# Getting two puppies at once?



## RedneckCowgirl (Oct 28, 2011)

What are everyone's thoughts on this? Is it ok as long as they are from different litters or does that make a difference? Explain


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## DDBsR4Me (Jan 23, 2012)

I guess it depends. 

For me, I personally wouldn't because I think it would be harder to bond with them since they will naturally be more drawn to one another. 

Plus it's twice the work!

I have gotten puppies close together, about 4 months apart, and that worked out well because the first was already 6 months when I got my second one, and had bonded well with me already.


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## lauren43 (Feb 6, 2011)

It really depends on the person. If you an handle double everything and when I say double everything I mean separate walks, separate feeding, double the food intake, possibly separate potty breaks (depending on how much they get distracted by each other ie playin instead of peeing)...then I say go for it.

To me it's very important they get separate time with you. Because sometimes dogs can get overly attached to their dog companion meaning they can't do anything without the other. And that includes walks and eating...and in the long run could cause even more issues if one passes before the other...

The positives are they'd have each other for company and they could tire each other out.

Like you said I think separate litters are another important factor, although some ppl never have issues with siblings living together their whole lives, dogs and/or wolves were never meant to live with their siblings for life which is why they leave their packs around or before sexual maturity therefore it is also the reason why some siblings begin to fight as they mature regardless of sex.

But if you think you can commit to the extra work it would take to raise two puppies then I'd say go for it. And if it were me Id just be sure I got a boy and a girl..


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Not for the novice dog owner because getting two puppies at the same time is a recipe for disaster. The puppies will most likely bond with each other stronger than to the owner/family. Plus its hard enough to raise one puppy with enough attention, training, focus and dedication let alone two. 

I don't recommend it even for the most experienced dog owner. Shoot...I wont even do it


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## Liz (Sep 27, 2010)

This can cause a lot of problems. Last year I kept a collie in November and a sheltie pup 6 months later. It has been a ton of work. Just basic maintenance is hard like housebreaking, crate training, basic manners etc. I am a stay at home, home schooling mom and they have worn me out.  Honestly if I could have I would placed one or the other but they were both kept for a reason. I adore puppies and training but having to do double duty all the time takes the fun out of it. Ideally if you want two pups close in age I would get one and a year or year and a half later get the other. That gives you a chance to at least get the basics done on the first pup before you have to get to work on the second.  JMHO

We right now have a mother son duo we are pet sitting and they have never been seperated. Wow, they are sweet but the bonding has been difficult to deal with and they have been stressed being apart but that's one of the reasons we have had them. It is a lot of work.


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## xchairity_casex (Oct 8, 2011)

YUP , i wouldnt do it!
my rule of thumb has always been, buy/adopt a puppy, wait untill that puppy has become a dog and has no more annoying problems or needs any behavior modification (usually about a year)
then think about adding a new puppy.

because, if you have a dog/puppy with a problem within a few weeks youll have 2. one puppy likes to pee on the area rug? suddenly you have 2 puppies who like to pee on the area rug, the observe eachother, they learn by observing eachotehr, becuase they are less likly to learn by observing us, although they do observe how we feel, they DONT mimic our body laungue becuase were not dogs.

like right now, having Sadie here, Cesar is becoming more barky becuase shes barky, every noise she barks, he used to never bark now he is barking at noises, and she is learning to relax more and be more freindly towards strangers, and how to play, and what she is alowed to play with, and where its alright to go potty.

so youll get one puppy who decideds the curtians are nice for chewing, within a few minutes youve got two puppies chewing the curtians, and even if one puppy is a faster elearner who learns right away "i cant eat that!" whilethe other is more persistant trying to eat say your shoe, watching the other go after the shoe again and again and again is only going to cause the one who HAD learned not to, to actually start doing it again.


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## RedneckCowgirl (Oct 28, 2011)

I ask because this is something I am considering, if I have the property to support 4 large breed dogs when I'm ready to add the next dog. I would be getting two different breeds and one of either sex. I know that there are things that can go terribly wrong if not done correctly, and even then sometimes... Moose was (and still is) SUCH and easy pup when if came to everything, as was Jack, but I realize that is not the norm. Granted, I wouldn't be getting them at the exact same time, as it is very doubtful that litters would line up that closely, but probably within 6-8 months of getting one I would get the other, depending on how training was going. 

