Getting a Second Italian Greyhound changed our Lives
Reasons why getting an iggy may or may not be the best decision for your family
Did you bring home an Italian greyhound puppy and instantly know you wanted more? Maybe you’ve had an Italian greyhound for a while and you’re starting to think there might be room in your life for another one. It could be that you’ve noticed your Italian greyhound adores other iggies and thrives with their companionship. Whether you’re a relatively new iggy parent or you’ve had your dog for a while, The Iggy Parents are here to help you make an informed decision when it comes to bringing another Italian greyhound into your life. It’s an important decision to make and we want you to feel prepared. Before examining the reasons for or against getting iggy number two, firstly determine exactly why you’re looking for a second dog. You want to ensure that it is not just the best decision for you but the absolute best for your first iggy.
We like to keep it real here and not just what it looks like polished on an Instagram feed. In this article we will explore the ups and downs, pros and cons, and the reasons why getting a second Italian greyhound has so positively impacted our lives. Getting our second iggy puppy changed our lives for the better and we now can’t imagine it any other way. With all of these benefits, we are not blind to the challenges as well. Overall, it is a lot of work but any Italian greyhound parent will know that raising an iggy for the first time is also a lot of work.
Let’s dive into our list of pros and benefits of getting a second iggy. These are the reasons why getting our second Italian greyhound proved to be the best decision for our family. It proved to be an even smoother process than bringing home our first one. We’ve also added in a few extra points for fun.
Benefits of getting a second Italian Greyhound (PROS):
Companionship for your first iggy - Preventing loneliness has improved Adelaide’s behaviour and overall happiness.
Exercise - the dogs tire each other out with play sessions.
Training some things comes easier for the second puppy - They learn faster in many ways.
Confidence in the second puppy came easier for us.
Confidence in yourselves - You as a parent are more experienced with things like potty training, what to do in an emergency, leg breaks, insurance, nail clipping etc.
Shared Costs - saving extra purchases on things like beds, crates, clothing etc.
Cuddling - Double the cuteness when they cuddle
Sibling Bond - They always have their eye on each other
Endless Love - The dogs love each other but they still love you
Challenges of adding a second Italian greyhound puppy to your family (CONS):
Added or even double expenses
Feeding time - difficult to separate
Training time is doubled
Behavioural issues can be amplified
Added vet trips - they won’t always go together
Possible separation anxiety
Benefits
Companionship
If you’ve been following Adelaide’s story during the pandemic, you’ll know that she has been very lonely. Adelaide, our first iggy, was very lonely on days when we couldn’t go to the dog park and socialize with other dogs. This resulted in a bit of behaviour issues such as biting our fingers, our clothing or hair. She would also destroy her beds and de-stuff them we suspect out of boredom. We got creative entertaining her with puzzle games and even showing her real live Italian greyhounds on the television with video clips of Italian greyhounds being shown at the Westminster Kennel Club. Our dog longed for companionship and we noticed how excited she was to meet her iggy friends regularly in the summer. We got the opportunity to babysit our Italian greyhound friends as well and the experience was so informative. Adelaide was so mentally and physically stimulated to have her friends over for the day and we knew in that moment that we had to explore the option of bringing home a second iggy forever.
Exercise
There is something very special about two iggies playing together. Since they are similarly sized and shaped they can play together better than any other dog we’ve ever met. One of the funniest things we enjoy watching them do during play sessions is bumping chests and locking arms. To humans, it might look like they’re on their hind legs dancing, or perhaps in a showdown battle. Iggies also love to chase each other, so when they’re outdoors and able to run, they can burn off a lot of energy together. As a human, you can always try and mimic the movements of another small animal when you’re playing tug or trying to make a toy fun for them, but we have always found that having another iggy to play with them is much more effective in tiring them out. We knew this from all of our iggy meet-ups in parks and trail walks with other Italian greyhounds in our community. Feeling confident that Adelaide would thrive with another playmate, we practiced babysitting our friends’ iggies as well.
