Looking for insight on adopting a 2nd dog

I love having two also! We adopted Simon when he was about seven months. Angus was a year old, and we'd had him since he was a pup.

Simon has helped us tremendously in keeping Angus entertained He also helped with some bad doggie manner issues Angus was having, and Angus has become WORLDS better since he's had Simon to help teach him the finer points of etiquette.

The only thing I might have done differently is what you are planning to do: Have opposite genders. Sometimes we have a little too much competition, and I think a lot of it has to do with them both being male and being very close to the same age.

Another thing to consider is it really is more expensive to have two. Double the meds, vet visits, food, treats, and it really adds up. I knew this, but I don't think I was fully prepared for the hit the budget would take.

Kevin walks both at the same time. I can do it too, but mostly he's the dog walker. If she's about a year old she may be a little hard to handle at first on the leash...just very young and excitable. It might help to take an introductory obedience class with her and help her master loose-leash walking.

Good luck! Hope all goes well tomorrow! We'd love to see pics ;D

Having four dogs and often walking three at a time, if they have good/decent leash manners that shouldn't be an issue.

I got the G. when Mary was 2 - it took her about a month to adapt, but we never had aggression issues. She just ignored him. 4 1/2 years later, they are inseparable.
My other additions didn't cause any problems. To the labs. My more recent addition ( a dachshund pup) has caused some problems with my ES, but more because of the pup's bossiness than because of Nuvola.

I have 3 bitches and one dog - the older bitches are spayed (previously weren't) and my dog was neutered last year. They all get along quite well - we just have to watch our shins when they play inside and keep an eye out for prey drive when Nuvola plays with the pup.
Before Nuvola and the pup, I had a senior rescue we adopted at age 10. He and the G. were both intact and we never had issues.

I won't comment on expenses ... they can more than double if anyone has serious health issues and even yearlies get pricey. You might want to consider insurance.

We adopted Gunny when Bessie was 10 and then added Sadie 2 years later. All our Labs came into our household as adults. After an adjustment period (about a month), each girl settled in wonderfully.

We live in a very rural area, so most of our walks are off-leash. However, when I go for a jog I take the two younger dogs with me. I have a hands-free leash that attaches to my waist, and both dogs are attached to that via a coupler. The first time I hooked up two dogs, we had lots of tangles and spinning and chewing and general sassiness (would have enjoyed a video of that episode!). Now the girls are all business when we leash up and head down the road. They settle into a side-by-side trot and keep their focus down the road. Sometimes it's hard to restrain 140 lbs of Lab excitement, but after a mile or so we're all in our groove.

I think you'll enjoy the second Lab! Double the fun for everyone!