Every article I've read has been very strongly negative towards the subject, but I feel that I am more capable dog-wise then the average dog owner... I don't know :tongue: I have a few years yet to think on it!


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## RedneckCowgirl (Oct 28, 2011)

xchairity_casex said:


> because, if you have a dog/puppy with a problem within a few weeks youll have 2. one puppy likes to pee on the area rug? suddenly you have 2 puppies who like to pee on the area rug, the observe eachother, they learn by observing eachotehr, becuase they are less likly to learn by observing us, although they do observe how we feel, they DONT mimic our body laungue becuase were not dogs.


I'm more concerned with HOW I'd potty train two puppies at the same time as I use the tether method (dogs are on a leash tied to me, on a long leash for potties and outside play and crated when I can't watch 100%) so I'd need to figure out a whole new method. I can only picture trying to walk with two pups on leashes trying to wrestle each other! lol


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## Liz (Sep 27, 2010)

That is just one small issue. Imagine all the training, basic manners, obedience etc times two. It is draining. I have been teaching obedience for over twenty years and have raised collies and shelties longer than that and I am wiped out.  I adore the two I kept and like I said they were 6 months apart but a year or year and half would have been so much better. The sheltie I kept because she is exactly what I have spent years breeding to get - she is stunning and out going while the collie stunning also and needing for the lines we breed as my male is now 13. So when the stars align I work, and work, LOL Honestly, if they weren't so gorgeous I would have killed one of them by now. They have really tried my exhausted patience and I am usually very sanguine with pups. With two you never have down time, when one is being snotty and pushy the other is great an then vice versa or you get a fear period , or illness or teething, gee whiz the list goes on and on. Run, save yourself - don't do it girl!!!!


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## RedneckCowgirl (Oct 28, 2011)

In all honesty, the more I think about it, they will probably be a year+ apart as I will want to do some conformation showing with at least the first one, if not both, and I can't imagine showing two young pups at the same time!


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## lily (May 16, 2011)

I have this 31b chihuahua and it's like have 5 pups,house breaking is a nightmare during the day,trying to get her to come to me ,well forget it!,she's as quick as a rat lol,wants to sleep around our necks I don't think so,she's walking on a lead now that's taken 3 weeks!,I suppose it depends on the breed ,my oh my I wish my husband would have told me he was buying a pup,and my lounge is like a toddlers room just full of toys ,personally 1 pup is enough for me anyway,karen


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

I have two "double pups" planned for the future. In 2015, we plan on bringing home two borzoi brothers and WAAAY down the road when Buck is turning grey we plan on bringing home two bluetick brothers. 

The bluetick brothers will be for the sake of each other. I have had the experience of owning just one and I now know that he would have been much happier with another bluetick here. Dude is just to... ahem... mature to play with him and a lot of other dogs run from him because his howl takes them by surprise. Once in a while we meet up with some neighbors of ours who have a black and tan coonhound who is around 7 or 8 months now (Buck is 15 months) and the two of them just howl in each others faces and wrestle (which Buck DOES NOT do with other dogs). I think he would have greatly benefitted from us bringing home a littermate of his.

It is definitely going to be double the work. I, personally, think it is just a matter of commitment and sanity.

Both of these planned pairs will not be added to the family until we know Nick will have the time to spend with "his" dog. With him gone as much as he is now there is no way I would try it but with him home WAY more often than he is now it wouldn't be me caring for both puppies. Both would get alone time away from the other with training and play. I don't think two puppies is the best idea for the family with only one person in the family who has the time to be with these puppies all day long. And, if for some reason, Nick wasn't able to be home when we plan on bringing home the pups then they would wait until a better time in our lives.


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## Sprocket (Oct 4, 2011)

I've done it. 

A few years ago when I was in a different relationship, we adopted a boy and girl litter mates. They were half APBT, 1/4 shar pei, 1/4 Labrador. 

