The Old Trainer: Two dogs are better than one

D ear Old Trainer: My 2-year-old blue heeler, Sadie, makes my life better every day, so I feel sad when I leave for work and she looks at me like she is the saddest dog in the world. I read where you recommend everyone have a second dog. Will a second dog keep Sadie from being lonely?

A: Yes. I advise anyone who has a dog to add a second dog. Canines are pack animals and all dogs long for the love and security of the pack.

You are right when you say Sadie is the saddest dog in the world when you leave. You are the only thing in the world that matters to her.

Sadie loves you, but a canine companion gives any dog a sense of security and compatibility no human can provide. Sadie will benefit in several ways if you add another dog.

For one thing – more exercise. It’s hard for any working owner to give a herd dog enough exercise. Sadie walking two miles on a leash is the equivalent of a person walking two blocks, but she will get all the exercise she needs if she has an energetic companion. They will spend hours romping in the yard or park.

For another, the loneliest time for any dog is when their human is not home. A canine companion will solve that problem.

The best part about adding a second dog is you double your enjoyment, but your workload increases only 1 percent. Owning two dogs is no more trouble than owning one because the old dog does most of the training. A new dog will pick up the commands as you give them to Sadie, and Sadie will show her the rules of the pack. All you do is make sure she has them correct.

One of the great joys of owning more than one dog is watching them frolic in the yard and the endless games they invent to play with you around the house.

As I write this, Rocky and Joker are playing the game they always play when I get on the computer. Rocky curls up next to me, Joker grabs a toy and comes and shakes it at him until Rocky chases him. Then they rest and do it all over again.

When it comes to dogs, I agree with Texas blues man and guitar whiz Robert Earl Keen, who said, “A man needs all the dogs and all the guitars he can get.” I only have two guitars, but I have eight dogs. I could get by with just one guitar, but I can’t make it with just one dog.

Of course, when you add a second dog, then both dogs will still look sad when you leave – dogs are master manipulators – but you can always add a third dog.

Fourth of July alert: More dogs are lost on the Fourth than any other day of the year. Fireworks scare and disorient them and they just start running. Keep your dogs indoors if there are fireworks in the area, and if you see a scared dog that is lost, bring him in and take care of him.

This story was originally published July 3, 2015 at 2:27 PM with the headline "The Old Trainer: Two dogs are better than one."