Is a second puppy a good idea for my 6-month-old dog home alone?

This could be a good thing but I would first try to socialize her with other dogs to see if she will get along with other dogs. If you have family or friends with dogs and puppies, I would try to let her play with adult dogs versus young adults versus puppies to see which ones she likes better. You can use this information to see if she would cope well with a companion. Most dogs do well with a companion, but unfortunately some dogs prefer to be the only dog. I hope this helps!

Hi again! That decision is up to you. Maisy may enjoy a play mate but also remember that a new puppy can actually cause stress and anxiety for Maisy -and we know the move will already probably be stressful. Don’t forget too the work load for you and your partner- are you up for the training and cleaning up after a new pup? If so, go for it! If not, consider seeing how Maisy does with the changes and then consider a new playmate in a few months if you think it will be a good fit.

Male and female combinations may get along better BUT many households have single sex pets and absolutely no problems. The biggest factor is individual personality. I recommend to have your first dog meet any potential housemates to make sure they seem to like each other. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

I see no reason why you could not adopt two 8 week old puppies at the same time. As a matter of fact they will not be so lonely when they come to their new home. They can comfort each other and I think they will be much better socialised with other dogs and people if they grow up together. No, you do not have to rehome one of them. Make sure they are wormed every two weeks until the age of three months and get fed good quality brandname complete puppy food for toy breeds and get the full course of vaccinations (3-4 rounds of vaccinations, depending on when vaccinations are started).

Most dogs do well with a companion in the home. It will take some initial training on your part to get Bruno and a new puppy used to each other. I would recommend not leaving the new pup alone with the older dog until they are used to each other. It is also important to make sure the older dog still gets plenty of attention and exercise when the new puppy comes along. Good luck!

I'm so sorry to hear that Gum lost his partner. That certainly can be difficult for a dog. Adding another dog to the house may certainly be good for him. In general, we recommend that a male and female dog will tend to get along the best if you have your option of genders. Depending on how long it will take you to add another dog to the house, another thing you could consider if needed would be adding a Bach Flower Essence like Rescue Remedy ( http://www.bachflower.com/rescue-remedy-pet/ ) which can be added to the water and help with emotional problems. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Yes, the companionship of your current dog should be enough for a new dog. I have two dog and leave them at home together when I'm working, and they are fine having each other for company. If you would post again with more detail about the specific parameters would like in another dog (i.e. large, medium, small breed, etc), then I or another expert would be glad to make breed suggestions for you :-)