Do you think dogs benefit better from being brought up on their own or with another dog in the family ??
( and is it better to be the same breed or different but similiar?)
Lel

I think a solo dog often gets a lot more human attention than when there are more - (it's easier to take just one dog about with you etc), and are often better trained simply because they have more time devoted to them, but I also think they lose out on the dog interaction side of it - it must get quite lonely never being able to communicate properly (anthropomorphism here!). I'd say never get two from the same litter, or the same age from different litters, but when the first one is trained then a second one seems to make the first happier. In my experience, anyway!

HI Lel,
Well I've had 2 pups from different litters at the same time and being at home all day have found that they keep each other occupied,teach each other that it hurts when they bite,curl up to sleep together at night with no crying.
I've also had a few people buy two pups of different sexes from me, from the same litter and they've never had a problem either, and have said that they would always have 2 together cos it's easier in a lot of ways.
House training and basic obedience training though is harder with two.
I've also run a brother and sister on from my litters a couple of times and they now live together no problem,as do many breeders.
So there's a different prospective for you :D
Tracey

I have two dogs from the same litter a brother and sister and have had no problems.

I also have friends who have two (neutered ) brothers from the same litter who live together quite happily and have had no problems.

I have heard the arguments for not taking two pups from the same litter & granted two pups do take an awful lot of work far more than one pup and no doubt there could be problems but this has not been my experience.

I have heard that two bitches could be a problem though but I cannot speak from personal experience.

I would say that taking on sibblings is not something that a first time dog owner should ever consider but if you are already an experienced owner and are prepared to put in a lot of hard work then I am probably one of the few here who would say yeah, go for it if that's what you want but then I'm only speaking from personal experience.

The benefits to the dogs by way of companionship is in my view a good thing.

Also contrary to some advice they do learn off each other which can be a help rather than a hinderance when training for example, you can play one off against the other by rewarding one for good behaviour but not the other ... it's amazing how quickly they catch on !

I give them lots of individual attention, regularly separate them for walks etc to avoid any separation anxiety problems and make sure they know that I am the top dog and what I say is law, it works fine.

They love each others company and eat, sleep & play together just like any other two dogs kept together.

I'm not saying they don't have the occassional go at each other because they do, but one word from me and it stops and it's no more than any other two dogs living together and quickly forgotten about as they curl up together again.

If anyone doubts that this can work out, checkout the pictures on my web site in my profile.

Fablab you have hit the proverbial nail on the head there,it all boils down to experience. I would never let first time owners have 2 from the same litter,99% of the time it is a recipe for disaster as they just can`t cope.One puppy proves daunting for a lot of first time owners no matter how many diet/care sheets you send them off with! I have lost sales on more than one occassion because of this but the puppies welfare and future wellbeing is more important and as those first few weeks are so very important in a puppy`s life I would rather that they were not with someone who couldn`t cope with 2 boisterous pups letting them get away with all the naughty things that puppies do,wrong footing them for the rest of their lives.
I always tell people one at a time is best for them and the pup,train it well and the second one will be a doddle in most cases as you have an `in house nanny`to help train the new baby.

Tiggey, that's a very responsible attitude to take.

It is way to easy to underestimate how much time and effort two pups take to look after !

You need eyes in the back, side top, bottom & front of your head to make sure they are not up to mischief & safe as typically they will both walk off in opposite directions to investigate things. (someone else on this thread has already alluded to this).

The thought of a first time owner taking on two pups together makes me cringe, I reckon it would be a sure fire way to put them off dogs for life ! :)

I know that many breeders (and it is their perogative) will not even sell two pups from the same litter to experienced owners. I sometimes think this is a bit of a shame in the right circumstances, because I believe there can be benefits from keeping two littermates together and they could often end up leading better lives than those placed separately but still, I respect the breeders right to do so.

My breeder was fantastic, we were in regular contact even before her bitch was mated, she had our full background details, knew we were previous Lab owners and had researched the two pups issue and was happy enough at the end of the day to let us have two pups.
I'm still in regular contact with her and she receives updates on the pups progress almost weekly which is great.... and guess where they'll be going their holidays ? :)

I just don't like the idea of people thinking placing pups from the same litter in the same home can never work, because we have seen on this thread quite a few examples where it has, albeit with the caveat that it can be VERY hard work !