Training
Training some things comes easier for the second puppy because your second iggy will have a great example in front of them. We found our second iggy, Phoebe, learned faster in many ways. Potty training is the number one thing that Phoebe was able to pick up from Adelaide when she first came home. If you’re a new Italian greyhound owner you’ll know that this is not a small feat. As for other training, our second puppy still needs to work on her basic skills. We’ll get into this topic more in the next section about challenges.
Confidence in the second puppy
Whether it’s a good thing or not, Phoebe was much more confident seeing Adelaide jump up onto the couch so she attempted to jump up before she was physically able to do it. This may sound like a con instead of a pro, but we really see the confidence as a good thing. Phoebe has had moments where Adelaide normally would have iggy-screamed (the infamous high-screeching sound of death, if you know you know) but instead she just brushed it off and moved on with her day. We think that seeing her older sister go through things gave her confidence that she could do it too.
Confidence in yourselves
You as an iggy parent are going to be more experienced with your second puppy even if you don’t realize it right now as a parent of just one dog. You are armed with experience in things like potty training, what to do in an emergency, knowledge of leg breaks, insurance, nail clipping etc. Noticing the signs of a young puppy needing to go potty is not something to be taken for granted. This will help you give your second iggy their best chance of learning quickly. When you are more confident, your dog will also pick up on that and believe in you too.
Shared Costs
There are many things you need when first bringing home an iggy puppy (see Iggy Starter Kit) however you can save a lot of money when getting your second iggy because you don’t have to double everything. Your dogs can share beds, crates, potentially leashes and collars, and even clothing. A really fun and economical bonus to getting a second iggy is the opportunity to give your puppy clothes a second life! You can share puppy clothes with your new puppy and save on some dollars at the start of their life, when bills tend to be high. You can repurpose many items as well and let your iggies share a lot.
Sibling Bond
Our dogs take care of each other. They always have their eye on each other and sometimes even tattle on each other to their humans. Giving you first iggy a sibling is their chance to be a big sibling and help protect your new puppy. There was a time when Adelaide cried out while Phoebe was pooping in the middle of the floor in the other room. We came running and were able to at least catch the accident. Another incident where Adelaide and Phoebe had each other’s backs was when somehow their pen popped open. Phoebe didn’t walk upstairs at this time unsupervised but escaping the pen gave her the chance to run up the stairs and she got stuck, not knowing what to do. Adelaide stood at the bottom of the stairs barking which is the only reason we were able to come to her rescue.
Cuddling
While this may seem silly, it is enjoyable to watch your iggies bond and learn to love each other too. Some of our sweetest memories of Phoebe coming home are how Adelaide took her under her wing and took care of her. They learned to cuddle together almost instantly, they lick each others’ ears affectionately and have each other’s backs. This is not to say that they don’t also enjoy their independence. There is a certain joy however when they come together and the cuddles are too cute to handle.
Endless Love
An iggy’s love can be endless. Just because you’re introducing their new best friend into your home, doesn’t mean they will stop loving you. It’s true, sometimes the dogs prefer to be playing by themselves but more often than not they still want you around. They will also still love you in their own individual ways.
In our case, all of the pros outweigh the cons in the balance of our decision we made. Just because it was the perfect choice for us does not mean it will be for you, but we can speak to some of the challenges we noticed to help you make your best decision.
Challenges
Added or even Double Expenses
There’s no hiding the extra expenses you will have when getting a second iggy. Yes, there is a lot you can save money on but supporting another dog will always mean an addition of cost. Some things that are non-negotiable are food, vet bills, harness/collar for when they’re fully grown, pee pads (if you are indoor potty training full time). Consider how you take care of your dogs while you’re at work. If you require services like doggy daycare or dog walkers, there will be an added expense there as well. We highly recommend pet insurance for this breed because of the risk of leg breaks, among other issues that could arise unexpectedly. Doubling insurance can be very expensive. A surprise leg break surgery can also be incredibly expensive. Just being aware that you need to prepare financially is a great first step when choosing to become an iggy parent of two.