It was fun! We started out that the boy was his and the girl was mine. They were quite a handful but turned out to be great dogs. If you can handle it, I see not reason to not do it.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

I've always liked to space my puppies apart by 18 months at the least. I feel that I can give a growing and developing puppy all the attention, training and devotion in that amount of time. Usually around 18 months (or well before with some of my dogs) they've already been wonderful members of the pack without real "issues" to deal with. For me, adding another dog to the pack shouldn't be done unless ALL members of the pack are well rounded and have no true behavior problems, especially toward other dogs. With that being said, do as I say and not as I do LOL....Shiloh is and will always be a "headache" because of her wolfy instinct. I've found that really isn't something that can be trained out of her....unless someone has any suggestions :wink: 

Its not always about the beginning with ease of training and bonding. Think about later in life...if you get two similarly aged dogs they'll most likely pass at around the same time. Lots of heartache. Plus I think its harder for dogs who've lost a sibling (or a dog that they've been raised with since being a pup but not necessarily a real sibling) than for dogs who've lost a companion. I've seen a few "sibling" cases after one passes the other gets really depressed for a long time. That isn't to say that dogs who're raised together but have ages split by a few years can't have the same bond and get equally depressed, I just think the rate and strength of bond increases with "sibling" dogs.


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## Liz (Sep 27, 2010)

When we first got into collies I got 3 in a year and a half. They all passed in a year - it was a devastating time for me as I had one lass after another. Now most of my dogs are about 2-3 years apart. Shelties 1 year and 4 years old and collies are 13, 7, 5, and 18 months. There is always a dogs young enough for a pup to play with but I also have seniors to teach manners and control.


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## SaharaNight Boxers (Jun 28, 2011)

RedneckCowgirl said:


> In all honesty, the more I think about it, they will probably be a year+ apart as I will want to do some conformation showing with at least the first one, if not both, and I can't imagine showing two young pups at the same time!


Oh man that's double the entry costs! That's literally the first thing I thought of. And possibly handler cost. These things get expensive! And when you have a natural eared Boxer it really doesn't help. But either way I don't know if I would get two at once, especially if you want to show. And I don't know if this is to start anything (like a kennel) for you, but if I was looking at it with the pups being even a year apart it could be chaos. If you get a girl first, show her, then breed her around two or three you still have another dog that's only one or two. That would be a bit much for me possibly.


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## Donna Little (May 31, 2011)

I've done it all and can't really say it's easier or harder bringing in 2 at the same time. I rarely keep puppies because mine all seem to come from the pound but my Min Pins came VERY close together and were 5 months old approximately when they came to me. It was great so I have nothing bad to say about it. I've also adopted two older dogs in the same week and it was also fine. My dogs are all small so I don't know if that makes a difference but I have 10 and it all works without a hitch.


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## Sprocket (Oct 4, 2011)

I think with the right owner, who has the time, the experience, the dedication, and the time, it can work. I wouldn't recommend it to just any one person.


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## Sprocket (Oct 4, 2011)

Sprocket said:


> I think with the right owner, who has the time, the experience, the dedication, and the time, it can work. I wouldn't recommend it to just any one person.


Hahaha I said time twice by accident BUT it is fitting because time is a huge factor with needy puppies


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

if you're up to the task, i don't see why not....

i've adopted brothers from the same litter to save two dogs....

they were definitely a handful and each one fed off the other, but it passes and they grew to be great friends....

if you can handle the double trouble and the double pleasure and the double work, i don't see why not.


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## frogdog (Aug 10, 2011)

I didn't read all the comments above but I've had two litter mates before...was a lot of fun and a lot of enjoyable work. They were rottie pups...one was house broken in three days (he's held the record for all dogs I've ever owned), the other like a week, they were rather easy overall. Two of the best dogs ever.

I will add...I was a lot younger and had a lot more zest. :biggrin1:


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

We got Braxton and Timber three weeks apart. 

I own a doggy daycare, my dogs come to work with me, and I have great resources for our dog related things. 

I don't recommend it to most people. Luckily they both turned out great, but I don't think we will get puppies that close together.


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