Do dachshunds need a second dog?
No. A dachshund needs company, and that company can be you. Plenty of dachshunds live perfectly happy lives as the only dog in the house.
The common reason people get a second one — "he gets lonely when we are out" — is also the reason it most often disappoints. A dog that panics because *its person* is gone usually keeps panicking with another dog on the sofa. You can end up with two dogs that cannot be left.
Two dachshunds together is a genuinely lovely thing. Just get the second one because you want a second one.
What a second dog does and does not solve
- Does not solve: distress at being left by you. That is about you, not about company in general.
- Does not solve: barking at the door, pulling on the lead, or digging. It usually doubles them, because dogs copy.
- Does help: a dog that is genuinely bored and sociable, in a house where someone is around most of the day.
- Does help: play and body language, especially for a young dog that learns from an older, well-balanced one.
What doubles, honestly
Food, insurance, vaccinations, grooming, boarding, and — the one people underestimate — vet bills for a breed with a real risk of disc disease. One back episode can run into four figures; two dogs is two lotteries.
Time doubles too. Two dogs need separate training, separate walks sometimes, and separate attention, or you end up with a bonded pair that cannot function apart.
If you do want two
- Avoid littermates. Raising two puppies of the same age together often goes badly — they bond with each other instead of with you, and the problems arrive at adolescence, together.
- Leave a gap of at least a year or two, so the first dog is settled and trained before the second arrives.
- Think about the mix: a second dog that is calmer than your first is easier than two live wires.
- Train and walk them separately as well as together, from day one. A dog that has never been alone without the other is a problem waiting.
- Introduce on neutral ground, keep it short, and let the first dog keep its own bed, bowl and space.
The simplest test
Ask yourself whether you would take the second dog if the first one were a cat. If the answer is yes, you want another dachshund — which is a perfectly good reason.
If the answer is no, the thing you want is to solve a problem with the dog you already have, and a puppy is an expensive way to not do that.
Keep reading
This page also answers
- Is 2 dachshunds better than 1?
- Should I get a second dachshund?
- Can a dachshund be left alone for 8 hours?
- Are dachshunds high maintenance?