# Is getting 2 puppies a bad idea?



## zellyuk (Feb 22, 2011)

Hi all! 

My partner and I are currently looking for our first dog! Its been a long time coming and we are both excited to start our canine family.

Having grown up with working cocker spaniels, I would love to have a blue roan, while my partner has his heart set on a golden retriever. 

During our search we have been fortunate enough to find 2 good breeders who have litters due at the same time. Would it be completely wrong to get both puppies? We plan to have both dogs in the end anyway.

having read some discussion on the web I hear a lot of people saying its a very bad idea. The thing is, my partner works from home and I don't work, so we have plenty of time to dedicate to our dogs. We are both young and active so have all the energy etc to give to them.

My main concern would be to cause problems between the 2 dogs. I've read about pack mentality and that it can cause major problems between the dogs and with how they act to us etc.

We thought about getting one and then in a year when its trained etc, introduce the other one?

any help would be greatly appreciated! 

Zelly


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## wvasko (Dec 15, 2007)

Bad idea, get one 1st and handle that, 2 pups could be one step the other side of insanity. Your one pup and wait yr is much better plan.


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## RRM_Mom08 (May 5, 2008)

Getting 2 puppies at the same time can be a bit of a challenge ...But getting one first and waiting for a bit and getting your second can make for a much easier time for both you and the dogs


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## Labmom4 (Feb 1, 2011)

I wouldnt worry about a pack mentality; I'd worry for your sanity  I cant even imagine having 2 puppies at the same time. Might not be too bad when they're very young, but when they hit their adolescent, rebellious phase....Oh Lordie!!


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## wvasko (Dec 15, 2007)

Labmom4 said:


> I wouldnt worry about a pack mentality; I'd worry for your sanity  I cant even imagine having 2 puppies at the same time. Might not be too bad when they're very young, but when they hit their adolescent, rebellious phase....Oh Lordie!!


Definitely, sanity is the big problem. They look small and cute and cuddly but they are just devils in disguise.


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## hanksimon (Mar 18, 2009)

I'll take a step further:
1. If these are your first puppies, then it's much easier to train one at a time, then get the second about 6 mos - 1 year later.
2. The older, trained dog will help with training the younger dog. And, you'll be able to learn from your mistakes.
3. In addition, I suggest that you go with the Golden first, because those are some of the easiest, most forgiving dogs to train.
First time owners can learn a lot by training a Golden ... and sometimes you get a do-over when you make a mistake...
4. Socialized Goldens get along with almost everyone... and they're born very social, so new puppy introductions are easy.


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## Elana55 (Jan 7, 2008)

*Is getting 2 puppies a bad idea?*

In a word, YES it is a BAD IDEA. 

It makes housetraining MUCH harder (one pee'sin the house... the other smells it and says, Oh it is ok to pee in the house and so forth) and the puppies tend to bond to each other and not to you as their people.


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## aero4ever (Jan 18, 2007)

I've actually had two puppies at one time (although they were a few months apart). It is really challenging to train 2 puppies at the same time. They are easily distracted anyway, but to have another dog around is that much harder. But one other problem is that fact that they will age together as well. Even though one of my dogs is only 4 and the other two are only 5 (and I pray for many more good years), I worry about when they get older and their health starts to fade. Because they are close in age and size, the likelyhood of them passing close together is a grim reality.


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## lil_fuzzy (Aug 16, 2010)

My poodle x came from a guy who got her and her brother at the same time, and they are both wonderful, sociable and well behaved dogs. So it can be done.

But if you've never had a puppy before, you're in for a bit of a shock even with just one. They act as if they are on speed, they take up nearly all your time and attention all day for months. If you have had a puppy before and you know what's involved, and you think you can handle two of them at the same time, then all good. You'd need to work out some type of schedule and stick with it tho, get into a good routine right from the start.

Remember that the puppies should be socialised and trained separately, so you'll need to spend twice the amount of time on those things.

And I don't quite agree that an older dog helps train a younger dog. It helps with socialising the puppy definitely, my adult dog loves people, and the first time someone came to the door a few days after I got the puppy he was a bit apprehensive, but then my adult dog ran to the door and was all excited, and the puppy then decided to join in and copied her excitement, and he has been fine ever since. But my older dog has had no impact on training or housetraining the puppy.


