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Originally Posted by Rosiegirl  Our big dogs who are 7 years old now were brought home about 2 weeks apart from each other (different breeds and sexes) They are so attatched to one other, like soul mates. We got our little pom. and 1 year later got out Yorkie, they are very close but not like those big dogs are. Overall though I really only would have pairs of dogs, it would be fine to space them out a little if you want but it is so much easier to know that they have one another and can play/sleep together anytime. I would not be interrested to have a single dog without another daog to bond with. All of my dogs love us humans very much too, I don't feel like they should only be attatched to people. I really believe in pairs. |
A trainer on another forum I belong to pointed out that attachment between two littermates or puppies the same age really isn't healthy. They can have extreme separation anxiety when one is at the vet's or if you lose one before the other one. The only way to overcome this unhealthy bond is to make sure they learn to be separate early on - different crates for sleeping, separate puppy classes, solo outings for socialization. Obviously, this is a lot of work.
Waiting about a year, until the older puppy is fully trained (housebreaking, socialization & manners) is an ideal time. The puppy can learn from the good example of the older puppy plus they are still close enough in age to bond with each other.