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3 Year Rule For Getting a 2nd Puppy?

3K views 34 replies 14 participants last post by  Whiteshepherds 
#1 ·
i heard this rule of thumb many times and just don't get it as long as your 1 year old is properly trained and socialized/loves other dogs. just wanted to share my experience and hear about other experiences on the subject.


i totally disagree with the 3 year rule. as long as your first dog is highly trained and loves to be around other dogs.

we got our first dog named julie at almost 5 months old. never socialized with dogs or people, was extremely terrified to even walk past a person, she would crouch down and stop walking if another person walked by during walks, never house trained, didn't know a single command.

we put her into basic classes which my wife did 'cause they are done at her job. trainer does all types of training but his main thing is his company trains and sells dogs to the military and law enforcement. she was a star and picked up everything faster than normal. we started late in her life and before she was a year old she got her CGC and was in advanced classes with the mals that have been doing it for years and giving them a run for their money. all off leash obedience/rally, agility and poked our noses into explosives detection.

all the time julie was going with my wife to her doggy day camp job everyday. spending 8 hours a day playing with dogs of every breed and training level. she really loves playing with dogs and it's great for her dog socialization and all the exercise she gets. she turned out to be so good with dogs that she is used as the interview/meet and greet dog to see if new clients' dogs are compatible with other dog before their dogs can attend camp.

on my wife's days off or when wife's work was too busy and she leaves julie home, julie just wasn't the same. a spark was missing i could say. wife suggested another dog, i said **** no! 2 cats and a dog is enough. wife talked me into it. when julie was a year and 4 months we picked up another GSD, 8 weeks old. what do you know, they were immediately best friends. completely inseparable and best yet julie is just overall a much happier dog with another dog companion 24/7. we can so easily how much a happier all the time julie now is. not that she wan't happy before but she is overly happy, smiling all the time. when you look at your dog and can tell they are happy it makes you happy. i'm more happy to see julie happy ALL the time now.

the best decision i ever made was getting a new puppy for my 1 year old


5 minutes together



2 weeks together



2 months together

best buds!
 
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#3 ·
i heard this rule of thumb many times and just don't get it as long as your 1 year old is properly trained and socialized/loves other dogs. just wanted to share my experience and hear about other experiences on the subject.


i totally disagree with the 3 year rule. as long as your first dog is highly trained and loves to be around other dogs.
First off I'm going to say I've got dogs that close together so I'm going to agree with you that it can be done.... However, the down side that I've had to deal with, more than once, is on the other end. You loose them close together. Its hard losing one. Having them both pass within a short time is absolutely killer.
 
#6 ·
Having 2 seniors is tuff. Apache is almost 11-1/2 and Kiya will be 10 in May. Both are having mobility issues amongst other issues. If I'm not at the vet with one I'm picking up meds or something. Subconsciously think we got Lakota now 4yrs old to ease the heartbreak that's enevitabe.
If I was rich it would be easier to deal with having 2 needy seniors.
 
#7 ·
the best decision i ever made was getting a new puppy for my 1 year old
You are not supposed to get a dog for the purpose of entertaining your current dog, you are supposed to get another dog because YOU want another dog. Your current dog already had a friend (you) and your current dog should already have been getting entertained (you.)

I have never heard of the "3 year rule" between dogs but I am guessing they said that because your dog is not physically and mentally mature until 3 years of age. Some dogs are friendly with other dogs when they are young but then when they mature things change and they no longer tolerate other dogs. So if you have 2 dogs close in age when they mature they might start fighting. It's also not a good idea to get a puppy when you already have a young dog because they can take a couple of steps back in training or they can pick up bad habits from the new puppy. Also when the dogs get older you will have 2 seniors at the same time and seniors are EXPENSIVE and you could also lose them within months of each other and that is double the heartache.
 
#9 · (Edited)
i didn't get another dog 'cause I wanted one. the wife begged me for a few months for another GSD before i collapsed. now i can't imagine my life without little Rambo and is as much a blessing as Julie was.

are you suggesting we now put Rambo in a kill shelter? we have him now and he is a blessing. i guess time will tell if they become enemies but i highly doubt it. has this happened to you?
 
#10 ·
I don't have a problem with getting dogs close in age, providing existing dogs are 'where' you want them.