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## Northern_Inuit_Luv (Aug 26, 2009)

Generally speaking: bad idea.

If one gets in trouble, it means that the other is probably right behind ready to copy.
When potty training, unless you see it, you won't know who is having a problem...and trying to teach two to do it at the same time is extremely difficult. And what if they happen to be "recyclers" and eat each others poo before you notice they've done something? Then you have to deal with tummy upsets.
If they both develop health problems, its twice the expense (I think this would be more of an issue if you were getting two of the same litter...but just think if they both come down with something at the same time, a puppy's first year is expensive even without dealing with added illnesses)
If you are planning on crate training at night or during the day, they feed off each other and are twice as noisey for twice as long.

Over the summer, our rescue adopted out two puppies together...they are both coming back to us at 8 months because they are having tummy problems that are getting expensive, still having issues with potty training, and they do what puppies do best: destroying things. The woman finally said that she has had enough and wants them both to go....I was against her getting two from the beginning, but I do wonder if things would have turned out differently if she only had one to deal with. We tried to talk her into keeping just one, but she won't have it. 

Also, don't forget that most dogs go through a "teenage" stage around 2-3 years of age where they seem to "forget" that they've had any training. You don't want to deal with two dogs going through that at the same time...trust me.

I think the only time that two puppies work out is when someone has had LOTS of experience raising puppies and also has an older dog to help model the "proper" manners.


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## LazyGRanch713 (Jul 22, 2009)

I wait years between dogs, because I always am fearful that (way down the road) the two will age at the same time and I will stand the chance of losing BOTH my dogs within a *very* short time period. It's hard enough losing one, I like to minimize my chances of losing two at the same time as much as I can. (Another factor: dogs are more expensive as they age with senior care, etc...times one it's a lot, but times two it's 4 times as much lol)


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## jencandy (Feb 24, 2011)

Unless one of you is a professional dog trainer (which I'm assuming is not the case) I would never recommend getting 2 dogs at once. And even for a dog trainer, that seems crazy. Lol. I love training puppies, they're new minds waiting to be molded, but I wouldn't get them any closer than a few months apart. My most recent pup was potty trained almost instantly, we only had 3 accidents (which we human error), but I don't think it would have been so easy had there been another puppy. They want to constantly play with each other, which would make getting them to focus on training that much more difficult. 
Id say definately wait until you have the first one trained.


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## bartleby (Aug 18, 2010)

We had a pair of litter mate girls years ago, and I've got a pair of adolescent boys now. In some ways it's easier to have two, and in some ways it's harder. Where it's easier is that the pups provide companionship to each other and take some of the demand off you. The girls never cried in the night because they always had each other. (The first boy did, but that's because I started with him separately.) I've never had problems with one of my dogs being mouthy with me. I reprimand the pup at the first attempt. The pup gives a doggy shrug and goes of to maul the other puppy instead. It's easier to discourage bad behavior when you can provide an appropriate outlet for the behavior instead. 
Where it's harder is that every problem comes in doubles. Bored puppies tag team their mischief: you'll have pillows shredded in tug-'o-war bouts, an entire closet emptied of its shoes, etc. You really can't train two dogs together effectively, especially putting the basics on them in the first few weeks of puppyhood. You HAVE to make time to separate them and work them individually. That's a lot of extra time. Expenses are double too. Two pups to the vet, two pups outgrowing their harnesses and collars at the same time, two pup to obedience classes, etc.
As far as bonding issues go, I think it depends on the dogs. Our girl dogs got along ok, but they didn't really dote on each other. We added more dogs to the household later, and they were just as happy to hang out with their new pack mates instead of each other. My boys, however, adore and depend on each other. They sleep cuddled up together. They stick together when I let them run loose with other dogs. I think I'll have some problems if I have to separate them for any reason, like an overnight at the vets.


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## jesirose (Mar 27, 2008)

jencandy said:


> And even for a dog trainer, that seems crazy.


Agreed. I'm a trainer, and I wouldn't do two at once. Wait until at least a year, or two.


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