One Or Two ??

[Mightyjoe]

We have had Oscar now for seven weeks and we can not express how much joy he gives us. The only thing that worries us is that for 4 days of the week he can be on his own for no more the 4 hrs, you may think we are soft but we don’t like the thought of he being on his own for so long. I think he tries to get his own back by rearranging the door mats, shredding any post that comes after we have gone to work, thankfully our post man comes before we go to work most of the time and of cause attacking the lemon tree in the conservatory. Do you think it would be better to have two cockers or are we being too soft, plus I don’t think my mum (the dog sitter) could cope with 2 dogs? She loves having Oscar and as already asked when can she have him to sleep over, if we got another cocker we might have to put them into kennels when we go away and that’s something I would not like to do, we are softies I know.                    

[annemie]

Hi,

If you want a second cocker I think that you must wait till this one is a year of two.

My opinion is that a cocker (every dog) may not be longer then 5 hours a day alone. It's not soft from you

Why don't you put Oscar in a bench (I hope that you understand what I mean, I don't know the English word). It's save, if you learn him that it's a nice place he find it's very comfort. Then he can't doing anything wrong except shredding his pillow or blanket.                    

[Gilly]

Hi...

Jane one of our highly thought of moderators has written an FAQ on this very subject which you will find here http://www.cockersonline.co.uk/forum/viewt...opic.php?t=2017

Personally I can understand your concerns about leaving Oscar  :wink:  I to had to leave Buttons when she was a puppy as I work for 4 hours a day, although she was never left for 5 days a week due to my husbands shifts but sometimes it could be 3 or 4 days a week. One piece of equipment I found invaluable was my puppy playpen    it was big enough to give her plenty of room...and I also knew that when I came home my house would be intact     The good thing with the playpen was she went in it at night to, it also doubled as a stair gate and a time-out pen when she got to exciteable.
It sounds like you have fallen in love with Cocker's...I think all of the members of this forum feel the same way    By all means get another cocker...but most definetly wait until Oscar is 18 months to 2 years old and let him grow up first   sometimes having 2 dogs of a similar age can cause all sorts of problems, so for now...invest in a playpen  :wink:  and let little Oscar enjoy his puppyhood                      

[cindere528]

My personal opinion is that 2 are much better than one.  Having said that, I agree with Anniemarie that you need to wait until Oscar is older before getting another one.  He's a baby yet & needs to have his puppyhood. If you got another right now he would miss out on quite a lot. I would say wait until he's about a year old (& it will pass very quickly) & then get a rescue Cocker to keep him company.

Also, I think what Anniemarie means by "bench" is a crate.  I've never used these but most people find that they are a good solution for a dog who is destructive.  They also use it as a safe place for the puppy to go if there are visitors in the house.  It's a long time since I had a puppy (I'm now converted to rescues) but if ever I had a puppy again I would use a crate.                    

[Mightyjoe]

Oscar is not destructive, only the odd time he has a go at things. Most of the timehe is very good and the is no way i could put Oscar in a create, as i said we are soft and have given him the run of most of the house when we are at work.                    

[Mike]

If you're averse to a crate, instead of the run of the house how about confining him to one room (maybe your conservatory) while he's still going through his exploratory (chewing!) stage? Not just so that he doesnt chew any/everything, but it will probably a bit safer for him too if that one room is made 100% dog-proof  :wink:

Oh and Joe, get a letter-box cage - many, many of us have one because our dogs like letters for breakfast                      

[*Jay*]

I can only echo what the others have said :wink: Vegas was 7 months when I brought Dallas home. Vegas was perfectly fine on his own but I thought he needed a playmate as my other dog is elderly. I ended up with double trouble and came home to find things chewed, ripped etc. which hadn't happened before. So it would be quite likely that you could end up with 2 dogs destroying your house instead of one  I've found that they tend to copy one another :roll:  :twisted:  Oscar just sounds like he is being a typical cheeky pup  I didn't crate my dogs when I went to work - instead I confined them to one room with the use of a stairgate which worked great for Vegas but Dallas learned on day 2 how to jump over it :evil:  Perhaps that could be an option for you?                    

[annemie]

My personal opinion is that 2 are much better than one.  Having said that, I agree with Anniemarie that you need to wait until Oscar is older before getting another one.  He's a baby yet & needs to have his puppyhood. If you got another right now he would miss out on quite a lot. I would say wait until he's about a year old (& it will pass very quickly) & then get a rescue Cocker to keep him company.

