Hey, fellow pet lovers! 

I thought I would write a post on what it is like to have two dogs? After being asked whether or not it is more difficult having two pooches rather one I want to answer this question and also list the benefits and drawbacks of having two furry friends.

I have always had dogs in my life, we got my first ever dog Simba when I was just 6 weeks old. Then we got my second dog a few months after he passed away when I was 16 and I really couldn’t imagine life without a canine companion. When I and my partner got together he had Freya a beautiful recuse Staffy and when she tragically got knocked over we had to make the hard decision to put her to sleep. A few months after losing Freya, we decided to start looking for a puppy and stumbled across little Nia and fell in love with her straight away!!

Nia had a whole year of being an only doggie and she seemed to be quite happy, however, I really wanted to get her a little friend so I talked about it with my partner and we both decided that It would be a good idea. I had just started university a few months before we got Lily, it was January 2016 when we got her and she was so cute!! To learn a bit more about Nia and Lily check out my posts, What it’s like to have a Staffordshire Bull Terrier? and What it’s like to have a Border Terrier?

I remember going to pick Lily up and hoping that Nia wouldn’t kick off when we came home with our newest addition. However, Nia was perfect and was so gentle with Lily, I wish I could say the same about Lily though. We had managed a few peaceful days and everything was going lovely and we were all relaxing in the sitting room and then all of a sudden Lily just started attacking Nia, I mean like full-blown biting her neck and everything, thankfully Nia is the sweetest dog on the planet and didn’t retaliate. This stopped quickly and they have only ever had one proper fight during their time together.

Can you guess what over?? 

Some parmesan rind, a tiny bit that they were both not even bothered about until Lily realised that Nia wanted a little bit, then all hell broke loose and we had to get them off each other. Hopefully, that is the last fight the girls are ever going to have!!

Let’s jump straight in and learn about the benefits and drawbacks of having two pet pooches instead of one!

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The Benefits of Having Two Dogs

• They entertain themselves.

Something that I love is watching Nia and Lily play together, they seem to have so much fun and it is really lovely to watch them bonding. This is one of the best things about having two dogs instead of one, the fact that they entertain themselves when I or my partner is busy, is great!

• Walks are more fun!

My girls love long walks and our trips to the park or the beach and have so much fun together when they are off the lead.

Lily can be a bit hit or miss with other pooches on certain occasions but when there is no one about and Nia and Lily can just run around carefree they have such a wonderful time and I am glad Lily has a little friend that she can run around off the lead with.

• They tire each other out.

Another great benefit of having two dogs instead of one is that they tire each other out, as you can see above, Nia is very comfy using little Lily as a pillow!!

My girls literally run around the flat and go mental with each other each and every day which is great as it provides extra mental stimulation for them and makes our lives a bit easier, as it means they are already a bit tired when it comes to taking them out on a walk or to the park.

• They have a best friend that can understand them in ways we cannot.

No matter how much we love our canine friends we will never be able to understand them in the same way another pooch can and this is something I love about having two dogs.

They can understand each others body language and communicate in a way that we owners are not able to, which is something an only dog wouldn’t be able to have apart from any outside interactions with other dogs at the park or on walks.

• They can play together when you’re busy.

I know this is super similar to they can entertain themselves but one of the best things about having two pets is that they can play together when you are busy. I remember when Nia was an only doggie and she would literally just lie about and be lazy all day.

Now, however, this isn’t the case and Nia and Lily play together every single day which is wonderful when I am doing work or writing a blog post as I don’t have to feel bad about them being bored.

• They give each other love.

One of the nicest things about having two dogs is walking into the sitting room or where ever they are and seeing them cuddled up together on the sofa or the bed, it literally melts my heart. My girls are super affectionate towards each other and this is something I really love!!

• When you go out your dogs are not left alone.

A lot of people work long hours and are out of the house for most of the day, which means their pooch is left alone. Having two dogs solves this issue and means your canine friend isn’t lonely all day long.

When we first got Lily this was something that really worried me and it took us quite a while to actually leave them both out together. At first, Lily went in her big cage and Nia has always been left out since she was a puppy but Lily really wasn’t taking to being left in her cage so we decided to try leaving her out and thankfully the girls were perfect with each other.

It was just the countless poops and pees that we came home to that were an issue after that, thankfully Lily has grown out of this now, though she will do the odd spiteful poo if she doesn’t get her own way, not kidding you this dog is super smart!!!

• You can give your older pets handy-downs to your younger pooch.

Lily has currently got Nia’s puppy harness and it fits her perfectly, this is something great about having two pets, especially one smaller dog as it saves you money and means you don’t have to get rid of your pet’s possessions.

• Lastly, dogs are pack animals.

Dogs are pack animals and are built to live in groups, this is why having more than one dog is great because it is how your pooch is supposed to live. Their ancestors the Grey Wolf lives in packs that allow them to hunt large prey, take care of young cubs effectively and survive in harsh conditions.

Our dogs have it a lot easier with their domesticated modern lives and don’t need to live in a pack for survival. But the communication benefits and comfort of having another dog around that can understand their body language and how they are feeling is the biggest benefit of having two dogs in my opinion.

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The Downside of Having Two Dogs

• They get super jealous of each other.

There is no escaping this one, no matter how much love you give either of them it just isn’t possible to keep both of them happy. If one is getting cuddles the other wants them too and trying to hug both Nia and Lily at the same time can be a bit of a challenge!!

This gets a lot worse when they are both in heat, and unfortunately, my girls currently are, so we are having to deal with two very jealous dogs at the minute.

• Having to divide your love can be a challenge.

Liked I mentioned above having two dogs instead of one means you have to try to divide your love equally and this can be a bit of a challenge. Thankfully I and my partner actually sleep in separate rooms most days of the week and this allows us to spend some quality alone time with the girls without having the other one staring unhappily at you.

• It’s more of a financial responsibility.

Having two dogs means you have to double the price of everything, insurance, vet bills, food, grooming products and so much more.

If you have the financial stability to provide for two dogs then that is great and it is definitely something you need to think about before getting a second pet. If you haven’t checked out or post on Questions to ask yourself before getting a pet? then head over there after reading this.

• My girls are super moody when they’re in heat.

My girls are both currently in heat and this is the time when they are most likely to get into a fight since they are both super needy and also very huffy. Thankfully they have gotten along well the last week, bar Lily constantly trying to hump Nia which is odd.

Hopefully, this heat is a fight free one but it is something to think about if you plan on getting two female dogs and are not planning on getting them spayed. We are going to get the girls spayed next year as we have no plans to breed them but wanted to ensure they were fully matured before doing so.

• Fights over toys.

Lily is the spoilt one out of the two, every time we went shopping when she was a puppy we would bring back a toy of some kind, whether that be a ball, a plush toy or anything fun. This backfired though and we had to stop bringing her toys in every week because every time we left the house and came in with a bag she would just cry until she got something and when she realised we hadn’t got her anything she was so huffy and just cried the house down for hours.

There are so many benefits to having two pets and for me, the drawbacks will never outweigh the benefits and I think providing your pet with a friend that can communicate effectively and understand their body language is a wonderful thing.

My girls really care for each other and it is so lovely to watch their special bond grow stronger each and every day. 

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Thanks for reading this post, I hope you all liked it and if you’re wondering what it is like to have two pooches instead of one it is amazing!! Knowing what it was like for Nia without Lily and what her life is like now, I would definitely say having two dogs is by far better than one but it all depends on your circumstances and what you want in life?

If you haven’t checked out our other post on the 10 Benefits of having a Canine Companion head over there now.

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