I'd love to get two puppies at once!

[MaggieRoseLee]

Please read these sites before making that decision...

Leerburg | Raising 2 pups at one time in a Family Setting

http://www.doglistener.co.uk/choosing/siblings.shtml

http://www.uvhs.org/behavioral_docs/double_trouble.pdf

Raising Siblings

I know I have to have a 5 year split between my dogs in ages

[Spain]

Well, we got our puppies together. While it was hard sometimes, I loved it. We have two kids and each has there own puppy, they spend alot of time which each of theres puppy. My husband and I looked at it from the point of few as just having twins. They where able to keep themselves entertained when we could not.

[carmspack]

worst idea ever --- especially littermates. You will never appreciate them as unique individuals and you will always be battling with their tight involvement with each other . I don't sell my pups this way although I have people interested in one for the Mr and one for the Mrs . I even told my sister the same thing .
If I hold on to two brothers , or two brothers go in to a program to get them ready for future serious work , they always have time lavished on them as if they were the one and the only dog . One dog in house. One in kennel. One dog for training , other one eating / sleeping. Not together . It is more than double the work if you want a good result.
Carmen
Carmspack Working German Shepherd Dogs

[kiya]

Originally Posted by Spain

They where able to keep themselves entertained when we could not.

Unfortunately this means they bonded with each other. I never realized how important individual training sessions were until I got this pup. She bonded with my older female. My pup is 20 months old and my female is about 7-1/2 yrs old. Thier playing together was much more exciting then when I want to train. I have to work extra hard with my pup.

[selzer]

I think it depends on the dogs. It can work out. But it can also cause problems. I think this does not have anything to do with lines or genetics. I think it is something you certainly could not determine by eight weeks in the litter. So it is a huge gamble every single time.

I have raised several littermates, and left them together for up to fifteen months. None of them are more concerned with each other than me. But a pup that went to its home at 4 months and came back to me at six months, and then kept totally separated from the other dogs, due to a serious injury -- that dog is far more interested in dogs than people, at home or abroad. But it is true that it is more than double the work. Socialize the singly, potty training is a blast when you have two or even three that need to go out first thing in the morning, and than need constant supervision. Training is separate too. And passing out treats to three alligators at the same time -- I marvel that I still have my full complement of fingers.

[LaRen616]

Definitly not a good idea to have 2 puppies at one time. Been there, done that, never will again.

I raised 2 littermates at the same time and it was EXTREMELY difficult and I would never do it again, I was only working part time when I was raising them.

One puppy caught on to tricks and training fast while the other one was slower and required more time and more training but because my time was split between them, the slower puppy didn't get the amount of training she should have gotten.
I think it was unfair to split my time between them, they both deserved to have me all to themselves while they were puppies and they had to share me.

They were very closely bonded to each other, I didn't exist while they were together.

Puppies need one on one time for training, bonding and exercising. They need all of your attention while they are growing/maturing, If they do not get individual time then they will become very close to each other and choose each other over you.

Puppies are also very expensive, shots, toys, spay/neuter and training.

Also, having 2 dogs close in age could mean that they pass away within months of each other which means double the heartbreak.

[selzer]

Double the geriatric vet bills.

[paulag1955]

I saw a family at PetSmart yesterday with two GSD pups and two children under the age of 10 and wow. Just wos. The pups looked to be three to four months old and totally wild. In fairness, the children looked rather wild, too, so it may be that chaos is their chosen lifestyle. But what I saw didn't make me think that having two puppies at the same time looked fun. At least not two big puppies.

[kiya]

Originally Posted by selzer

Double the geriatric vet bills.

Silly me I forgot about that, even with one being 9 and the other 7 is tuff.
The only thing I have to go to the vets for this week is meds/prescriptions.

[Sunstreaked]

Well, I now have a two puppy situation and could use all the advice I can get.

Maggie, I will be reading those links above, and thanks!

Some history:

Eva, our female, one year on 9/8/11, spayed.

Tory, a male, six months, will be neutered within 4-8 weeks. (He belongs to our daughter, who recently moved back home again.)

Both are GSD mixes and both have known the other since Tory was 9 weeks old.

Both are crate trained.

Eva has completed 2 sets of classes, Tory has gone through puppy class.

Right now there are no real issues, but I believe in trying to ward off problems.

Advice please?