Hi I have just a had a phone call that has really upset me. I was offered the pick of a litter of 3 pups (2 of whom I was advised had  show potential) and had arranged to see the pups later today at the breeders request. I have now recieved a call saying that a couple has just been and bought the 2 pups I was interested in. Ahh!! Why oh why do people mess others about like this. What can I do to stop this happening again??

It sounds like you are better off without a breeder like that....... He or she should either not have told you you had the pick of 3, or they SHOULD have made the other couple come after you. But in any event, the breeder let somebody have TWO together -now that is not usually the sign of a good breeder! I don't know anyone who would sell two pups together.

I would just put this down to experience, and look for a better breeder, maybe in the long run the breeder has done you a favour. What age were the pups ? Were you going to view them at say 5/6wks old, or were they 8 wks, if they were 8 wks why had you not viewed them sooner and picked your pup.  No reputable breeder would sell two pups from the same litter unless they were going to a show home, or out on breeders terms.  I know I would not sell two to the one person under any circumstances.

Hi the pups were 7 weeks and I was told I would be taking the pup next week. The viewing was late I agree but I wanted the best chance of picking a show potential pup and didn't want to fall into the trap of picking the cutest pup at 5 weeks.
I think I agree with you on the lucky escape though now and will learn from the experience, although I trusted the breeder until 3pm this afternoon.
Thanks
Angela

No reputable breeder would sell two pups from the same litter

I've done it and I consider myself reputable. :) My breed generally does well in pairs and doesn't seem to suffer from the problem of bonding with each other rather than the owner. In fact I've got to the stage where I'm very reluctant to keep a single pup myself and I know other breeders who feel the same way. That isn't to say that a single pup won't turn out fine but two of the same age exercise each other in a way nothing else does.

In reply to the OP, I'd never consider letting someone 'jump the queue' and I think you may be well out of it with this breeder.

May I ask why you would'nt let 2 puppies go together? I would have thought that if it was a good home for one puppy it would be good for two. Also they would be company for other, I know of lots of people who have had 2 pups from the same litter and had many happy years, for the dogs and for themselves.
Susieb

Having kept two from one litter myself, I can tell you :  it isn't twice the work - it is twice the work ....squared!

Training has to be done on an individual basis, you have to be so careful that the pups don't bond with each other, to the extent of keeping you out - there is twice as much mischief - one will egg the other on ..... and altogether it is darned hard work!

I wouldn't do it again - I feel both puppies would have been different characters on their own - they are wonderful and we love them dearly - but it is a case of "don't do what I did" :D

Margot

I had to keep two puppies from a litter and it's a nightmare! It's far, far, far more work than a single pup (unless of course you have eyes that work independently, like a chameleon, and watch both of them at the same time!). Each needs to be lead-trained etc separately, and them together, so that's 3 times the number of walks for starters.

And you've heard the saying "Two's company, three's a crowd"? Well, the two pups are the company and the human's the unwelcome third making up the crowd.

It's took me about 5 years to get my pair to the same level of obedience as I'd get after one year with a single pup.

I'd never, ever buy a pup from someone who was willing to sell littermates to the same owner, or even to sell a single pup if the potential owner had another young pup already.

Ditto JG - I was fully intending to keep a girl from my last litter, but had a boy until I found the right home at 12 weeks. He was a little cracker and I did consider keeping him, but by 10 weeks I realised that if I did, neither would make it in the ring as they were bonding so strongly I wouldnt stand a chance of training them separately. Fine if the breeder doesnt have the dogs/pups living as part of the family, but totally impossible if they do!

I have to disagree with you about keeping 2 pups.
I took a pup back at 10 weeks (family who bought her had some horrific news and couldn't cope)and I had already kept 1 anyway.I decided to keep the pup rather than sell her on as she was adorable and if I hadn't of kept the pup I did keep it would have been her anyway :D
For me training these 2 was easier than training their mum on her own as they watched,seen the other get a treat for doing right and did the same.House training was a breeze and as for them bonding better with eachother well that too hasn't happened.They have never had a fight,are totally different in personality and  each one loves each family member the same.And yes they are family pets and yes they are shown.Both doing rather well too :)
So it is not impossible,if you have the time and the patience.

Hi i have to agree with Waffy ive kept 2 littermates before and it was great so easy and yes mine were also part of the family and i intend to do it again as ive just had a litter and im keep a brother and sister out of it

You're mad; quite, quite mad! :D

Although I love both my boys dearly I'd never, never have two pups at the same time out of choice.

Also from a breeders point of view you want to maximise the chances of the home working out, and having two tends to add to the difficulties and stresses of puppy rearing that many new owners just don't anticipate, or have forgotten.  I have had pups back from owners who couldn't cope, so would not risk letting two go to one home.  Maybe some reeds are easier.

I agree that two are easier as well. I've done it several times and a pair has been much less work than a single pup. I don't allow my pups/youngsters to play with the adults as I know of one younster that got badly broken in an accidental high speed collision with an adult dog. A pair from the same litter entertain and exercise each other which is much easier than trying to fill the sibling role with a single pup. House and general training two has been no problem and I lead train the pairs together. I've never had the slightest problem bonding fully with the pairs of pups and in my experience they become members of the whole pack rather than bonding particulary with each other. That said there may well be a breed factor involved.

How sad that your puppies are not allowed to play with your older dogs - in my experience the older ones are excellent in teaching the younger ones, and moderate their play to compensate for the puppies size. From your reply it would seem that you prefer to keep 2 to save work for yourself - this is probably not the case, so perhaps you would clarify.

