Bringing two puppies home can almost always cause something known as littermate syndrome. When you get puppies from the same litter, they've already bonded with each other, says certified canine trainer and behaviorist Susie Aga, owner of Atlanta Dog Trainer. So it's very difficult for them to bond with you. Most training professionals strongly recommend not adopting two puppies at the same time.
The biggest challenge of adopting two new puppies is their tendency to bond very closely with each other, often excluding a meaningful relationship with their humans. In addition, owners often underestimate the time commitment required to properly care for and train two puppies; as a result, puppies often end up untrained and poorly socialized. Raising two puppies at the same time is much more work than just one. However, if done correctly, you can double your puppy's pleasure.
Two puppies can play together, but they are also likely to bond so strongly that they can't tolerate being apart and don't bond with their humans. Puppies have to learn to be alone to avoid developing separation anxiety, but this is difficult with the constant presence of another puppy. They will need to have their own box for the night and for when you are away, train separately, and have separate game schedules and walks. Tracerobbo, in general we want to leave out as many toys as possible.
Taking other people's toys in general is just what dogs do, whatever you do, a puppy will always want the other's toy. As long as they don't get into serious fights and you don't see excessive abusive behavior, it should be okay. Of course, limit play time to a few times a day, as puppies also need to learn to play with you and bond with you. Two puppies can select two different corners of the pen as designated potty spots, doubling the chances of pooping.
Allow your puppies to establish their relationship, but intervene if one of them becomes too dominant. So if you're going to do what Cindy and I are doing (raising 3 puppies at the same time), you'd better go out and buy three dog cages and expect to spend a lot of one-on-one time with your puppies. Training and socializing two puppies separately is a big commitment and, as a result, puppies raised together often end up untrained and poorly socialized. We took them out to the potty separately, tried to feed them separately (the previous owners fed all the puppies from the same bowl, so this has been a bit difficult), and tonight they sleep in separate rooms.
Those who commit to raising a pair of littermates should ensure that puppies spend significant portions of each day apart so that each learns to be alone, a key lesson in any well-thought-out puppy program. One of the main problems that sibling puppy owners have to deal with is the disadvantage of puppies getting too close together. One of the problems with having two puppies is that they are almost always linked to each other and often very little to humans in the household. Of course there are exceptions, but I would say that most shelters in the United States now have no problem placing most, if not all, of the puppies they receive.
However, those who are determined enough, have a lot of patience, experience and time to raise each puppy individually can raise two well-behaved puppies who will ultimately be able to grow to their full potential or at least very close to it. While most new puppy owners seem to recognize that a puppy is enough responsibility for them, a number fall prey to one of the few common arguments as to why two puppies might be better than one. Think about this, if you're too busy for a puppy, you'll definitely be too busy for 2 puppies. If you are buying a puppy from a breeder who recommends having two puppies, look for another breeder.
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