Can I do it?(kle1986)

He's going home with you?! How cool!

Photos please... When he comes, of course! 

*gasp* Irish Setter puppies.......I so wish *I* had time for another right now!

I think it's definitely possible to raise 2 show pups in the right circumstances, but only you know what you can and cannot do right now so it has to be your choice of course. Good luck with whatever you decide, and if you choose to bring the puppy home you know I will need lots of pictures!!! : )

 Well I will bringing the Irish Setter pup home to be MINE!!! The breeder is gonna help me with showing him and she will be doing the show grooming on him and teaching me how to also!!!

I was working with Joker and he is doing such a great job. He is so food motivated and has figured out the quicker he does what I ask the quicker the food comes. Lol. I secretly think he is a hound!! Of course since he is still a bit young his attention span didnt last more than 10 minutes. And I was still wanting to work him because it's so much fun so I think a second pup will be no problem for me!!! But I let him go play and started working with Lillie. Her motivation is HOT DOGS!!! I have her now!!

So I have a lady helping me with Joker and the breeder is gonna help me with the IS.

ETA:Irishsettergirl the pup is 6 months old so not a itty bitty pup. But still an Irish Setter pup right!!!

An hour long handling class is too long for most dogs, never mind a puppy. Many people bring two dogs to class, work one for the first half and one for the second.

One concern is that these people are being awfully quick to give you this Irish Setter pup. I would absolutely have him evaluated by an objective third party. It is possible that he just did not turn out as well as they had hoped and now are looking for another home for him. If that is the case, you could be adding yet another dog to your household that is not quite show quality.

I've seen this happen frequently to people who are enthusiastic about getting involved in showing. They get too many dogs too soon. Then someday they end up with a house full of dogs that are too old to compete, and no room for a new puppy.

Questions to ask yourself: If you get both these puppies, how many dogs will you have total? How many years can they all be expected to live? What is the maximum number of dogs you can realistically care for? How many dogs can your spouse tolerate? If getting both these puppies puts you at your limit, how many more years before you will be able to get another dog? You could end up being in the position where you have showed both these pups to their championship, but they are not really specials quality. Then they are two or three years old, but now maybe you can't get another dog for five years or more.

I've decided that the maximum number of dogs that I can care for is four. If I want to be consistently involved in showing and don't want to place dogs after their show career is over, then I need to space my dogs at least three or more years apart. So when I get a puppy, I may have a three year old, a six year old, and a nine year old. Then I would have to wait until the nine year old passes before getting another dog. That could well be more than three or four years. Sometimes there are hiccups to the plan of course, but if I were to get two young dogs at the same time, the plan gets totally messed up and at some time I will have to make up for that and space the dogs out further.  

If you want to keep your dogs all their life and be involved in showing long term, you need to be very picky and careful about new dogs that are brought into your house. At this time, you don't even really know what you are looking for. So be especially cautious. 

 Agreed, samshine. My dogs are four years apart, and I couldn't be happier with how it's worked out. I've already decided to wait until the puppy is at LEAST three before I consider bringing home another one. The cost of puppies, adjusting to them, etc etc is stressful for everybody in the house, and it's super awesome if the older dog is already fairly stable and well trained.

In the working world, one wants to have one mature and able to handle anything (Gus), one in the late stages of training (which typically go from two years to five years old - Ted's entering this phase), and then one pup, who will take two years to reach the point where you can even begin to start doing real work with him.  So most people space their pups out two years at a time, and then often have one or two retired dogs hanging out.

People talk about working people giving up dogs a lot but you can see where the above schedule puts a lot of pressure on a household where the dogs are also family members, ie, live inside.  Pro trainers keep most of their dogs in kennels, and have more leeway to keep a dog around.  And that's fine too.  Often they have breeding dogs, too, who are in the years between full maturity in training, and retirement. 

But people who get dogs to that middle ground, and they aren't working as well as a younger dog, and are preventing the addition of another dog to the household - it's best to find that dog a situation where his or her talents can be better appreciated.  Novices, youngsters, and small farms often get well trained dogs this way.  Other dogs begin new careers as goosedogs, agility dogs/flyball dogs/obedience dogs, or even as active companions.  One of the most famous obedience sires in US history, Trevwen Rock, was imported from the UK as an older trained sheepdog.  He founded the Heelalong line of obedience Border Collies.

Anyway, that's about the closest I'd want to space out two pups, personally.  I do train dogs at the same time quite a bit, but I really prefer to work on one dog at a time.  I can think so much more clearly about that one if my "off hours" thoughts are not also taken up by the issues of other trainees. 

samshine

An hour long handling class is too long for most dogs, never mind a puppy. Many people bring two dogs to class, work one for the first half and one for the second.

One concern is that these people are being awfully quick to give you this Irish Setter pup. I would absolutely have him evaluated by an objective third party. It is possible that he just did not turn out as well as they had hoped and now are looking for another home for him. If that is the case, you could be adding yet another dog to your household that is not quite show quality.

I've seen this happen frequently to people who are enthusiastic about getting involved in showing. They get too many dogs too soon. Then someday they end up with a house full of dogs that are too old to compete, and no room for a new puppy.

Questions to ask yourself: If you get both these puppies, how many dogs will you have total? How many years can they all be expected to live? What is the maximum number of dogs you can realistically care for? How many dogs can your spouse tolerate? If getting both these puppies puts you at your limit, how many more years before you will be able to get another dog? You could end up being in the position where you have showed both these pups to their championship, but they are not really specials quality. Then they are two or three years old, but now maybe you can't get another dog for five years or more.

I've decided that the maximum number of dogs that I can care for is four. If I want to be consistently involved in showing and don't want to place dogs after their show career is over, then I need to space my dogs at least three or more years apart. So when I get a puppy, I may have a three year old, a six year old, and a nine year old. Then I would have to wait until the nine year old passes before getting another dog. That could well be more than three or four years. Sometimes there are hiccups to the plan of course, but if I were to get two young dogs at the same time, the plan gets totally messed up and at some time I will have to make up for that and space the dogs out further.  

If you want to keep your dogs all their life and be involved in showing long term, you need to be very picky and careful about new dogs that are brought into your house. At this time, you don't even really know what you are looking for. So be especially cautious. 

Ditto.  And, I so agree about getting an expert opinion on the new pup.  Although, some folks, Pat Hastings in particular, who is a knowledgeable judge and expert on structure, will tell you that the only time to evaluate a show prospect puppy is at age 8 weeks, because after that they grow in leaps and bounds, one part often not keeping up with the other.  At 8 weeks, they look like they will at adulthood, but in between they look gawky and out of balance a lot, so you really can't tell much.  It really isn't enough to just have an intact dog to show.  You need to have the right structure, the right temperament, no obvious faults (right down to the nose leather, the ears, the bite, etc.)  I'm inclined to think this person is going too fast.  And, I don't often advise people to raise two pups at once (you've already seen how they prefer to speak canine to other puppies in class - imagine them doing it at home LOL) unless you are quite experienced.  If you do this, spend plenty of time training the pups separately, and in class with other dogs.