Getting a second dog?

[Dano2]

I'm not sure if this is the case with everyone, but I know a guy that has a 6 year old yellow lab and now his younger on is about 9 months, he says that it copies pretty much everything the older one does,
so, i guess it probably has learned somethings from the older one.

[Surface Tension]

They can learn good and bad habits from each other. They should be learning everything from you.
I hunt grouse and pheasants. I keep 2 dogs so I always have a least 1 experienced dog at all times. I would wait till your dog is around 6 before getting another. After all you dont want 2 old dogs at the same time.

[Dano2]

Surface tension, I know what you mean, the younger one learned how to be a mean ornary cuss, just like the older one.
Between the two of them, they managed to terorize MY young lab

[Shorelunch]

I have a 3 year old lab and was thinking about getting a second dog/lab. I live in the suburbs and have a decent sized fenced in yard. I would believe training the pup would be easier, with my pretty well trained 3 year old. Anyone have two dogs? How's training? Is it that much more work to have two versus one (besides twice the poop to pick up)?

[Guest]

If you want two dogs get two dogs!
If you have enough time for anther dog more power to ya.
A big advantage to haveing an older dog is when your pup is to young to really train to still let him follow the other dog around while hunting he most likely wont do squat his first year but will catch on alot faster being able to see/follow his buddy around.
We have always let our pups follow the older dogs pheasant hunting and before you know it there busting there own birds.

BUT if you let your dog follow hunting make sure the first time you fire a gun near him you have a leash on him or you might be going for a walk!
This year a friend had his shorthair pup out for the first time and the first gun shot sent his dog on a two day run. LOL!!!

Good Luck with your pup
http://www.geocities.com/wish_i_was_fishing2002

[BLACKJACK]

I'm with ST on this one, wait a couple of years or you could end up with two old dogs (a ten year old and a 13 year old). That said, I like having two dogs because if one gets hurt during the hunting season, I at least have one to hunt. Now I'm in a bind, I have a 13 year old that can't hunt and a 6 year old, don't want a third dog but I could be left in a bind, like when the 6 year old bitch ran thru a barbwire fence when I was in SoDak last year... I kept hunting her but it could have ruined my trip.

[Guest]

Just to stick up for the old dogs. We went to North Dakota this year with a 3 yr old GSP
and a 13 yr old lab.
And the lab didnt miss a beat! except at night she was stiff but after food and rest the next morning she was tearing it up again.
It was amazing to see her go, she has a little bit cloudy eye getting grey in the face but the NOSE was good as new!
A couple pages back there is a pic of her
ND Pheasant Hunt She is between me and tim you can not see her very well but plenty of proof in front of her to show 13 isnt to old to hunt!

[Surface Tension]

Brian I have 13 year old lab too. She cant take busting the cattails all day any more but still is ready to go.
I like the staggerd years in 2 dogs.
I first intended to hunt each dog half days on pheasants giving them a rest. Well we all know what a lab looks and sounds like in a crate while waiting to get let out and start the morning hunt. Needless to say they both hunt together.

[BLACKJACK]

ST, I can relate to the leaving one in the crate, if I have them both with, they both hunt. Its just that the old one can't keep up the pace anymore, after about an hour or a hot or cold day, she'd be dragging and I'd be feeling guilty... If she was the only dog I had, she'd still get birds, but I'd be doing short hunts. She still loves that duck hunting, though. I walk out in the dark to the ponds and as I get close shes right on heel. Then during the hunt shes panting and happy while the young one (at 6 years old) would rather go up in the grass and make a bed and go to sleep. Can't hunt without them. I'm in the process of building a shed and putting my kennels next to it and I'm making kennels for THREE dogs, just in case.

[Shorelunch]

So, would it be better to wait about three more years, when my lab is about 6?

[Surface Tension]

Blackjack
I hear ya on old dogs. I went out of state (Ak)to work and couldnt take my Golden Retriever. She was a sweet, shy little thing and a great hunter and retriever.
I had my sister care for the dog during the summer. Well the dog developed cancer and had to be put down. My dog had a kennel but when someone was home they let her out and she was trained to stay in the yard.
My neighbor was a lab nut. When I got back in the fall he told me my dog would sit on the front steps waiting for me to come home.

I thought once about giving an old dog that cant hunt any more away to a good home.
Then I think about my Golden waiting for me to come home. I'll never give a dog away.
I'll make a THIRD kennel.