Ever heard the phrase “two is better than one”? As dog owners, we can all agree that this is true when it comes to our beloved furry friends. Having two dogs is twice the fun! While having more than one dog can prove to be challenging at some times, especially if they’re both pups, but that just means you have more to love. Two older dogs or an older and a younger dog can be a perfect match together. Plus, they’ll never be bored when they have each other around. Read on to find out why you should consider adding another canine companion to your bunch!
They’ll Motivate Each Other
Having two dogs who can play and exercise together is the perfect combination for having happy and healthy pooches! A dog’s playtime is key for maintaining their mental and physical health, plus it puts less pressure on you to play with your pup 24/7. Adding another dog to the family can help in how much time you need to spend actively exercising your dog, as they’ll automatically have another animal to do it with! Of course, this shouldn’t replace the attention and playtime you give your dogs, but it’ll help with their overall socialization and exercise efforts. And as a bonus, your dogs will be able to entertain each other while you’re away at work or running errands so you won’t come home to a destroyed house due to your pup’s boredom.
Puppy Training is Easier
Puppy training can be difficult, but when you have an older dog your puppy can mirror, training becomes miraculously less straining! Dogs are naturally pack animals, so they look to leaders to learn and model behaviors from. So if you introduce a new puppy to your older dog, they’ll likely cling to them for guidance and begin to develop the good behaviors and training you already did on them!
Ease Separation Anxiety
Dogs can easily be affected by separation anxiety, but having another dog around will help ease the stress they feel of being away from their owners. Having another familiar dog around will bring them a sense of comfort and take away those feelings of abandonment that come with separation anxiety. They will have a playmate to focus their attention on instead of stressing when you’ll be arriving back at home!
Help Rescue Another Life
When you adopt from a shelter, you’re helping save a dog’s life. So who wouldn’t want to do that twice? Adopting will give you a sense of comfort that you’re helping another living being, plus shelter dogs are already acclimated to socializing with people and other animals making the transition to your home that much easier!
Lowest Cost Than You Think
You may think that taking on two dogs is too much of a financial burden, but it’s actually cheaper than one may believe! Besides getting their regular immunizations, having another dog in the family won’t particularly affect the cost you spend already. Of course, this is situational (e.g. your dog needs special medicine or diet restrictions), but many dogs don’t mind sharing their beds, toys, bowls, and treats with their new sibling!
The World Needs More Love
Most people opt to have another dog in the family simply because they experience so much joy and love for their first pup, they want more! There’s nothing quite like creating a bond with your pets and feeling their unconditional love, who doesn’t want that doubled? Having two dogs may seem like hard work, but the reward is endless.
