Have you ever wondered if buying a second puppy is right for your family? Whether you have purchased your first puppy through Woodlot Companions, or have an existing dog who was a rescue or came from another breeder, we believe in the power of the dog pack!
Sometimes the love, play, and attention humans give to their dogs is simply not enough. Have you ever found yourself gazing into your dog’s sad eyes after playtime in the park is over? Or hearing their long sighs when they realize you can’t throw the ball just one more time? Have you ever come home to destructive behaviors due to boredom? Or perhaps there has been a loss of another dog in your doggie duo and the pup left behind is not coping well? What better way to satisfy the canine-driven needs of your dog than to add the companionship of a new puppy!
We are thrilled that so many of our previous buyers come back for a second dog and know that this is one of the many reasons we decided to have our puppies temperament tested- so that when you are ready to add to your existing furry family, the transition hopefully goes a lot smoother! Regardless of testing each pup, there are some clear advantages and disadvantages to any of the common adoption scenarios when adding to your pack:
Getting Two Puppies From the Same Litter
Watching each litter play and grow up together brings us so much joy! The littermate dynamics and the little personalities grow in each one of our puppies and we love seeing them develop into their own distinct puppy. Some of these siblings form a special bond immediately while others are quite independent of each other.
Littermate siblings give you the power of 2. Both their training can be exponentially successful or extra hard because you have 2 siblings who have lived their lives genetically entwined and can push the other sibling to grow, or sabotage the other sibling into regressing. Training should be done separately as much as possible- so they can grow individually and not become overly co-dependent.
One big advantage to having 2 puppies from the same litter is that they will often feel more comfortable transitioning into their new surroundings since the buddy system is already built-in. We can almost guarantee that the two of them will help each other be confident and resilient in their new surroundings since they have each other! Playtime will be extra exhausting and entertaining for them which helps relieve the family of the constant demands that come with new puppy ownership.
Getting a New Puppy After 6-24 Months of Buying Your First One
We certainly don’t want to discourage people from buying more than one puppy from a particular litter, but in our opinion, this is the best time to bring in a second sibling. Since you already have one puppy established at home who is likely potty trained, crate trained, socialized, and leash trained, your older puppy will no doubt be an influence on the new pup’s smarts and skills. Since dogs are pack animals, they also learn as a pack. Your new puppy sibling will glean from the wisdom and leadership of the older puppy sibling and will naturally shoulder some of the burdens of training alongside your leadership.
The other great benefit to adding to your pack in this timeframe is that the older puppy will still have the energy to keep up with the new puppy’s antics and play so from an energy standpoint, this would be a good match. Having 2 dogs in the home with this timespan between ages can often get you genetically similar dogs- as in-the parents may have had another litter around the 9-12 month mark. Even though they weren’t littermates, they still have the same genetic makeup- and trust us- the puppies know! We don’t know how they know- but they definitely can pick out their matching genetics in a sea or dogs and will have an immediate bond similar to human siblings or cousins.
If you are contemplating a second puppy and would love to get ones from the same parents- just let us know! Putting a deposit on a future litter will ensure you get first pick(s) of the puppies before they are posted for the entire public to purchase.
Getting a Puppy With an Adult Dog Already in the Home
This is the most common scenario when a family has recently lost one of their dogs and the dog left behind is not coping well, or, they know their older dog is coming to the end of their life and want a puppy to learn as much as they can from the adult dog. Either way, these two scenarios can be tricky to navigate since it usually involves processing through a lot of mixed feelings with the family. On top of that, there is no guarantee a puppy will snap your furry family member out of it’s doggie depression following the sudden loss of their long-loved ‘sibling’ or appreciate the sudden burst of puppy antics in the home if they are low energy.
This is another great reason why we do temperament testing on our puppies- so that we can help you make the best decision for all of your family members in hopes for a smoother transition in the wake of some heavy emotions. We know that the bond between canine and humans are super special, but that bond can be greater when you have peace about the puppy you are about to choose to step into the next chapter of your family’s lives.
Our heart is always to make sure that our Woodlot Companion puppies are being matched with the right forever family. No matter what your personal reasoning is behind getting a second dog, talking to our preferred puppy trainer Kimberly regarding temperaments, different puppy behaviors, and a plethora of training techniques prior to making your final decision gives us the assurance that you will be making the best choice for your lives and the puppy’s life to confidently thrive together.
