It may be that breeders/members "rule of thumb" but it's not a rule of thumb for all breeders. As a breeder you have to be sure the new family that wants to adopt siblings has the time and resources to take care of both dogs. Puppies can be a lot of work and it's doubled (or tripled) when adopting siblings. It's harder to watch the puppies to make sure they are both eating, both staying out of trouble, and watch for potty training mistakes. It seems like puppies can potty at the drop of a hat and if you miss them making a mistake it can reinforce that it's ok to potty in the house. Others have talked about bonding being more difficult and that can be true but can be worked on by giving both puppies individual time and attention. Socialization work is also doubled because you have to take the puppies out and about on their own too so they don't always rely on their sibling for comfort and security. Some families may do ok with all this extra work but it takes a lot of work to do it correctly and to the benefit of the puppies. Some breeders may prefer to not let puppies go to the same family at the same time because they want the best for their puppies. Other breeders feel comfortable allowing this because they have fully checked out the family and have spent enough time talking to the family that they understand the extra work involved and they are committed to doing the best for both puppies.
Teresa |