1 dog or 2?

[Geordietyke]

I will try leaving the radio on for him and giving an item of my clothing too.  I do sprinkle some treats in the pen so he goes in it rather than me putting him in.  I am putting him in it when I need to do other things (which involves passing the pen as it's in the kitchen) but even coming and going doesn't stop him having his 'little fragrant present'  waiting for me at some point in the first few minutes!  I'm just hoping that as he gets older he will eventually learn that I am coming back and settle down.  TBH I'd rather just have the one dog as he currently gets all of my attention (maybe that's the problem?  ).

[supergirl]

I had this problem with Roly and it's something you need to work on daily if only for 10 minutes or so.  Give him something to do - a frozen kong with kibble/peanut butter/cream cheese.  Sit with him while he enjoys it.  Take yourself out of the room, but stay in sight, just for a second and come straight back - do this a few times or until he doesn't bother to take notice and carrys on with his kong.  Then build to just being a second out of his sight, not enough time for him to react - keep doing until again he starts to ignore you or take little notice.  Gradually build up the time and try to de-sensitise him to each amount of time.  I used to go from sight but let the dog see an arm or a leg and then come back.

What really helped as well was when he was doing his KCGC Gold (only 8months when he started), as there was a part of the test which involved leaving the dog for a few minutes out of your sight - boy did we need to practice this.  Roly used to howl even in the company of 5 other dogs.  Spent a lot of time working on his stay which really helped him focus (it's one of the things that he's really good at), and then I would move out of sight around a corner (started at just a metre away and built up).

I think the key is to start in very small increments, so that the dog never feels too challenged.

Having another dog won't make any difference - Misha was my first dog and it never helped Roly at all having her there.

[Geordietyke]

Thanks for your advice.  I will try this method and hopefully he will learn not to react in time... 

[smartietopdog]

I do think a lot of people get more than 1 dog for themselves really (if they were honest) not for the other dog - I did becuase I wanted another + I foster because its nice to have more than 2 sometimes

I think you hit the nail on the head there!! I wanted 2 dogs, and always have, although Chewitt was 1 when I got Chops, and when he passed, Chops was 8 when I got Smartie.
I can imagine 2 puppies would be heaven for a while, but the practicalities of having 2 excitable bundles wreaking havoc, and 2 young children winding them up all day, would soon drive you to distraction!
Good luck working on leaving him, he's still only a pupster!

[mark1]

We have Molly 2 and half and Poppy 17 weeks and they get on fine but even that is hard work. I have just started making the main walk a separate one as it's hard to do anything constructive training wise when they are together. I think having one older with a puppy is certainly easier than having two pups but you still need to be prepared for a lot of hard work. It's worth it though...when they're asleep cuddled up together  

When you say hard work do you mean the amount of time they take up?

Yes it's time as much as anything. Molly is really good off lead and is used to an hour a day off lead and then a shorter walk and it's obviously not something Poppy can do yet. I try to walk Molly off lead then come back and take Poppy for about 25-30 minutes on a long lead and do some recall work with her. I then try and get Molly on a road walk later and then do the same with Poppy to try and get some lead work and socialisation done with her. There will obviously come a time fairly soon when they just walk together but I think the hard work comes in the early days.

[Lily Freya]

I have two puppies, with only 4 months difference in age.

We were having two from the same litter originally, but one died, so we waited for the next litter from another dog belonging to the breeder.

Mine are now 12 months and 16 months old..................we are absolutely delighted with them, but it has been joy tinged with frustration sometimes.  It is hard work with respect to training.  We had two cocker girls before, with 2 years difference in age, and they were much easier to train.

When I look at them now, I feel everything is rosy in the camp............they play, they huddle together, and they groom one another. 

