Buying a second dog for my puppy

Question
Dear Expert,

    My wife and I are considering buying a second dog for our 5 month old American Eskimo.  She is an excellent dog already, but I find that she needs more attention and excitement than we have time for and we are seriously looking into buying a second, probably smaller dog.  We don't have very much land for her to run around in and she gets along great with my brother's Pug and they love playing together.  We are unsure though if this playfullness together will wear off or if owning 2 dogs will just cause more attention required. Would it be worth a shot to see if a new dog would become friends with her and keep each other company when we are gone?  Thanks for the help!

Answer
Hi Grant,  Getting a second dog can be double your pleasure or double your trouble.  They are great for keeping each other company, but sometimes they can also get into trouble together.  I am a big advocate for dogs having buddies as dogs are pack animals and it is natural for them to have another member of the pack for them to hang out with during the day, but again you have to take the chance that they can be good together or be bad together.  Getting them both trained together can help to keep an upper hand on everything.  Hope this helps,

Dawn