My problem, is , when you end up with a couple of senior dogs who pass away within months of each other, I've gone thru this TWICE and now probably a 3rd time..it's devastating:(((

Masi just turned 6, I've waited this long to possibly get another puppy,,I never ever want to go thru the pain of losing a couple of dogs within months of each other again, altho I most likely will be soon.
 
#12 ·
Why don’t you think your dog would be happy by itself? You’re placing a human emotion on a dog, you see wagging tails, lots of play, and so you think they’re happy. But what is happiness to a dog? My dog is never happier than when we’re at training and he gets to work. He’s also very happy when we’re on a hike, or playing tug. He’s also very happy to play with my other dog.
The problem is also that you’ve still got two puppies. One is an adolescent and the other one is really young. They’ve been together now for just a few weeks, and there haven’t been any issues. What happens when they start to mature? Develop different ideas of what’s alright and what isn’t? My boy was 3.5 when my other dog entered the picture, and she’s a rescue that was about 2.5 years old. They were definitely set in their ways, and it was actually wonderful because they are completely different dogs so they fit into our family really well without any fighting or battling for ranks. It also helps when the owners “know” what they’re doing.
Your definition of “obedient” might be completely different than what mine is or what other people’s is. Many people, even those with goals of trialing for titles will tell you their dogs aren’t at a level of obedience they’re happy with at a year old. So, saying a dog is done at a year old and now I can bring in a new one is quite the statement.
It sounds like the puppy has really attached to your older one. This will make obedience training a little more difficult as the relationship you’d probably prefer your dog to have with you, has actually formed with your other dog. This is another thing that people always warn about…but again, it’s based off of what most people on this forum expect from their dogs, some people could care less that the relationship is made with their other dog. From what I’ve seen with my dog is that at around 3 years old, playing with other dogs became not as important as it once was. So he isn’t as willing to initiate such a close relationship with another dog, therefore the second dog reads that and is more likely to try and form that relationship with me rather than the dog.
The reason 3 years is told to “novice” owners is that it’s hard to believe their first dog is that great in the first place. Then they want to get a second one, who will also probably just get a nice 8 week course in obedience and be “done.” Then 2 years later when both dogs are maturing, fighting for positioning starts because neither dog was ever properly trained. It’s these types of things that people give advice to prevent…not saying it’s not possible to have two young dogs, it’s just rare that it works out “successfully.”
 
#15 ·
I train with a family that got 2 males within 6 months of each other. Up until last month (before the older one turned a year old) everything was great. They were telling us how great of friends they are, how much they love to play, how great they get along. Last week they told us how they’re building them separate outdoor runs/kennels because they’ve started seeing issues developing between the two. Both dogs were taken to doggie day care 3 times a week and are well socialized dogs that get along fairly well with other dogs.
 
#16 ·
well you live thru it and see just how hard it is..my first set of gsds, one died at 13 the second, 4 months later at 9...second set, one at 13 and the second one 8 months later at 13..I just put down my 13 year old aussie, and now I have a 14 year old aussie..I have holes in my heart that will never heal..

It may be a long time away, but when it comes, it's no picnic.
 
#21 ·
Male and females get into fights too, it's not just a male/male issue or female/female issue. My friend has a male Doberman and a female Doberman, they are only 3-4 months apart in age and they used to get into terrible fights where blood was drawn and Vet appointments had to be made to stitch them up. They would still fight each other now but their owners separate them when they are not home and they know what behaviors trigger the fights so they can always stop the fight before it escalates.
 
#23 ·
I personally don't think there is a 3 year "rule", its more of a suggestion.

So for most owners they want their dogs to view them as the most important being in that dogs life, NOT their other dogs.

So when you get two puppies, unless you have two seperate handlers, it becomes very hard to make sure each gets individual training, consistency and leadership - Most people do not want their dogs playing together 24/7, I believe this is referred to as "too doggy".

Some of these pairings will go on to live completely normal lives and show no ill effects. The majority (at least IMO) will learn to look only to the other dog, become anxious or depressed when separated from said dogs, and do not connect with the owner on a true working level (ie German Shepherd = working breed). This may have been what you were witnessing with your first GS when she did not get to spend her day playing with the many dogs.

