# Getting a second puppy...later



## daisyrunner (Dec 5, 2013)

My current pup is 15 weeks old, and I am already planning on getting another pup in the future when our current pup is older, most likely when he is a year. He is from working lines and is currently going to the trainer for Schutzhund training. I also plan doing this with the second pup, and am looking at a breeder that seems to be highly recommended on this board. I plan on getting a female(current is male).
I do have a few questions:
For those of you who have gotten a second pup at some point, what were the things you wish you knew? What were the hardest points of two?
Is the timing I am planning on ok (for my current pup to be a year) or should I wait longer?
Any key points to remember with bringing home the new pup?

I know this is way in advance but I like to be prepared


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## mydogs (May 4, 2012)

I am doing the same exact as you except my male is 6 months getting our female the end of May. Doing SchH with both as well. I think it's great they will learn and watch eachother when it comes to training etc. As far as anything else like having 2 pups or young dogs at the same time I have never had an issue and I have 5 dogs right now. All but one are under the ages of 3. To me it's best this way instead of bringing in a puppy with older dogs already set in their ways and may not want to be pestered by a young puppy. 


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## scarfish (Apr 9, 2013)

we did the same exact thing as you, got a new pup when one was a year old but we started with a female. seemed like a good time. she was already in advanced training classes so teaching him things like sit, down, stay, come was a lot easier 'cause he watches her. i really can't think of anything we did wrong, everything worked out great. they were playing like best buds immediately. we brought the older one to the airport to get the pup so they met each other outside of the house.

just make sure you social the crap out of your dog with other dogs so you know he gets along with other dogs. good luck. ours went with my wife to her job at a doggy day care place so she played with other dogs 8 hours everyday.


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## sitstay (Jan 20, 2003)

OP, you asked if your timing was good? No. I think you should wait until your current puppy is older than just a year. 

I have discovered through my own experience that waiting until the current dog is about three years old is a good spread. And I have seen this play out with other people as well.

There are so many changes that a GSD can go through between one year in age and three. Temperaments can change. A second puppy that would have been a good fit for a dog that is a year old can be a disastrous fit just a few months later. A dog that was easy to train in basic obedience during their first year can turn into something of a challenge when you up the difficulty with more advanced stuff, making your estimated training time with that dog way off. But you now have a puppy to work with, too, and a job and there just isn't enough time in the day to get it all done. So you start to let some things slide. And nobody wins.

Keep doing what you're doing with your current puppy. Expand on your training. Give this dog the best chance for being as good as it can be by making sure you have the time to put into that effort. This dog deserves your best, most focused effort. As does any other puppy you might bring into your home. And the best way to do that is to put off bringing another puppy into the home until your current puppy is a grown, mature adult dog.
Sheilah


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

My general rule of thumb is more based on training then age, but it can be about the same when said and done. I have my oldest that will be 10 this year, she has had no formal training, then my next one will be 5 this year, he went through 3 classes and got his CGC, then they get real close in age. My female GSD will be 3, but she was about a year and a half when I brought in Midnite. She also had finished 3 classes plus her CGC. Midnite will be 2 and was about 1 when I got him. He had some reactivity issues that took some work. He was a little over 1 when I got my golden puppy. A month after the puppy Midnite got his CGC and became a certified therapy dog. Soon after the golden pup started class, he will be 1. When he was about 10 months old I ended up taking back a foster dog my dad adopted and couldn't handle and he just turned 1. The golden puppy will be finishing his second class, we have one more to go then the CGC, and then I'll start traing the last one. So I'm very busy. Long story short they are 9, 4, 2.5, 1.5, 1, and almost 1. Constant training for all.


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## daisyrunner (Dec 5, 2013)

Thanks for the input; Sitstay: My job really isnt a factor; I am an RN and work per diem just 2-3 days a week and I am gone for no longer that 3 hrs. Husband is retiring as a police officer next month and will be teaching, which means less hrs for him as well. So more time  Nothing is set in stone yet...


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

I have found that my GSD just keeps getting better as he gets older, he is a fantastic dog and is helping me raise my Dal puppy. My GSD is so well behaved, he listens and responds quickly to commands and he is calm. I am so happy that they have a 4 year age difference between them. I don't have to worry about my GSD sliding backwards in training because there is a puppy present. My GSD and I have an amazing bond and we are extremely close and I think a lot of that has to do with the amount of time we have spent alone together.

I prefer a 2-4 year age difference between dogs.


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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

The downside for me is not while they are young. I have had dogs that are close together in age. It is when they are seniors that it becomes so hard. losing one is difficult.. Losing more than one in a short time frame absolutely SUCKS!


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## daisyrunner (Dec 5, 2013)

shepherdmom said:


> The downside for me is not while they are young. I have had dogs that are close together in age. It is when they are seniors that it becomes so hard. losing one is difficult.. Losing more than one in a short time frame absolutely SUCKS!


Wow....I definitely didnt think about that part.


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## DutchKarin (Nov 23, 2013)

I just lost my two 13 year old Aussie's within 6 months of each other between November 2013 and March 2014. Whew! It is very hard and very expensive. I said I would never get two dogs close to each other in age... I would want a minimum of 3 years between. But that can be a personal preference. I will say this scenario is very hard if the household is all working and dogs have trouble moving around, for the last 2 years we had to run around and make sure someone was around to help them out. No traveling as they got too old for others to take care of in my living situation which involved stairs that dogs had to be carried up and down.

The second, is that once, I got a lab puppy when my GSD was under 2 years old. That lab bonded to my GSD and not to me. I never had a good bond with the lab. I wish I had been explained this... I was a dumb 20 year old. This can be worked around of course, but I didn't know at the time to make that effort.

My two cents.


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## Neko (Dec 13, 2012)

I got a second puppy when Zeus turned 1 year, but before we fully trained him and got his CGC. It's honestly alot of work, its double the mess and double everything, but its the best decision I have ever made. And once again let me mention that its very hard to have two puppies. I had to constantly supervise as "Big" puppy can really hurt the "little puppy" non intentionally. Also training is harder with two. 

If one dog has a bad habit, dont get another until that habit is gone. It's monkey see monkey do. Zeus trained Ruby for me.... I did not have to potty train, she copies his basic commands as well. Super cute. 
This is them yesterday  They are best friends and will grow old together, I no longer feel guilty if I have to work 12 hours, they play alot together.


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

Second dog "has" to be trained independently! The second dog "will" take it's cues from the first dog! What that means is that the second dog will only "SEEM" well trained while in the presence of the first dog! If the first dog is not present...you have an untrained dog! Been there done that, got lucky!


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