Getting 2 pups at once - opinions?
 

Hi

I am thinking of getting a new pup, and was thinking 2 might be better company for each other.

If getting 2:
Are they better to be very similiar in age, and get the both at the same time, or leave it a few months between getting each one?
Are they best out of same litter or different litters?
Best getting same sex or different sex?

Thanks

i got my first two yorkies only a few days apart. i got a boy and girl :) they were not littermates and they did not come from the same breeder

the girl was older (she was around 13 weeks and the boy was around 9 weeks). oh my gosh, they grew up so nicely together and had so much fun. they played, snuggled, did everything together. i do not regret doing it this way at all

the only "negatives" i can think of are:

1. it was harder to potty train because if i did not catch them in the act, i did not know which one did it. which means i did not know which one needed to be watched more :p

2. all their vetting is really close together which means double the cost. now that i have more babies, the newer ones are spaced out more. but the vetting at the beginning was pretty costly because there were two of them needing the same things

i have read that people worry that the babies will bond more with each other than to their humans if you get them at the same time but i never found that to be the case with mine. they love both me and my fiance :)

good luck with whichever you choose!!

I was watching an episode of 'It's me or the dog' where she said that it's not a good idea to get 2 puppies who are littermates because they fight more. I don't have experience with this but it was definitely true for the 2 in that episode!

Yes they will keep eachother company....

I have had littermates since the day they were born, so they grew up together. I kept a boy and a girl, and they have always played together. Sure they have "sibling rivalry" when they both want the same toy, but they are so good together. They love tug-o-war! I would definately do it again.

Two puppies raised together will often bond more tightly with each other than with the human members of the house, especially if the pups are from the same litter. Experienced show breeders, who often "grow out" a pair of promising puppies, routinely get around this problem by sending one of the youngsters to be raised by another breeder.
House-training can be a challenge with two puppies because one may not get the concept as quickly as the other. Fresh messes from the one who's not getting it may prompt backsliding in the other pup. Obedience training and all-important socialization can also be hard, since you have to find the time to work with each puppy individually.
If you really do have time for a dog and wish to have two dogs more or less "instantly," I'd recommend adopting two adults.
Rescue groups and shelters often have dogs that were abandoned together and would be heartbroken if split up. These pairs are already companionable and can help keep each other company during the time you're away. Puppies are wonderful, but there's a lot to be said about skipping those crazy first months of their lives. For many families, an adult dog is flat-out a better match.

HI, We have littermates. The difference being I got the girl in Jan and the boy the end of Feb. the original buyer returned him, so we decided to just get him too. He has calmed his sister down so she is not so nippy and they have a blast and get along great. They even sleep together, ontop of eachother, head to head and every other position you can imagine. They truly love each other. It is more $$ for shots etc, but hopefully after they are both fixed the spending will slow down. This is the second time I have had siblings and actually I like it that way.. Good Luck... Sharon, PIXI & SPIKE.. 17 weeks old.

It's generally not a good idea to get two puppies at the same time.

Here are a couple of good articles on the subject:

Think twice before getting 2 puppies - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Two Puppies or One? - VeterinaryPartner.com - a VIN company!

Thanks, these articles were very informative. Definitely ruled out the same litter, definitely going for different sexes, was already slightly concerned about the training issue, so might wait 6-12months between them.

Ive got 2 that are 1 month apart in age. They are a male and a female we got the male 1st. It worked out for me having 2 puppies. It wasnt hard to train Chachi at all. Now Jewels was more difficult but we did do it. Mine aRE very close and protective of each other. They are also close to Me and My Husband though

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.