The question of the day: should you consider two Golden Retrievers or just get one? I’ve seen posts from people absolutely hating the idea making all sorts of claims based (I can only assume) on lack of experience. For over 12 years we had three large dogs (two Australian Shepherds and an Aussie mix) and it went great!
When Terri and I decided to get Golden Retrievers we picked out Harley and River at the same time (they are litter mates) and we are still absolutely thrilled with the decision after two years. In fact (as if this writing) we we just added Emma to the pack and plan to expand to 4 breeding females over the next several years. There are however pros and cons so let me list a few.
Pro’s
- They entertain each other when we are busy (this is huge)
- Less likely to get into mischief as well
- They get more exercise since they constantly play with each other
- Built in socialization – they learn to deal well with a small pack and other dogs.
- They become almost inseparable – it’s adorable
-
Harley and River at play They experience almost zero separation anxiety since they have company!
- We simply love having two – twice the love!
- There are two of us after all. We want 4 since we have two hands each
- It’s fun seeing the differences in the two of them. Every Golden Retriever is different in small ways. For example: Harley likes to hug and River likes to snuggle (there is a difference)
-
Road Warriors They travel REALLY well together. Since they are in the back seat together they have a much reduced need for attention so that I can concentrate on safely driving.
- Twice the “oooh” and “ahh”‘s when we take them to Tractor Supply, Home Depot or Academy Sports and Outdoors (or pretty much anywhere else)
Cons
- More expense
- Twice the vet bills
- Twice the food bills
- Twice the purchase price
- Twice the cost for boarding – sometimes
- Most boarding kennels will give a special price for two, especially of they can stay in the same kennel
- I tiny bit harder to train.
- This is not a big deal really but at times you will need to take one off by himself or herself so they don’t get distracted while training. Be sure to use their names with the commands. Eventually they will get to the point (as ours have) where they recognize names with commands and follow them individually much of the time. It’s not a perfect science but dog training never is.
- More poop
- Twice the hair
- Think BRUSH – you have to do this with one anyway and it only takes a couple extra minutes to do the second one
- Vacuuming up hair from two dogs takes the same amount of time as one but you may need to do it more often.
- If they are the same or similar age, you will have two dogs to care for at once in their geriatric years.
Summary
In the end it’s a personal choice. Everyone’s situation is different but if you can afford two (or more), truly love the breed and can commit to caring for them for their entire lives and have weighed the pros and cons then ignore the nay-sayers and go for it! We did before. We did it again and we are very happy we did.
Additional Reading
Five reasons why two dogs are better than one
Adding a Second Dog to the Family
Problems Associated With Adopting Two Puppies at the Same time (I’m not sure I agree with all of their concerns. Maybe they are referring to some other breed; dunno. I added the link to give opposing views)
About the author.
Bryan Curry loves all dogs in general, especially Golden Retrievers. He has had dogs for all but 6 months of his long life and all have lived happy and much longer than average lives. Bryan and his wife Terri are co-owners of Texas TLC Goldens; a small responsible breeder producing high quality Golden Retriever puppies.