# Obedience and Crate training for multiple puppies?



## Bad Haggis (Dec 13, 2010)

My wife and I are not new dog owners, but after losing our 12 year old dachshund this fall, we've decided we want a pair of new doxie puppies.

Just had a couple questions.

1. I'm a little apprehensive about paying for obedience classes for two puppies when the prupose of the class is to train me on how to train the puppies. Do trainers usually charge per person or per dog? I'm fairly certain I could train them without the class, but I would like for them to get some socializing done as well. Or is there a need for socializing when there are multiple dogs living together?

2. When crate training, do I need a separate crate for each puppy, or do I need to get one crate with room for both?

We've been talking with a breeder that should have a litter being born this week, so I'm sure I'll have several questions between now and time to bring them home. Thanks in advance for any and all advice.


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## Elana55 (Jan 7, 2008)

The reason for puppy class is for the puppies to learn about being out and about with other dogs around. It is called "socializing" tho the dogs don't socialize in an immediate contact interactive way. 

Separate crates and separate so they cannot see each other. Two puppies will bond to each other and not to their owners and that can make interaction and training a real up hill battle. At times each dog should be taken somewhere separate from the other dog and worked separately. The point is to allow the two puppies to interact with each other but get them to bond to YOU. In all reality I would highly recommend ONE puppy and not two. After two years, get the second puppy. 

I am taking my 6 mos old puppy to beginner obedience class. I can train her to do all the things in that class. What I cannot do is take her out and routinely expose her to other dogs in close proximity in a situation where she needs to focus on me. The class helps with that. It helps me to guage her ability to focus on me as well.

PS: I don't want any bad haggis. Yikes.


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## Keechak (Aug 10, 2008)

Bad Haggis said:


> My wife and I are not new dog owners, but after losing our 12 year old dachshund this fall, we've decided we want a pair of new doxie puppies.
> 
> Just had a couple questions.
> 
> ...


1. My training club only charges per person/family that wants to train there, but some training clubs are different.

2. you need seperate crates, The puppies should spend as much time away from each other as they do with each other.


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## Bad Haggis (Dec 13, 2010)

One more question.

I am going to take 2 weeks off work when we bring the puppies home so I can get a good start on housebreaking.

After that 2 weeks, though, I'm not sure what I need to do with them during the day. We will leave the house around 7 AM after letting them go out and a little play time. I will be able to come home on my Lunch break around 11 AM to eat/go out/play then leave again at Noon and will be back again at 4 PM to eat/go out/play.

My concern is keeping them crated during the day after being crated all night.

Our previous dachshund was not crate trained, but we kept her confined to our kitchen using baby gates, leaving her a dog bed and toys and an area with newspapers in case she had to go before we could get home and take her out. This worked out OK, but she would have accidents in the house outside of the kitchen from time to time and we never felt like she got 100% potty trained.

Would it be ok to crate them at night, then during the day leave their crate doors open and some newspaper down in the confined kitchen?


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## RedyreRottweilers (Dec 17, 2006)

I would VERY STRONGLY encourage you NOT to get 2 puppies at the same time. If you separate them by at LEAST 6 months, you will not be crate and basic training them at the same time.


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## Cracker (May 25, 2009)

I agree with the others. Two puppies is one too much. So many things can go wrong. A responsible breeder is one who wouldn't let you take two littermates, really. Either way, depending on how old the puppies are when you get them, four or five hours crated til lunch time is likely way too long to expect them to hold their bladders...I highly recommend looking into having a dogwalking service that does "puppy visits" stop by, take them out of a pee or poo, reward them and then have a short play session, pee again and back in the crate. Puppy visits are often less $ than full walking services.

I wouldn't worry about the long crating (night and day) as long as you are able to work and play with the puppies inbetween. Puppies need lots of sleep and management/supervision is key to prevention of behaviour issues, property damage and housetraining. If the pups are supplied with stuffed kongs while crated and are getting lots of interaction the rest of the time, crating should not be an issue. They are safer in their crates. 

As for the classes, I recommend taking both, getting the family involved, sitting away from each other in class etc. Yes the classes are essentially for the humans who don't know what to do or how to react but they are also critically important for socialization to people and to other dogs and for learning to work under distractions. And both puppies need to be socialized Separately to the world, to other dogs and to to people. This means walking them separately for the first four months or more as well. 

