Golden Retrievers are the best companions and probably the closest thing to a perfect family pet you can get to. But if you spend a lot of time away from home, you may have been thinking about adding a second golden retriever to the family to keep the first dog’s company.
So, is adding a second golden retriever to the family a good idea? Adding a second golden retriever to the family could be a good idea as the two dogs will be able to keep each other’s company, golden retrievers get along very well although opposite-sex dogs tend to do better in the same household.
But what are the pros and cons? how to make the introductions (because first impressions always matter)? All of this and more below, so keep reading…
The Pros and Cons of Adding a Second Retriever to the Family
Every decision we make in life has pros and cons, even if you don’t consider them before making the decision, they make the decision-making process much easier, so here is the list of pros and cons of adding a second retriever to the family to help you out make a better-informed decision;
The pros
- Your golden retriever will have a buddy or a playmate
- Double the retrievers, double the fun that’s what I always say.
- If your golden has separation anxiety, another dog will really help them out.
- When you are too busy to play with them, the two dogs will keep each other’s company.
- No more fighting about who is going to pet or play with them because now you have two.
- When your retriever has a buddy, it can make them feel more secure
- They will never be alone or lonely
- Retrievers are cheerful dogs and one of them can light up your life so can you imagine what two of them will do.
- If the first dog is well trained, the second dog will copy most of their actions and make training them on commands much easier
The cons
- Cleaning up will be a pickle because now you will clean up after two which means more hair all over your place
- You will need to make more budget for their food and needs, there will be twice the vet bills as well.
- Your retriever might be the jealous type which will make adding a new retriever to the family harder.
- You will need more energy for exercising two energetic retrievers
- Training two dogs will be more difficult if the first one is not already well trained.
- If they are chewers then it means twice the damage control
- Also, two dogs mean twice the potty pickups
Want to learn more about how you life changes with a second golden retriever? Read my post on why are golden retrievers better in pairs here.
How to introduce your Second golden retriever to the family
When it comes to introducing a second dog to the family, it’s all about the first impression whether it’s with your family members or your first dog.
If you don’t introduce them properly, one of them might not like the other or even becomes jealous of them and they end up taking a lot more time to get along well.
So here is how you should introduce your second golden retriever to both your family members and first dog.
Family
It’s really not a big deal to introduce a second dog to your family since you already have a dog but if you have children then you will need to introduce them to a second retriever properly as well.
- Step 1: let the dog approach the children and not the other way around because the new dog might feel threatened and will snap in self-defense.
- Step 2: tell your children to sit down while holding a toy to encourage the puppy to approach them.
- Step 3: ask your children not to stare so the puppy wouldn’t feel threatened.
- Step 4: When the dog finally goes to them, allow them to fuss and stroke underneath the puppy’s chin instead of patting the puppy on the head.
- Step 5: prevent any hugs or cuddles till the dog is completely ready for them.
- Step 6: After the first meeting, ask your children to give the puppy some space so they can explore the new environment.
First golden retriever
Well, usually I will say that the first step is choosing a dog breed that matches your first dog personality but since you already chose to get a second golden retriever, you can skip the first step because they are both super friendly and love people and other animals so you don’t have to worry.
Golden Retrievers get along very well with other dogs, and they almost always get together super well, so this will be quite easy, but you still need to do a bit of effort.
Here are the steps:
- Step 1: keep the retrievers separated for 24 hours, it makes the transition way smoother than introducing as soon as you take the second dog home
- Step 2: keep the new retriever under control the first few days, do not let them run loose in the house(you can just keep them on a leash for the first few days)
- Step 3: make some space for the new dog so they can relax in their new home and adjust ( both of the dogs can be easily stressed around the other so make sure to give them both separate space to relax)
- Step 4: now it’s the second or third day, it’s finally the right time for their first meeting, make sure that you have another person around to help you out in this process.
- Step 5: for the meeting take them both out for a walk never introduce them inside the house.
- Step 6: you should take your first retriever in front of you and the new retriever behind with the person who is helping you. While you are both walking, start slowly to work your way to get them closer to each other.
- Step 7: if both of the dogs seem calm after the walk, you can allow them to sniff each other’s rears. If one of them showed any signs of aggression, give them a firm “No”, separate them and continue walking.
- Step 8: After a minute of sniffing, start walking again, you need to keep their first interactions short and nice.
- Step 9: repeat the whole walking and sniffing part several times until they are both calm.
- Step 10: since they both seem calm, you can bring both dogs inside the house, let your first retriever enter first then allow him to welcome the new retriever.
- Step 11: give your new retriever more space in the house so they can adjust and explore the house. If you have a backyard, you can let the dogs run around and play together but still limit their playtime and keep it short a first. Do not leave them alone together
Important Tips for introducing your second golden retriever
- Give both of the dog love and attention equally
- Keep their feeding areas separated
- Keep them both active, for example, take them for a walk or find an activity that can be both fun and burn out all their extra energy.
- Watch out for any signs of stress or aggression, if you do notice any sign of stress, reduce their time together.
Golden retrievers are the best family dog because they are great with both humans and animals, getting a second retriever will be great because they will be both super friendly, however, golden retrievers are rarely aggressive but if they get jealous they can display some unwelcoming signs to the new dogs.
So the most important thing is to spend time with each one of them equally and love them both unconditionally.
If you liked this article you can share it with your friends and family, they might be considering adding a second dog to their family and it can help them as well, also It would make me really happy and grateful.
Related Questions
Is it good to have two golden retrievers?
Yes, it’s good to have two golden retrievers because they will always accompany each other and whenever one of them wants to play and you are too busy, the other will be their playmate, golden retrievers are super friendly and they get along with each other pretty well.
Can you have 2 male golden retrievers?
Yes, you can have 2 male golden retrievers, golden retrievers are one of the friendliest breeds and they will be good friends with both female and male dogs, they will be each other’s playmates and will be great companions.
What is the best age to add a second dog?
The best age to add a second dog is one year according to many behaviorists because it can take up to six months for any dog to adjust to their new home then they take six more months to bond in the right way with their owner and to learn your commands and house rules.
Helpful Resources
The Pros and Cons of Getting a second dog
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