Should I get a second dog?

Are you a single-dog household but you’re thinking you might want to get a second dog?

We are!

Here are five questions you should consider before adopting a second dog. I’ll include our answers under each tip, in case it’s helpful to see a real-life example.

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So, let’s dig in:

If you’re thinking about getting a second dog, whether you’re just in the early dreaming phase or if you’re actively searching for another pup, here are 5 things to consider:

1. How do you know if you should get a second dog?

This is the million-dollar question. How do you know if getting a second dog is the right call or not? Well, the truth is, you don’t.

However, you can make an informed assessment. Ask yourself the following:

• Does my dog enjoy playing with and being around other dogs?
• Can our family’s budget make room for a second set of veterinary appointments, vaccinations, dog food, supplies, and so on? (Check out this post for budgeting tips.)
• Is everyone in my family on board?
• Do I have the time to walk, train, groom, etc. a second dog?
• Is there enough time and space in your home for two crates or for each dog to have his or her own separate rest time? And 1:1 time with you? And supervised play time?

For us, our assessment was pretty simple: Penny loves other dogs. She wants to skitter with every dog she sees and tries desperately to befriend every dog who stops to sniff.

Our whole family is on board because she constantly solicits play from the cats and from the human girls, who are all kinda tired of that behavior, so having a second dog will diffuse some of her playful energy.

And our schedules are extremely conducive to a second dog: Either John or I or we both work from home every day, so there’s an adult here at nearly all times.

2. When should you adopt a second dog?

Timing matters.

If your dog is elderly or suffering from a health condition, it’s probably not the right time to adopt another dog.

If your puppy isn’t fully house trained and your work schedules have changed and the household still needs to adjust or you just had a baby, it’s probably not the right time to add another dog.

Only you will know when the timing is right, but the answers lie within those questions posed under the first point. Everyone, other pets included, need to be on board with adding a second dog.

For us, Penny only recently overcame some of her bigger fears and apprehensions around the house. While her nervousness ruled, it wasn’t the right time to adopt a second dog even though Penny loves playing with other pups. We needed her to be fully settled and secure, plus pretty well-trained on basic cues, before we could even consider another dog. Now, Penny is those things and more!

3. Are dogs happier with a second dog?

This is SUCH an important question and also a tough one to answer directly. Why? Because all dogs are individuals.

Our beloved Cooper, who we lost in 2023, was happiest being an only dog. He didn’t love other dogs in general, and he had no interest in playing with other dogs. He just wanted his people. If we adopted a second dog during the latter half of his life, he might’ve settled into it or accepted the situation, but I’m convinced he would not have been happier than if he were a singleton.

Penny is the opposite. She can’t seem to get enough of meeting new dogs.

Think about your dog and your dog’s specific personality. Does he or she enjoy meeting new dogs on walks? Does your pup seek out opportunities to play with other dogs? That doesn’t necessarily mean your dog can’t or won’t be happier with a second dog, but it’s worth considering.

A lot rests on the personality of the second dog, too. Years ago, when we added a third dog to our original herd, I wrote about some of my multiple-dog-household failings. You can read that here.

4. What are the cons of getting a second dog?

You’ll double your pet care costs, of course.

And you’ll increase the amount of time you need each day for routine pet care, like feeding, walking, nail trimming, and–most especially–training.

Your dogs might need a lot of oversight and management before they bond–and they might not ever bond.

If the second dog is a puppy, well, you get the nightmare of dealing with a puppy.

In our house, the biggest “con” is our cats. Newt and Ripley deserve a say in how things are run around here. Newt does an amazing job setting boundaries with dogs, but she’s spent her entire life with a whole range of dogs with differing personalities. Ripley had only ever been with Cooper, who was a very cat-friendly dog. It took her a good 10 months to accept Penny as part of our little herd, so a huge con for us is the upheaval for Ripley. (Although she’ll likely appreciate another dog playing with Penny instead of Penny trying to play with her all the time!)

5. Am I ready for a second dog?

This is an often-overlooked question.

How do YOU feel about adopting a second dog? Are you ready?

This is a hard one for me because Penny is literally my perfect angel. (She is neither perfect nor an angel, but she is MY perfect angel.) Some of my worries: What if she and a new dog get into a fight and she loses some of the trust we’ve worked so hard to build with her? What if the new dog needs so much attention or training that Penny feels sad or left out? What if Penny bonds more with new dog and stops cuddling me every evening because that is my favorite time of day and I would be so sad to lose that? And so on, and so forth.

Honestly? This is arguably the question you should spend the most time on because, as the human, all of the burden of integrating multiple dogs will fall on your shoulders, and while your existing dog will be significantly impacted–it won’t be any more than you are.

How does your heart feel about adopting another dog?

You’ve decided to bring home a second dog. Congrats! Don’t forget the 3-3-3 rule.

You can read the entire post here, but the gist:

The first 3 days are for your dog to acclimate to his or her new surroundings. This is the “where the heck am I” and “am I staying here” phase. At this point, your dog isn’t showing his or her true colors because of the overwhelm.

The first 3 weeks are for your dog to learn the household rules and boundaries in a loving, kind, positive way. It starts your bonding process off on the right foot (er, paw?) and establishes the foundation of your relationship.

The first 3 months are for socialization, training, and new experiences. By the end of three months, your dog should feel settled and secure. A part of the family.

Only, instead of granting this grace to only the new dog, you need to extend it to include your existing dog, too. He or she will be going through a major adjustment, as well, so allowing lots of time and space for both dogs to acclimate while you remain calm, present, and patient is THE KEY to success.

How do you choose the right second pup for your family?

Where to look? How old should the dog be? Does breed matter? Or gender?

Stay tuned. That’s the topic for next week!

Join me on Instagram to follow along with our search for the perfect pup to be besties with Penny!

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