I agree Fablab. I have my own set of rules when homing my pups. The usual not working full time, no children under 5, not 2 from the same litter, fenced garden etc. But after my first set of questions, over the years I've learned to LISTEN to what the prospectives have to say.
I've broken my no under 5s rule twice. Both cases have worked out well because of the attitude of the parents and the children.
I've broken my not two from the same litter once, for a lady who had kept two litter brothers all her life and was then in her 60s. It worked well.
I even homed a puppy to a family in a flat, after first refusing. They had a park opposite but no garden or courtyard, but the man was prepared to cover his 16' x 10' parquet floor hallway with polythene and turf the last 6' until the pup was able to hold himself for the daily 5 trips to the park. I wouldn't be prepared to do that but the family wanted a dog so much that they were prepared to do anything to meet the dog's needs. I have had two phone calls each year for the past 7 years and everyone is very happy.
I've recently spent time in a flat in Somerset. I was originally amazed that men living on the 2nd and 3rd floors both had dogs, and one of those had come from a rescue kennel. I have a walled courtyard for my girls and wouldn't consider keeping a dog without. But I've seen both of these men walk their dogs out 4, 5, 6 times each day, even at 5am if the dog wants to go out!! Now that's commitment and to me worth more than anything when you're talking about dog ownership!

These are truly great stories Val and shows the length some people will go to look after their dogs, it restores my faith in human nature ! :)

Thank you for sharing them and I am so glad that you were prepared to look further into certain individuals circumstances when looking for pups and to break your (very sensible) rules occasionally.

Hi Lel, yes I do think an only dog will benefit having another dog around, they are pack animals after all :)
Christine, Spain.

There is just over a year between my two. We got them from different breeders and different areas and it wasn't untill we looked into their papers that we realised they are half sisters. The older one thinks she is the mum and washes the younger one (who thinks this is great). The curl up in bed together and both try to sit on my lap in the evening. There is a bit of jealousy there at times but they love each other really. I think two dogs are great but I suppose it depends on the breed and the size of your home. I never leave mine for very long at a time but I don't think it is so lonely for them. The only thing I find is when one barks it starts the other one off even though she has no idea what she's barking for. Maggie

I have 2 bitches from the same litter, i have posted threads myself on here, so if you did a search you would see some of the problems i have encountered, but i don't think my problems are due to 2 from the same litter, i very much under estimated the hard work involved with having 2 babies in the house, but they do get on extremely well together and keep each other company, we are reaching adolence with them and we all know how teenagers can be, but i'm glad i got 2..(most of the time anyway):) :) :)

We have 2 bitches from the same litter and have since had 2 boys from another litter and I have to say they all get on really well no problems at all. Its lovely when we take them all out off lead to see them running around together.They are never lonely and always seem to look out for each other.

Once we had five. Then we had none. Then we had one. One is better than none. Then we had two. Two is far, far better then one, especially when young.

Karen

What would you recommend as the best age gap ?
Pup is presently 4 and half months old and he is such a pleasure and a joy .
He is a Staffordshire and although some poeple recommend not to keep 2 together I know a number of people who have more than 2 in the home that live perfectly well together .
Do you think pup would resent a new comer into his family and would you recommend getting another while he is less than say 18 months old- or older when he is more mature ?
I dont want to breed from them and i am thinking purely on companionship on his part .
He is such a loving little thing and loves to meet new dogs and people but if he was to resent another dog into the family then obviously i wouldnt go ahead .
Also for any one with Staffys on CD would you get another Staffy or would you get another breed ?
Lel

In the past ..I got a puppy ..a planned one then a friend had a 'careless' litter and was giving them away so I took him in...they were the same age..and they were so close ..I was so sad when the second one got stolen then after a couple months the first on died of sadness ..he was never the same ..went off food ..my love was not enough for him..on the other hand if a dog does not grow up with another they will not know what they are missing ..just like an only child...I have one and have no plans to get another :)

Our five dogs were very close in age they were 2 Irish Setter dogs, an Irish bitch, Field Spaniel bitch and a Cocker bitch (the eldest), she was the boss and ruled the house with a rod of iron. When she died the others were of an age that nothing any of them done seemed to upset anyone. Never a cross word a house full of harmony. The last one to go did so because she so missed the others....the saddest day of my life. We got the new dog but soon realised that he needed the company of other dogs. When we got the new puppy Trefor was 2 years old. He is brilliant with the pup, they have been together now for 10 months and their bond is astounding. We waited because we wanted a puppy from a particular breeder but I would suggest that you get one as soon as possible. If you are not going to breed then perhaps a bitch would be better and have her spayed to prevent accidents. Staffies are brilliant dogs but two of the same sex may not be the best idea.

