[Daisy'sLady]

Hi everyone,

We currently have 1 hound, Daisy, who is a year old, and we're considering getting a second one. For those of you who have more than one....

what are your thoughts? I have heard it is easier in some ways to have 2.

What whould you say are the benefits/ challanges of owning 2 bassets Vs. 1?

Thanks a lot!

 

[AmyB]

In my opinion:

challenges: There is double of everything - poop, shedding, vet bills, etc.
They are kind of like siblings - what one doesn't think to get into, the other will.

pros: There is double of everything - love, cuddles, entertainment from their silliness, etc.
They do keep each other company.

Since Sadie went to the Bridge, I miss having more than one Basset. Because of Spencer's age, disposition & some health issues, I have chosen to let him live the rest of his life as an only dog. He has settled into his own routine & seems happy. However, I loved having the 2 of them together & would not hesitate in the future to have a multiple Basset household.

I think your Daisy is a good age to add another Basset. Sadie was 1 1/2 when I got Spencer. She was housebroken & through alot of the puppy stuff, so I didn't have double of that to deal with. Spencer housebroke rather easily, I think due in part to having Sadie as a model. While an adult, Sadie was still young & active enough to keep up with a puppy.

 

[Maggie's Mommy]

We had Maggie Mae (ATB) and our German Shepherd for 9 years. Then he died and she was the only one for another 5. She definitely slowed down when he died. She had no one to play with but she was almost 13 years old at that time so we didn't dare get her a playmate. But I believe he kept her young. Now with Rusty & Stickers I will never have just one. They keep each other entertained. I agree with both the pros and cons. Double vet bills, food bills, poop, shedding. But twice the amount of love, twice the laughter. They are so cute together. They take alot of pressure off of us to keep them entertained. We will be puppysitting 4 of their nieces and nephews in a couple weeks. They will are just small puppies. Now my Husband is making noises about getting another one :blink: :blink: :blink: :blink: I think 2 is great!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Mikey T]

I think 2 is great!!!!!!!!!!!!![/b]

IMHO going from 2 to 3 is a much bigger step than 1 to 2 . Two is just a pair but 3 is a pack and their is much more of a pack dynamic that you may need to deal with.

 

[Jake's mum]

Jake and Harvey Hound have definitely been happier and more content since they've been together, having both previously been 'only' hounds. Both are more energetic together (if that's possible for Bassets!). Jake has been eating better since they've been together...he was always picky before, and often left his food. Greater ententainment all round - for them and us!!

Challenges: more fur, smellier house, more time spent cleaning, more poop to clear up, double the dog-sitting bills when we go on vacation where the hounds can't be with us.

Would I change the situation and go back to one hound...? NO!!!!!!!!

 

[2hounds]

I have been on both sides of this. Having an only hound was okay, but having 2 is much better.

Challenges: like everyone else has said vet bills, poop, etc
Pros: they keep each other company, double the love, etc.

I will always have a 2 hound home.

~Heather

 

[charvie]

We have two here and we love it ... we call them "The Twins" because it's like having perpetual 2 year old twins running around ... they "feed" off each other's energy and are a constant source of enjoyment.

Plus they keep each other company and entertained when the "two leggers" are busy with other things.

In my humble opinion, I couldn't see having just one ...

 

[Lightning&Stomps]

I think most people will agree that two are better than one, but take your dog's preferences into consideration. I had to get a second dog--Lightning was a wreck when he was home alone. Getting Stomps made all the difference in the world in Lightning's confidence. Stomps was a rescue, and once I'd had him for a little while I realized that he probably would have preferred being an only dog. (However, we're all one big happy family now, so neither I nor Stomps regrets the decision at all.) I think most hounds would prefer a buddy, but before deciding to get a second dog, consider how your current pooch will react.

