2 Dogs

i personally think 2 are not any harder than 1. just remember, it's twice the work for you though because you will rarely be able to train them simultaneously until they both mature quite a bit. i would say the earliest i would work them together is after the 1st year, but only then if you have really solidified their obdience and they have it mastered. it's awfully tempting for puppies to want to play together.

Have you trained before? If not, don't start with two dogs! I don't know how many ducks you shoot a day, but one dog can handle a pretty heavy load. Also you will learn so much while training your first dog and also make sooo many mistakes. Why make the same mistakes on two dogs. Get one dog where you want it and then try getting a second one. Like shrp said, it is a ton of work with two pups. I picked up a second shorthair about 2 months ago and I was amazed at how much more work it was.

Thanks alot for the advice. For some reason I never thought about getting one dog and then the next maybe a year later or so. Any other advice would be great.

Thanks again.

-Shawn

to add to what gsp mentioned...

i have noticed if you have a trained dog for a pup to watch they seem to take to things a bit quicker (at least, in my experiences). the pups tend to watch and pick up what the adult dog is doing. it also helps teach the pup patience quick.

:withstupid:

:withstupid: be careful with an older dog leading the pup cause the pup will also learn the old dogs bad habits if it has any.

Something I just remebered also about older dogs, in upland hunting at least, which I think you said you are interested in, young dogs can become too dependent on older dogs if run together too much. You need to let a young dog learn where birds are on there own and let them find some one there own or they will just learn to follow another dog around to find birds.

I think all the points made so far are valid with regard to training.

A side benefit of two dogs though is that dogs are natural pack animals. They don't like being alone, so having two dogs seems to help keep them happy while you are at work or away.

Many years ago, we had the ultimate odd couple with a nice black lab and a tiny mixed breed something. The two wrestled, played and were best friends.

When the bumpers or gun came out, the lab put aside all the silliness and was all business. Upon return, the lab would again play tug of war with the 12 pound fuzz ball.