2 Puppies?

[MCALVO]

hello out there! does anyone have any info on bringing home and raising two puppies concurrently? My family and I are planning on recieving two female puppies one white and a brindle. Most the posts I have read on rearing multiple dogs have had one adult or semi adult dog and a puppy. Besides the obvious doubling up on care and maintenance is there anything I need to be aware of? Any advise will be greatly appreciated. Thanks very much.

 

[YourFriendDeb]

For what its worth...my husband and I were going to get two puppies...a male boxer (which we got) and a female Rottweiler. We were advised against getting two dogs the same age (as puppies) because eventually they will fight for dominance and it might get ugly. There can be only one alpha dog. How much truth this has...I'm not sure.

Two puppies at once are going to be a HANDFUL! Good luck to you..whatever you decide!

 

[Tulsa-Dan]

All multi dog homes have issues of dominance. That is inevitable with pack animals such as dogs. I personally think raising two pups would be easier than introducing an older or younger dog into an established household. Just my opinion however and isn't backed up by any evidence other than my own. I had a pup and then brought in a 2 year old rescue, both females. No significant problems. Of course, they do work out their own dominance stuff. I only intervene if it gets out of hand and they don't stop on their own. But usually, they snarl, snap and posture a lot, but no biting or real fighting, then they both just stop, shake and go get another toy.

If they are littermates, chances are they may have already worked out their roles in terms of dominance by the time you get them.

I wouldn't worry about it too much, regardless of what "they" say. "They" told me I shouldn't have two females in the same house either, but I'm not having any problems with that either.

If you give you dogs lots of love, attention and the proper training (I recommend "The Culture Clash" by Jean Donaldson), you should have very few problems and two wonderful loving dogs.

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[Claudia807]

I don't suppose that a male/female combination might be available instead? Inter-bitch aggression is not uncommon in Boxers, even those that have been raised together. On the other hand, I think there would be benefits to raising two Boxers together. With a sibling there for wrestling purposes, energy levels are kept in check, therefore aiding in you keeping your sanity.

 

[Krikkit]

We have two littermates (male and female), now a bit over two, and raising littermates or even just two puppies is not for the faint hearted. There is double trouble with normal puppy stuff. You also have to really watch that the puppies do not get overbonded to eachother - they need to be seperated for periods of time every day or they will suffer Seperation Anxiety. It is much better to get them functioning as individuals when they are young as overbonded littermates are very difficult (and, at times, downright unpleasent) to deal with. They also need to learn that humans can be as much fun as brother or sister, so seperate training sessions are a good idea, seperate walks, seperate games etc are good for their (and your) long term mental health. I would not recommend littermates or two puppies to novice dog owners and would recommend anyone experienced think twice about it. We adore Ruben and Amy, they are fine, work and function as seperate individuals and are wonderful to live with - but never again would we consider raising littermates or two puppies at once - it was simply much more work and we had to pay much more attention to their needs as individuals so they would each develop into a well balanced adult dog - and not as enjoyable as showering attention on one baby. Just thought I'd throw in the down side for consideration

Sharon

 

[Sabrina Jay]

The best combination is male/female, as you will have less chance of a dominance issue. But, alot depends on the dogs themselves. If they have the *pack order* established between them, and the other one decides not to try to challenge, then any combination will work. But.....that is IF.

I have 2 bitches (littermate sisters) that are 5 years old. They have their pack order established (Laci is the alpha), and Mitzi has NEVER tried to challenge her. In fact, they will STILL eat out of the same bowls with no problem. That will change if Mitzi ever decides to challenge Laci. And yes, 2 puppies are TONS AND TONS of work!!

I kept 2 puppies from my last litter for showing.....a male and a female. Again, TONS AND TONS of work, but I haven't had a domiance issue problem with them either. Jasper lets his sister beat him up all the time! LOL (Of course they are playing).

I currently have 3 males and 3 females at my house. All the females are OVER my males. As previously stated, Laci is the alpha (pack leader) at my house.

I have been lucky that I haven't had any *pack order issues*.
Sure, mine have had their minor squabbles, as children do.

If the puppies you are looking at are BOTH dominate, it will NOT work. If one of the puppies is OK with not being the alpha, then you will be ok.

Just remember........2 puppies are double the *trouble* LOL and double the work, and double the expenses.

 

[PawPrintBoxers]

I would not do 2 puppies

My opinion of having 2 puppies at the same time has nothing to do with aggression. It has to do with training. 1 puppy is a heck of a lot of work. It is better to train a new puppy, one on one. You can bring another puppy into the home at 6 months after you have started off the first one. You will find it much easier when you bring in a 2nd pup after the first one is trained. They pretty much just follow the older one and do it right

 

[kassa]

I have to agree with Christina -- it's tons of
work -- far more work than just double.

Some people manage just fine, but do consider
it carefully.

Scenario: The pups are loose in the living room
and playing. One starts to sniff. You know you
have to watch for this sort of behavior so you
jump up to grab the puppy and get it outdoors
before the inevitable happens. As you raise
the pup into the air, the other puppy gleefully
starts whizzing away.

Unless you only let them out separately, or always
have two people paying exclusive attention to
a pup each when they're loose, it's going to happen,
and it's going to take longer to housebreak because
of it.

And each dog has its individual elimination habits.
Many have never read the book that says they
need to go out immediately after eating, playing,
and sleeping. One of my pair needed to go out
5 minutes after eating, and one needed to go
out 15 minutes after. (You do have to go out with them
when you're housebreaking to make sure they go)
It was winter. One needed to go at 1 a.m. -- the other
not for 20 minutes after that. You have to work
around an individual pup's bladder control, and if the
pups are not on the same schedule, you can easily
lose twice the sleep you'd lose with one. This leads,
among other things, to impatience and all sorts of
other unhappiness.

Veterinary/start up costs in the first year are high, even if
the pups are perfectly healthy. Two puppy kindergartens,
etc. etc. -- and again, do you have two adults ready to
each take a pup to class and work with them separately
each day?

There are positive aspects of having two, but I think
it is far more work than the average pet owner is
up to, and I personally will try to never attempt it
again

 

[Marisue Zorens]

There is a solution to the inter- female aggression problem: have the pups spayed. Since you would not be breeding the white anyway, you would want to do this for her. Unless you are planning to breed, this is the most responsible thing to do, not only for reducing aggression but controlling the puppy population and preventing diseases like mammary and ovarian cancer.
As for the training issue I agree it would be a lot more work and everyone will tell you what a bad idea it is, but I say, what the heck, sometimes you just have to do the foolish thing and follow your heart. I think it's worth the extra trouble sometimes! They will also be double the love and double the fun!

 

[Lava Linda]

Gilroy was about 4 months old when I brought Purdy home as a 7 week old pup. I feel that it was a good situation. I went through a couple years of puppy stuff, but after that, enjoyed two stable, compatible dogs for the last 4-5 years. They get along famously, and almost share the dominance. Gilroy is the boss by name, but if it comes right down to it, Purdy is the tougher of the two. If a wrestling match turns into a snarling match, Gilroy gives way immediately, but Purdy defers to him when it comes to eating.

I love having a stable pair, and wouldn't have it any other way. They keep each other company, so I don't feel guilty leaving them home "alone" all day.

(Gilroy and Purdy did have one litter of puppies, which I'm sure affected their bonding.)