[novarobin]

This is not a GSD question but I am sure someone will have advice.
A friend of mine recently lost his 6 month old puppy. He went in to be neutered and died of a complication. The breeder had a two year health guarantee. I believe the breeder and the vet are splitting the cost of another puppy (he is going to a different breeder to get the puppy now).
He called me to find out what I thought about getting two puppies at once. I recall reading that it is not recommended. I know some breeder won't allow it. Aside from the time required for the two pups, what are the other issues with it? I have also read that they will form a stronger bond with each other.
I know lots of people still do it. Just wondering what the pros and cons are. Thanks.

 

[Barb E]

Besides the bonding issue and the time issue another thing to take into consideration is having two senior dogs at the same time.
For me it was a matter of time and what Dante deserved in the attention/training area as well as what the 2nd pup deserved, that kept me from getting a second pup when he turned 1 which was my original plan. Though after reading more over the year I also thought about having two senior dogs at the same time.

He's now 4

and I haven't added my second yet.

 

[The Stig]

Mspiker03 has two litter mates who happen to be related to my pup. She is their niece. )

She will probably be able to offer you some insight and advice.

Her dogs are very well mannered, and gentle. Confident and calm.

I wanna do a pup swap with her some day. But I doubt if her male could fit into my sedan.

 

[shilohsmom]

I know alot has been written on this issue but in short, I would never do this. Two of my dogs are one year apart in age. When I got the second one it was not like twice the work....it was more like four times the work!!!! One dog would go one way the other the other way. Housebreaking was harder with the second dog. She would be so busy playing with her big brother she paid no attention to when she had to go and would just squat and go and off to play again. There was no focus for her when it came to this. I couldn't even imagine what it would be like with two pups. Puppies are so needing and deserving of our full attention- I would think this would be harder when you have to balance all this between the two. Of course, theres the bonding thing to consider. If it were me I would wait at least a year before adding a second puppy. JMHO.

 

[mastercabman]

having 2gsd can be hard at time.i had a harder time with the second dog,annie,than i did with oliver.
oliver was very easy,crate training?no problem.housebreaking?no problem.just easy.
as for annie,it was a pita.
i don't regret getting a second dog,but i wish i would waited longer.
it's all good! for now........well almost!

 

[romeosmom]

from what I have heard- they bond together more than with the owner? Never had 2 puppies at same time. I always had a younger and older dog.

 

[novarobin]

Thanks for all the answers so quick.

I should have clarified, he is the one getting the dogs, not me. Haha. He called me because he knows I have been doing alot of reading on dogs and around here. The dog that just died was his first dog too.

they are small dogs, not GSDs, he is getting, I just asked here because I find everyone is so helpful.

We have two dogs, but Chatham came along when Kaper was 4. I found Kaper was a huge help with Chatham during training but I couldn't imagine two pups at once.

 

[cgarrity]

I am currently raising two pups together. One is a 7 mos. old GSD and the other is a 5 mos. old Vizsla. Surprisingly, no problems and their basic OB training is going along very well. It may be that they are both very good pups. I suppose it would be difficult with unruly monsters!

 

[Dannay]

I can speak on this with some insight. I have 2 12wk old littermates, both boys, that I got 4 wks ago.

We have no MAJOR problems with them at all. They like to play and fight with each other a lot when they are out together, which can be difficult.

We crate them separately out of sight of each other, feed them separately and do most of their training separately. It can be difficult, and is very time consuming. I.E training involves taking one out of the crate to a different area of the house, working with him, bonding with him. Then putting him back and getting the other out and doing the same. Likewise with walking, I now walk twice the distance as I am doing the same walk with both of them.

Yes, I could have them walk together and do so OCCASIONALLY but find it best when they are separate. When they are together, they want to play too much.

They are beautiful, sweet and wonderful, but I can honestly say I have considered multiple times whether two at once was a good idea. With one, we could have him out with us all the time, bonding with him, walking with him, instead of having to divide all of our time.

Let me know if you have any specific questions that I can answer for you as an owner currently going through your situation

 

[DianaM]

Dannay is one of the few who realizes what it takes to raise two pups at the same time. It's literally double the effort!

Just wait until the "terrible teens" when potential behavioral/training issues and the "furry finger" surface!

 

[Brightelf]

I have a friend with two littermates. He spends considerable time training them, interacting, working them in obedience. Guess what? Thes STILL focus so much more on eachother than on him, that he competes ineffectively for their attention. And, he IS separating them for training, for playtime with him alone, waking them separately.

Can it be done? Yup. I just would not want to have to work so hard against nature to be included in the littermates' world.