[nicros]

Hi I had this with Jake for a bit when I went to school even though I have Jess he seemed to want to be out of his cage with her all the time. He did use his cage other times of the day and not just when I was going out. I know it sounds funny but I found the thing that settled him the most was to cover the top and sides (but not the front) of his cage with a large throw to make it a cosy den and not look like a cage anymore. We used this until he was 1 and it really worked. We also had a DAP plugged in near him which was on when we went out. This helped too. Nic

[Chocolatecoco]

I have 3 pups under a year, I got 2 cockers from the same litter now aged 10 months and have been delighted every day with them. I also have a small cavalier aged 5 months now, again an absolute joy. I dont work and do spend a fair bit of time walking them, we have a four field walk and a good sniff in the woods daily they love running in the long grass of the overgrown fields. However i found that training them both separate and together has worked well for me. They adore me as i brush and make a fuss of them daily. My kids adore all the dogs so am lucky that they dont wind them up, but then i have taught them to treat them with respect and love. 

In fact i am so grateful that i have wonderful dogs who i feel i dont have any problems with. The are very affectionate and do get excited however they are taught what they are allowed to do and not - full positve training.

The other thing i have to say is that i have had lots of experience in dog ownership from a very young age. So i wouldnt recommend it for a novice.

[Hurtwood Dogs]

I have two, and did similar to what you are suggesting - but it was for me not the dogs. To cut a long story short, after loosing a real livewire cocker at only 6yrs old, I got another pup and it was clear very quickly he was never going to be the handful that my first one was and I really missed the energy and challenge the first one was. So when the second pup was 4 months old, I rehomed a big 2 yr old Weimaraner and she gave me all the challenges and thrills I could possibly dream of

It was incredibly hard work and I'll be the first to admit that the rescue took up so much of my time that the pup's training was a little neglected but I it wasn't too much of a problem as he's so easy going.

They are both fantastic dogs today (nearly 3 years later ) both have phenomenal recall, are loads of fun - we cycle and hike with them, play at gundog stuff to keep them stimulated and I'm very proud of them But I still put a lot of individual training time and walking time into them and the house is easily twice as disgusting as it would be with just one dog

[Geordietyke]

Thanks everyone for all your replies    I've come to the conclusion that one is perhaps best for now!  Even though I'm at home all day, its manic when the kids get back so we will concentrate on our pup and his training.  My mam has a mega soft 2 year old whippet who I can pinch every now and then when I feel the urge for another in the house!   

[smartietopdog]

You can always get your fix of Cocker pictures from here, when you get the need!!

[Jenna]

Definitely two dogs!! But not the same age. Getting an older dog is a good idea.

Good decision to wait for a while 

[rwasinski]

We don't have children and don't have any plans to have kids so our pups get all our attention and are certainly my babies  - we have been blessed with two wonderful pups - our oldest is 10 months and baby is 6 months - the past two months have proved to be very quiet after the concentrated housetraining and training in other areas we had initially. It hits us now how calm and quiet they are during our mealtimes and sofa times - they are happier doing their own thing (whether with toys/chews etc) than manic noisy play time! I do think that we have learnt a lot about training and interaction through this forum and positive training books but I am delighted with how well adjusted and content our pups seem to be so far. One thing I think is difficult to predict is the individual personality and behaviour of each pup - ours are SO different in terms of behaviour even though they have essentially been brought up in the same household - that we work with what they have built in. It is an important lesson for me to learnt how a pup 'works' and respond and adapt accordingly to its needs so it is difficult for me to make sweeping statements about when it is right to get a second dog.

[Mudmagnets]

I have two that are 18 months apart. Smudge (Goldie boy) being the elder one. Altho we do have the odd spat, they get on quite well. I found that when I was working, Smudge was much more settled when I went out with his little sis to keep him company (even if she does nick his chews - cheeky girly  )

[Emma xx]

We have recently got number 2 and are finding it great. Alfie has added some well needed life into the house and we are loving every minute of having him (well, most minutes ). Meg is 8 now and it never occured to us before about getting another, but for some reason we started discussing it all, and well here we are - a two cocker family and couldnt be happier! I dont think 2 or more dogs are for everyone, you need the time for the individual training, and not only that, each dog does need that one to one time purely for some peace and quiet and to get some time alone. We make sure Meg gets some space at some point every day, and she gets seperate walks to Alfie too. We have made a big deal of not leaving her out and i think thats really important . They get on well considering Meggy is a grumpy old mare . Alfie loves Meg to bits, although im not sure the feeling's mutual just yet . Good luck if and when you decide to get another xxxx