Also, I think what Anniemarie means by "bench" is a crate.  I've never used these but most people find that they are a good solution for a dog who is destructive.  They also use it as a safe place for the puppy to go if there are visitors in the house.  It's a long time since I had a puppy (I'm now converted to rescues) but if ever I had a puppy again I would use a crate.

Yes, that is what I meant. We gave and give, his meal in his crate. When he is ill, he allways lie in his crate, we never shut the door anymore, but he finds it a very save spot                    

[TOPAZ BILLY]

Yes I agree with the others, we are only just in the final phase or getting our second cocker and Billy is nearly 4 (Not saying you should wait that long it just suited us )

As for leaving Oscar for 4 hours Billy is left for about that long for 4 days a week also as my husband works shifts, we have a neighbour who doesn't work come in on days that we are out for longer he either takes Billy for a walk or just has a play with him in the garden. Other than this we leave him lots to play with like kongs and other safe toys, Billy also has a dog flap that means he has access to the garden but I know this doesn't suit everybody.

Michelle                    

[Mary]

I think we can all understand the way you feel about Oscar.  I hated leaving Lottie when she was a pup (still don't like to for more than 5 hours max :wink: ) and I even changed my working hours in the first few months so that she was not left longer than 3 hours.  

Like others have said, whilst Oscar is still young it would be much better to confine him to one dog proof room and leave him some of his toys to play with (a kong with treats in should keep him occupied for a while).  Having the run of the house must be difficult for you to keep electrical wires out of reach of him :?

You'll find it gets slightly easier as he gets older and learns a routine.  At 20 months old I am sure Lottie actually likes me going off to work now, it's treat time for her and then snooze time. :wink:   These days she has the run of the downstairs and more often than not curls up on the sofa for a sleep.

I've often thought of having a second cocker and with everyone on here doing just that it makes it even more tempting and I know Lottie would love the company.  But......there are a few reasons why it would not be practical for us so Lottie will just have to continue having our undivided attention :wink:                      

[Pammy]

I agree with the advice already given - can I just add - don't leave your pup in a conservatory unless it has aircon etc. At this time of year they can become very hot very quickly and that can be very dangerous for any animal - especially a dog.                    

[mrs hamster]

We got our cocker Bon Bon when our puppy Border Collie with behavioural probs was 5 months and its the best thing we ever did!!

Having just 5 months between them means we have got all the housetraining out of the way in one go!! Bon Bon is now 5 months.

She came second in her obedience class and barney was best in class in advanced last week!! I dont believe either of them would have come on so well without the other.

We have been lucky, Bon Bon  copies the Border Collies inteligence and Barney copies the Cockers wonderful temperament.

They adore each other and play together and do plenty of play biting ,Bon Bon is in charge!!! although she is a quarter of Barney's size!!

Life is to short in my view to wait,  2 pups have been great for us and them.

Jane                    

[*Jay*]

Lucky you Jane :wink:    My two just copy each others bad habits :roll:  Glad to hear Bon Bon is doing well.                    

[Magic Star]

I echo everybody else too!  Pammy, I couldn't agree more with you over the conservatory, its surprising how hot they can get, even if its not hot outside :?  

I have to say, I personally think crates are ideal, as long as they are used properly!  They do offer a safe place for the puppy to rest and peace of mind for the owner, its not a case of the pup doing damage to anything in the house, as I am sure we all accept thats just part of having a puppy, but from a safety aspect for the pup.   If you cannot cope with the crate idea, then I would really consider confining him to one safe room in the house  

Don't worry your not being soft, we are all the same on here :wink:                      

[Gilly]

I'm sorry I have to disagree with Jane...I have heard of too many stories of dogs of similar ages fighting to get a foothold on authority, although I am not saying that it hasn't worked for you Jane  :wink:
If my heart ruled my head I would have had a houseful of cockers by now    but practicality rules in this house with the added fact that I have to think of Buttons welfare and her enjoying her puppyhood  
Dave, I have a crate which I only use for the car...due to safety. I must admit I am not too keen on crating during the day and much prefer a playpen, you can even add panels to the playpens to make them as big as you like  :wink:  My only concern for you letting Oscar have the run of the house at such a young age is that many dogs go through a rebellious teenager stage, and although his teeth are only little needles now..they won't be for long  :shock:
I've attached a picture of a playpen...you can get ones bigger than this were you can add extra panels