 

[Terry]

I never want to go back to having just one dog. We had Moe first and a year later we added Tally to our family. Our daughter had always wanted a Dachshund - in fact we were looking for a Dachshund when I found Moe quite by accident. Moe was a pretty good dog all by himself (after we worked out the kinks in his behavior and got over his house-breaking issues <_< ) but having Tally I noticed that he became more active and a LOT less whiney. Before Tally he looked to me for all his entertainment. When we got Tally he had a play-buddy for when I was too busy for him. I could get more done without feeling guilty and he was a lot happier. They had each other for company when I took a part-time job. We benefited from hours of entertainment as we watched them race about the yard and woods chasing each other (Tally was much more agile and could turn on a dime, often causing Moe to crash into things :lol: ). It was a little less humorous in the house - they frequently rearranged my house as they crashed into furniture and slid on the area rugs. They are very good friends and companions.

We are considering getting another dog in the next year or two. Tally suffers from pretty severe separation anxiety but eventually she has gotten better with Moe for company. But Moe is getting older and larger dogs have shorter life-spans than little dogs. I am afraid of how Tally will react when Moe is gone someday (I'm afraid of how I will react too ). She was more than a little upset when he stayed overnight at the vet's after his surgery last September. We are not actively looking yet, but we're telling people to let us know if they hear of any likely dogs...

If you get another dog, initially it may be difficult as they test each other and get to know each other (it can take up to three months - our trainer told us this and it was true almost to the day). It can be trying but once they get beyond that stage things settle down and they become good friends.

 

[sadeyes2]

Two can also become a Team!! One of the problems I had with mine.

 

[Daisy'sLady]

Thanks for your input guys, it's been really helpful.

Daisy absolutely Loves other dogs and i am certian that she would be thrilled to have a permanent play mate.

 

[Booya]

Hi everyone,

We currently have 1 hound, Daisy, who is a year old, and we're considering getting a second one. For those of you who have more than one....

what are your thoughts? I have heard it is easier in some ways to have 2.

What whould you say are the benefits/ challanges of owning 2 bassets Vs. 1?

Thanks a lot![/b]

My male, Booya, used to cry and whine if I'd leave him alone in a room. Now he doesn't. Presumably, he finds comfort in having Oda Mae there to keep him company.

Also, Oda Mae likes to sleep near Booya, probably to stay warm.

And they like to play with each other. Booya seems to understand that he's bigger than Oda Mae, so he'll use his weight to try to subdue Oda Mae. But Oda Mae is persistent, and despite her size deficit, she's no small task for Boo. Of course, they never hurt each other seriously, and although their playing gets spirited, it never gets ugly.

I guess the only problems I've had to contend with, having two instead of one, are due to Oda Mae's attitude when it comes to raw-hide. She's very possessive of it and will lash out at Boo if she suspects he's even interested in what she's chewing. She's also not comfortable sometimes with him having something to chew, even when she herself does too. The result has been less freedom for both dogs as far as when they can chew. Only in their crates or under supervision are they allowed to chew now.

Oh, the other thing is, in Oda's case, she reacts to every sign of affection for Boo by crow-barring herself in and sort of taking over the stage, nudging Boo out of the way, and claiming for herself the attention. So in order to give Boo proper attention I have to spend time with him either when Oda is sleeping or otherwise not present. That's kind of annoying but I think it's kind of strange behavior on Oda's part (Booya for example doesn't react that way when I per Oda Mae), so it wouldn't necessarily be your experience.

All in all, though, I'd recommend getting a second one, if not for y our own sake, then for your Basset's sake. I think he/she will be happier having a friend.

 

[Nugget's_mama]

After reading all this, I'm feeling sort of guilty that Nugget is an "only basset" ! We simply don't have the space, resources (esp the financial ones!) to double almost everything. Nugget is a rather jealous little rascal of any attention we pay to others...the cat, for instance. She seems ok about being left alone for the approx 8 or 9 hours that we are away at work...she hasn't gotten destructive or anything. We're always home on weekends,holidays, etc too. She seems to think that the cat and all of us humans are her "pack" .... however she seems to be reassured that I'm THE Mama :lol: (ie..."leader of this pack", I suppose )