Getting a second Lab!!

[Shnooks]

Hi everyone!

I was hoping I could ask for some help with getting a wee pal for our Alba!

Our Lab Alba is 20 months old and he's a cheeky wee thing!! Fantastic temperament (if a bit on the sooky side!), lots of energy & an absolute ball to have around.

Alba was our first Lab and we have become besotted with the breed and definitely want to go another. Also, whenever we are at a dog park and another GR/Lab is there you can't tear Alba away...they will just wrestle for hours...by the end of it they are so exhausted they basically just lie there on top on one another nibbly each others feet/ears/tails!! So we figured this was a good sign to get another!

What are your thoughts? Is getting a second pup the right thing? Is 20 mths a good age to introduce a new friend? Should we go another male or maybe a female? Also any general tips for dealing with two doggies at that age?

We are both at work all day, and wee Alba is such a social thing (as are all Labs!) that we feel terrible leaving him alone. Also his doggy pal next door is moving so he will have no interaction at all during the day now :-(

I would appreciate any feedback at all whether you are a lab/gr owner or not. I've never had two dogs before so I what to know what I am getting myself in for!!

TIA!

[Lukeysmummy]

I say go for it! It is definately great having two dogs to keep each other company.... especially if there is no-one around during the day due to work etc.

Just be mindful that it is a good idea to have trained your first dog well enough to respod to you before getting number two...and likewise to spend one on one time training and socialising the new edition, particularly if you get a puppy. This just helps the dogs to recognise you/your partner/other family members as there leaders, rather than them becoming a law unto themselves.....double trouble! And also helps them develop good social skills with other dogs, outside of their relationship with their housemate.

Also, your costs will double - food, medical bills, vaccinations, heartworm, flea treatments, grooming, training etc. And walking two dogs at once is nothing like walking one!

As to whether to get a girl or a boy, I always recommend getting the opposite sex of what you aready have. If there is going to be a gender related problem it is most likely to occur between dogs of the same sex, so having one of each just reduces the chance of this happening. If you don't intend to breed (and really, this should be left to those with a stake in the breed and experience) it would make things much easier to have them both desexed too (you may already have had this done to your Alba).

We got our second ( a Leonberger pup) when our first (a siberian husky) was 1 year old. He was very well trained though and the second dog also went through training on her own. They are now 5 and 6, love each other to bits, but can be taken out separately without experiencing any separation anxiety.

Good luck making your decision!! I reckon two are definately better than one!

[hippity]

Heheh just wanted to say you're brave! My sister's Lab puppy comes to visit occassionally and he's such a mini tornado! His tail alone has demolished half the house

But you obviously know how energetic Labs are, since you have one. Such sociable and bouncy dogs would benefit from having someone to play with, and it'd leave you a little bit less exhausted I think.

The only thing I'd caution you on is be sure you're not a one dog person. I've had 2 dogs before, and because they were different breeds and had different requirements, one was more spoilt than the other.