup, or two similarly aged pups doesn't really change that. When the average person goes out for drinks after work, or goes to weekend ball games, is there not still a pet waiting at home for them? Of course there is.

Yes, you are correct, it's up to the OP to decide whether or not a second pet fits their lifestyle. But I think I said that. Vet bills, food, pet related costs, they are all no brainers in a decision to get a second pet or not. I only gave my own perspective on whether having an adult and a pup, or two similarly aged pups, are going to be THAT different,

When we give advice here on the forum, it's merely that...advice. We should offer as much as we can, from our own personal experiences, and let the OP, or anyone else reading the thread, take from it and apply to their own situation. We are not telling them what to do, we are just giving our own experiences and our own perspectives.If, for example, one has never had two pups at the same time, they shouldn't be giving the advice not to do it based on what they read or hear elsewhere, the OP can google that type of information. I think most come to forums such as this one, to get advice from people with experiences in the particular situation they are in, take from it what they need/applies to them, and moves forward accordingly. This is not to say advice can't be given that is learned thru a search or from others who have some experience in whatever the question may be, on the contrary, that advice is valuable as well, in letting the OP take from it what they need, but I don't feel anything in what I posted, needed to be argued in any way. I offered my own experiences. Our own experiences don't always match the experts theories.

whoa, whoa!!! Ladies and gentlemen .... I didn't feel that either of you were way off base with your initial responses - in my opinion the only proper response to the question "Is 2 better than 1" would have to be a resounding "Maybe!" with major qualifications.

In my mind any other response does a disservice to the person asking the question.

Can two be more challenging than one?  It all depends ... upon the OP's lifestyle, the personality of the dog(s) involved, the living conditions ... I could go on but you know where I'm going.

Two, for me has always been an easy chore - but then, I don't do puppies - it was when I added the third that I was having serious thoughts about finding a bottle!!

If one understands the challenges presented by a two dog family then it's often as easy (or easier since they can occupy each other) to have two as it is to have one.  If the OP doesn't understand the challenges presented by one dog then they definitely shouldn't try for two whether it's at the same time / age or not.

Artic_Wind wrote:

It's my personal opinion, that does come from having some experience in just about all possible scenarios of age differences in dogs in the household, that the advice/recommendations of not having two similarly aged pups at the same time, is a load of crap.

This reads to me that you feel telling someone to not have two puppies simultaneously is bad advice. Since this is the advice normally given on the assumption of a normal lifestyle that is how I navigated to my response.

Jenn, I think the qualm here is that you're making what appears to be an absolute statement - raising two puppies at the same time is a bad thing.  Shades of 1984 this is by definition a "good thing" or a "bad thing"  Orwell posits a society where absolutes reign and I think most of us realize that there are very few things in life that are absolute.  (( I know, death and taxes ... ))

The assumption that they're living a normal lifestyle infers a plethora of things.  How many of us have the "Beaver" household?  How many of us work full or part time from home?  How many of us are single parent homes?  How many of us are multi generational homes?  Would someone want to try to tell me what the "normal lifestyle" looks like today?  (( Yes, I left out a slew of "possibles" but I'm not out to offend anyone. ))

Even though the OP said quite a bit about her environment, *I* wouldn't give a "yes" or "No" answer without asking for quite a bit more information.

And yes, in part I reiterated what you had already said ...

Actually Al, any "qualm" that I personally may have had, started with the very first post to the OP's question. Statements such as "the vast majority of us waited til the first dog was fully mature and trained.......to get our second dog" just seemed irresponsible and not factual, TO ME. I've been a member here for a few years now, and for the most part, atleast at the beginning, I felt out of place having my two come from breeders. It just seemed that most members here, " the vast majority of us" if you will, have rescued dogs. I can rattle off a list of members here who have rescued huskies right off the top of my head, huskies that come from breeders, who raised their dog from puppyhood,  I'd have much more trouble rattling off a list. So yes, that statement bothered me. It was the statement about it "being highly recommended that people not have two PUPPIES at the same time" that really prompted me to post my perspective to be taken into consideration. I stand by my post/s, and hope that having a different perspective will be helpful to the OP either in favor of, or against, getting another puppy. It's how forums work, and why people come to them. A lot can be learned from things like Google, and I think most people normally use it, consider the sources the information is coming from, and use that information to make a better informed decision. I also think they come to forums, not so much to read what can be read anywhere on the net, but to get additional perspective from people who have had actual experiences in the information they are seeking, to make an even better more informed decision. I wonder how many members here, would have a dog, let alone multiple dogs! if they only went by what "experts" recommend would be best for their situation.

Hmmmm, Jimmy my statement was pretty open, and indeed the vast majority of us including you and those who rescue that have 2 or more dogs acquire their dogs at least 1 year of age different to the next. Out of all dogs you have had only one pair was indeed both puppies, that would be a pretty big exception, I can only think of one other member who has 2 puppies at the same time. Your current pair, there is a 1 year difference, fits what I said. Kohdi was potty trained and knew a few commands prior to bringing Mishka home, or at least at one year old I hope he was. So yes you waited. Jenn acquired Kenzi first, waited at least a year before Keno, and at least another year for Kye. Al, has a minimal of a year between his rescues. Close to a year difference with Jane's. Shall I continue? Stop being a bully, that is what you are. Your ramblings went back and forth over what was best or not, and didn't make a whole lot of sense running with just one paragraph. You are not the Husky Guru, nor an expert, at all, when it comes to dogs. You know next to nothing about training (self admitted), little knowledge on dog behavior (again self admitted) nothing about common medical conditions, and little knowledge about food. What you do know is how to have two pretty fluff butts. And you were once a kind and considerate human being. A person who was honest, by only giving moral support to people, and never gave advice the majority of the "few" years you have been on this forum. Now all of a sudden you know everything, hmmmm.

Just as much as you stand by your posts I do mine. I never berated you over your opinion, yet you have berated my opinion as well as Jenn's. The only 1984 that I see is coming from Jimmy. No one likes bullies, and I am tired of you bullying me. If you have nothing to say that is nice, don't say it. Ignore others opinions, that are based on their experiences. Stop being a communist, because that is exactly how I feel. You don't have the right to put down my experiences nor my opinions. You sir had a year difference on your dogs, I went to a breeder as well, and waited until the right dog came. I can in fact come up with just as many people who rescued as those of us who went to a breeder, and yes the vast majority of us have a year apart or more between our dogs. SMH get off your high horse and be a human being with some politeness.

My qualm was with a statement that said advice was crap, which to me was the absolute and unnecessary. Per rule one, disagree or have a different opinion nicely. As this is obviously going to get off topic and violate rule one I will close the thread when I get to a computer. If you want to fire fight do it in private.