For myself, I want my dogs to get along, mostly be neutral to each other, but some play is fine within reason. But in the end if I call, I want that dog to completely disingage from the other dogs and come to me looking for play/reward/work. I want to be the apple of that dogs eye, not my other dogs. I want to be their raison d'etre!

Cute dogs, I hope this works in the end! Just my humble opinion - thanks for allowing me to share.
 
#27 ·
it just seems strange that everyone that says how much a bad idea it is hasn't had to re-home a puppy themselves over it. everyone that seems to have actual experience with 2 puppies any have the bad experience of losing them so close together. i was hoping for more experienced opinions.
 
#28 ·
I do have experience with raising two almost same age puppies - as when I was set to get my Leonberger, the local shelter had someone drop off 13, 12 week old puppies he couldn't sell. With the current isolation population, there were 21 puppies, some sleeping in crates in the waiting room. Far from ideal. My Leonberger was 8 weeks at the time.

So I said I would take one, not realizing just how messed up the puppies were. It was SO much work raising two puppies to be amazing dogs (especially working with one who was basically feral). Both had separate classes, training sessions, walks etc. It was hard keeping them separate, so they would bond strongest to me, not each other.

We did finally rehab the foster to where she was able to get her CGN and help children in bite prevention classes learn about dog behavior. She also walked in the Canada Day parade and participated in the Canada Day demo - wonderful dog! Then she was re-homed and has the best time with her 12 year old owner.

But in reality, not many people train dogs as a second "career" (meaning 20+ hours a week on top of a full time job), so they may not have the time to dedicate to raising two pups properly.

If someone can, then more power to them - I start considering the results when the dogs are older, at least 3 and have finished maturing.

I did not have a "bad" experience, but it was A LOT of work - but I was happy with the results, it is just not something that I would repeat myself with a working breed.

Now, I have Pomeranians as well and they are much easier to have closer to the same age. I still have rules they must abide by (come when called period, no on the furniture unless requested, NO yapping and NO aggression). They are show dogs, but I do Nosework and soon Agility with them. They still take time (training, grooming etc), its just at another level.
 
#31 · (Edited)
it's prolly like looking up reviews on a store. the 1000 people that had a good experience never bothered expressing it on the internet. the 4 that did have a bad experience did go out of their way to post about it. so only the researching inexperienced get to hear the ugly. that's why i asked for opinions from those with actual experience.

so that's good to know, everyone that posted with actual experience with 2 puppies are happy or have been 'till they lost them both so close together. sucks and sorry.

i wasn't looking for hear say.
 
#32 ·
There is no one size fits all rule. People are free to decide what would work best for them. That being said, many people decide that it's best to have a few years in between their dogs, for all the reasons people have posted. Getting another puppy when you already have a year old puppy isn't always a good idea, nor is it never a good idea. Sometimes it works out just fine, sometimes it doesn't, and that can depend on a variety of factors, not the least of which is the personalities of the dogs in question - if the first one is already practically perfect, to the point where you can set their training aside to focus on the puppy, great. If not, it's going to take a lot more time and diligent effort on the part of the owners to train both at the same time.

A dozen people can have a great experience but that doesn't mean you will too, any more than a dozen people having a bad experience means that you will too.
 
#33 ·
If your dogs are close in age, it doesn't mean they will die at the same age. I had a group of 4 in the past, all 4 were 2 years apart of each other. They were all dead within three years. Some got really old and others not so. I wouldn't worry about the future if the present is working out for you.
For me it would be a good time to add number two when number one is obedient and socialized and I have time and energy to put into another dog while number one would still love to work with me all day.
And yes, having two younger dogs is a joy if you can handle all the fun.
 
#34 ·
The reason you don't see that many first hand experiences is that the people that regularly participate on this forum generally don't make that decision, or are experienced enough that they know how to handle the situation. The 3 year rule is given to people that come on and their first post is about getting another dog...the assumption is then that they're not really that knowledgeable and so they are told to hold off on getting another dog.

There are very few people that constantly participate on this forum that would A) re-home a dog or B) admit to re-homing a dog. Those of us who participate in sport and have higher expectations of what "obedient" means, will generally only get another dog before that point if the breeding is right, or something happens where an excellent dog becomes available due to a breeder return or something of that nature.
 
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