I am a member of multiple dog groups on Facebook, and one of the most prevalent questions that new dog owners tend to ask is whether their dog needs a companion.
The question is usually articulated as a joke, such as “I am so overwhelmed with this puppy stage. Do I need to get my dog a dog so that they entertain each other?” (with a smiling or sweating emoji at the end)
I am not sure why this whole idea of exacerbating an already difficult situation is appealing in the first place; however, there will always be reassuring commenters who will respond and encourage a person to do so, because it presumably worked for them.
My guess is that the underlying assumption that prompts this very idea of getting a pet its own pet is that dogs, like children, benefit from having “siblings” around. In some ways, they certainly do. However, if one operates on such an assumption, other factors need to be taken under serious consideration.
For instance, the human siblings do not always love each other, and two dogs living in the same household, likewise, might express dissatisfaction with each other, which will need to be dealt with.
The most urgent factor to consider, though, is the following: regardless of whether they are going to have fun together or fight in an attempt to establish their leadership, a “grown-up” needs to take care of the consequences. In case with the dogs, a “grown-up” is the owner of that first dog. And I guarantee that if that person found it hard to deal with one rambunctious dog, having to figure out what to do with two unruly animals will be much, much harder.
A dog does not need its own dog—as tempting as anthropomorphizing animals might sound, it is not a wise dog ownership strategy. If you are struggling with your exuberant high-energy puppy, reach out for help. We are only one text message away.