Two puppies at once is ten times the work.


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## Elana55 (Jan 7, 2008)

For every month of age a puppy can hold it for 1 hour. Small dogs less. 

So at 8 weeks we are talking no more than 2 hours and for a small dog like this probably an hour and a half. 

And, as I said at the get go.. only get one puppy.


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## Bad Haggis (Dec 13, 2010)

After doing some more reading, I think I will just get 1 puppy. However, I really would like to get a second at some point. Is there a length of time recommended for doing so? Anything special that would need to be done?


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## Horseshoe (Nov 10, 2010)

Great advise so far and I will also say PLEASE only get 1 puppy at a time. It will be so much easier and less stress on you and the pup if there is only 1. Maybe you were thinking "oh they'll keep each other company while at work and then me and the wife can each have one". My husband and his ex did that years ago and he said it about drove him nuts, and he is really a good dog person. 

I just got a pup several weeks ago and I have 4 others, I use the older ones to teach her. I also breed and have kept a couple at a time, its a full time job with 2 pups. They will bond to each other quick if your not real careful about keeping them apart...so if you have to do that why get 2? You and your wife could have fun with the one and when he get older and is fully house trained/obedience trained then get another pup and use him to help.


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## Bad Haggis (Dec 13, 2010)

Horseshoe said:


> Great advise so far and I will also say PLEASE only get 1 puppy at a time. It will be so much easier and less stress on you and the pup if there is only 1. Maybe you were thinking "oh they'll keep each other company while at work and then me and the wife can each have one". My husband and his ex did that years ago and he said it about drove him nuts, and he is really a good dog person.
> 
> I just got a pup several weeks ago and I have 4 others, I use the older ones to teach her. I also breed and have kept a couple at a time, its a full time job with 2 pups. They will bond to each other quick if your not real careful about keeping them apart...so if you have to do that why get 2? You and your wife could have fun with the one and when he get older and is fully house trained/obedience trained then get another pup and use him to help.


Yep, I think that's what we'll do.

We don't have children, and we loved having one dachshund so much, we just naturally assumed that two would be all the more to love. I didn't realize though that trying to train two at the same time would be exponentially more difficult. We're going to get one and get her all trained up, then add the second later.

Now comes the fight on which one we get first. She wants a black & tan, and I want a red.


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## RedyreRottweilers (Dec 17, 2006)

My best advice, let her have her way. Your life will be much better. LOL


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## Elana55 (Jan 7, 2008)

Redyre said to wait until the first pup is at least 6 months old. I think for most people waiting until the first pup is 2 works better. By then training is fairly solid and you know all there is to know about what you are in for with the NEXT puppy. 

My dog is coming 4 and the puppy is 6 months. This is working fairly well tho I do at times wish I had put a CDX on Atka before the puppy.. but the puppy came along and I know her dam and the breeder and... well... they can't have her back now!!!!


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## RedyreRottweilers (Dec 17, 2006)

The other thing to consider is what will be happening 10 or 12 years down the line. A couple or a few years separation can be a very good idea.


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## DJEtzel (Dec 28, 2009)

RedyreRottweilers said:


> The other thing to consider is what will be happening 10 or 12 years down the line. A couple or a few years separation can be a very good idea.


Absolutely. Dealing with two senior dogs can be hard on your emotions, theirs, and your wallet. 2 blood tests, surgeries, etc. in theory. They will die in a closer timeframe and you will be hurting x2. If one dies, the other being so close in age and spending so much time with it will likely become depressed as well. 

Have you thought about purchasing this puppy, raising it for a year or two, then adopting an older rescue? You could potentially have a vetted, semi-trained dog whose behavior/temperment you are familiar with prior to adoption which would be easier than raising two puppies. You could adopt the older one while your puppy is still younger (a year or less, assuming proper training is taking place and you have the time) and you won't have to worry about them being close in age as far as getting into the older years goes.


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## Horseshoe (Nov 10, 2010)

I guess if you want red and she wants blk/tan...you could flip a coin...LOL. Just kidding. I wouldn't think about color at this point. Meet with your breeder, tell the her exactly what you want in a puppy, even down to the personality...she'll know the pups well, then meet the pups...go through the puppy test with each one the breeder thinks will be best for you. Color is just icing on the cake!! Happy puppy hunting.


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