Feeding time
We struggle during feeding time because Adelaide and Phoebe want to eat each other’s food. We’ve tried to trick them and switch bowls, trade food out without them noticing, but nothing seems to work. This means that meal time takes twice as long for us because we have to separate them to eat. If you have a set up that can handle one eating in the pen and the other roaming free, maybe this timing will not be affected for you. But this is one example of the problem solving skills you will need to develop if you’re getting a second iggy, especially a puppy.
Training time is doubled
While your puppy might learn some skills faster by learning from the example of your first pup, it does not mean you are free from having to train them at all. You cannot rob them of their training time and bonding time with you. They still need the attention and skills that your first pup learned from you. Sometimes you need to separate your dogs as well to train them. Examples of this are leash training, socialization situations and dog school.
Behavioural issues can be amplified
We haven’t experienced this too much however Adelaide’s barking has increased a lot since Phoebe came home. She now barks at Phoebe when they play and while we can understand why it’s happening, it is not something we want to promote her doing while we live in an apartment. Now Adelaide has a partner in crime, we fear that she could also inspire Phoebe to de-stuff beds when left unattended or other destructive behaviour. Again, this is not a huge concern for us but it is something to keep in mind.
Added vet trips
You may think that every trip to the vet will be coordinated to bring both dogs but you can’t account for emergencies or when your dogs are on different schedules with vaccinations. While it might not be a big concern, it can be time consuming and you might have to take time off work for double the amount of trips to your local veterinarian.
Possible separation anxiety
If your dogs will always be together, this is not too big of a fear however your second puppy may grow attached to your first dog. In this case, your second puppy may have fear when being alone because they went straight from having a mom and littermates to having another iggy best friend and sibling. Times where this might be hard are overnight vet stays or if they need to be separate for any other reason. It might not be separation anxiety but they could struggle with being alone if they never get to experience it. The best advice we’d have is to practice your second puppy’s indepence. Give them opportunities to be alone without their older sibling.
Overall, our advice would be to weigh all your options.
With all of the challenges presented, should I get a second iggy?
Support - What kind of support do you have? Do you have a community?
Do you have a support system? Sometimes just having a partner or roommate can be very helpful to just hold your dogs at the same time. It’s great to also have support beyond your immediate household, because sometimes you may need help beyond the services of a dog walker or daycare.
While the decision is very important to make individually, don’t be shy to ask your friends. If you are fortunate enough to have some Italian greyhound friends, a great idea would be to babysit your friend’s puppy and see how it goes. Meeting in a park is different than inviting another iggy into your home
Compatibility - Consider the age, personality and gender of your first iggy as well as your second puppy.
If your first dog is much older, sometimes inviting in a puppy can be exhausting for them and frustrating for the puppy to have an older friend that won’t play like another puppy. This might be a great situation to look into a breed-specific rescue for iggies. If you have a mature iggy and are adopting a mature iggy, it might be a great fit. Also take into consideration the personality of your first dog because you might not know the personality of your new puppy iggy. A breeder or rescue may have some answers for you regarding personality but the puppy is still developing so they won’t have all the answers. Lastly, keep in mind the gender and size of your first dog and the incoming puppy. We have heard situations where boys are harder to adjust with a new puppy but of course every dog will ultimately be different. If you can help it, you’ll want them to be similar in size, if possible. Pairing a very big puppy with a small adult Italian greyhound might be a challenge or vice versa.
Do I take the plunge into two-iggy parenthood?
Every challenge that presents itself to us in this process is overcome because we have time to devote to raising our iggies, we have amazing support from family as well as a strong Italian greyhound community. If you have the time and financial ability, it’s a no brainer. You can always reach out online to find community as well to help in raising your pup. In so many ways it’s been easier raising Phoebe, even if you think of just crate training and the first night - our puppy slept through the night in a pen with her sister, without making a peep. Adding a second iggy made our raising of the second puppy go smoother and resulted in a more confident puppy. Having two iggies has made our first dog less lonely, more easily entertained and overall, happier and better behaved. Finally, having two dogs has doubly enriched our lives as dog parents.