Karen

Don't forget gundog breeds are normally very sociable because they have to be able to get along with a variety of unknown dogs while working (and being transported round and about the shoot - often in the back of a Landrover with any number of unfamiliar dogs.....)

Hi,

I reckon the best age gap between pups, particularly for a novice dog-owner (like I used to be!:)) is to get the second pup when the first is about 5 or 6 months, providing the first is house-trained! This worked brilliantly for us, and the two girls were best friends all their lives.

People seem to have misunderstood my post about two from the same litter - my two (entire) males get on superbly well, sharing a bed, snuggling in front of the fire, licking each others ears and faces etc, and never have anything like a serious spat (and they were 3 last August). But boy, has it been hard work! Not double trouble, but trouble squared! When we came downstairs we never know which one had made a mess/chewed something, and you can't watch two pups as closely as you can one (unless you have independent eyes like a chameleon!) They would egg each other on, and for about the first 18 months they were more attached to each other than they were to us, which made training them awkward. It was only because we are used to multiple dogs in the house that we got through it - it certainly is not for the faint-hearted! :)

Edit: addition - their mum and big sister also share our house, and again, never a cross word - mum still rules the roost, although she is the smallest!

I think a two year age gap is a good one, as by then most dogs are reasonably well trained and reaching maturity, but still young enough to enjoy having a puppy around.

Another way if you aim to always have two dogs is to have a bigger age gap, about half the average lifespan, so you always have a mature adult and pup, then mature adult and veteran,a nd back to mature dog and youngster!

I think it depends on the dog but problem is you can't tell what they're going to be like b4 you get them.I would quite happily have had 2 of my oldest elkie at the same time but if I had 2 like my pup at the same time I think I would have moved out!!!
I'm desperate for another Elkie BUT with the loony still behaving like a teenage hooligan I'm gonna have to wait till later in the year by which time I hope he will have grown up a bit!!PLEASSSSSSE.
Archer.

Hi Lel,

I think with staffords it is definately best to wait for your first to be fully mature - somewhere around 2-3 years old, depending on the dog. I say this as they go through many stages, adn at the moment he is only a baby and loves everything - but he hasn't even reached the teenage testing phase, which can last for up to a year! He needs to be fully trained before you think of introducing a new pup - and staffords relish there owners company and can become jealous, so i dont think that he is missing out on anything - especially if he plays wiht other dogs a lot. Also, you will not really know how he is with other dogs until he reaches maturity, not to say that will stop you getting another dog - but you might want to think about the example he is going to set.

Also, with staffords, the closer 2 dogs living together are in age the more likely they are to fight - sad but true, but dominance issues come into it - and if there is not a significant age gap , there is no obvious candidate for top dog and they may fight until they establish this - not to mention that when established the "under" dog may at any time decide they want to be top dog.

I never thought of getting another breed than a stafford, but i waited until cleo was 3 and i knew her character inside out - and knew she would be a good role model for pup. Solo was the comlete opposite to cleo as a puppy - very naughty, testing, dominant - and i have cleo to thank for a certain amount of his character today. You will not know (as archer said) the character of your pup until he is fully mature - and make no mistake 2 dogs are definately more mischeivious than one!

HTH,
Alex

Thanks Alex
I just wanted to see what other owners thought .
I certainly wouldnt dream of getting another just yet ( pup is beautiful but hard work ) :)
I mentioned that i wouldnt want pup to feel jealous either and for now ,one is certainly quite enough- just wandered about the future -but I think you and Archer are quite right to say wait until he is older and see what he is like then .
:)
Lel

Hi Lel

As you know I have two bull Terriers. A 12 month male and a 6 month female. They love each other and would be bored sh##less on their own.
If you have a staff get another bull terrier of some sort. Bullys love their own kind as they play a bit rougher than most breeds. The 6 month age gap worked alright for me. I have them with me all day though. If I do leave them I cage them separately.

Regards Mick

Appreciate the reply Mick - thanks :)
Lel

Do you think that when you get 2 pup's together they can become to interdependant on each other, then if you have a dog and a bitch, when the bitch comes into season and they have to be separated, there is anxiaty, we have found with the 2 I got within ten day of each other, if we are out walking they keep looking round to see where the other one is when at show if the male is in the ring he look's round for the other one all the time we have had to start takeing walk's separtely. and at times let one out at a different time to the other, another down side is when they get to an old age you loose very close together as when one die's the other can loose the will to live. we lost one and within three week's the healthy one died in her sleep 3 week later

What about keeping a puppy from your bitches litter? I have heard that the mother is the best *trainer* bar none.