 

[pupresq]

I would strongly recommend against your friend doing this. Lots of people want to do it so the pups can keep each other company and it's so fun to watch them play but I don't think it's a good idea in 99% of cases.

It can work out fine as some have mentioned but the issue of the dogs bonding more tightly to each other than to their people is legitimate, as is something I've seen a lot but which hasn't been mentioned yet and that's one puppy consistantly and constantly dominating the other. Even when they seem to adore each other the more dominant puppy can really stop the less dominant puppy from ever achieving his or her potential and it can make the less dominant puppy extremely dependant on their sibling and the more dominant puppy very jealous of time spent with the other. I lived this recently with two 6 month old GSD littermates and while watching them play was hilarious, they were 10 times as much trouble as a single (like a sable tornado blowing around the house), they SCREAMED when you tried to work one away from the other, and one was always taking everything from the other. When we placed the first one and got them apart, they both became much much easier dogs.

My favorite time table is one dog then another when the first dog is about 2-3.

What kind of dogs are these and what gender? If he's doing to do this, I'd recommend one of each gender (ALTERED of course! Definitely don't want to have an inbred oops litter).

 

[BlackGSD]

Your friend also needs to consider what he will do when they get to be adults and they decied that they HATE and want to KILL each other. It might not happen(if he is lucky). But it very will could!

 

[JeanKBBMMMAAN]

Double vet bills on brittily healthy little dogs all through their lives. I know I am assuming they will have health issues-but so many seem to (my perception). Luxating patellas, eye issues, etc.

I am VERY sorry about the loss of his young dog.

Having two dogs in the future should be good for him though, once the first gets older.

And yeah, ask Ayrcrest about multiple seniors all at once. . . I have two and then another clump of dogs around the same age, and while I wouldn't part with any of them, am trying to plan for their future (more than my own)! So hindsight advice here!

Nice of you to help, too!

 

[selzer]

I have two that will be three in August, litter mates. And 3 that will be two in August.

I have decided by this vast experience that two is company, three is insanity!

But it is really six Rushie turned two in January and I had him since he was ten weeks old. The others I had since birth save a six wee stint that Tori had at my brother's.

You can do it, and it can be an excellent thing for both you and the dogs, but you have to be committed.

My next puppy will be an only, well probably will be an only, I HOPE will be an ONLY.

In a lot of ways I think two are better than a solitary dog. A solitary dog is fine if someone is home 24/7. I think that two dogs is better for most of us, and having them both as puppies at the same time presents challenges, and will likely mean a double whammy at the end of life. But who cares if the pup bonds with the other pup? None of mine prefer their fellows to me. It is not like they will gang up and eat me someday. (They will work together to drive me insane though.)

The big thing is patience. You have to have plenty of it for one puppy. You need at least double for two. Not that many people have an overage of patience these days. They want that burger and fries waiting for them when they swerve through the drive through. And if you have a short fuse, forget it. Two puppies will be a real problem.

 

[Barb E]

Originally Posted By: selzerIn a lot of ways I think two are better than a solitary dog. A solitary dog is fine if someone is home 24/7.

So you think Dante is unhappy, abused or neglected since I work full time?

 

[onyx'girl]

I adopted Kacie at a year and a half when Onyx was 5 mos. Kacie is a very stable girl for an abandoned, not knowing anything about her background(except age). I think is was a good fit for us, as Kacie helped Onyx in her training and socializing. The girls are bonded, I think Onyx likes Kacie more than the other way around :/But they both always want to be with me and the family more than anything. I didn't have many problems, but do regret not giving Onyx more one on one time. I did take them to training class separately, but walk them together, with no problems. Onyx has gone thru a fear aggressive time, and now seems to have outgrown it, she is doing very well. Our next big test will be at the vet for a heartworm/allergy blood draw, I have to take them at the same time, as it is far away(gas$$$$$$$$) and the appts. are hard to get in late afternoon. I think it is easier having more than one dog, but not the same age.

 

[novarobin]

They are Cavalier King Charles. Quite a departure from GSDs I know, but as I mentioned, I find that there are so many people here willing to answer questions.

His last dog was a male, not sure what he is looking for this time around.

I think his biggest reason is for the companionship. I think he wants them to get along like my boys do (I already noted the age difference in mine).

Thanks for all the answers. I will pass it all along to him.

 

[pupresq]

Well, if he's going to do it, that's not a terrible breed to try it with. Most of them have extremely sweet personalities. Still not recommended - better to space them a couple years and there's the danger of leaning too hard on them being companions for each other and not doing the human-dog bonding. But at least it's not nearly as dangerous an idea as with GSDs or another large and/or high energy breed.

 

[doggiedad]

i think it's easier to train one dog/pup then get another one but only after the first one is trained. wait a year or two.