Is it better to have just the one labrador male or have a pair

I think it depends on age,if two pups are brought up together then they may fight until one realises that the other is boss (not really bad fighting,but the two bitches I have are sisters and do sometimes scratch eachother) but if there is already an older male then the older 1 will probably put the pup in its place straight away.I'm not sure whether this information is spot on,if not then I'm sure someone will correct me

I have had 2 pups together and found that they bonded with each other rather than me.... all is ok now though...

But they are hard work having 2 and I would never do it again! they need seperate training sessions, to be walked seperately at least part of the time.

Dont do it.... get one and then in 18-24 months later get another pup.... the first one will help rear the second one... also think that if you get 2 the same age you are likely to lose them both at the same time when they get old?

Lynn

As a generalisation, dogs will sort out a pecking order and once done that’s it. If there is a large enough difference in age then the older one is, at least in the early days the top dog. During this time it is the human's job to make sure the dogs realise that they are subservient to the humans. However hard it seems, the human NEVER backs the under dog. This will only make matters worse.
Bitches are different. They will only fight if they don’t like each other and in a case such as that the fights usually only get worse!
You will no doubt have seen people on here say do not have litter mates or even puppies of around the same age. This is the reason why! No natural leader or follower! I like around 3 year’s difference in age. That way, the maternal instincts of the older bitch take over.

Regards, John

I have 2 sisters they always get along great, but you do have to do some seperate training or they will not bond with you. I also think it depends on the breed.

John is not saying it will happen but that it can happen. I find dogs (males) make a good deal of noise and soon forget the squable but I have had two bitches who hated each other and would not have been happy until one or the other had been killed. They had to be seperated. I have also had bitches who get on realy well. Jackie H

I have two bitches 8 and 4 who get on like a house on fire. They are not related. I find however, that the older one is always boss and the 4 year old is subservient to her. It seems to work for them though. The older one will always protect the younger one in the event of a threat.

Hi I agree with weims. Have one now and another in 18 months or so. The older one really does help teach the younger one so well with all aspects of training, assuming the older one has been well trained. Two puppies from the same litter is definately the more difficult option as they can tend to bond with each other, more than with you. Do you particularly want them both to be male? If you have one of each sex they will almost certainly get on fine, but of course you may not want to neuter /spay, one or both.

Hi,
I would never ever recommend two puppies together. This is
coming from a woman who has experience of it.
I own two litter sisters and have coped very well, taking time
out to train them on their own. They are very good companions.
I must say though I have an excellent husband who takes
great interest in our dogs, and we have both taken out time to
train the girls. Not everyone could do it. I would never do it
again. As I know how hard it has been
It is much better to buy one now and train it. Remember that
when you are house training you will have double the mess to
clean out. Not knowing who done it is very difficult. It takes
them longer to house train, because if one has just done it
on the floor the other will follow. Two will push each other into
doing things they should not, like chewing. They will tend to
barge through doorways to get in front of each other no matter
who is opening the door. Wait until 12 to 18 months then think
about having a second pup. Also it is rather nice to wait to have
the excitement of owning another pup. We all love puppies!
I agree with Weims, and Westie lover.