It is less work in my opinion but that is not my primary reason for keeping two pups. I keep two because I strongly believe that  in my breed pups/youngsters do far better in pairs - a view shared by other breeders.

My pups and youngsters do live and play together with the adults in the house and I agree that the pups learn a great deal from the adults. In that context I also agree that the adults temper their play to the pups. But my breed can run at  over 35 mph and an accidental collision between a 100+ pound adult and a pup or sapling can have disastrous consequences for the youngster concerned. A friend of mine found that out at the cost of a permanently disabled dog - and about £3000! So my youngsters do not get out in the paddock or field with the adults until they are 15 months old.

"they have never had a fight" - why should they have a fight? The whole point is that they become practically inseperable. Perhaps the fact that I had dogs other than the pups mother made a difference, but NO WAY would I sell 2 pupps to the same person, no matter how dog experienced they may be.

oh dont get me wrong i wont sell 2 puppies together to the same person i have kept 2 puppies myself out of choice although i have made the exception twice but with a very small breed of dog i would never ever sell 2 large breed puppies together
yes i think iam mad with all the other dogs i have aswell lol

I've also HAD to keep 2 and never, ever again! NIGHTMARE. Almost 5 years on and it's no better. They are totally bonded to each other and not to anyone else. Sure I've got them to do the basics -bitch GC silver, dog GC Gold, but they are far too attached to each other and have never been as confident as other dogs. The single dog I kept from the next litter is amazingly different.

Although I've never bred a litter myself, my friend has and from her first litter she kept two. She also said never again and she wouldn't dream of selling two pups to one owner.
As for keeping pups away from adults, with a large breed this is a wise decision. Even in play they can fall very heavily, 'crash and bump' very hard, and in doing so could seriously hurt a puppy or even a smaller breed. It takes longer for a heavy large breeds to stop than it would for a smaller breed and by the time you've screeched 'stop' and dared to open your eyes it could be too late. Maybe its different for small breeds but I am definately gonna keep pup away from mine until they have got over the excitement of the new addition :)

That's a shame. Probably better off with something else. Somethings are meant to be.

I hate people who make promises and let others down. I have came across it a few times over the last few months in my own breed but it seems to be the same few breeders whos name's crop up.

I hate committing puppies most of the time to anyone :-D just incase.   I had held off committing a puppy dog recently myself, like I needed a male puppy like a hole in the head :-) but I just thought I would hang onto him to 12 weeks just in case. I was already keeping 2 bitches. :-)  I had a lady who had contacted me when the puppies were just born and although I knew in my heart I would probably let him go as I was keeping 2 bitch puppies I wouldn't commit him to her just incase he turned out just so spectacular. I advised there was a slight chance a puppy dog would be avaliable in a few weeks time and that I would make a decision one way or another by a particular date and gave her the date to call but offered no promise. I did however give her numbers of others I knew with puppies or pending puppies so she would'nt be puppy-less and get one from someone or if she wanted to get a better commitment from elsewhere. To me that is the chance you take and a risk I am alway happy with. There will always be another good buyer come along at some point if not more the merrier :-)

Nothing odder than humans :-)

I would have been furious too ! - when I went to choose my French puppy I had been told that I had 2nd pick of the bitches- out of 5 bitches in total ( the breeder wanted 1st pick) - she had folk coming from Spain and Italy as well as France to choose as well but she made them wait until we were able to get over - by which time the pups were 10 weeks old ! - as it turned out the one that the breeder chose was not my type anyway so I was more than happy with the choice I had - it was a bit pressured though as the other puppy buyers were there waiting to choose theirs after me

We too kept a brother and sister - never again - it was so difficult to train and socialise them properly and I never did get the bitch into the ring as she just hated leaving her brother - they are both very sweet natured easy going dogs but I do wish that I'd only kept the one.

Yvonne

I think it stinks, I know of someone who this has happened to recently as well.   I'm furious about it!

When we went to pick our puppy although we only wanted one puppy to join our family, we already had another older dog, our breeder told us that she very rarely sells two puppies out of the same litter to the same person.

The let down buyers will likely always tell the next breeder they enquire to.  So they obviously don't care about their reputation.

Although I kept 2 from a litter I too would not sell 2 puppies to 1 owner.
After having a full litter I was prepared for the 2 (even tho 1 left and came back) and dont think a new puppy owner would be.

How interesting, I guess it must be breed specific. We always had one pup at a time, but the last two times we've had two together and they have been SO much easier. They settle down so much quicker and we have never had any training or bonding problems with them. I'd go for 2 over 1 every time given the chance, much less stressful for the pups too.

Sorry to post again but I am even more angry now as my 8 year old daughter was upset this morning but wouldn't tell me why, it turns out that she had overheard the telephone conversation I had with the breeder on Sat evening (past her bedtime) and was thinking that as she was naughty (eavesdropping!!) the pup was not coming home. People!! Give me dogs anyday.
Thanks
Angela

Sorry to hear your daughter has been so upset that is one of the reasons I just ask people to go on a waiting list  and I have puppy viewings when they are round about 4/5 wks old, then I can vet the prospective buyers and find out a bit more about them and their family lifestyle. At the moment I have one very small pup so dont see it being viewed or going to its new home at 8ks unless it really comes on leaps and bounds and catches up with the others.  I am also hoping to keep one of the bitch pups.  So a couple of people on my list will be disappointed as well.